Beauty Bows Her Head

Daimyo Manor, study.

Chiba Ran finished reviewing the last memorial.

As his vermilion brush came down, both the talent cultivation list submitted by Minato Namikaze and the roster of the Guardians of the Twelve were signed.

The moment he signed those names, Konoha's future was firmly in his grasp.

He set down his brush and leaned back into his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping against the wooden armrest.

At some point, this had become an unconscious habit whenever Chiba Ran was thinking.

His mind flashed back to the Shimura Clan from three days ago, kneeling at his feet after being bestowed the name Black Wind.

He had given them new lives, and they had become his fangs.

"Disguise yourselves as wandering ninja and head to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning."

"Pose as bandits. Raid only merchant caravans from the Land of Lightning."

"Remember, don't do it too often. I want the Land of Lightning's border trade routes to remain in a state of chronic bleeding without dying immediately."

This was the first mission he had given them.

These orders would tear chunks of flesh from the Land of Lightning.

A seemingly insignificant chess piece had already been placed.

Now, it was time to enjoy another game.

"Minamoto," Chiba Ran called.

The butler standing nearby hurried forward and bowed to await his orders.

"Have the Internal Affairs Department select an official and send him to Konoha to distribute the funds," Chiba Ran said. "Make the ceremony grand, and have him distribute them personally."

Minamoto bowed. "Yes, my lord!"

Chiba Ran continued, "Also, have the Guardians of the Twelve come over as soon as possible."

"By your command, my lord."

After settling those matters, Chiba Ran rose and stretched, his joints cracking in a rapid series of pops.

Outside the door, the ceremonial official in charge of the Internal Affairs Office had been waiting for quite some time.

Upon receiving the summons, the official immediately entered at a brisk pace and knelt to report.

"My lord, the preliminary selection for the women participating in the consort selection has concluded. A total of thirty-six candidates have qualified."

"Today is their first day of training in the manor. Would my lord... care to come and observe?"

Chiba Ran was instantly interested.

With the serious business finished, it was time to relax. He could also see whether there were any women who caught his eye.

"Lead the way."

A secluded courtyard.

It had been temporarily designated as the training grounds, isolated from the bustle elsewhere in the manor. The air carried the scent of pinewood.

Chiba Ran stepped onto the second-floor corridor and took his seat of honor.

The view from here was broad enough to take in everything in the courtyard below.

He could have appeared openly and enjoyed their expressions of fear, reverence, and fervor.

But that would have been too dull.

Rather than watching a performance carefully arranged for him, he preferred observing from afar.

What he wanted to see was not what they had learned.

It was their genuine reactions.

Understanding his intent, a maid brought him a cup of clear tea and erected a gauze screen before him.

The screen blocked outsiders' view, but it could not block his scrutiny.

He lifted his teacup, his eyes bright with interest as he watched the thirty-six treasures below awaiting appraisal.

These women had come from all across the Land of Fire and now stood stiffly in several rows.

Each wore her finest clothes, without any makeup on her face. This was how they truly looked.

Every one of them was stunningly beautiful.

There were noble daughters of high birth, elegant and refined.

There were also modest beauties who had risen from among commoners, their faces full of nervousness.

Naturally, several prey with special identities were mixed among them as well.

Mei Terumi stood amid the crowd with her eyes lowered.

The soft, flowing gown on her body had replaced her Kirigakure combat attire.

Her slender hands, once accustomed to gripping kunai, could only overlap helplessly before her now.

She keenly sensed quite a few gazes falling upon her, carrying both scrutiny and hostility.

Especially from a young woman standing not far away.

That young woman had long black hair, delicate features, and a fan-shaped clan crest. She was Mirin Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan.

Mirin Uchiha merely swept a cold glance over Mei Terumi before no longer paying her any attention.

In her eyes, everyone here was merely a stepping stone for her to become the daimyo's consort, and eventually ascend to the position of mother of the nation.

On the other side, Yūhi Kurenai looked entirely out of place.

Unlike the others, she was neither nervous nor brimming with ambition.

Her face held only confusion and resistance.

Her father had brutally dragged her out of her life as a ninja and shoved her into this gilded cage.

Even now, she still could not understand why her life had changed so drastically.

At that moment, a gray-haired old woman entered the courtyard, pacing slowly with a ruler in hand.

She was the palace's strictest female official. Even the consorts of the previous daimyo had been trained by her personally.

"Starting today, forget your past." The old woman's dry, shrill voice scraped across everyone's eardrums.

"Here, you have no names. You have only one identity: candidates for consort!"

"For the next month, you will learn court etiquette. Your words, actions, every smile and frown must conform to the rules."

"The first lesson is kneeling."

"Kneeling is not groveling! Use your knees to feel the sovereign's majesty!"

She demonstrated personally, every movement precise as though measured with a ruler.

"Bring your knees together."

"Lower yourselves slowly."

"Keep your upper body straight, hands placed on your knees."

"Lower your head slightly to show respect."

"Now, repeat the movements I just demonstrated. Begin!"

At her command, the women in the courtyard bent their knees one after another.

Chiba Ran watched them with great interest.

What a splendid performance.

Below, the old woman shouted sharply, "You! As a noblewoman, your bearing is improper. Your legs are spread so wide—who are you inviting?!"

The ruler cut through the air and struck the ground before a noblewoman with a loud smack.

The noblewoman's face turned deathly pale with fright, and her entire body trembled violently.

The old woman turned her gaze to another. "And you! Raise your waist! Daimyo Manor does not need groveling servants. It needs women capable of serving the sovereign!"

She knew how to measure her actions. Her scoldings could be harsh, but she would never leave any marks.

After all, one of these women might very well become the daimyo's consort in the future.

She only pretended to be severe in order to discipline them.

And discipline was the fastest tool for grinding away one's edges, more effective than physical scars.

The commoner girl being reprimanded instantly had red-rimmed eyes. Tears welled up, but she held them back stubbornly, not daring to let them fall.

After watching for a while, Chiba Ran shifted his gaze to Mei Terumi.

Mei Terumi bit down hard on her lower lip until it lost all color, forcing herself to bend the knees that belonged to a ninja.

The instant her knees touched the cushion, Chiba Ran clearly saw her body shudder uncontrollably.

Perhaps she had never knelt before anyone!

But now, in exchange for funds that could save her companions, she had to kneel.

And she knelt with perfect form.

He looked toward Yūhi Kurenai again.

Yūhi Kurenai's movements were equally stiff.

Those legs that could easily walk upside down across tree branches could not manage this simplest of movements.

It seemed those knees would only kneel for the Will of Fire, kneel to protect her companions.

Not to please a man she had never met.

Chiba Ran's smile deepened.

He had never expected Yūhi Kurenai to participate in the selection as well.

In his previous life, he had actually held a fairly favorable impression of Yūhi Kurenai.

But since she was here, she had to follow the rules.

At last, his gaze settled on Mirin Uchiha.

Her movements were less like learning and more like a performance.

Her supple waist bent slowly, drawing a graceful curve. Even while kneeling, she did not lose her upright bearing. Instead, it only added a few more touches of pitiful charm.

She bowed slightly, her long neck lowering with it to reveal fair, delicate skin, while the faintly visible cleavage seemed bottomless.

Her exquisite face was filled with calm and focus, without the slightest hint of humiliation or resistance.

It was as though she regarded this training as a stage upon which to display herself.

Beneath that calm lay undisguised ambition.

She was even proud of it.

With her figure and bearing, she was silently declaring that she was the most perfect woman here—and the only victor.

The old woman was also very pleased with her performance. "Well done. It seems you have worked hard at this."

"Remember, everything about you is for the purpose of pleasing the daimyo!"

"Your bodies, your smiles, even every breath you take, must be the way he likes them!"

"Those who cannot learn, or cannot learn well!"

"Will be eliminated immediately!"

"Do you all understand?"

"Yes!"

The response was scattered and trembling.

Chiba Ran set down his teacup, and its base struck the tabletop with a soft clink.

Mei Terumi's humiliation and endurance.

Yūhi Kurenai's silent resistance.

Mirin Uchiha's ambition.

All of them were striving to become guests in his bedchamber.

And he would be the sole appreciator of their most unguarded selves.