Four Souls World.
Marine Calendar, December 14, 1506.
2:26 a.m.
At this moment.
Pairs of cold, ghostly eyes stared from the darkness at every gate of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
The current 105th Emperor of Japan, Go-Nara Emperor, lived here.
Perhaps because war was raging outside, security here had clearly been tightened.
Teams of ashigaru wearing conical war hats and carrying cross spears patrolled back and forth along the walls.
Samurai with long swords at their waists and armor covering their bodies stood guard at both ends of the gates.
Occasionally, onmyoji dressed in white hunting robes could be seen passing by.
The moonlight spilling down was clearly so cool and gentle.
Yet the air remained filled with a grim, murderous atmosphere.
"Captain, the entire palace is covered by a square barrier. Although its exact effects are unknown, it most likely has detection abilities!"
On a rooftop one kilometer south of Kenreimon Gate.
A Hyuga shinobi with pale white eyes and bulging veins at the corners of his eyes looked toward the Kyoto Imperial Palace and reported to the three teammates behind him.
"In other words, infiltration is highly unlikely."
Suikazan Fuguki, his waist-length orange-red hair hanging behind him, lowered the military binoculars in his hands and spoke in a deep voice.
"This world has many yokai. That barrier was probably meant to guard against them, but now it has become an obstacle for us."
In truth, he was also guessing that the barrier might only affect yokai.
After all, the samurai and ashigaru clearly had not been affected at all.
But at a time like this, they could not afford to test it.
"Then we can only launch a frontal assault."
Just as Suikazan Fuguki murmured softly, the voice of another Jonin leading a team came through his earpiece.