The Rift

Kōtarō was just a pretext. Chōjūrō's real aim was to stir up the villagers' concerns about the Chiyo Clan.

The villagers wouldn't say, "Kōtarō did this or that." They would say, "People from the Chiyo Clan did this or that."

There was indeed little to criticize about Chiyo's character. She wasn't perfect, but given her position, her flaws were easy to overlook.

The Chiyo Clan, however, was another matter. No matter how powerful Chiyo was, she couldn't control people's selfish desires.

While she was in charge, things had been fine. The clan members had still shown some restraint.

But after she stepped down, Ebizo still had considerable prestige, but his authority was nowhere near as strong as Chiyo's.

Especially once the clan members realized that Chiyo really wasn't going to manage things anymore, it was as if they had become completely different people overnight. Some grew even more overbearing than members of other clans, as though they were venting all the resentment they had bottled up over the years.

The villagers had also noticed that the Chiyo Clan seemed to have assimilated with the other clans in a very short time.

From the Chiyo Clan's perspective, becoming like the other clans was only natural. They even felt they were the ones losing out.

But to the villagers, the first clan of the village had become like this, and the only person they believed would stand up for them and deliver justice was gone.

The other clans also felt their sense of insecurity flare up at how aggressive the Chiyo Clan had suddenly become. After all, no clan could withstand the Chiyo Clan encroaching on its interests.

This created a vicious cycle. The Chiyo Clan felt the divide between itself and everyone else growing, which bred resentment. The others, in turn, grew more anxious over the Chiyo Clan's discontent and distanced themselves from it. And so it went, round and round.

The incident had only just erupted that day, but the village wasn't large. A single day was enough for most people to hear about it. Chiyo had also keenly sensed a hint of conspiracy, but before she could take action, Chōjūrō had already called for an Elder Council meeting.

"I believe someone like Kōtarō is an exception among the Chiyo Clan. Most of its members love the village dearly and follow the rules."

Chōjūrō looked utterly at ease. Then he changed tack. "Still, many people in the village are worried about this kind of behavior. We're all old hands who've watched the village grow for decades. Something like this shouldn't happen again."

Ebizo snorted. "Every clan has a few rats. Just kill them. Or does Lord Chōjūrō plan to launch a sweeping purge of every clan?"

"A few rats aren't a problem. The danger is when the whole place has become a nest of rats."

Ebizo straightened up, the stooped, frail look gone in an instant. He leaned forward slowly, fixing the other man with a cold stare. "Sour Melon, do you know what you're saying?"

Sour Melon was a nickname Chōjūrō had been given as a child by the older kids. They called him that because he envied whatever other people had, while being incapable of achieving much himself.

Ebizo had been the one who came up with the nickname.

Chōjūrō hadn't heard it in years—not since he became an elder.

"Lapdog, I'm thinking of the village."

Chōjūrō wouldn't dare take on Chiyo head-on, but he wasn't afraid of Ebizo in the slightest.

Without your sister, you'd be nobody!

When I was fighting bravely on the battlefield, you were behind your sister;

When I infiltrated Iwagakure to assassinate its leaders for the village, you were behind your sister;

When I mastered all kinds of Ninjutsu and became the best in Sunagakure at Taijutsu, you were still behind your sister! What gives you the right to bark at me?!

The two men stood at loggerheads. Everyone else remained silent, waiting for Chiyo to break the deadlock.

But Chiyo kept her eyes lowered and said nothing.

To her, home meant both everyone and her own family.

"Everyone" meant the village she had built with her own hands. Her family meant her children and siblings. As for the clan members who were related to her by blood, she didn't even know some of their names.

She had watched Chōjūrō grow up, and his thoughts could never be hidden from her. But it was precisely because she understood him that she chose to stay silent.

If she intervened, it would surely provoke Chōjūrō, who had been backstabbed by his allies. At present, Chiyo had three reliable seats on the Elder Council, the Kazekage faction had four, and Chōjūrō's faction had four. But the issue of resource allocation had driven a wedge into Chōjūrō's faction, and he couldn't be sure his allies would support his actions without hesitation.

If the conflict between the two clans became public at a time like this, Chōjūrō would have only two choices: back down or risk everything.

Given the other man's age, he would most likely choose the latter. That would be a complete disaster for Sunagakure.

"You two, please calm down. Our first priority is to deal with this incident."

Rasa sat at the end of the round table, listening in. He spoke up to ease the tension, but someone clearly wasn't interested.

"Rasa, this is a matter for the Elders. Save your comments for when you're actually qualified to sit at this table."

Rasa hadn't expected Chōjūrō to snap at him. His face fell, as if he'd just been bitten by a mad dog.

Just then, Hoshino Maki, who had been standing behind Chiyo, came over to her. He shielded his mouth with one hand and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

Chiyo frowned after listening, but still said nothing.

The meeting hall was spacious, but there were few people inside. Naturally, everyone saw Hoshino Maki's gesture.

"Honored elders, now that this has happened, all we can do is find a way to make amends. Kōtarō's actions are unforgivable, and the Chiyo Clan will not allow such a thing to happen."

Chōjūrō furrowed his brow, about to speak, but the other man continued. "However, the Chiyo Clan does bear some responsibility for failing to teach its members properly. Until it has put its own house in order, perhaps the village's finances should be placed in the hands of Elder Yuta's and Elder Hyakki's clans. At the same time, starting today, each clan should appoint members to a Law Enforcement Team to oversee the implementation of the Elder Council's orders. What do the elders think?"

No one responded for a moment.

The people handling the village's finances would be from the Kazekage faction and Chōjūrō's faction. As for the Law Enforcement Team, its purpose was to rein in the people under the Great Clans, effectively increasing the Elder Council's authority.

There was no doubt this would weaken the Chiyo Clan.

Until now, members of each Great Clan had only answered to their own clan. Whenever someone from a Great Clan clashed with an order from the Elder Council, it usually turned into a shouting match. This was especially true of the Chiyo Clan, whose members would listen to Chiyo but not the Elder Council.

Now that every clan was appointing people to the Law Enforcement Team, anyone who resisted would be making an enemy of the entire Elder Council.

Even the Chiyo Clan couldn't bear that.

Losing control of the finances and being subjected to the Elder Council's oversight—Chōjūrō himself thought Chiyo wouldn't agree.

But Chiyo merely closed her eyes to rest, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"Sister."

"Call me Elder Chiyo here."

Chiyo opened her eyes and glanced at Ebizo. Then her gaze swept across everyone's faces before she slowly rose to her feet.

"Let's do it that way."

After speaking, she picked up the hat from the table and slowly walked out.

Hoshino Maki tried to follow and support her, but she swatted his hand away.

Behind her stooped figure, the elders watching the scene exchanged glances.