Scheming

"May I ask for your identity, Musashi-dono?" Fujiwara Shizume whispered.

Ruri paused. He had never expected the identity of a samurai in a black robe and mask to hold up for long; the violent chakra fluctuations from earlier could never have been emitted by a mere samurai.

"That is not within the rules of the Black Market Exchange," Ruri replied indifferently. Even if he couldn't hide it, there was nothing the other party could do. The disparity in strength was clear, and the situation was not up for negotiation.

"If you tell me your true identity, I can disclose what our caravan is escorting and our true objective. I am sure you would be very interested to know. My desire to know your identity is merely for peace of mind," Fujiwara Shizume offered as a bargaining chip.

Eh? Ruri was genuinely curious about their mission. After a brief moment of thought, he walked over to Fujiwara Shizume, removed his hat, and pulled off his mask.

"This... bandages? Could it be... the legendary ninja, bodyguard to the Tsuchikage, Lord Mu of Iwagakure?!" Fujiwara Shizume gasped. How could such a figure be at the Black Market Exchange taking on missions?

"I am merely using your caravan to infiltrate the Land of Artisans. Furthermore, this is a classified mission from Iwagakure. If you do not wish to be hunted down by Iwagakure, you had best keep your mouth shut," Ruri said fiercely. Takigakure was located right next to the Land of Earth, and the two villages had frequent exchanges. There were no major events in Iwagakure recently, nor any ties to the Land of Artisans, and Mu was busy overseeing the development of the Ninja Academy, leaving him no time to spare. Thus, Ruri had no fear of his impersonation being exposed.

"Understood..." Fujiwara Shizume stepped back. It wasn't that he hadn't doubted the identity of "Mu," but that bandage-wrapped face was too iconic to be mistaken. Given Mu's status, no ordinary person would dare forge such an identity. Although he was a samurai who had failed his transition, it was precisely because of that failure that he possessed a deep understanding of chakra. Few ninjas in the entire world possessed that level of chakra; besides Mu, it was impossible for anyone else to be here.

After a short rest, the caravan set off again. This time, only a dozen low-level samurai and three mid-level samurai remained. If Ruri did not intervene, they would likely be wiped out if they encountered another attack like the last one.

On the road, Fujiwara Shizume kept his promise and laid his cards on the table. Despite still hiding some strength, even counting him, they only had one additional high-level samurai. Moreover, he was old and frail, lacking stamina, and his sword skills had flaws after his failed transition. If he didn't reveal the truth, it would be difficult for them to reach Takumigakure relying solely on their own strength.

What they were transporting was the Cursed Blade Muramasa, known as a cursed sword on par with the three great famous blades. The Fujiwara Clan had been the guardians of this cursed blade for generations, living in seclusion on a mountain in the Land of Fire.

Originally, their clan was much larger, but news leaked when they left their base, and they were intercepted by Konoha ninjas, losing nearly half their men. That was precisely why they had thought to post a mission at the Black Market Exchange to seek help.

Furthermore, Fujiwara Shizume told Ruri the purpose of transporting the Cursed Blade Muramasa. The leader of Takumigakure, Seimei, had developed a method for forging special ninja tools, but lacked the materials. He had set his sights on these legendary blades, intending to melt them down to forge legendary ninja tools.

According to Fujiwara Shizume, with the identity of Mu, the Tsuchikage's bodyguard, Seimei would certainly not conflict with him. Since he would have safely delivered the Fujiwara Clan to Takumigakure, it would count as a favor to Seimei. In order to curry favor with Iwagakure, Seimei might even hand over a copy of the forging method for the legendary ninja tools.

Ruri naturally scoffed at this notion. In the original story, Seimei was resurrected for the sole purpose of destroying the Five Great Nations to stop them from suppressing smaller countries. How could he possibly have any goodwill toward a ninja village from the Land of Earth, let alone provide help? However, Ruri now understood why the three great famous blades and the Cursed Blade Muramasa were so famous in this era yet never mentioned in the original story—they had all been melted down by Seimei into ninja tools.

Those ninja tools that were taken out by a single spear from Gaara had no reason to exist... compared to the three great famous blades, they were far inferior. Ruri now had another reason to take down Seimei; how could he let him ruin such precious blades?

A day passed, and the caravan arrived near Takumigakure.

Fujiwara Shizume did not lead the caravan into Takumigakure, but instead set up camp nearby, intending to stay the night before entering the village. This made Mitsunosuke and Shizuka breathe a sigh of relief. If the caravan had entered Takumigakure directly, they would have had to fight to the death to seize the Cursed Blade Muramasa, or they would have lost their chance.

"Musashi-sama... we are..." Mitsunosuke and Shizuka approached Ruri's cloak, but were interrupted before they could finish.

"You want to seize the Cursed Blade Muramasa, don't you? And you want to use the power of the Cursed Blade Muramasa to defeat Seimei, thereby completing the Miike Clan's revenge?" Ruri, who was sitting on the ground concentrating on refining chakra, suddenly opened his eyes and spoke.

"You... how did you know?" Mitsunosuke was horrified. He hadn't shown any flaws along the way; why did this person not only know their goal but also their identities?

Could the young master have told him? Mitsunosuke recalled that Ruri had indeed spent time alone with Shizuka under the guise of practicing swordplay. Shizuka was naive, and given her immature nature, it was very likely she had spilled everything in exchange for his help!

"Don't look at her, the little girl will be shy."

"Please, Musashi-dono, lend us your strength, I beg you!" Mitsunosuke was decisive, kneeling directly on the ground. He tugged at the bewildered Shizuka, who finally understood and knelt down as well.

"Musashi-senpai, please!"

Ruri thought for a moment and said, "After your revenge succeeds, what do you intend to do?"

Mitsunosuke and Shizuka were stunned. Even if they seized the Cursed Blade Muramasa, they had been prepared to die for their revenge. As for what to do afterward, they had never thought about it.

"We will be at your disposal, Musashi-sama." Mitsunosuke quickly understood. The strong have no pity unless you can demonstrate sufficient value to exchange for help, and his life was the only thing he had left that could be considered valuable.

"Make Shizuka the leader of Takumigakure."

"What?" Mitsunosuke looked at him in disbelief.

"You will assist from the sidelines, and make Miike Shizuka the leader of Takumigakure. I will resolve all unfavorable factors in one go," Ruri repeated. This was the method that best served the interests of Takigakure.

Admittedly, Mitsunosuke's swordsmanship and the forging techniques of the Miike Clan in Shizuka's hands were things Takigakure needed. But compared to these, their identities were more useful. Once the deed was done, the Sanjo Clan would migrate to Takigakure, leaving only Miike Shizuka and Mitsunosuke from the three great families of the Land of Artisans.

Takumigakure could not be abolished after Seimei's death, and the position of leader could not remain vacant. Thus, Shizuka, the last of the three great families, was the best choice in name. With the assistance of Mitsunosuke, who possessed the strength of a high-level samurai, controlling the entire Takumigakure and influencing the Land of Artisans would not be difficult.

Of course, this was all predicated on Ruri being able to take down Seimei and everyone else in Takumigakure who could threaten Shizuka's ascension.