A Plea to Take Hotaru as a Disciple

En no Gyōja's change of heart was a complete reversal. Tonbee, the old servant who had attended him all his life, could not make sense of it. Even his beloved granddaughter was bewildered by the request.

I've heard the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan can bewitch people. Has Grandpa fallen under that evil power?

That was her suspicion, and she was beginning to believe it.

"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"He's just a rogue ninja. If you're worried, I can stop by later and bring you his head and the heads of everyone he's recruited. That should put an end to the threat."

But the words that followed shattered Hotaru's growing conviction.

Nothing in his manner or tone suggested he had bewitched her grandfather—or had any reason to.

"Master."

Tonbee called out softly, but he said nothing more.

He knew his place and understood that he had no right to interfere with his master's decision. Still, the urgency in his voice was unmistakable. He wanted his master to think it through.

"How far is Demon Hidden Village from Mount Katsuragi?"

"How long would it take your people to reach us at full speed after receiving a call for help?"

"The Fourth Raikage has also coveted our clan's secret art. If he comes next time, can you guarantee you'll arrive before he gets what he wants?"

En no Gyōja paid no heed to the voice behind him. He calmly put those questions to his visitor.

As for the rest of the Tsuchigumo Clan living deep in the mountains, the fact that his household had moved out of the village and into this outlying stronghold already hinted at the situation.

There was friction between his branch of the family and the others.

To put it plainly, the clan members who did