Elsewhere, with Kurenai's Illusion Technique to help him, Asuma finally drove Ryota, the Chunin, into a corner.
Asuma seized his chance and swung his Chakra Blade.
The blade sliced across Ryota's neck, leaving a streak of blood. Ryota's eyes brimmed with resentment.
Asuma let out a long breath, then turned to help Amada.
But when he turned around, he saw that Amada had already dealt with the two Chunins.
"Amada... has he really gotten this strong?"
Asuma was astonished.
He hadn't expected Amada to take down two Chunins on his own in such a short time.
Amada noticed Asuma watching him but said nothing. He simply looked toward Kushina.
Kushina stood before Shari, a Jonin from Sunagakure,
red chakra burning around her like flames, radiating a terrifying pressure.
Shari lay on the ground, his condition unclear.
"So this is the Nine-Tails' chakra... It's incredible."
Amada marveled silently.
The fighting inside the palace had ended. The Sunagakure shinobi had been defeated, and Kushina had subdued Shari.
Yet Inada Kai, the mastermind behind it all, had still not shown himself.
Just as everyone thought he had fled, Inada Kai quietly appeared in Princess Tachibana's bedchamber.
Inside, Inada Kai stood before Princess Tachibana with a blade in hand, his eyes filled with madness and greed.
"Tachibana, blame yourself for standing in my way. I'm the only one fit to become Daimyo. You're just a woman—what right do you have to become Daimyo?"
Princess Tachibana showed no fear. Instead, a hint of scornful amusement crossed her face.
She stared coldly at Inada Kai, as if he were nothing more than a clown.
Enraged by her gaze, Inada Kai swung his blade at her throat.
But just as the blade was about to touch her, Tachibana swiftly reached out and seized his wrist.
Tachibana held Inada Kai's wrist in an iron grip.
His face turned ashen. The pain shooting through his wrist made him cry out:
"Ah!"
He stared at Tachibana in disbelief, terror in his eyes.
"Who are you?!"
Princess Tachibana slowly rose to her feet, tightening her grip on his wrist.
Inada Kai's blade clattered to the floor,
and his body bent forward against his will as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Princess Tachibana looked at Inada Kai coldly.
"I'm Tachibana, Uncle. Did you think all I learned in the Land of Fire was ordinary etiquette and knowledge? Konoha knew about your and my father's treacherous ambitions long ago, and I've never let my guard down."
Inada Kai's eyes widened with shock and disbelief.
As if a sudden thought had struck him, he asked in a trembling voice:
"The Daimyo... You killed him?"
Princess Tachibana gave a cold laugh and flung her wrist, slamming Inada Kai to the floor.
"However useless he was, he was still my father. Of course I wouldn't kill him with my own hands. As for who did... that doesn't matter. What matters is that in the end, everyone will believe you did it."
Inada Kai lay on the floor, his wrist in such agony that he could barely move.
He looked up at Tachibana, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
A moment later, he suddenly burst into laughter, wild and relieved.
"Impressive! Truly impressive!"
Inada Kai's laughter gradually died away, and his voice turned reflective.
"You're far stronger than your father or me. Perhaps... you're the one best suited to become Daimyo."
Princess Tachibana watched him coldly and didn't reply.
Inada Kai was now nothing more than an insignificant loser.
Just then, the bedchamber door swung open, and Amada, Kushina, Asuma, and the others hurried inside.
When they entered, they saw Princess Tachibana cowering on the bed, her face full of fear and alarm.
Meanwhile, several guards had seized Inada Kai.
"Princess Tachibana, are you all right?"
Kushina hurried to the bedside.
Princess Tachibana looked up, tears glimmering in her eyes, and spoke in a trembling voice:
"I... I'm all right. The guards arrived just in time. Otherwise... otherwise, I..."
Her voice caught, as if she had been badly frightened.
Amada stood to one side, taking in the scene. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, but soon his expression returned to normal.
Asuma walked up to Inada Kai.
"Inada Kai, your plot has been exposed. You'll pay for what you've done."
Over the course of that night, the remnants of Inada Kai's forces were completely wiped out.
Inada Kai, the mastermind behind the collusion with Sunagakure and the Daimyo's murder, was locked in the palace dungeon.
Yet that very night, Inada Kai took his own life in his cell.
News of his death soon spread throughout Rice Field Country. The people discussed it, but most believed he had gotten what he deserved.
Meanwhile, Danzo, back in Konoha, received the news as well.
Seated in his office, he held the report that had just arrived and smiled meaningfully.
"Well done, Tachibana. My secret efforts to raise her weren't wasted. Now Rice Field Country is truly in my hands."
At dawn the next day, Amada, Kushina, Asuma, and Kurenai prepared to set off for home.
Shari, the Jonin from Sunagakure, had his chakra sealed and was being escorted back to the village by Konoha's Anbu.
Princess Tachibana came in person to the palace gates to see the Konoha shinobi off.
"Teacher Kushina, Amada, Asuma, Kurenai, thank you. Without your help, Rice Field Country's future would have been bleak."
Princess Tachibana bowed slightly,
Kushina nodded with a smile.
"Princess Tachibana, it was our duty."
Amada stood nearby, studying Princess Tachibana with a thoughtful look.
He could tell she wasn't as simple as she seemed, but it had nothing to do with him.
On the road back to Konoha, Kushina couldn't shake a nagging question.
She kept replaying everything that had happened in Rice Field Country, especially the Daimyo's death.
Shari and his men couldn't use Illusion Techniques, let alone an advanced one capable of making someone kill themselves.
So how had the Daimyo died? Was someone else behind Inada Kai?
Or... had Inada Kai not killed the Daimyo at all?
"Damn it, I wish Minato were here."
Kushina thought helplessly.
She wasn't good at analysis or deduction. Then she remembered that the Nine-Tails seemed to know something.
"Hey, Nine-Tails, did Inada Kai really kill the Daimyo?"
Kushina asked in her mind.
The Nine-Tails' voice sounded in her head.
"No."
Kushina's heart surged with shock.
She hadn't expected the Nine-Tails to answer so directly, much less to deny it.
She quickly pressed further.
"Then who killed him?"
The Nine-Tails hadn't intended to reveal the truth, but deep down, he was curious about Kushina's reaction.
He wanted to know what this usually resolute and righteous woman would do when she learned the truth.
After a moment of silence, the Nine-Tails told Kushina a name she couldn't believe.
"What?!" Kushina's heart jolted.
"You're lying! I don't believe you!"
Before you continue