The Journey Home

On the other side, Asuma, with the assistance of Kurenai's genjutsu, finally cornered the chunin Ryota.

Asuma seized the opportunity, swinging his chakra blade with a fierce strike.

The blade sliced across Ryota's neck, leaving a trail of blood. Ryota's eyes were filled with unwillingness.

Asuma let out a long sigh of relief, intending to turn back and support Amada.

However, when he turned his head, he saw that Amada had already dealt with the two chunin.

Amada... has he reached this level already?

Asuma was filled with astonishment.

He had not expected that Amada could take down two chunin single-handedly in such a short amount of time.

Amada sensed Asuma's gaze but said nothing, merely looking toward the direction of Kushina.

At this moment, Kushina was standing before the Sunagakure jonin Shari.

The red chakra on her body burned like flames, radiating a heart-stopping pressure.

Shari lay on the ground, his life or death unknown.

Is this the chakra of the Nine-Tails... so powerful.

Amada sighed to himself in his heart.

The battle within the palace had ended; the Sunagakure ninjas were defeated, and Shari had been subdued by Kushina.

However, the mastermind, Inada Kai, had yet to show himself.

Just as everyone assumed he had fled, Inada Kai quietly appeared inside the bedchamber of Princess Tachibana.

Inside the chamber, Inada Kai stood before Princess Tachibana, holding a sharp blade, his eyes filled with madness and greed.

"Tachibana, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for blocking my path. Only I am qualified to become the daimyo. You are merely a woman; what right do you have to be the daimyo?"

There was not a trace of fear on Princess Tachibana's face; instead, she wore a mocking smile.

She stared coldly at Inada Kai, as if looking at a clown performing a farce.

Inada Kai was enraged by her gaze, and the blade in his hand swung down violently, aiming straight for Tachibana's throat.

However, the moment the blade was about to touch her, Tachibana's hand shot out, firmly gripping Inada Kai's wrist.

Inada Kai's wrist was clamped tightly by Tachibana.

His expression turned ugly in an instant, and the excruciating pain radiating from his wrist forced a scream from his throat:

"Ah!!"

He looked at Tachibana in disbelief, his eyes filled with terror:

"Who on earth are you!"

Princess Tachibana slowly stood up, the pressure on his wrist tightening.

Inada Kai's blade clattered to the floor.

His body bent involuntarily, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Princess Tachibana looked down at Inada Kai coldly:

"I am Tachibana, Uncle. Did you think that what I learned in the Land of Fire was merely common etiquette and knowledge? Konoha has long known of your and my father's wolfish ambitions, and I have never once let down my guard."

Inada Kai's eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

As if suddenly realizing something, he asked with a trembling voice:

"The daimyo... did you kill him?"

Princess Tachibana sneered, flicking her wrist and throwing Inada Kai heavily to the ground.

"No matter how much of a waste he was, he was still my father. Naturally, I would not do it myself. As for who actually killed him... that is not important. What matters is that, in the end, everyone will believe that you were the one who did it."

Inada Kai lay on the ground, the intense pain in his wrist making it nearly impossible for him to move.

He looked up at Tachibana, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

A moment later, he suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice tinged with madness and relief.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!"

Inada Kai's laughter gradually subsided, his tone carrying a hint of sentimentality.

"You are far stronger than me and your father. Perhaps... you are the one most suited to be the daimyo."

Princess Tachibana watched him coldly, offering no response.

Inada Kai was now nothing more than an insignificant loser.

Just then, the doors to the bedchamber were pushed open, and Amada, Kushina, Asuma, and the others rushed in.

The moment they entered, they saw Princess Tachibana cowering weakly on the bed, her face filled with fear and panic.

Meanwhile, Inada Kai was being held firmly by several guards.

"Princess Tachibana, are you alright?"

Kushina walked quickly to the bedside.

Princess Tachibana looked up, tears shimmering in her eyes as she spoke with a trembling voice:

"I... I am fine. If it weren't for the guards arriving in time, otherwise... otherwise I..."

Her voice choked with sobs, as if she had been terribly frightened.

Amada stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the scene in the room; a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, but he quickly returned to his calm composure.

Asuma walked up to Inada Kai:

"Inada Kai, your conspiracy has been exposed. From here on, you will pay the price for your actions."

Over the course of the following night, the remnants of Inada Kai's forces were completely wiped out.

As the mastermind who colluded with Sunagakure and murdered the Daimyo, Inada Kai was thrown into the palace dungeon.

However, that very same night, Inada Kai committed suicide in his cell.

News of his death quickly spread throughout the Rice Field Country, and while the populace buzzed with discussion, most believed he had simply received his just deserts.

Meanwhile, far away in Konoha, Danzo also received the news.

He sat in his office, holding a report that had just been delivered, and smiled with deep, hidden meaning.

"Tachibana has done well; it was not in vain that I cultivated her in secret. Now, the Rice Field Country is truly in my grasp."

The next morning, Amada, Kushina, Asuma, and Kurenai prepared to embark on their journey home.

Shari, a Jonin from Sunagakure, had his chakra sealed and was being escorted back to the village by the Konoha Anbu.

Princess Tachibana came to the palace gate in person to see the Konoha ninja off.

"Teacher Kushina, Amada, Asuma, Kurenai, thank you. Without your help, the future of the Rice Field Country would have been unimaginable."

Princess Tachibana bowed slightly.

Kushina nodded with a smile:

"Princess Tachibana, this is our duty."

Amada stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over Princess Tachibana, a flicker of deep thought in his eyes.

He could see that Princess Tachibana was not as simple as she appeared on the surface, but that was none of his business.

On the road back to Konoha, a lingering question remained in Kushina's mind.

She kept replaying everything that had happened in the Rice Field Country, especially the cause of the Daimyo's death.

Shari and his subordinates were incapable of genjutsu, let alone the high-level genjutsu required to manipulate someone into committing suicide.

So, how did the Daimyo actually die? Was there someone else behind Inada Kai?

Or could it be... that the Daimyo wasn't killed by Inada Kai at all?

Damn it, if only Minato were here, Kushina thought helplessly.

She was not skilled at analysis or deduction. Suddenly, she remembered that the Nine-Tails seemed to know something.

"Hey! Nine-Tails, was the Daimyo killed by Inada Kai or not?" Kushina asked in her heart.

The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in her mind:

"He was not."

A storm of shock surged through Kushina's heart.

She had not expected the Nine-Tails to answer so directly, and even less did she expect the answer to be a denial.

She hurriedly pressed:

"Then who killed him?"

The Nine-Tails had not originally intended to reveal the truth, but deep down, he felt a flicker of curiosity regarding Kushina's reaction.

He wanted to know what choice this woman, who was always so firm and upright, would make when she learned the truth.

After a moment of silence, the Nine-Tails spoke a name to Kushina that she could not bring herself to believe.

"What?!" Kushina's heart jolted violently.

"You're lying! I don't believe it!"