After the ghost left.
Only Sosuke and Shijimi Tamako remained in the palace.
One wore a White Haori, stood tall, and had a smile on his face.
The other wore a layer of vivid red armor. She looked valiant and spirited, her fair face streaked with tears.
Sosuke glanced at Tamako, whose tear tracks had yet to dry, and chuckled.
"Why wear armor even inside the palace? Isn't it cumbersome?"
At Sosuke's question, Tamako lowered her beautiful eyes and hesitated before murmuring,
"In recent years, as my influence in the Land of Fire has grown, so have the countless assassination attempts."
"Even with some ninja hired to protect me, they can't keep me safe. I might as well take matters into my own hands and use the ninja who come to kill me as whetstones."
At this, the smile at the corner of Sosuke's mouth deepened. He asked softly,
"Who are they?"
Tamako was slightly taken aback. She looked up at Sosuke and said quietly,
"You don't need to deal with them. You shouldn't reveal your whereabouts right now, should you? Every ninja in the Ninja World already knows about you..."
"I don't want you to be hunted by the ninja of the entire underworld..."
Sosuke smiled faintly and replied softly,
"If this faction were truly worth worrying about, it would already be one of my subordinates."
"So there's no need to be so tense, Tamako."
As he spoke, a glint flashed in Sosuke's eyes. He said quietly,
"Right now, all I need to do is wait for the right moment, then claim the very pinnacle of the Ninja World."
"As for the insignificant pests lurking in the shadows and getting in the way, I'll simply crush them."
Tamako stared at him for a moment, then obediently nodded.
Sosuke glanced