Discussion 2

A furious roar rang out.

After a while,

Tanaka Yoshikado's face revealed an unnatural expression.

"Are... are you really all right?"

"Where's the resolve a clan head should have? Why are you hemming and hawing?"

Samu Kokaze rolled his eyes at the conflicted face before him, stood, and walked toward the door with a yawn. "I'm leaving first. We can talk about anything else tomorrow!"

"And..." Samu Kokaze turned at the doorway. "Have the materials I need for carving ready tomorrow. No matter what, it's still more comfortable for me to stay alone in Konoha."

Bang...

The wooden door slammed shut. Tanaka Yoshikado sat in his chair in a daze for a long while before letting out a bitter laugh.

"So this is a rejection to join the Tanaka Clan? Honestly..."

He picked up the tea on the dining table and drained it in one gulp. Then he rose, shook his head, sighed, and walked out of the room.

Whoosh... whoosh...

The biting winter night wind howled. As Tanaka Yoshikado stepped outside, his robes flapped loudly in the cold gusts. He raised his head toward the star-filled sea of the night sky and shook his head with a laugh.

He headed toward his room, his expression calm. "The Tanaka Clan rose because of you. What's wrong with trusting you one more time?"

Not far from the Tanaka Clan compound, a relaxed atmosphere filled the room of the current Sato Clan head.

It was something that had not happened for a long time since Sato Liandu took control of the clan.

The sky outside had already darkened.

Several figures sat in the brightly lit room. As the current Sato Clan head looked over the intelligence scroll they had just received, a smile appeared on his aged face.

Even though their power had now been almost completely stripped away, after controlling the clan for so many years, they still had certain channels for obtaining information.

"Genichi of the Fire Temple has been basically confirmed dead. Sato Liandu has effectively lost an arm. What should we do next? Let's discuss it."

The aged voice rang through the room. The Sato Clan head set down the scroll and looked toward the several well-dressed old men beside him.

"Genichi is dead? Is the information reliable? Who killed him?" one of them asked in a low voice.

Genichi of the Fire Temple held considerable renown within the Sato Clan. It could be said that a large part of Sato Liandu's rise to his current position was due to him.

Naturally, they were delighted if Genichi had died, but who could have killed him?

During the period when the clan's internal struggle for power had been at its fiercest, they had also tried sending people to assassinate Genichi.

However, Genichi's exceptional strength was one factor, while the Fire Temple's stance was another.

At the very least, the black-market ninjas they hired could only cause him some trouble. Ordinary rogue ninjas did not dare run to the Fire Temple to kill someone, while the powerful missing-nin from the major ninja villages were still being hunted by their own villages' Anbu and had no interest in taking on a task where the rewards did not match the risks.

The Sato Clan head laughed happily at those words and tossed over the intelligence scroll in his hand. "The information should be correct. Even if he isn't dead, he should be seriously injured. Otherwise, Sato Liandu would have long since had him appear to suppress old men like us."

The Sato Clan elder opposite him reached out, caught the scroll, and carefully read it.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "The carving master friendly with the Tanaka Clan has already arrived in the capital? Then there shouldn't be any problem, but... Clan Head, what do you intend to do?"

As he spoke, he looked up at the Sato Clan head across from him.

Under everyone's gaze, the Sato Clan head narrowed his eyes. "Contact the Tanaka Clan. Tell them that we can provide all intelligence regarding the merchant caravans controlled by Sato Liandu, but they cannot lay a hand on the caravans under our control."

"I believe that when it comes to dealing with Sato Liandu, our goals are the same."

The several figures in the room looked at one another, then gritted their teeth and nodded.

At the same time.

In a courtyard belonging to the Sato Clan estate.

Stars glittered in the night sky. From the brightly lit main house came a chaotic series of crashing sounds as the new porcelain that had only been replaced yesterday once again became worthless shards scattered across the floor.

Outside the courtyard, aside from several ninjas standing guard beneath the night sky, there was not another person in sight. Even the servants who normally stood outside the door had vanished.

After smashing things viciously inside to vent the resentment in his heart, Sato Liandu closed his eyes. His handsome, sinister face was now twisted with savagery, and he tilted his head back to stop the tears at the corners of his eyes from falling.

"Konoha... Samu Kokaze... and the ninja who killed you... I... I will absolutely, absolutely... make you all pay the price!!!"

As he spoke, he clenched his fists tightly. His nails cut into his palms, and blood dripped to the ground.

His low, hoarse voice carried shocking killing intent, like a murmur from the depths of hell that made everyone who heard it shudder...

Time did not bend to anyone's will.

The first ray of morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Samu Kokaze's face.

Feeling the warmth on his face, the lashes of that handsome and adorable face trembled slightly before his eyes slowly opened.

"Ah! Another new day!"

He got up, stretched, and put on the neatly folded clothes beside him.

He walked out of the room and followed the servant waiting outside toward breakfast. Seeing Guy sitting at the dining table and occasionally clutching his stomach, he could not help but laugh.

"Big Brother Guy, you look like you're in great spirits today! Want to have another match?"

He pulled out a chair beside the table and sat down, his tone full of teasing.

Guy, who was drinking thin porridge, changed expression. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Let's forget about it today. Eating too much affects my performance. Besides, we're in the middle of a mission!"

Samu Kokaze chuckled softly at Guy's attempt to avoid a fight. He picked up the bowl and chopsticks on the table and began wolfing down the food. While eating, he looked toward Tanaka Keishi, who stood to the side, and asked, "Where's Big Brother Yoshikado? Why don't I see him?"

Tanaka Keishi, who stood nearby serving them, bowed slightly and answered respectfully, "Clan Head Yoshikado received some news this morning and summoned the clan's senior members for a meeting. He is currently in the clan's council hall."

"I see."

With a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, Samu Kokaze muttered softly and sped up his eating. He quickly finished the food in his bowl, then looked at Guy, who took a sip of porridge before clutching his stomach, and said after thinking for a moment, "Big Brother Guy, take your time eating. I'll go find Big Brother Yoshikado."

"Oh! It's fine, go ahead. Call out if you need anything," Guy replied with a nod as he slowly drank his porridge.

"Let's go, Uncle Keishi."

Samu Kokaze stood up.

"Uncle Keishi, do you know what news Big Brother Yoshikado received this morning?"

As they walked along the bluestone path toward the Tanaka Clan's council hall, Samu Kokaze asked softly.

Tanaka Keishi, leading the way ahead of him, shook his head. "I have not received any news."