Negotiations 2

An impassioned roar rang out.

After a while,

An unnatural expression appeared on Tanaka Yoshikado's face.

"Are you... really all right?"

"Where has the resolve of a clan head gone? Why are you being so hesitant?"

Rolling his eyes at the conflicted face before him, Samu Kokaze got to his feet, yawned as he headed for the door, and said, "I'm leaving first. We'll talk about anything else tomorrow!"

"And..." Samu Kokaze turned back at the doorway. "Have the materials needed for carving prepared by tomorrow. No matter what, it still can't compare to how comfortable I was living 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.

"Is this a refusal to join my 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 wind. He looked up at the sea of stars glittering across the night sky, then shook his head with a smile on his handsome face.

He headed toward his room, his expression calm. "My Tanaka Clan rose because of you. What would it matter if I trusted you once more this time?"

Not far from the Tanaka Clan grounds, 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's authority.

The sky outside had already darkened.

Several figures sat in the brightly lit room. As the current Sato Clan head read the latest intelligence scroll in his hand, a smile appeared on his aged face.

Although their authority had now been almost completely stripped away, having controlled the clan for so many years meant they still had certain channels for obtaining information.

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

The aged voice echoed through the room. The Sato Clan head set down the scroll in his hand and looked toward several well-dressed old men nearby.

"Genichi is dead? Is the information reliable? Who killed him?"

One of them asked in a low voice.

Genichi of the Fire Temple had a great reputation within the Sato Clan. It could be said that much 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 worst period of their internal struggle for power, they had also tried to send people to assassinate Genichi.

However, Genichi's extraordinary strength was one factor, and the Fire Temple's stance was another.

At the very least, the black-market ninja they hired could only cause him some trouble. Ordinary wandering ninja did not have the nerve to go to the Fire Temple and 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 accepting such a poorly rewarding task.

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

The Sato Clan elder across from him reached out, caught the scroll, and examined it carefully.

After some thought, he said, "The carving master friendly with the Tanaka Clan has 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 opposite him.

Under everyone's gaze, the Sato Clan head narrowed his eyes and said, "Contact the Tanaka Clan. Tell them that we can provide all intelligence regarding the merchant caravans under Sato Liandu's control, but they cannot make a move against the caravans under our control."

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

The several figures in the room exchanged looks, then gritted their teeth and nodded.

At the same time.

In a courtyard belonging to the Sato Clan estate.

Starlight glittered in the night sky. A chaotic series of crashes sounded from the illuminated main house, where the new porcelain that had only been replaced yesterday had once again become worthless shards scattered across the floor.

Outside the courtyard, apart from several ninja standing guard, there was not another soul in sight beneath the night sky. Even the servants who would normally stand outside the door had vanished.

After smashing things about the room to vent the resentment in his heart, Sato Liandu closed his eyes. His sinisterly handsome face was twisted with rage as he tilted his head back to keep 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 open his palms, and blood dripped to the floor.

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

Time did not bend to anyone's will.

The first ray of morning sunlight shone through the window onto Samu Kokaze's face.

Feeling the warmth on his face, his eyelashes trembled slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.

"Ah! Another new day!"

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

He rose and headed outside, following the servant waiting by the door toward breakfast. Seeing Guy seated at the dining table and occasionally clutching his stomach, he burst out laughing.

"Big Brother Guy, you look very healthy today! Want to have another match?"

He pulled out a chair beside the table and sat down, speaking in a teasing tone.

Guy's expression changed as he drank his thin porridge. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Let's forget 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 at Tanaka Keishi standing nearby and asked, "Where's Big Brother Yoshikado? Why don't I see him?"

"Clan Head Yoshikado received some news this morning and summoned the clan's higher-ups for a meeting. He is currently in the clan's meeting hall."

Tanaka Keishi, who stood by attending to them, bowed slightly and answered respectfully.

"I see."

With a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, Samu Kokaze murmured softly and quickened his pace. He shoveled down the remaining food in his bowl in a few bites, then looked at Guy, who was taking a sip of porridge and clutching his stomach, and said after some thought, "Big Brother Guy, take your time eating. I'll go find Big Brother Yoshikado."

"Oh! It's fine, go ahead. Just call out if you need anything."

Guy, who was slowly drinking his porridge, nodded in response.

"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 meeting hall, Samu Kokaze asked softly.

"I did not receive any news."

Tanaka Keishi, who walked ahead to lead the way, shook his head.