The next day, in the Land of Hot Water, at the Minister of Commerce and Industry's secret estate.
The lights blazed, and decadent music filled the air. In stark contrast to the growing despair on the capital's streets, expensive amber liquor swirled in crystal glasses, and every face was radiant with the thrill of a scheme succeeding.
"Hahaha, gentlemen, just watch! The atmosphere has already heated up. Within three days, that puppet daimyō will come crawling to beg us!" The Minister of Commerce and Industry smugly raised his glass. "Rest assured, gentlemen, the world is still the same world. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise as usual."
"Your Excellency is wise!" a cloth merchant echoed fawningly. "The city is already a complete mess. Sooner or later, those lowborn rabble will turn their anger on the Daimyō's Palace! When that happens, we'll submit a joint petition, and he'll have no choice but to yield!"
Everyone raised their glasses, celebrating the victory soon to come.
"My lord, can the captain of the guards you hired really hold off Konoha's ninjas?" A discordant voice rang out amid the banquet.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry turned his gaze toward a silent figure in the corner of the hall. He was a tall man with his face wrapped in thick bandages, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes exposed. A ridiculously enormous decapitating blade, wrapped in strips of cloth, rested on his back. Merely sitting there, he radiated an oppressive aura that kept others at a distance.
"Gentlemen, you need not worry." The Minister of Commerce and Industry's voice was full of confidence.
He deliberately raised his voice and introduced him with evident pride. "This man is the legendary Demon of Kirigakure! Even if he can't win, Lord Demon's Hidden Mist Technique will let