News reached the Daimyo's Residence, and the entire nation erupted in an uproar.
"Who did this? Who dared assassinate the Daimyō's heirs?"
"I heard it was rogue ninja on the run!"
"War is raging everywhere in the Shinobi World. Those desperate outlaws are roaming all over the place. There's nothing they won't do!"
People at every level of society throughout the Land of Hot Water discussed the incident.
In teahouses, taverns, streets, and alleyways, everyone was talking about the horrifying assassination.
The Daimyō's two sons, the future hopes of the Land of Hot Water, had died at the hands of rogue ninja just like that.
Some were furious, some were afraid, and even more felt a profound unease.
Yet this was only the beginning.
In the days that followed, the situation within the Land of Hot Water grew increasingly dire.
As though overnight, the rogue ninja, ronin, and bandits lurking in the shadows all emerged.
They attacked caravans, pillaged villages, assassinated nobles, and even rampaged openly through towns.
Reports of atrocities in one place or another kept arriving, leaving everyone on edge.
"The port town up north was raided again yesterday! A band of rogue ninja charged in, burned down three streets, and stole hundreds of thousands of ryō worth of goods!"
"The western trade route has been cut off for three days. I heard an entire caravan was slaughtered, and their bodies were hung beside the road for everyone to see!"
"If even the Daimyō's sons couldn't be protected, what are ordinary people like us supposed to do?"
Panic spread through the Land of Hot Water like a plague.
The nobles and government officials trembled even more.
They had wealth and power and normally lived in luxury, but against elusive rogue ninja who killed without blinking, they were as