Seeing such a swift and total turn of events, Sachinobu, who was standing discreetly behind Antares and Makima, felt a complex mix of emotions. He felt an intense awe for the pair's intelligence and the thoroughness of Makima's preparation, which had dismantled his brother's entire power structure before a single real battle began. But at the same time, a cold, sharp fear gripped him. He now realized he would be working directly under the eyes of two terrifyingly powerful and manipulative people. Just as they had destroyed his eldest brother today, they could effortlessly destroy him too. The cost of their "assistance" was suddenly very, very clear.
Antares turned towards Sachinobu, his expression coolly transactional. "We have done our work. As for your eldest brother, we definitely want to kill him today, but it wouldn't be good to kill him right away. So, we will just keep him under control."
He outlined the plan with detached efficiency. "Tomorrow, he will appear once in front of the other officials and ministers, looking weak and full of disease. He will publicly name you as the power holder—the acting Daimyo. He will remain 'ill' for a month or so, then suddenly, news of his passing will be spread. A proper funeral for your eldest brother will be held, marking the end of his Daimyo position and ensuring a smooth transition of power into your hands. Everything will appear perfectly natural. No one will suspect the knife hidden beneath the velvet. This much you can handle on your own, right?"
"As for controlling him until his staged death, Makima will keep him under control. If you require a few other things—like signing specific decrees or making personnel changes—then tell Makima. She can make your brother do that so that you can assume control of the Daimyo position exactly as you wish."
Sachinobu nodded after hearing Antares's decisive words. His throat felt dry, but a spark of ambition was finally overcoming his fear. Now that he had already decided to fully side with the Uzumaki clan, he knew he had to be thorough and unwavering in his commitment. He couldn't back away now. If he backed away, he would undoubtedly be granted death by the Uzumaki clan—a death far less merciful than the one awaiting his brother.
From here on, there was little that Antares or Makima could directly intervene in; the delicate, political steps needed to be handled by Sachinobu. With his now-consolidated forces and the key people loyal or beholden to him, Sachinobu should be able to navigate the transition without any significant issue. Everything was set to move precisely according to the way Antares and Makima had meticulously planned it beforehand.
Sachinobu finally showed that he did possess some political ability. He handled things quite perfectly. The next noon, when the routine meeting was held by the Daimyo with the rest of his ministers and high-ranking officials, the Daimyo of the Land of Sea arrived. He looked shockingly pale and sickly, the very picture of a man whose health had suddenly deteriorated. He moved with a slight, unnatural stiffness, a puppet being moved by unseen strings.
Sachinobu followed closely behind him. The Daimyo took his seat at the head of the table, and after coughing several times—a deep, rasping sound that commanded the room's silence—he spoke. "Recently, my health has deteriorated a great deal," he announced, his voice thin and shaky. "And I have, therefore, decided to let my younger brother, Sachinobu, act as the Acting Daimyo in my stead until I recover."
After hearing the Daimyo's words, the ministers started to murmur among themselves, discussing this sudden, dramatic change of power. A heavy silence followed by a rush of hushed voices filled the chamber. Some of the loyal ministers felt this was totally absurd; even if the Daimyo was ill, he didn't need to let Sachinobu act as the interim ruler. He could simply control the country from behind the privacy of his office; there was no pressing need to formally cede his position to Sachinobu.
A few courageous—or perhaps foolish—ministers even voiced this doubt, but the Daimyo showed a firm, uncharacteristic resolve to let Sachinobu act as the acting Daimyo, which was truly surprising for everyone present.
But if this was the decision made by the Daimyo himself, then there was little they could do to stop the transfer of authority.
Soon after, Sachinobu took the position of Acting Daimyo and immediately began working. He wasted no time in eliminating some of the pure loyalists to his eldest brother; after all, he didn't need any unstable or questioning factors within his control. As these abrupt dismissals and quiet disappearances began to happen, most of the ministers understood one thing clearly: the current Daimyo giving his younger brother the chance to act as Daimyo was anything but normal. There was definitely something deeply fishy involved. But after quickly learning the fate of those who questioned Sachinobu or were too fiercely loyal to the current Daimyo—they simply vanished—they understood that to survive this political upheaval, they had to ask fewer questions and keep their heads low.
Time continued to flow after this swift, brutal transition. Makima and Antares remained in the Land of Sea to keep the entire land stabilized in the aftermath, ensuring Sachinobu became the official Daimyo without further internal resistance. They also needed to protect Sachinobu from any potential interference from Kirigakure in the coming future. The Daimyo of the Land of Water would definitely not want someone who was not a loyalist—or worse, someone who hated the Land of Water—to sit in the position of a country he considered to be his political vessel.
So, while Antares and Makima were busy executing their long-term plan there, the designated period for the one-month promise made by Shanks to the grandfather of Uchiha Mikoto finally arrived. Exactly one month had passed since the lavish celebration of the re-establishment of the Uzumaki clan in Uzumaki village.
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