Soon, Arashi returned to the luxurious suite prepared for him.
Just as he stepped inside, an Anbu appeared before him. "Daimyo-sama, we've received word from Kirigakure. Our people have located the secret base of the Hidden Mist resistance force."
"Oh? Very good." Arashi raised an eyebrow, then fell silent, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table.
He was considering how to use this Hidden Mist resistance group.
Should he use it as a disposable blade, ignite internal strife within the Land of Water, then abandon it completely?
Or should he subdue it and turn it into a permanent nail, driven straight into Kirigakure's heart?
The first option would bring quick returns with minimal risk.
The second offered higher returns but was harder to control and might eventually backfire.
Another difficult choice.
Every decision meant sacrificing the potential of another.
"Leak the information in an unexpected way." After long contemplation, Arashi made his decision. "Make sure no traces of us are left behind."
"Yes." The Anbu acknowledged and disappeared instantly.
Arashi leaned back onto the bed, closing his eyes in a deliberate attempt to rest.
Right now, Kirigakure was still under Uchiha Obito's control.
Leaking this information to him was no different from handing him a knife.
A Kirigakure thrown into internal chaos wouldn't have the capacity to cause trouble when he made his next move.
"Someone." Arashi opened his eyes after a moment of thought.
An Anbu appeared immediately.
"Call Asaba Toru."
Soon, Asaba Toru, head of the Four Nations' intelligence network, walked in respectfully.
"Daimyo-sama."
"Activate all our agents within the Land of Earth," Arashi ordered. "Have them delay the Land of Wind's troops from reaching the Land of Lightning for as long as possible."
"Create trouble, but don't cause a complete fallout between them and the Land of Earth."
"Make them arrive late. Make them watch the Land of Earth and the Land of Water take the spoils first. Plant a nail in their hearts."
Asaba's expression shifted slightly. A flash of understanding crossed his eyes.
"Understood."
He bowed and withdrew. The room returned to silence.
Arashi lay back on the soft mattress, eyes closed.
The next day, the skies were clear.
Tension spread throughout the small town in the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Lightning's convoy still hadn't arrived.
Meanwhile, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Water strolled through the streets with their guards, acting as if nothing had happened.
Suddenly, a minor commotion stirred outside Arashi's suite.
A guard entered to report.
"Daimyo-sama, Princess Chiba Tsuru has come to visit."
Arashi paused in the act of wiping down his katana.
Chiba Tsuru... a name he hadn't heard in a long time.
"Let her in."
"Yes."
Moments later, the door opened.
A middle-aged woman in an elegant kimono stepped inside under the guidance of a guard.
Her beauty wasn't striking, and the years had left faint lines at the corners of her eyes, yet her grace and dignified bearing were impossible to ignore.
It was Chiba Tsuru.
Arashi looked at her, and sealed-away childhood memories stirred within him.
Before the age of six, in that cold, caged Daimyo estate.
His other siblings either ignored him or treated him like a rival.
Only this unmarried aunt had secretly brought him snacks, subtly shielding him when he was bullied.
She had been the only warmth in that bleak childhood.
Tsuru also studied Arashi.
The young man before her was elegant, imposing, and carried a commanding aura between his brows.
He was completely different from the aloof, wary boy she had once known.
Tsuru broke the silence first, sighing softly. "You've grown. And... you've become formidable."
"People grow up," Arashi said as he put away the cleaning cloth and sheathed the katana. He gestured calmly. "Aunt, have a seat."
His voice was calm, emotionless.
In a family like theirs, familial affection was a luxury. And the most useless thing of all.
He understood this.
And he believed that this aunt, who had spent eight years in political exile in the Land of Lightning, understood it even better.
"You've come a long way. You must be tired," Arashi said as he poured her a cup of tea, his tone polite but distant.
"It wasn't bad." Tsuru accepted the cup but didn't drink. She gently cupped it in her hands for warmth.
An awkward silence settled between them.
Only the curling steam from the tea danced in the air.
Eventually, Arashi broke the quiet. He asked directly, "Aunt... are you here to plead for the Land of Lightning?"
The question shattered the fragile atmosphere in an instant.
Tsuru looked up, meeting his eyes.
She didn't respond directly. Instead, she let out a soft laugh and countered with a question, "If I did, would you spare the Land of Lightning for my sake?"
"No." Arashi shook his head without hesitation.
His reply was cold, swift, and absolute.
"Hehe..." The smile on Tsuru's face deepened. She had expected no other answer. "In that case, there's no need for me to speak."
She took a small sip from the cup.
Silence was the smartest option.
It clearly distanced her from the Land of Lightning, making her position known.
Arashi's eyes flickered with subtle approval.
"How have the past years in the Land of Lightning been, Aunt?" he asked, as if casually making conversation.
"Neither good nor bad," Tsuru replied flatly. "A courtyard, a small pond... and just like that, eight years passed."
She didn't express any resentment, but her words carried a profound sense of isolation and bitterness.
"Still, it wasn't without gain." Tsuru set the cup down and changed the subject. "Your younger brother is nine now. He's clever and sensible."
As she spoke, she observed Arashi carefully.
But his face remained unreadable. He listened quietly, as if she were telling a story about someone else's child.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning has many children and grandchildren," she continued at an even pace. "Five sons. The eldest is already twenty. I've heard... he's ambitious, but not very capable."
Each line of her casual conversation was laced with meaning.
A nine-year-old child, half the bloodline of the Land of Fire.
An heir apparent with ambition but little talent.
A country on the verge of partition.
And a nephew who held the blade, with the power to determine the Land of Lightning's future.
A playful smile crept onto Arashi's face, but he remained silent. He waited as she laid out the implications one by one.
Then he leaned forward slightly, cutting through the layers of subtlety with a single question that made the air freeze.
"Aunt."
"After all that, are you asking me to help that younger brother I've never met ascend to the position of Daimyo of the Land of Lightning?"
As his words fell, Tsuru's hand paused.
She slowly raised her head. Her eyes no longer showed gentleness or calm, only the sharpness of having been seen through, and a look of quiet desperation.
She stared at her nephew.
This man who had climbed the throne by stepping over the corpses of his brothers.
A long silence passed.
Then she asked,
"Can you?"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)