"It could be that someone is jealous, perhaps one of the nobles or someone of importance within Tori No Kuni doesn't like the fact that the current Daimyo succeeded him. If that is the case, than it wouldn't be stretch of the imagination to assume that whoever this person is, they created the Cursed Warrior to cast doubt upon the current Daimyo's rule."
The people of the Elemental Nations were by their very nature, a superstitious folk. Ghosts coming back from the grave to haunt others was often seen as an ill omen. That this particular ghost was supposedly the former Daimyo of the country made even more of an impact. It would not take much to make the average citizen assume that the reason for the former Daimyo rising from the grave was because the current one had killed him in order to usurp the throne.
"Do you know of anyone who may wish for the current Daimyo to be ousted?" Naruto asked Chishimo, turning his head to face the older male who had adopted a slightly depressed look.
"I hate to say it, but the one who comes to mind the most is Kōmei-sama," the Paige told him. Naruto frowned, but didn't say anything to prove or disprove the man's words. No theory could be discarded, there was a good possibility that this Kōmei character really was the one behind the Cursed Warrior. At the same time it bothered Naruto that Chishimo was so set on sticking with this one belief and not looking at other possible theories.
Then again, Chishimo did not possess the mind of a ninja, so he couldn't really be blamed.
"I want to see your Daimyo," Naruto told the man suddenly, so suddenly that Chishimo gaped at him, a startled look on his face.
"Wh-What?" the older male blinked, his mind processing the words before he could really respond to them. "You can't, Sagi-sama no longer allows people to see him. Even I, his best friend am no longer allowed to see him."
"I don't care," Naruto said. "I need to speak with him." He needed more information than what he currently had, as well as another perspective. So far all he had come from Chishimo, whose opinion was seriously biased, and Mōsō, who had not actually given him any useful information for his investigation. Adding the perspective of the current Daimyo would go a long way towards giving him more knowledge to work with, plus with the rumors that the Cursed Warrior was the man's deceased father, the blond was sure Sagi would have done some investigating on his own.
"I-I don't know..." Chishimo started unsurely, he didn't look all that enthused about letting Naruto see his friend, which meant he would need some more convincing.
"Listen," the whisker marked shinobi started. "I need more information if I'm going to get to the bottom of this, as the Daimyo of this country, your friend must know something, especially with the rumors going around about the Cursed Warrior. If I can learn something, even something as basic as a few theories and supposition, I'll be one step closer to finding out who is behind the Cursed Warrior's existence." He could see Chishimo teetering, but it looked like he needed another push. "You're his friend, aren't you? Don't you want to help him?"
"I... Alright..." Chishimo sighed, giving in after several moments of what looked like an internal debate. With slightly slumped shoulders and a resigned look, he said, "I'll see what I can do about getting you a meeting with Sagi-sama."
"Thank you," Naruto said with a nod. "Now let's finish eating, if I'm going to be meeting with a Daimyo, I want to do it with a full stomach."
They were crouching in a large patch of grass as they waited in silence for their target to appear. The small, gentle waves of the lake lapped at the sandy shore, producing a soft sound that added to the tranquility of the area around them.
Naruto took in his surroundings with an interested gaze, a large lake with several small islands near the center. The area around the lake was made up of several patches of large grass like the one he and Chishimo crouched in, and other spots that were completely barren. Surrounding the lake and it's shore of all sides was a large field of trees, the perfect place for an ambush if one had the desire to do so. Off in the distance large, rolling hills could be seen blocking the horizon line.
"So tell me why we're here again?" asked Naruto, having finished taking in his surroundings he turned to look at Chishimo, who was crouched down beside him and staring intently at a small peninsula to the lake.
"Because this is the place where Sagi-sama used to play with his sister, Toki-dono, when they were younger," Chishimo answered. He must have realized that such an answer didn't really tell Naruto much, because a few seconds later he continued without needing to be prompted. "He will not meet with us, so that means we'll have to meet with him outside of the palace. This place is where some of his fondest memories are, and also," the Paige's eyes softened a bit, glazing over as his eyes saw something only he could see. "This place holds many fond memories for me as well."
Naruto remained silent after that, whether they met Sagi there or not, it would be disrespectful to interrupt the man when he was clearly remembering something so precious. Instead he turned his attention back towards the area around them, checking and rechecking possible ambush points as a way to occupy his mind.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for too long, barely minutes after the small conversation had passed, a large jiao made of red wood that was being carried by two oxen one in front and one in back. Walking along on all sides of the jiao were several samurai, two on either side making for a total of four. Naruto only paid the guards and oxen a passing glance, having focused most of his attention on the person in the jiao.
Said person was a young man, by the looks of things, with short black hair that had a choppy fringe over his head and a pair of jaw length bangs framing his face. He had black eyes and pale skin, and was definitely royalty by the looks of his clothing. The man was wearing a very intricate looking Kimono made of a light purple, with a darker purple piping lining the edges. Underneath the kimono Naruto could see gray clothing peeking out from the collar, and along the two slits that ran over the man's shoulders. One thing that Naruto noticed, beyond the clothing and general physical features of the person, was that they had a decidingly feminine look.
This guy was definitely one of those bishounen like Sasuke-teme, he was probably a jerk like Sasuke-teme as well.
The jiao soon came to a stop, the oxen halting in their tracks, and the samurai that had been standing guard at the front of the procession came up to the young Daimyo and said, "Excuse me, Sagi-sama, but we've arrived."
Sagi opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the guard that had spoken. "Thank you," he said, before turning his attention out to the lake. Naruto frowned as he watched the very young Daimyo from afar.
"Is it just me, or does something seem... off about him?" Naruto wondered out loud.
"What do you mean?" Chishimo asked, turning his head to look at the spiky headed blond. Naruto noticed the look he was getting, but did his best to ignore it as he furrowed his brow in thought.
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