That night, of course, nothing happened.
Yet in the eerie calm before the storm, after a night of simmering tension, nearly every Tsugawa shinobi grew increasingly taut in spirit while their bodies succumbed to exhaustion. The more urgent the situation, the faster one's energy drained.
By dawn, "Elder Shuhei" began pacing restlessly in the office. After a while, unable to contain himself any longer, he turned to the clan leader and said, "Clan Leader, I'm going to patrol the village."
Tsugawa Taishi considered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Following Genma's earlier suggestion, two shinobi accompanied the elder before he left, forming a three-man team to counter the unpredictable ambushes of an "unknown enemy." Hane Genma silently observed the two shinobi trailing him, noting their listless spirits and jittery nerves.
After the trio departed, Genma led them toward a gathering point for one of the combat teams. Having helped arrange the village's shinobi placements, he knew their distribution like the back of his hand.
Upon arriving at the combat team's base, Genma's group faced no resistance. He quickly met the team's captain.
"Captain Keikyu, how's everything? Any abnormalities after last night?" Genma asked.
"All clear, Elder Shuhei," the captain replied. "But… we'd rather those skulking rats show themselves. This passive counterattack strategy isn't our style."
Genma nodded. "Good to hear nothing's amiss… This enemy is unusual. We must remain patient."
After confirming all was well and offering a few words of encouragement, "Elder Shuhei" seemed ready to leave. But as he turned and took a step outward, his movements abruptly froze.
Then, as if struck by a sudden revelation, the wise elder's eyes gleamed with insight. He fixed a horrified gaze on Tsugawa Keikyu and roared, "No! You're not Captain Keikyu! Who are you?"
The shinobi here, on edge after a sleepless night, were mostly lethargic. Genma's thunderous shout jolted them, leaving many stunned. As they stood with dumbfounded, disbelieving expressions, Elder Shuhei drove a blade into Keikyu's chest.
Such a drastic turn—from a visiting elder offering comfort to a sudden betrayal—was too much for most to process.
Tsugawa Keikyu stared up at the elder, then down at his chest, his mind rusted and unable to comprehend. Am I… not Tsugawa Keikyu? Then who am I?
The others, caught in the conflict between their direct superior and a clan elder, struggled to react, unsure whom to trust.
"Everyone, stay put! Block the exits! Don't let this impostor escape! He's been replaced by the enemy!" Genma, fully prepared, shamelessly played the role of the accuser.
At the word "escape," Captain Keikyu snapped out of his daze, spurred by Genma's "kind" reminder. Whatever was happening, if he didn't want to die, he had to flee. Clutching his chest, he turned and bolted.
Despite Genma's order to stay still, no one stopped the captain's escape. Genma, feigning frustration, stomped his foot and barked, "Why didn't you stop him?! Forget it—stay here. I'll pursue him myself."
Under the bewildered gazes of the onlookers, Elder Shuhei chased after the gravely wounded Keikyu.
Soon, the sounds of combat echoed from afar, and nearby scout shinobi detected the disturbance. The fight was brief—within two or three minutes, a blood-soaked Keikyu staggered into an alley, concealing himself as he headed toward another combat team's outpost.
The team there had already sensed the village's unrest, but before they could react, Keikyu burst in.
"Captain Keikyu, what… what happened?" The captain, Tsugawa Morita, saw Keikyu bloodied and barely standing. He rushed to support him.
Honestly, the names of these captains hardly mattered.
Keikyu, pale and gasping, spoke with labored breaths. "It's Elder Shuhei… Tsugawa Shuhei has lost his mind! He's the enemy's mole! During the dawn patrol, he suddenly attacked me. I barely escaped, but… hurry, inform the clan leader. I'm done for."
His voice was a strained rasp, like a dying man's final words. People tend to trust the last words of the dying, but just as Keikyu's eyes rolled back and his body convulsed from blood loss, his right hand deftly drove a kunai into Morita's chest.
The "dying" Keikyu, as if revived by a final surge, snapped his eyes open and bellowed, "No! You're a traitor too!"
In that moment, Genma understood the thrill White Zetsu must have felt infiltrating the Allied Shinobi Forces—how the weaker side could stir chaos and feel like the stronger one. But Genma was rational; he wouldn't be swayed by such illusions. This wasn't about his strength—his enemies simply bared their vulnerable underbellies. What could he do but drive the blade in?
It was clear that Genma had shifted tactics today. No longer creeping in the shadows as he had yesterday, he now chose to "boldly leap" into action. The reason was simple: this would sow greater chaos and fear among his enemies.
"…You… you…" Morita was too shocked to speak. This time, Genma's strike had pierced his heart with precision.
"Hello?" Genma, mistaking the stammer for a polite greeting, responded with courteous warmth. "Hello to you too."
Tsugawa Morita was far from well. The blade still lodged in his chest burned like fire, while rapid blood loss left him ice-cold. Though his vitality might have sustained him a few more minutes, Genma's sincere greeting seemed to offer a final glimpse of the world's kindness. With that, he promptly expired.
Genma found the young man's reaction a bit dramatic. His goal achieved, he dropped the act and sprinted away. The spectacle had been so surreal that no one pursued him in time.
That morning, countless villagers witnessed the bizarre sight of an elder killing a captain, and a captain killing another captain. It was utterly unthinkable, shattering all sense of reason.
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