Masaki shook his head. When he saw that, Kazuma was about to speak, but Masaki raised his hand to stop him.
"I'm shaking my head not because I don't know, but because I'm not sure either."
"You should know about Gekko Chizan's background. Someone shunned by the village should logically accept the proposition from the Daimyō's mansion without hesitation."
"But he's still hesitating. That's also the Daimyō's intention—he needs you to demonstrate the strength of the Daimyō's ninja corps."
With things said this clearly, Kazuma finally understood Gekko Chizan's situation.
Next came the evening banquet.
As the sky dimmed, Gekko Chizan had already returned to the Daimyō's mansion.
He moved even faster than Obito and Shisui. Just as he was wondering where those two brats had gone—
The two brats returned. One looked especially grim, and the other didn't look any better.
That made Gekko Chizan a bit curious.
Obito having a sour face definitely meant he'd lost money. But why was Shisui looking upset…?
"You two Uchiha heroes, what happened?"
"Logically, there shouldn't be anything or anyone in the Daimyō's mansion that would make you unhappy."
Gekko Chizan was very curious. He wanted to know exactly what those two brats had been doing.
He shouldn't have asked. The moment he did, Obito and Shisui glared at each other viciously, looking like they were seconds away from a real-man Uchiha duel.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?"
"Are you two going to fight?"
"Should I prepare a place for you?"
"I can be the referee too?"
Gekko Chizan stepped back, sat cross-legged, and watched the two brats with great interest.
He waited for them to speak—he was curious, after all.
"Hmph, Captain Chizan, this bastard actually asked me to help him cheat at the casino. Tell me—should a ninja be doing that?"
"Shut up. I was already winning. And then? What are you laughing at? The moment you laughed, everyone looked at me. How was I supposed to keep my act together?!"
The moment they started talking, Gekko Chizan almost died laughing, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
It was too hard. Why hold it in? Just laugh!
"Hahahahaha!"
"You two are killing me!"
"One trying to cheat in a casino, the other messing it up—are you sure you're really from the same clan? Maybe you were born to oppose each other."
Hearing Gekko Chizan laugh so heartily, both brats couldn't help looking embarrassed.
Uchiha Obito was embarrassed because his cheating failed and got exposed.
Uchiha Shisui was embarrassed because, as a self-proclaimed elite Uchiha, he had actually been dragged into a gambling house.
"Hmph, if not for him, I would've won big already!"
"You're still talking! I already told you not to go to the casino! And you? You insisted! You even cheated!"
The pair of unfortunate brothers-in-arms bickered on, neither giving in.
Finally, Yukimura sent someone to summon them to the banquet, ending their quarrel.
Facing Yukimura's invitation, Gekko Chizan said they would come in a moment. As for why a moment—he offered a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Ah, we need to change clothes before attending the banquet. Please wait just a bit, Mister Yukimura."
Yukimura laughed heartily. He wasn't worried at all that Gekko Chizan would cause trouble. After all, the man still showed basic respect for the Daimyō's mansion.
As for any other concerns, there were none. The banquet was about to begin, and he didn't believe Gekko Chizan would back out at the last minute.
Inside the room, Gekko Chizan changed clothes while quietly speaking to the two brats still glaring at each other:
"Tonight's banquet probably won't be peaceful. You two need to be alert."
"If anything happens, prioritize protecting yourselves."
"Got it?"
At that, Gekko Chizan gave a self-mocking smile. He felt he was overthinking.
Judging by the Daimyō's attitude toward him, at most this banquet was just another test.
"Of course, I don't think anything major will happen. But who knows—there's still going to be a match with the Daimyō's ninja."
The moment the two already-frustrated Uchiha brats heard that, they lit up instantly.
"Sensei, don't worry! If they want to fight, I'll fight them!"
"Yeah! Strength-wise, there's no way they're any match for me!"
Looking at the two eager kids, Gekko Chizan smiled and shook his head. As expected, they were still just kids.
The Daimyō's residence was brightly lit.
Gekko Chizan wore a black robe, wooden sandals on his feet, hands tucked in his sleeves, looking completely relaxed.
Obito and Shisui followed behind him on either side like two bodyguards—just very young ones.
When they arrived at the banquet hall, everyone was already seated.
"Oh my, looks like we're the slowest."
"Sorry, sorry—we were delayed because of inspection duties."
"I trust the Daimyō doesn't mind."
Gekko Chizan's loose demeanor made the Daimyō laugh aloud.
He didn't mind the lateness and immediately invited him to sit.
"Chizan-kun, try some. These were shipped straight from the Land of Frost."
"Absolutely fresh."
Gekko Chizan looked at the salmon in front of him and forcibly suppressed his twitching mouth.
Seafood…
More seafood…
Ever since he abducted Yugito back then and drifted at sea for so long, seafood and barbecue gave him a headache.
"What's wrong? Is the salmon not good?"
"Or the crab?"
"If you don't like seafood, try the beef—it's excellent."
Gekko Chizan gave an awkward smile and spoke generously:
"Oh, it's not that I dislike it, Daimyō-sama."
"It's just that I haven't had these things in a long time. You know how it is during wartime—I was fighting outside constantly."
"The meals… hahaha… were nothing but dry rations."
"My stomach… sigh… it's hard to explain. Thinking about it brings tears."
Since he didn't want to eat it, he'd act—acting was easy for him.
Sure enough, hearing that, the Daimyō looked enlightened.
So he had lived through hardship for too long and wasn't used to rich food.
That wasn't a problem. For the Daimyō's mansion, this wasn't even a matter.
"That's fine. Eat a little at a time, and you'll adjust."
"Don't worry, Chizan-kun. Now that you're here, the food certainly won't disappoint."
Soon the mansion servants brought noodles and vegetables, and Gekko Chizan's expression immediately brightened.
It wasn't that he didn't want meat—he'd just been traumatized back then.
To him now, tempura and sushi were far better than meat.