In life, success and failure often hinge on a single opportunity.
For Oda Ieyasu, that opportunity was his children.
To protect his son's life, he didn't dare to unleash his full power or play his final trump card. Under normal circumstances, even with just a 50% chance of victory, Oda Ieyasu might have made a bold move. But when it came to his child, even a 99% chance of success wasn't enough to risk that remaining 1%.
Now, Logan had helped him recover that critical 1%.
They arrived at the Saito residence.
The Saito family was one of the wealthiest conglomerates in the Land of Water—so powerful that they could marry into the daimyo's lineage.
As the eldest daughter, Saito Ayate was set to inherit the entire clan and control its vast fortune once her father passed away.
But when Logan and his group arrived at the estate, something was immediately off. The main gate was wide open, and not a single servant, maid, or samurai was in sight.
The grand estate was eerily silent—devoid of even the smallest sign of life.
Only in the main hall flickered a dim candlelight.
Kanhara Hayato lowered his voice. "Something's not right. We came here under Logan's lead. The news of Hidan and Kakuzu's defeat shouldn't have reached her yet."
He tiptoed toward the entrance and peeked inside.
"Could it be a trap?"
Just then, soft music floated from the main hall.
A melancholic tune played on a shakuhachi drifted into the night.
Oda Ieyasu's face shifted.
"That song... it's 'Wind.' It's my wife's favorite—and mine. She's the one playing it."
That only made the situation stranger.
The wife who had stabbed her husband in the back hadn't run. She hadn't fortified the estate with guards. Instead, she had dismissed everyone and sat alone in the mansion, playing the flute.
What was she planning?
A psychological tactic? A trap hidden in plain sight?
"She's waiting for me," Oda Ieyasu said firmly.
He stepped over the threshold and entered the estate without hesitation.
Terumi Mei, Zabuza, and Kanhara Hayato instinctively tensed, alert for ambushes.
Only Logan remained calm.
Out of everyone present, Logan had dealt with Saito Ayate the most. His instincts told him she wasn't the kind of woman to play tricks like these. If she were, she wouldn't have stabbed Oda Ieyasu in the back when she had the chance to run.
Holding little Hideyoshi in one arm, Oda Ieyasu walked forward, his steps familiar and steady—as though visiting his in-laws.
Inside the candlelit main hall, Saito Ayate knelt gracefully on the tatami.
She wore a simple snow-white dress and delicate makeup. Moonlight poured in through the paper screens, softening the lines on her face and restoring the beauty of her youth.
For a moment, it felt like they were newlyweds again.
She bowed to Oda Ieyasu and Logan. When her eyes landed on her son—his pale face and the stitches on his chest—Saito Ayate's expression faltered for a brief second. Her eyes welled with tears, but she quickly regained her composure.
Oda Ieyasu spoke first. "You were waiting for me."
"Yes," she replied softly.
"Why?" He gestured to the empty mansion. "You probably haven't heard the news about Hidan and Kakuzu's defeat."
Saito Ayate nodded. "I haven't. But I believe in you. And I believe in Mr. Logan.
When I learned you had survived the explosion, I knew the plan had failed."
Oda Ieyasu said nothing.
Logan, standing beside him, could see the storm of emotions stirring behind his expression.
After a full minute of silence, Oda Ieyasu finally spoke.
"If you trusted me… then why couldn't you keep trusting me?"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Why did you betray me?"
Saito Ayate smiled gently.
"Because I'm the daughter of the Saito family."
What mattered more?
Her husband? Her son?
Or the family that had raised her? The clan that had lasted for generations, even before the days of the Senju Hashirama or the Sage of Six Paths?
To preserve that legacy, the major clans and their thousands of think tanks had come to one conclusion:
Use Oda Ieyasu as a sacrificial pawn to ruin Logan's reputation.
It was the only plan that aligned with their interests.
"Oda-kun," she said quietly, "I consider myself a rational woman. But even I couldn't make sense of how to choose. People act based on what they know. And I acted according to my knowledge."
She looked up.
"Now that I've made my choice, it's your turn."
Saito Ayate pulled out two small wine jugs, poured a cup from each, and placed the two cups on the low table between them.
"One of these is poisoned. The other is not. Leave Hideyoshi outside. Then choose—decide which cup you want me to drink."
Without hesitation, Oda Ieyasu handed Hideyoshi to Logan, removed his sandals, and stepped onto the tatami.
He looked deeply at the woman who had shared his life—the one who had betrayed him.
Saito Ayate met his gaze and smiled gently, serenely.
Oda Ieyasu stared into her eyes, then slowly pushed one of the cups toward her.
Logan couldn't see which one it was.
After the decision, Oda Ieyasu rose and bowed.
"Thank you for taking care of me all these years."
Saito Ayate bowed in return.
"Thank you for tolerating my stubbornness all this time."
"Goodbye, Oda-kun."
"Goodbye… Miss Saito."
Oda Ieyasu stepped out and gently took Hideyoshi from Logan's arms.
Inside, Saito Ayate downed the wine in a single gulp.
She placed the empty cup on the table and whispered:
"I'm sorry, Oda-kun. I lied to you."
"Both cups were poisoned."
That was why she wore white.
Not to evoke nostalgia for their wedding years, but to prepare for her death.
She wasn't trying to gain his sympathy—she had already made her decision.
Oda Ieyasu didn't turn back.
He kept walking, holding his son tightly.
Logan glanced behind them one last time.
Inside the house, Saito Ayate lay lifeless on the tatami mat.
Before dying, she gently blew out the candle on the table. A thin wisp of green smoke curled into the air and vanished.
Logan looked at young Hideyoshi.
Tears streamed down the boy's face, but he bit his lip and refused to make a sound.
Logan couldn't help but wonder:
Did Oda Ieyasu really choose the non-poisoned cup?
Or did Saito Ayate say it was poisoned to prevent Hideyoshi from resenting his father?
He shook his head.
It didn't matter anymore.
The clever, calculating woman who had stood toe-to-toe with Logan in multiple political battles was now dead.
That was the end of Saito Ayate.
"If she hadn't been born into such a family," Logan murmured, "with her intellect… she could have accomplished so much more."
They stepped outside and gently closed the gate.
The Saito mansion, dark and silent, now resembled a tomb. The plaque at the entrance looked like a gravestone.
Oda Ieyasu walked forward slowly. His eyes were calm. His resolve had solidified.
He turned to Logan.
"Mr. Logan, I will assist you in advancing the 'Awakening' plan. I can't control foreign nations, but within the Land of Water, I know every noble family—their strengths, their weaknesses, and their ambitions. I will help ensure that your plan moves forward swiftly."
He looked skyward.
"I want to be the last daimyo of this land."
"I want to create a country where wives, children, and brothers no longer destroy each other in pursuit of power."
"I beg you…"
Oda Ieyasu dropped to his knees, bowing deeply.
"Let me be part of this great cause."
His forehead touched the back of his hand. His eyes were tightly shut. His teeth clenched.
It was the only way to contain his sorrow… to keep the tears from falling.
"No."
Oda Ieyasu looked up, stunned.
Logan smiled and extended a hand.
"If you want to join us, the first thing you'll need to do is stop kneeling every time you talk to someone."
Tears streamed silently down Oda Ieyasu's face.
But he smiled.
"Yes."
He gripped Logan's hand firmly.
Logan pulled him to his feet with a single tug.
"Welcome aboard."
Just then, Logan heard the system's voice echo in his mind:
> "World deflection triggered. Obtained 1,000 soul fragments."
"Acquired Ascending Star Core."
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