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Soon, Shin returned to the luxurious suite prepared for him.
As soon as he entered, a Shadow Guard appeared before him. "My lord, news has come from Kirigakure that our people have found the secret base of the Kirigakure resistance army."
"Oh? Very good." Shin raised an eyebrow, then fell silent. His fingertips began to tap in rhythm on the table.
He was thinking about how to use this Kirigakure resistance army.
Should he use it as a one-time weapon, start internal fighting in the Land of Water, and then completely abandon it?
Or should he control it and turn it into a permanent nail driven into the heart of the Land of Water?
The former offers quick returns and low risk.
The latter offers greater returns, but is difficult to control and could even turn against him.
This was another difficult choice.
Every choice meant giving up the potential benefits of another option.
Choice!
Choice...
"Leak this news in an unexpected way." After long thought, Shin finally made up his mind. "Remember, do not show any of our traces."
"Yes!" The Shadow Guard acknowledged the order, his figure disappearing instantly.
Shin lay back on the bed, closing his eyes in fake sleep.
Currently, Kirigakure was still under the control of Uchiha Obito.
Leaking information about the resistance army to him was definitely handing him a knife.
A Kirigakure in internal chaos would not cause trouble for him when he made his move in the future.
As for Mei Terumi... she should just honestly remain his favored woman!
"Someone!" After much thought, Shin suddenly opened his eyes.
A Shadow Guard appeared.
"Summon Asaba Toru."
Soon, Asaba Toru, who was in charge of the four countries' information network, respectfully walked in.
"My lord."
"Activate all the pieces we have planted in the Land of Earth." Shin said. "Have them try to delay the advance of the Land of Wind's troops towards the Land of Lightning as much as possible."
"Create trouble for them, but don't let them break ties with the Land of Earth."
"Let them arrive late, let them be delayed. Best case, let them watch the Land of Earth and the Land of Water get the meat first, so that a nail grows in their hearts."
Asaba Toru understood, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
"I understand."
He bowed and left, and silence returned to the room.
Shin lay on the soft bed, closing his eyes.
This feeling of playing everyone in the palm of his hand was truly... delightful.
The next day, the sky was bright.
The atmosphere in this small town in the Land of Hot Water grew more and more tense.
The Land of Lightning's group had not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, the Land of Earth daimyo, Land of Wind daimyo, and Land of Water daimyo, as if nothing had happened, each took their guards and toured the small town.
Outside Shin's suite, there was a sudden slight noise.
A guard came to report.
"My lord, Princess Kurogane Chiyoko has come to visit."
Shin paused in his action of wiping his katana.
Kurogane Chiyoko... a name not heard in a long time.
"Let her in."
"Yes."
A moment later, the door was pushed open.
A middle-aged woman in an elegant kimono, still charming, slowly walked in, guided by a guard.
Her beauty was not perfect, and the corners of her eyes bore the marks of time, but the nobility and calmness coming from her very bones made her impossible to ignore.
It was Kurogane Chiyoko.
Shin looked at the woman before him, and in his mind, some long-sealed childhood memories came up without control.
Before he was six, in that cold, cage-like daimyo manor, his other siblings either saw him as a rival or were indifferent to him.
Only this unmarried aunt would secretly bring him snacks and quietly stand up for him when he was bullied.
She was the only warmth in that gray childhood.
Kurogane Chiyoko was also watching Shin.
The young man before her was handsome and impressive, with the presence of a ruler who commanded life and death in his expression.
He was a completely different person from the mature yet very quiet child she remembered.
Kurogane Chiyoko was the first to break the silence, sighing. "You've grown up, and... become imposing."
"People always grow up." Shin put down the soft cloth and gestured. "Aunt, please sit."
His voice was calm, showing no emotion.
Family affection, in their kind of family, was the most luxurious and useless thing.
He understood this.
And he believed that this aunt, who had spent eight years in the cold palace of the Land of Lightning, understood it even better than him.
"Aunt, you've traveled a long way, it must have been tiring." Shin poured her a cup of tea, his words polite yet distant.
"Not bad." Kurogane He picked up the teacup, but did not drink, merely touching the warm cup.
A subtle silence fell between them.
In the air, only the mist from the tea rose upwards.
Finally, Shin spoke first, cutting straight to the point. "Aunt... are you here to plead for the Land of Lightning?"
This question instantly shattered the pretense of warmth.
Upon hearing this, Kurogane Chiyoko looked up, her clear, cold eyes meeting her nephew's gaze.
She did not answer directly, but instead laughed lightly and asked back. "If I did, would you spare the Land of Lightning for my sake?"
"No." Shin shook his head, answering quickly and firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
"Hehe..." The smile on Kurogane He's face deepened, as if she had long expected this answer. "If that's the case, then I won't say anything."
She picked up the teacup and took a small sip.
Not speaking was the smartest approach.
This meant she was drawing a clear line with the Land of Lightning, stating her position.
A hint of approval also flickered in Shin's eyes.
"How have you been in the Land of Lightning these past years, Aunt?" He spoke casually, as if making small talk.
"Neither good nor bad." Kurogane He's tone was flat. "A courtyard, a pond of spring water, and in a flash, eight years have passed."
Her words contained no bitterness, yet they showed a deep sense of loneliness and shame.
"However, it wasn't entirely without gain." Kurogane He put down her teacup, changing the subject. "Your younger brother is nine this year, very intelligent and well-behaved."
As she spoke, she watched Shin's expression.
Shin's face was normal, listening quietly, as if he were hearing a story completely unrelated to himself.
"The Land of Lightning daimyo, however, has many children and grandchildren." Kurogane Chiyoko's voice remained slow and steady. "He has five sons, the eldest of whom is already twenty, and I hear... he is very ambitious, but his talent is average."
Every word in these seemingly scattered bits of small talk carried strong meaning.
A nine-year-old son, flowing with half the bloodline of the Land of Fire.
An incompetent yet ambitious heir.
A coming feast for the division of the Land of Lightning.
And a nephew holding a butcher's knife, who could decide the future of the Land of Lightning...
Hehe!
The smile on Shin's face suddenly became playful, but he did not interrupt, patiently listening to all her groundwork.
Then he leaned forward slightly, breaking through all the roundabout talking and testing, and asked a question that made the air freeze.
"Aunt."
"After all that, are you asking me to help that younger brother I've never met rise to the position of Land of Lightning daimyo?"
As his words fell, Kurogane Chiyoko's hand, holding the teacup, suddenly froze.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes no longer showing any softness or calmness, only the sharpness of being seen through, and a desperate resolve.
Her eyes stared at this nephew, this man who had risen to the throne over the corpses of all his brothers.
After a long pause, she asked:
"Can you?"