Wow, 1000 PS, definitely didn't see this coming. Thank you so much for your support. Enjoy your bonus xD.
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Fire Capital, underground black market.
In the dark, damp passageway, the stench of rust, cheap liquor, and sweat mixed into an unbearable odor.
Mei lowered her straw hat, letting her wide robe hide her alluring figure.
Her emerald eyes cautiously scanned every shadow.
This was her last hope, her final gamble for the resistance army.
As a representative of the Hidden Mist resistance, she had risked everything to infiltrate the Fire Capital, bringing all of their remaining funds to purchase food and medical supplies for the Dawn Operation.
But reality struck her hard.
"What did you say? Triple?" Mei's voice was low and restrained. "It wasn't this price half a month ago."
Behind the counter, a merchant selling military ration pills picked his teeth with a sneer. "What year do you think it is?"
"Right now, the Land of Fire is hiring like crazy. Wages are going up every day. Even moving bricks pays better than being a ninja."
"Everyone's got money now, so how could prices not rise?"
The merchant spat out his toothpick, his tone impatient. "That's the price. Buy or don't. There's a line behind you, so stop wasting my time."
Mei clenched the money pouch in her sleeve.
The metallic touch bit into her palm.
Undeterred, she went to several other shady shops.
But the results were all the same.
The prices for all necessary supplies had skyrocketed.
Her funds could barely purchase a third of what was planned.
The Dawn Operation had been in preparation for a year, meant to rescue the families of captured comrades.
Without enough supplies, the operation would fail, and those people would die.
A middle-aged merchant, slightly kinder than the rest, noticed her pale face and sighed.
"Girl, stop trying."
"The current Daimyo is like a living god. He's reduced taxes, supports wounded ninja, and even started something called the 'Civilian Genius Cultivation Program.'"
"In the Land of Fire, as long as you're willing to work, you'll never starve."
"Soon, there won't be anyone left doing this kind of black market business."
The man's comforting words were like knives, cutting deeper and deeper into Mei's heart.
She walked out of the black market, the sudden sunlight blinding her eyes.
The wide streets were clean. The air smelled of roasted meat and sweet pastries, a sharp contrast to the stench of the underground market.
People on the streets wore new clothes, their faces full of real smiles.
A group of children ran past, laughing, holding candied hawthorns glistening in the sun.
The bright red color pierced her heart.
She remembered the Hidden Mist Village, shrouded in a haze of blood.
Children there only smiled during the graduation exam, that twisted smile that came when they drove a kunai into a comrade's chest.
But here in the Land of Fire, smiles were free, everywhere.
In front of a fabric shop, a man with a crippled leg stood proudly with his wife, showing his neighbors the pension he had received.
At a teahouse, people crowded together, talking loudly about the Daimyo.
"Did you hear? Even civilians can receive funding from the Genius Cultivation Program!"
"Daimyo-sama truly cares about us commoners!"
Every word of praise was like a silent mockery of her homeland's misery.
She had always believed that all rulers were the same—cruel, selfish, and indifferent—differing only in how they showed it.
She had believed that only rebellion, only blood and sacrifice, could bring peace.
But everything she saw now left her shaken.
A nation could be like this.
It could be prosperous, peaceful, and full of hope under a wise ruler.
People didn't have to live in fear. They could follow their leader toward a better life.
The realization struck harder than any failure.
She stumbled toward the river, gripping the railing, breathing heavily.
The reflection in the water showed her pale face and her emerald eyes filled with confusion.
Why?
Why was the Land of Fire like this, while her homeland was hell?
She thought of her childhood friend, the gentle boy who once cried over an injured bird.
He had once told her, smiling, that when the war was over, he would take her to watch the sunrise over the sea.
But because he possessed a kekkei genkai, he and his family were slaughtered like animals.
The last thing she saw was his mutilated body.
Not even a whole corpse remained.
Hatred and grief surged in her chest.
Yagura Karatachi must die.
The Blood Mist tyranny must be destroyed.
Even if it cost her life.
But when she touched the nearly empty money pouch, despair returned.
Without supplies, the Dawn Operation would fail.
Failure meant her comrades would die.
She could not accept that.
She would rather die herself than see them die for nothing.
Mei's gaze shifted from confusion to pain, and from pain to resolve.
If death held no meaning, what was her pride worth?
She recalled what she had heard earlier about the Daimyo's concubine selection.
If her body and beauty were the only weapons left to her... then why not use them?
A mad idea took root in her mind and quickly consumed her.
Concubine selection.
The Daimyo was choosing consorts, and the decree said anyone could apply.
If selected, their families would receive great rewards.
Rewards...
If she were chosen, she didn't care about glory or title. She wanted money.
Enough money to buy ten times, even a hundred times, the supplies they needed.
If she had to trade her dignity to save her comrades and the Hidden Mist Village, then so be it.
That was a trade worth making.
Once the thought appeared, it could not be stopped.
Humiliation, disgust, and self-loathing flooded her.
She could almost feel a stranger's hand judging her body.
Her stomach churned, and she nearly vomited.
But the faces of her comrades, full of faith, and the dying eyes of that boy burned in her mind.
Her weakness turned to fire.
Pride?
Dignity?
Before the future of her village, they were meaningless.
She straightened, wiping the tears from her eyes.
When she looked up again, there was no confusion left in her emerald eyes, only fierce determination.
She tore off her loose robe, revealing a blue dress that traced her perfect figure.
She combed her long brown hair and let it fall to one side of her face, leaving a hint of mystery and charm.
Looking at her reflection in the river, she gave a bitter smile.
"Daimyo of the Land of Fire... for the Hidden Mist, I will give everything I have."
"I hope you can bear the cost."
She turned away, no longer looking at the light and prosperity behind her.
Resolutely, she walked toward the direction of the concubine selection registration.
With every step, her heart ached a little more.
But her back remained straight.
(To be continued.)
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