The morning mist had not yet dispersed when a carriage without any insignia, escorted by over a dozen Hidden Guard, departed from the Fire Capital.
Inside the carriage, Mei's once captivating face was devoid of expression.
She leaned quietly against the carriage wall, her slender hand caressing her abdomen.
Through her clothes, she could feel the life growing within her. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
The Daimyo's wife.
From now on, she was no longer the Kirigakure rogue ninja who led the Resistance forces, but the woman of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The child in her womb would benefit from that status.
Eventually, the carriage stopped in front of a heavily guarded military camp outside the capital.
This was the garrison of the Daimyo's direct guard unit.
It was composed entirely of samurai, with only one mission: to maintain stability.
Her companions were currently inside.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Mei's usual calm expression returned to her face.
She lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage. The black cloak embroidered with the Daimyo's family crest wrapped tightly around her.
On the parade ground, more than twenty figures stood in formation.
Their clothing was tattered, bloodstained bandages wrapped their limbs, and exhaustion clung to their faces.
But the numbness and despair they had once carried at sea were gone.
At the front of the group was Keisuke.
The moment he saw that familiar figure stepping out of the carriage, joy and disbelief surged in his heart.
"Mei-senpai!"
He stepped forward, intending to bow, but froze in place when his eyes landed on her attire.
He opened his mouth, but that once-familiar "Senpai" seemed impossible to say now.
The rest of the Kirigakure survivors were the same.
The leader who had once fought beside them, who had led them to resist the Blood Mist regime, now seemed like a stranger.
She was the Daimyo's woman.
That reality made all of their emotions conflicted and heavy.
Mei looked at their reactions, bitterness rising in her throat. She didn't explain.
She walked forward slowly, her eyes sweeping over the survivors as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "You're all still alive. That's good."
"From today onward, this will be your new home."
Mei gestured toward the neat barracks behind her, and to the mess hall in the distance where cooking smoke curled into the air.
"You are no longer homeless rogue ninja."
"Here, you will receive sufficient food, clean clothes, and the best medical treatment."
Her words stunned the survivors.
They had expected interrogation, scrutiny, or even imprisonment.
After all, they were shinobi from an enemy nation.
But now, what were they hearing?
Home?
A child who had lost his father smelled the aroma of meat from the mess hall and couldn't help but whisper to Keisuke, "Brother Keisuke, can we... really eat our fill?"
Keisuke didn't answer. His eyes were locked on Mei, his expression full of turmoil.
"Of course." Mei looked at the child. Her cool demeanor softened slightly.
She gestured to a Hidden Guard behind her.
The guard stepped forward and handed a scroll to Keisuke.
He hesitated for a moment, then took it and slowly unrolled it.
The scroll detailed a complete training and organizational plan.
All survivors, regardless of gender or age, would be reorganized.
Adult shinobi would be trained by the Land of Fire's most elite instructors, learning new tactics and coordination methods.
The injured would receive full treatment from Konoha's medical-nin.
Children would be sent to school to receive proper education. Those with chakra aptitude would be trained in Ninjutsu.
At the end of the scroll, written in cinnabar red ink, was a bold title:
Special Operations Unit
Composition: 500 personnel
Directly under: Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Chiba Arashi
Keisuke's hand trembled.
This was recruitment.
That man wanted to forge them—these Kirigakure rebels—into a blade that would pierce the Land of Water.
He had expected something like this, but seeing it laid out so clearly, he still hesitated.
He looked up at Mei, his face filled with struggle and doubt.
Mei didn't shy from his gaze. "Keisuke."
"I know what you're thinking."
"But tell me... do we have any other choice?"
Keisuke lowered his head.
No. There was none.
From the moment they stepped onto Land of Fire soil, their lives no longer belonged to them.
They could either accept this arrangement... or take these last two dozen people back into the cold ocean and wait for death.
"I..." Keisuke's voice trembled.
"Keisuke!" Mei suddenly raised her voice. "Look up!"
"Look at your companions behind you! Look at the children!"
"They need a future!"
"And only the Land of Fire can provide that now!"
Keisuke's shoulders shook violently.
He turned his head slowly and met the confused eyes of the others.
He remembered Nagano's final cry.
He remembered the dying request his senior made on the raft.
Live.
Yes.
They had to live.
Their hatred of Yagura Karatachi, their ties to Kirigakure, that was what had kept them alive.
Even if they had to pledge themselves to an enemy, they must live.
Thump.
Keisuke knelt on one knee, lifting the scroll above his head with both hands, his head bowed low.
"Keisuke is willing to die for the Daimyo."
The other survivors, after a moment of silence, followed one after another.
"Willing to die for the Daimyo!"
The voices weren't uniform, but they echoed with resolve.
From this moment on, there was no longer a Kirigakure Resistance Army.
Mei watched quietly and pulled her cloak tighter.
The wind carried a faint chill.
She understood.
From this moment on, she and her companions had completely severed their ties with Kirigakure.
They were now people of the Land of Fire. They would fight for the Land of Fire. Die for the Land of Fire.
But at the very least... they were still alive.
...
Meanwhile, in the mountain range bordering the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, tension was high.
Sunagakure's troops had been stalled here for seven days.
"Still no word?"
Rasa stood atop a dry, cracked ridge, brows tightly furrowed.
"No," Maki replied, clearly annoyed. "Same excuse again. They say to stand by."
Rasa sneered and said nothing more.
Everyone knew it was just Iwagakure's stalling tactic.
They were being held here, forced to watch idly.
Suddenly, a violent chakra fluctuation erupted in the distance.
Rasa's face shifted as he looked up sharply.
He saw flashes of fire and lightning dancing across the sky, followed by muffled explosions.
"They're fighting!"
"It's those madmen from Kumogakure again!"
The Suna shinobi stirred restlessly.
This wasn't the first time.
The Kumo ninja, like rabid dogs, had launched wave after wave of suicidal attacks against both Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
Now, the conflict had spread to the borders.
Iwa and Kiri, caught between sneak attacks and infighting over resources and territory, were locked in brutal battles.
The western Land of Lightning had become a meat grinder.
"Order the troops to retreat and set up camp!" Rasa gave the command.
"Retreat?"
"That's right. Retreat," Rasa said coldly. "Since they want to block us, let them deal with Kumogakure themselves."
"We'll just watch."
The meat had long been eaten. Only the scraps remained.
Since that was the case, they'd wait until Iwa and Kiri were too bogged down to continue.
And then, they'd be allowed to pass.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)