Chapter 47: The Engagement
"Lord Raikage, I heard you had another son. Is he here with you today?"
Dana looked up.
After a moment of contemplation, the Third Raikage said, "Dana, come and greet His Excellency, the Daimyo."
The Daimyo had expected a small child, led by the hand, but was surprised to see a poised young boy walk forward on his own. He was taller and more imposing than he had imagined. The Yotsuki were known to be tall as adults, but this boy's eyes were clear and sharp, not like a child's at all.
As the Daimyo was sizing him up, Dana was doing the same. He was a bit disappointed. Besides the strange headdress, there was nothing remarkable about him. He was dressed in lavish robes, but he had a weak constitution, as if he had been drained by a life of excess. He was old and fat. In an anime, he would have been a typical high-ranking background character.
It was rude to stare. Dana bowed his head slightly and waited for the Daimyo to speak.
"A truly impressive young man, Lord Raikage," the Daimyo said, his eyes fixed on the Raikage's expression. "You have a fine son."
"He is merely a bit precocious," the Third Raikage said, his face unreadable. He wondered what the Daimyo was up to.
"Yotsuki Dana, is it?" the Daimyo said with a look of pity. "An interesting name. I heard the boy was born with a bloodline disease. A true shame. But there are other paths in life besides being a ninja. Since he is a clever child, he could become an advisor to the Hidden Cloud in the future. The gates of the Land of Lightning will always be open to him."
Dana and his father exchanged a subtle look. The Daimyo's behavior was becoming increasingly bizarre. The matter of the bloodline disease was true, but lately, things had become more complicated. Dana wasn't even sure if he was sick anymore. The Daimyo was clearly unaware of the recent changes in his condition, but that was to be expected. It would be more alarming if he knew everything that happened in the village.
"Lord Raikage," the Daimyo continued, "I find this child to be so bright and impressive that I have grown quite fond of him. As it happens, I have a daughter of a similar age. What do you say we arrange a marriage between them?"
Third Raikage: "Hmm?"
Dana: "Huh?"
Third Hokage: "Cough, cough, cough!"
Arashi: "Pfft!"
Everyone looked up in surprise, even the Fire Daimyo. A marriage alliance to appease the Cloud was one thing, but this...
Dana didn't refuse immediately. He was curious. He just looked at the Daimyo, his calm demeanor making the old man hesitate. He had a feeling this child was not as simple as he had thought. His information might be incomplete. But then he remembered, it was just a daughter. He had few sons, but many daughters. And this one was not particularly favored. It was a small price to pay to win over the Cloud.
"Your Excellency," the Third Raikage said, a frown on his face, "Dana's situation is special. Because of his bloodline, it has already been decided by the clan that he will take concubines in the future."
The clan elders wanted Dana to have as many children as possible. Marrying the Daimyo's daughter would complicate things.
At his words, many of the women in the hall, young and old, looked at Dana as if he were a scumbag. So young and handsome, and already a player.
Dana covered his face with his hand, speechless. Seriously, Dad? You're announcing that in front of everyone?
Just as he thought the matter was settled, the Daimyo burst out laughing. "Haha, that's no problem at all!" he said, fanning himself. "The more outstanding a man is, the more admirers he will have. For a clan of the Yotsuki's stature, it is only natural." After all, the Daimyo himself had many wives, as did most of the nobles in the room.
Just as Dana was about to refuse himself, he saw a slight movement in the curtain behind the Daimyo. A graceful figure disappeared behind the translucent fabric.
The Third Raikage understood. This was an olive branch from the Daimyo. A marriage alliance with the Yotsuki, and by extension, the Cloud, was a gesture of goodwill. Especially now that the terms were out in the open, it could only be a good thing for the clan and the village. But he couldn't treat Dana like an ordinary child. He had to agree to it himself. He looked at his son, only to find him staring at the curtain where the Daimyo's family was seated. A, with his heightened senses, closed his eyes for a moment and understood. He cleared his throat and accepted the Daimyo's proposal.
Dana snapped out of it. His father was giving him a sly wink. He had a feeling his father had gotten the wrong idea.
And so, Arashi, the original target of the nobles, was left unscathed, while Dana found himself with an unexpected engagement and a pre-packaged reputation as a scumbag.
Hiruzen, who had been silent all this time, made a mental note. He would have to pay more attention to this second son of the Raikage. The heir to the Yotsuki's long-awaited Kekkei Genkai, a prodigy, and now the Daimyo's son-in-law. Though it was interesting that the Daimyo had referred to it as a bloodline disease, not a Kekkei Genkai.
Dana himself was a bit dazed. But when he thought of the figure he had seen behind the curtain, he decided it wasn't so bad. After all, he had been upfront about the concubines.
The banquet drew to a close. The two Daimyo left together. In theory, the others could have stayed and continued to celebrate, but except for a few clueless minor nobles who were still enjoying the food and wine, everyone could feel the strange atmosphere and quickly made their excuses.
In a remote corner of Asuka Castle, in a plain, unadorned room that looked more like a commoner's dwelling than a part of the opulent castle, a graceful young girl in a lavish gown stormed in, tearing off her clothes as she walked to reveal a set of practical, close-fitting training gear underneath. She threw the gown on the floor and marched into the inner room, startling a small, plump maid who was hiding in a corner.
"My lady, you're back so early! Was the banquet fun?" the maid asked, hastily wiping the pastry crumbs from her mouth.
"You've been sneaking food again! Look how fat you are, Momo!" the girl snapped. The events of the banquet had left her in a foul mood. She snatched the box of sweets from the maid's hand.
"My lady, don't throw it away! I had to beg the kitchen for that!"
"Eat, eat, eat, that's all you do! If we have to escape, I'm not carrying you!"
"But it's nice here in Asuka Castle, my lady," the maid said, her voice growing smaller. "It's warm, and the kitchen staff is not so strict. We never go hungry..."
After a while, seeing that the girl had calmed down, the maid subtly took the box of sweets back. "What's wrong, my lady?" she asked gently. "You were in such a good mood when you left."
"It's nothing. I'm going to train. And you, eat slowly!" the girl glared at her, then took a well-hidden kunai from a cabinet.
Three days later, the New Year's ceremony ended without much fanfare. Dana had expected some excitement, but it was just a series of long, tedious, and meaningless rituals, even more boring than the first day's banquet. He had thought that having the two Kage in the same place would at least create some sparks, but it seemed there was a rare understanding between them. Besides a brief explanation from a Konoha representative that their presence was at the Fire Daimyo's request and not intentional, the two groups had no further interaction. Perhaps that was just how the game was played. His initial guess was correct. Hiruzen, like his father, had been a passive participant in the mediation.
The day after New Year's Eve, Dana and the Third Raikage set out for the Hidden Cloud. As they left the capital, Dana was still in a daze. He had somehow ended up engaged.
When he brought it up with his father on the road, the Raikage said, "There's still time. You're young. Things might change, or they might not. But for now, this engagement is good for the village and for our clan. If you're truly unhappy when the time comes, you can speak to the Daimyo then." Then, with a mischievous look, he added, "Besides, you seemed pretty happy about it. You were practically drooling!"
To his great annoyance, for the rest of the journey, everyone in their group would greet him with a teasing "congratulations." Arashi laughed the loudest, mocking him for getting engaged at such a young age. How tragic!
What's so funny? You're going to be single for the rest of your life, you know!
The most frustrating part was that, by the time they left the capital, he had still not met the Daimyo's daughter. It was apparently a matter of etiquette. All he knew was that she was a year older than him and her title was "Natsu," probably because she was born in the summer. Princess Natsu. He couldn't even be sure if she was the beautiful figure he had seen behind the curtain. He could only pray that she was pretty, and that she didn't know eight different kinds of dances.