Chapter 20: Kozuki Oden
"As expected of Lord Ren. He became the Daimyo of Kuri so quickly," Orochi exclaimed as soon as he heard the news.
"I need to speed up as well."
Kurozumi Orochi was also in Wano at this time. Using the gold and silver they had accumulated, they recruited a number of samurai and purchased a large quantity of weapons. Originally, finding a place to station them had been a problem, but now that Ren had pacified Kuri, they could be sent there instead, allowing them to contribute to Ren's forces.
In truth, Orochi himself did not urgently need military strength. What he wanted was to use the Kozuki Clan as a stepping stone to slowly approach Kozuki Sukiyaki. Building up armed power was merely preparation for the future.
Several more months passed in the blink of an eye, and the end of the year drew near.
Kozuki Oden finally arrived at the border of Udon, preparing to visit the last remaining region of Wano—Kuri.
"I heard someone recently pacified Kuri, which used to be a land of chaos," said the future Kin'emon.
"To pacify a living hell like Kuri, that person must be incredibly strong," Denjiro replied.
Izo and Kikunojo were still very young and had little understanding of such matters. Only Kanjuro's eyes flickered faintly, though no one noticed.
"A samurai who subdued the bandits of Kuri?" Oden said excitedly. "That's something no one has accomplished in hundreds of years. I really want to meet such a man."
In fact, ever since leaving the Flower Capital, Oden had intended to go to Kuri. After staying with the Kozuki Clan for a few days and hearing about the god-like Ashura Doji, he had decided to seek him out.
Now, however, his interest had naturally shifted to Ren, the man who had defeated Ashura Doji.
Denjiro scoffed. "Is he really that impressive? I don't believe there's any samurai stronger than Lord Oden."
"Isn't that obvious, you idiot?" Kin'emon said confidently.
The two of them were ardent admirers of Oden, having personally witnessed him slay the Mountain God with a single strike.
Oden's group headed toward Kuri, taking several days before reaching the bridge that connected Kibi and Kuri.
The guards recognized him as the shogun's son and naturally did not dare stop him.
Even while still on the bridge, the group was stunned by the sight before them. Vast stretches of cultivated land spread out as far as the eye could see, golden rice heavy on the stalks, resembling the legendary Golden Country.
"Gulp…" Izo and Kikunojo, who were often hungry, swallowed subconsciously, their small figures frozen in place.
"Is this really Kuri, the lawless land where not even a blade of grass grows?" Kin'emon exclaimed. "Even the Flower Capital doesn't have farmland this extensive, does it?"
"And those houses over there," Denjiro added, "there aren't many, but they're all brand new and look luxurious. Are we sure this isn't the Flower Capital? Did we take the wrong road?"
"To govern Kuri this well is truly impressive," Raizo said. Having once been part of the Oniwabanshu, he understood how difficult such a transformation should have been.
Kuri had once been so chaotic that corpses littered the land. To see it now in such a prosperous state was almost unbelievable.
Comparing it to the regions he had traveled through over the past 2 years—the cold and distant Ringo, the barren Kibi—Oden realized he had never seen anything like this.
"It seems the Daimyo of Kuri is truly remarkable."
As they prepared to leave the bridge, guards stepped forward and stopped them.
Since Kuri's establishment, it had developed economic ties with other regions. Merchants had initially worried whether Kuri would truly uphold order, but tempted by profit, they had come to test the waters.
They soon discovered that the reborn Kuri had neither underworld figures demanding protection fees nor Tenryu Bugyo soldiers abusing their authority. Doing business required only paying the proper taxes, and the profits were far higher than elsewhere.
As a result, Kuri grew even more prosperous, and the guards' responsibilities became increasingly important.
Ren could not place the Serpent's Seal on everyone who entered to trade, so strict defenses were necessary.
Several guards recognized Oden. Though they did not stop him, they immediately passed along the information.
Before long, every movement of Oden's group was reported to Ren.
"That troublesome fellow is here," Ren said, shaking his head.
He did not like Kozuki Oden, but he could not ignore him either. What irritated him most was that the other party seemed completely unaware that he was already unwelcome.
"Kozuki Oden is heading straight for the Daimyo's Mansion," Yukiko said unhappily.
Along the way, Oden and his companions had behaved recklessly, causing disturbances wherever they went. With no money to their names, Oden would simply steal crops from the fields and make a fire to cook whenever he was hungry.
Kin'emon and Denjiro were no better, constantly committing petty theft. The Tenryu Bugyo had tried to arrest them several times, but they were easily beaten back.
"Let me go kill him," Shutenmaru said angrily.
He had always despised those born into nobility, especially someone like Kozuki Oden. As the shogun's son, Oden had no understanding of the suffering of common people and acted without restraint.
Kuri had only just reached this state of stability, and now this man was trampling over it.
"You're probably not his match," Ren said calmly.
During this time, Shutenmaru had served as Ren's sparring partner. His strength was far greater than Orochi's, and both had made significant progress. Even so, Shutenmaru was still slightly inferior to Oden.
"Don't worry about him," Ren said after a moment's thought. "His destination is here anyway. Let him come to us."
"Orochi wants to deal with the Kozuki family. Let him handle that matter slowly. I won't interfere."
"And if anyone suffers losses because of this man, compensate them at market price."
Yukiko and Shutenmaru both nodded at the orders.
Ren had no desire to interact much with Kozuki Oden. For now, his strength was still insufficient, so all he could do was endure.