READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 61-Two Years Later!
Chapter 61
~Some Two Years Later~
HYAKUYA SOSUKE
The attack on the Parlay between Fire and Water Country had started a conflict that was being dubbed as the Fourth Great Ninja War, yet it was, in truth a misnomer for this war was not like the other wars.
This was not a simple conflict between ninja villages, as the previous wars had been reduced to the daimyo maintaining a political dialogue, with trade and other more non-shinobi advents often going on as normally.
Yet this time, the attack on Parley had been made at the behest of the Lightning and Earth daimyo. It was a disgraceful act, especially when the Fire Daimyo had spoken against leveling stricter sanctions on Iwa and the country despite having emerged victorious in the last conflict.
The attack on the parley was a major slap on the face of the young fire daimyo who had responded in kind to the hostility shown to him and declared 'Crimson Sky'.
Crimson Sky was a declaration that broke the status quo that held for over a century and was the declaration of open hostilities between regions. It was announcing one's ambition to rule over an entire continent.
It was a bold decision, confirming the very fears that had made the young lord unpopular, but ambitions and declarations often remain hollow in the face of lackluster performance, and Lord Akihito Shirahoshi was not one to underdeliver.
All trade with Iwa and Kumo, and their subsequent villages and allies had been cut off, most of it getting redirected to Ame, Kiri, Suna, and their other allied villages, and with their province being the greatest producer of grain, it had seriously hampered Iwa and Kumo's food security.
Iwa and Kumo produced many essential things, including weapons, gems, and the most important of all Kumo's advanced electronics and technologies.
The weapons they could make were on their own, for they had mines of their own, but the electronics from Iwa was something that none of the three allied great lands could make, or at least they had all thought so.
Under his direct leadership, they were producing electronics and technologies equal to or even more advanced than the ones from the Lightning country, more or less ruining their economy.
Even on the shinobi side of things Konoha had buckled down and realised rather quickly that rather than trying for a swift victory, it was better for them to conserve their forces and simply choke their enemies through a lack of food, and other resources, exhausting them until they had little choice except to surrender.
And yet, all was not well. Despite the successful war efforts, there was another side to it. The initial attack had injured the Fire Lord greatly, the extent of his injuries unknown to any of them except his two wives, and to this day the young daimyo had yet make an appearance in the capital.
And though his commands and orders would be relayed dutifully, carrying his seal and written in his hand, yet his ascension had been an unpopular one, and war, even a successful one, carried with its costs.
Laws were being enforced in the land with an Iron Fist, specifically on the nobles whose extravagant lives had been affected the most by the stoppage of trade to Lightning and Earth country, and add to the fact the contentious ascension of Lord Akihito, treason began to brew in their lands.
It would have been easy to crush had the young lord not asked him to hold back and let it fester, and now it was at their doors literally.
"Miyuki-sama," he bowed infront of the Lady Empress, who still occupied the seat to the right of the empty daimyo's throne, one which had sat empty for over two years now.
"The rebelling lords have laid siege to the capital. They are eight hundred strong, led by around thirteen samurai and four lords," he informed her.
"Thirteen," she confirmed, her expression not shifting a bit at the news, and she looked unbothered by the precarious situation they were in.
He could see the other nobles beginning to look around nervously as Lady Miyuki stood up.
"That is less than I imagined. Are the forces from Shinoi ready?" she asked, and it was the only action they had taken.
Many lords allied with the crown had offered to send their men, their samurai, to assist the daimyo in putting down this rebellion, yet he had refused them all, citing that he would manage on his own and yet to face such odds they had summoned only the daimyo's most loyal forces from Shinoi.
"They are my lady. But they will not be enough, I know of their prowess, and yet the numerical disadvantage is to..."
"When did you begin to question the wisdom of your lord, Prime Minister Sosuke?" the Empress questioned, and in the two years, she had truly come into her own, becoming the spitting image of her father as she commanded the court with authority and regalness that he had never seen.
"But my lady, it has been two years, and yet we have not seen a glimpse of the daimyo-sama. They all call you a usurper, believe that you occupy the office of the daimyo illegally," he added as she walked down the throne and up to him.
"Let them wag their tongues. They will have their answers soon," she said as she walked forward.
"Take me to the borders. I wish to address the lords who have risen up against us,"
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KATSUGAWA MIYUKI
As a Princess, Miyuki knew of politics, understood it, and yet, like many others, she believed it to be the same as governing. And yet they were entirely different things.
And since her marriage she had truly begun to understand that difference, and now as she rode through the capital and watched that despite being surrounded by an enemy force, despite the region being plunged into a devastating war they were ready to lay down their lives for her, were ready to sacrifice everything they had for her, and Akihito.
And it was this reverence that drove these lords to rebellion, apart from their own ambitions, of course. At the start of this conflict, Akihito's directions were clear: that in no way should his office lose the support of the people.
And so, laws had become stricter for nobles, exploitation of commoners was punished, and stopped, extravagancy, smuggling, and all such things were punished by the daimyo's office without prejudice.
Many among those who had risen up today had tried hoarding their grain to make them reverse their decision of 'Crimson Sky', trying to incite rebellions yet the Palace had stepped in with its own grain, driving these lords to poverty, and with Akihito's success in improving farming and making alternatives to Lightning country's advanced gadgets, the daimyo's throne did not lack for money.
In some ways, their coffers had continued to ballon up during the war, with the prices of essentials remaining stable despite the war, and all those nobles who sough to incite rebellions failed in doing so.
They had information about their movements from day one, about who was supporting them, where they gathered their men, where they hoarded their gold, and so forth. It would have taken a single command to dismantle it on day one.
Yet Akihito had instructed her to let them fester, to root out his opposition in one fell swoop.
As she reached the border of the capital, she was greeted by the capital and Shinoi forces, clad in full armor and ready for war.
Their commander, a familiar face she had not seen in quite some time, stepped forward.
"This humble servant greets the Moon of the Empire," he said ceremoniously as he bowed to her.
"Rise," she said with a smile as her husband's previous right-hand man, and now the Mayor of Shinoi, stood up, clad in full armor, sword to his side.
"It is good to see you after so long, Gin-san," she said, and the blonde man smiled.
"You as well, Miyuki-sama," he said as he began to walk by her side.
"Are the preparations complete?" she asked, and he nodded.
"They are. Our men are ready. At one signal, we will have the lands of all these lords in our control," and that was the plan.
Rather than making an open display of power, Akihito had ordered her to rely on Gin and use his special corps to infiltrate the lands of the rebelling lords to give them no retreat and to prevent further bloodshed.
"What of Akihito-sama?" he questioned warily. Unlike herself, none in the region had seen him, and even for her, it was difficult to visit him given the complicated logistics involved. Yet getting a bijuu sealed inside oneself was not easy, especially when that someone was in as frail a state as Akihito.
It had taken time for his body to assimilate the bijuu chakra and recover, and now it was finally time. Soon enough, all this time spent in separation would bear fruit.
As she reached the command station on top of the wall, she found herself staring at the rebelling force in full.
She took out a scroll from her pocket and rolled it on the floor, and on it a massive sealing formula was inscribed.
She bit her thumb and raised it over the formula, and blood dropped into it as she closed her eyes.
"Come"
PUFFFFF!
Through a cloud of smoke, he emerged, stepping forward in a dark blue, rich kimono with the symbol of fire inscribed in the back. His hair was now long enough that it reached way down his neck and covered half his back, held together by a red thread.
"Akihito," she gasped as he turned to look towards her. The years had aged him, destroyed the boy in him, and turned him into a man. He was now two—no, three heads taller than her, and through the opening of his kimono, one could see the chiseled body underneath alongside a blue tattoo that ran down his shoulder and covered his arm.
The men behind him all bowed as they saw him, just as she did as the former daimyo stood there once more, a sword lying on his shoulder.
"I believe the preparations are complete," he asked as he stepped forward and stared at the men gathered in front.
"They are my lord," Gin said. He nodded as he took her hand and made her stand, looking into her misty eyes.
"I have troubled you much in these years," he said softly, and she shook her head.
"For you, I would carry a burden a hundredfold that," she said, and he smiled.
"You shall never have to. Never again."
And with that, he stepped forward and jumped on the edge of the balcony, showcasing a level of agility that she had never seen before him before, and looked down at the men gathered there, before she felt his chakra roar like a fiery tempest. She felt as if she was enveloped in a loving warmth, though she doubted the men below felt it the same way given how they all stilled and many fell to their knees as he roared.
"WHO DARES STAND AGAINST ME!"
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