Chapter 10
KATSUGAWA TATSUYA
The Third Prince of the Land of Fire frowned in frustration at the report he was receiving from his backer's liaison.
"What do you mean he survived!" he questioned, growing angry and frustrated with the failure of the one task that had become quintessential for his ascension.
The masked ninja, kneeling on one knee, simply reiterated.
"We are not sure yet. But we can confirm that Princess Miyuki and Lord Akihito encountered a small bandit group on their journey, yet according to the reports, the young lord and his group remained unscathed despite the attack," the man reiterated in his usual drawl and robotic tone, making his frustrations grow.
First, his father had refused to announce an official heir despite the pressure from the ministers, and now this.
"That boy is more trouble than we realized," his mother added from the side, and he would agree with that.
Akihito Shirahoshi was a dark horse in all of this. The young lord had been insistent initially on maintaining his neutrality during this whole conflict, yet all of it had now been revealed to be nothing but a farce.
No, the young jito dreamt of seeing himself on the daimyo's throne.
'The nerve of him,' he thought as his fists balled up and he looked once more towards the masked liaison.
"I want him dead, along with my dearest sister, for as long as she lives, my father will not name a formal successor, allowing others to lay a claim to what is rightfully mine," he said through gritted teeth, but the masked man shook his head.
"That will not be possible for the time being. Attacking jito shirahoshi at this juncture is not possible," came the answer and he frowned.
"What do you mean it isn't possible? You are killers, all of you and yet you can't even kil…"
"Tatsuya!" his mother's voice cut in, sharply halting him mid-sentence, and their eyes met, and he saw her eyes glint as she continued.
"That is enough!" she said to him, asking him to calm down as she turned to face the masked man.
"Leave us," she ordered, and the masked ninja vanished in a blur, leaving him alone in the room with his mother.
The Lady Mahiro had chosen a teal kimono today, her hair tied behind her with an intricately designed gold pin fashioned in the shape of a ryu.
"What have I told you about dealing with ninja," she chastised him, and he grit his teeth as he got up and waved away dismissively.
"I know you warn me to be careful when dealing with such men. Yet he is nothing but a mindless killing machine," he said, having learned already the true value of the masked men serving under Shimura.
"Mindless it may be, but you must remember that they don't serve at your pleasure, but under the commands of Danzo Shimura, and one must never underestimate a man such as him," she warned him, and he shook his head, a smile on his face.
"Shimura needs me much more than I need him. He supports me only because he wishes to see himself as the next Hokage, a choice which now lies in the hands of whoever ascends to the throne after my father," he replied, for those were his father's intentions.
It was now largely speculated that the daimyo had ordered the Third Hokage to continue as such until this whole matter had resolved itself, a decision towards which he had mixed feelings.
On the one hand, it tied his and Shimura's fates together, yet it also meant the man could lend him his aide very covertly, in fear that his actions may be uncovered.
"Shimura supports you because your grandfather and him share a similar vision for the future of this continent," his mother cut in, and his mood dampened at the mention of his esteemed grandfather.
Lord Hayama Mahirou, father of Lady Mahirou Miya, was one of the oldest lords alive today, even older than his father. He controlled one of the largest pieces of land in the region; they were one of the oldest serving families with deep ties to the various daimyos over the years.
"Yet if Shimura wishes to see himself as the next Hokage, it is me who he needs on the throne," and so he should support me, not grandfather. He didn't say, but his intentions were clear enough.
"Shimura could always find another one willing to do his bidding. I would caution you to be careful when dealing with him," his mother warned him as she stood up and began to walk towards the door.
He stilled at those words, and his mind raced towards the reluctance showed by Shimura's man towards the assassination of Akihito.
"Do you think he would approach Akihito Shirahoshi?" he suddenly questioned, and his mother shook her head as she slid open the doors.
"No, that is highly unlikely," and his heart eased at that. At least he won't have to worry about that.
"But how can you be sure about that?"
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Danzo Shimura
"Tsunade!" he frowned as he read the report, and the informant nodded.
"Yes, Lord Danzo. We confirmed twice that Lady Tsunade and her apprentice are now residing in Lord Akihito's castle," and that was rather interesting, not her presence in the Shinoi lands or her staying in the castle. Despite their militaristic nature, both Senju and Uchiha clans had noble ranks. Though they were little more than honorary titles, they were still given the ranks of shugo for their role as the founders of Konoha.
"And are we certain that neither of them dealt with the bandits?" he questioned, recalling the report from earlier mentioning the details of how the bandits who had attacked young Lord Shirahoshi had been killed.
"Positive, my lord. Both of them were in Shinoi lands at that time. They were not involved in the subjugation of those ronins," the informant continued.
And Danzo sat in his chair, in a dark room lit with only a single candlelight as he looked at the illustration of the young jito. The boy seemed rather good-looking and had sharp features, yet it was his intellect that had taken him by surprise.
Many lords over the years had tried to curry favor with the Senju princess, yet none had ever succeeded in doing so. Yet somehow, the young lord of Shinoi managed to get himself into the good graces of the Senju princess.
Troublesome. And intriguing.
"What are your orders, Danzo-sama?" came the question, and he frowned.
"Have the bandit he captured handled. Apart from that, do not take any other direct action as long as the Senju princess resides in his castle. We cannot risk exposure," he ordered, and the informant nodded, yet it didn't vanish, making him frown.
"What is it?" he questioned, and the informant halted for a second before he added.
"My lord, there is one more thing I wish to mention," the informant began, and he motioned for him to continue.
"In Lord Akihito's retinue, there was a certain woman by his aide," the masked nin began.
"What of her?"
"She has red hair, Danzo-sama. Similar to those of Kushina Uzumaki!"
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