The former Sea Daimyo pointed angrily at Natsuhane and shouted, "What are you two doing in my home? Get down here! Today is my wedding, not yours!"
Natsuhane coldly replied, "This house belongs to the Daimyo of the Land of the Sea, and today is the wedding day of the Daimyo of the Land of the Sea."
"Of course it is! I am the Daimyo of the Land of the Sea!"
"No, you are not. I am!"
"You...!" The former Daimyo's body trembled with rage. He turned to the villagers and shouted, "Tell them loudly, who is the Daimyo of the Land of the Sea?"
"It's him!" All the villagers raised their hands, pointing at Natsuhane on the balcony.
"Natsuhane-sama is the Daimyo of the Land of the Sea. As for you, you are not worthy!"
"What? Are you rebelling? Kaisei, Kaijin! Where are you two? I've only been gone for two or three days, how did you let these peasants get out of control?"
Kaisei and Kaijin walked out from the Daimyo's residence, standing at the entrance with indifferent expressions, watching the former Daimyo rant.
"Former Daimyo-sama, please stop. This is the will of the people. All the citizens of the Land of the Sea have agreed to have Natsuhane as our new Daimyo," Kaijin stated calmly.
"Nonsense! The position of Daimyo has always been hereditary, according to our ancestors' rules! How can these peasants decide who the Daimyo is?"
Kaisei responded, "It is precisely because of this that you have always been so reckless. In the face of a great enemy, you fled with the Kirigakure ninjas who were supposed to protect us. Did you only care about your own life? Are the lives of the citizens meaningless?"
"Fortunately, Natsuhane was here. In a moment of crisis, he single-handedly defeated all the invading Johuto pirates. Without him, the Land of the Sea would have ceased to exist! You wouldn't have a country or subjects to return to!"
"And you have the nerve to say you went to the Land of Water for reinforcements? Hmph! By the time you returned, your people would have been dead, and there would be no country left!"
"Now, this land beneath your feet is the new Land of the Sea! There is only one Daimyo here, and that is Natsuhane! Leave, you are not welcome here!"
"!!!"
He understood now.
He understood everything.
He finally realized why the villagers had been so hostile to him when he first entered the Land of the Sea, and why the Johuto pirates had vanished.
It was all because of that guy, Natsuhane, who had taken care of them!
Hearing the endless insults from the surrounding villagers, he began to panic.
Just days ago, he was the master of this country. Now, he was a hated outcast, a target of everyone's scorn.
His mind was blank, unsure of what to do.
Watching his lord standing like a wooden post, Takeshi knew that if his lord fell, his own future would also be bleak.
Takeshi quickly thought of a plan and rushed to his lord's side, urgently whispering, "Lord Daimyo! This is still the Land of the Sea, and you are the true master! You still have a chance. The Kirigakure forces are our key to turning this around!"
"They agreed to marry Mei Terumi to you for the sake of Gokai Island and Mother Island. If you are not the Daimyo, their trip would be in vain."
"Go plead with them. Ask them to help you regain your position. Driven by interests, the Water Daimyo will surely agree!"
"Yes!"
The former Daimyo's eyes lit up with hope. Clutching at this last straw, he ran to the Water Daimyo.
"Big brother, you must help me restore my country! Only then can we fulfill our agreement. Otherwise, you won't get those two islands! Please save me! I will even give you Jiro Island! All three islands will be yours!"
The offer was tempting.
Most people would have accepted such an offer.
But the Water Daimyo was not most people.
He could see the bigger picture.
After a moment of thought, the Water Daimyo ignored the fallen former Daimyo and turned to Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure ninjas, asking, "Did you hear what those two ministers said?"
"Yes, we heard," Mei Terumi replied.
Defeating all the invading Johuto pirates single-handedly was not something you could ignore.
Ao, with a serious expression, added, "The new Daimyo's strength is extraordinary. And the red-haired woman beside him, those two powerful chakras I sensed earlier belong to them!"
"Wait... red hair? That distinctive color... could that woman be...?" An elderly Kirigakure advisor nodded, "Ao, you are correct. That woman is indeed from the Uzumaki Clan. I saw her file in the hands of the Fourth Mizukage. Her name is Honoka Uzumaki."
Mei Terumi was surprised, "Wait... why did the Fourth Mizukage have her file?"
The elderly advisor sighed, "The Fourth Mizukage secretly sent a large number of researchers and mutated summon creatures to Mother Island to study powerful summoning beasts. He discovered her there and wanted to use her sealing powers to control those violent mutated creatures."
"Later, this research was abandoned when the Fourth Mizukage stepped down, and those researchers went missing..."
"Is that so?" Mei Terumi was shocked. Her beautiful eyes glared at the Kirigakure elders, "No wonder you all insisted on this marriage. You plan to restart this dangerous research once you get Mother Island, don't you?"
The older generation avoided her gaze, remaining silent.
...
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