Wano Country, Udon Region, Quarry.
The smell of alcohol filled the air as Kawashita Ideta, a retainer of the Uzuki clan assigned to oversee the quarry, stumbled back to his room, heavily intoxicated. He collapsed onto his bed and began snoring loudly.
No one noticed the silent figure that slipped into the room.
"Apologies, but I'll be borrowing your identity for a while," Sally murmured with a sly smile, her eyes fixed on the drunken man.
Her right hand morphed into a sticky, dough-like substance. Without hesitation, she flung it at him.
"Mm… mmph…"
Large blobs of sticky dough bound the man's limbs and mouth. Startled awake, Kawashita Ideta struggled desperately, but the adhesive substance held firm.
Within moments, his strength waned, and his movements ceased entirely. His lifeless body slumped as he drew his last breath.
"Barry, he's all yours!"
Sally pulled out a glass mirror, which began to expand before her eyes.
"Heh, leave it to me," Barry said with a mischievous grin, stepping out of the mirror and dragging the corpse into the Mirror World.
Once the mirror returned to its original size, Sally stowed it away.
In the blink of an eye, her body transformed, taking on Kawashita Ideta's appearance. She dressed in a samurai's attire and even took a few swigs of alcohol to maintain the drunken façade.
"Ugh…" Now reeking of alcohol, she staggered out of the room, feigning intoxication as if nothing had happened.
…
At the same time, in the Flower Capital, the shogun, Kouzuki Sukiyaki, issued an order.
He summoned Kouzuki Oden, who had been confined to a temple outside the capital, and tasked him with traveling to various regions to deliver letters.
The goal was to foster Oden's diplomatic skills and give him an opportunity to meet the regional daimyos, all while showcasing the future heir of the Kouzuki family.
"Huh?"
At the temple outside the Flower Capital, a child wearing a black-and-white kimono, taller than his peers, with a shaved head except for a topknot, looked surprised.
"Father wants me to deliver letters?"
"Yes, Oden-sama," the samurai replied with a respectful bow.
"Sukiyaki-sama wishes to hone your communication skills and introduce you to the daimyos of various regions. He also wants them to witness the grace of the future heir of the Kouzuki family. Everything is prepared for your departure."
"Ahahaha, that's great!"
Oden's eyes lit up with excitement as he dashed outside. "I've been bored staying here!"
"Wait, Oden-sama!" Miuramatsu, a loyal retainer of the Kouzuki family, hurried after him.
"Where are we heading first, Miuramatsu?"
Seated in a palanquin carried by eight men, Oden glanced curiously at the procession ahead.
"First, we will visit the Udon Region, as it is the closest. After that, we'll proceed to the neighboring Hakumai Region," Miuramatsu explained, walking alongside the palanquin and tending to the young heir.
"Sukiyaki-sama has already sent messages by carrier pigeons. The daimyos should have received word by now and will be ready to welcome you, Oden-sama."
As the sun set, the group set up camp for the night.
The next morning, at dawn, the procession finally reached the outskirts of Udon.
However, as they finished their breakfast, the warriors and attendants began clutching their stomachs in agony, collapsing one after another with cries of pain.
Even the four-year-old Oden wasn't spared.
"Damn it! The food was poisoned!"
"Protect the heir!"
Pale and drenched in sweat, Miuramatsu gritted his teeth and fought through the pain, rallying those who could still stand. Stumbling, he led a small group toward the palanquin.
"What's happening?"
Oden's face twisted in pain as he opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
Someone was trying to kill them?
"Attack!"
"Kill him! Wipe out the Kouzuki bloodline!"
"Our Kurozumi family has fallen so low, enduring endless suffering and humiliation, all because of the damned Kouzuki clan…"
The attackers surged forward with murderous intent.
At that moment, several masked figures dressed in black burst onto the scene.
With swift, precise movements, they cut down the attendants as if slicing through vegetables, leaving a bloody trail in their wake. Their murderous intent filled the air as they charged forward.
"What!?"
"The remnants of the Kurozumi family!"
"Damn it! Shogun-sama was merciful, forgiving your Kurozumi clan and sparing your lives!"
"And this is how you repay us? By committing such a heinous act!"
"Oden-sama, run! We'll hold them off!"
Miuramatsu and the other samurai turned pale with shock and anger, fighting back against the masked intruders. But weakened by poison, they were no match.
One by one, they fell to the ground, defeated and lifeless.
"Now, it's your turn!"
The leader of the masked figures fixed his predatory gaze on Kouzuki Oden.
Brandishing his blood-stained katana, he chased after the young boy, who tried desperately to flee. His voice dripped with malice:
"You brat of the Kouzuki family, don't think you'll survive today!"
"It's all because of your damned father! If he hadn't been born at such a critical time, our Kurozumi family's plan to take over Wano would have succeeded!"
"Your family's wickedness and misdeeds are to blame! Stop blaming others for your failures!" Oden retorted, pale-faced and drenched in sweat. He gripped his katana tightly, his features distorted in pain, but his voice rang defiantly.
"My grandfather was merciful! He only executed the masterminds and spared the rest of your clan, merely reducing you to commoners! Instead of being grateful, you plot revenge!"
"Heh, no matter what you say, you'll die here today!"
Without another word, the masked figures rushed forward in unison.
Within moments, they mercilessly hacked Kouzuki Oden to death, slashing him repeatedly until his body was reduced to minced flesh.
The sight was utterly horrifying.
"Oden-sama… damn it…"
Miuramatsu, who had already lost an arm and suffered multiple wounds, lay in a pool of blood, struggling weakly. All he could do was watch helplessly as the young heir of the Kouzuki clan—despite his exceptional potential—was brutally murdered and decapitated before his eyes.
Coughing up blood, his vision blurred. His eyes widened in horror before he finally lost consciousness.
"Let's go!"
…
Some time later, Miuramatsu awoke, his body wracked with pain and his vision hazy.
"Am I… in hell?"
Covered in blood and barely clinging to life, he forced his heavy eyelids open.
To his shock, he saw the Oniwabanshu ninja squad—the elite protectors who had once served alongside him under the shogun. His eyes widened further, but the excruciating pain kept him silent.
"Miuramatsu!"
The leader of the Oniwabanshu knelt beside him, shaking him gently. "What happened? Where is Oden-sama?"
Their faces were drenched in sweat, filled with urgency. They had already surveyed the battlefield and found a pile of unrecognizable minced flesh. Judging by the remnants of clothing, they could only conclude that these were the remains of Kouzuki Oden.
The realization left them paralyzed with dread.
The future heir of the Kouzuki family had been slaughtered, hacked into pieces. It was unthinkable—a calamity for Wano Country that would undoubtedly trigger massive upheaval.
"Cough… cough… it was… the Kurozumi clan…" Miuramatsu coughed up blood as he spoke weakly.
"They poisoned us… seeking revenge… against the Kouzuki family…"
With those final words, his head slumped to the side, and he breathed his last.
"What!?"
"The Kurozumi clan?"
"Damn it, those wretches…"
"After all these years, they still hold a grudge?"
"Damn it! The shogun should have eradicated them completely back then!"
The ninjas present were overwhelmed with shock and fury, their faces dark with anger.
"Leader, we found this!"
A ninja hurried over, holding up a token they had discovered in the surrounding bushes.
"This is… the crest of the Uzuki clan?"
The leader's pupils constricted sharply.
~~~
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