Satsuki descended from the palanquin, supported by a puppet's arm, her demeanor noble and graceful.
The luxurious formal kimono complemented her long black hair cascading down to her waist, aligning perfectly with the aesthetic ideals of this era.
The influence of Princess Kaguya was so profound that simply sending a portrait of herself to the lord of Iga Castle, along with a subtle promise, was enough to prompt him to dispatch trusted subordinates to investigate.
Satsuki's appearance was far too close to that of a goddess in this world.
Even though she was blindfolded in the portrait, the added mystery only intensified the imagination of those who saw it.
This caused the fleeting desires of men in power to amplify uncontrollably—beyond reason.
No one doubted her identity.
Or rather, even if there were doubts about whether she was truly a noble princess from another land, it didn't matter. She herself was a treasure of this era.
Though, of course, only as a toy.
Led with apparent respect by the lord's attendants, Satsuki entered the castle manor.
Here, she was finally able to activate her Byakugan and observe the castle's internal defensive layout.
In the past, she had attempted to observe the manor remotely with her Byakugan, but the results had been disappointing.
In this war-torn era, lords and daimyōs were extremely vigilant. Almost without exception, they set up defensive and anti-surveillance barriers around their estates to prevent intelligence gathering.
Even after entering the manor, these barriers only grew stronger.
But such interference no longer hindered Satsuki's new abilities.
Her newly developed wireless signal manipulation technique was nearing completion, though it still suffered from certain limitations.
Among those limitations was chakra-based interference from these very barriers. To overcome that, proximity between target and signal source was essential.
Despite being in this world for three years, she had spent a significant portion of time merely discovering her Ōtsutsuki identity.
Then came the failure on the moon, which forced her to abandon the idea of ascending in one leap and instead seize every moment.
Most of her days were now devoted to nurturing her Byakugan with Ōtsutsuki chakra and developing new ninjutsu.
So far, she had only just reached the peak of what the Byakugan could achieve. Though this progress was impressive, the path to awakening the Tenseigan remained distant.
Of course, there was the option of forcibly evolving it by merging other Byakugan.
But first, Satsuki had her pride.
Second, despite years of intelligence gathering, she had yet to uncover any trace of the Hyūga clan. This puzzled her greatly.
As for ninjutsu development, her efforts had borne some fruit, but the Byakugan's strengths lay primarily in insight.
While she could now use the Byakugan as a transmission source for signal control and overcome range limitations, the strength of the signals she could send was still limited.
This meant she couldn't precisely manipulate multiple individuals or powerful enemies in environments with heavy interference.
However, once within close enough range, she could exert full control without raising suspicion—just as she had done with Shirakumaru.
Successfully entering Iga Castle had been her primary goal all along.
Her strategy reached even deeper.
There could well be people in this era capable of seeing through her techniques. Moreover, she needed to study the daimyō's daily routines and personal traits to avoid revealing flaws once she took control.
A few days ago, her puppets had only been able to enter thanks to a unique mechanical structure inside them that allowed a degree of autonomous behavior under chakra-based control.
This was why residual chakra had been detected on the painting she sent.
However, those puppets were limited in function and lacked the capacity for secondary control, making them unsuitable for manipulating the castle lord.
Satsuki's objective was to infiltrate the nobility and seize control from the top down.
Two major obstacles had long stood in her way:
The "barrier interference" and the overwhelming number of "ninja guards."
Now, both problems were resolved.
She had been invited into the castle.
And with Shirakumaru, the leader of the guards, under her control, the ninja posed no threat to her.
Inside the keep of the main castle, the lord of Iga sat atop a soft cushion.
A small table before him was already set with tea and dishes.
Though he tried to mask his true thoughts, Satsuki could read him with ease.
Having once lived as a man herself, she knew exactly what was on his mind. Moreover, the lord, confident in his status, didn't even bother to conceal it.
The subtle sound of swallowing behind his fan and the lecherous gleam in his eyes made his intentions clear.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Toudou Naoto, a humble lord of Iga Castle. Princess Satsuki gracing my modest estate is an honor beyond words~"
The castle lord seemed to enjoy using an archaic, poetic style of speech.
It was a subtle form of showing off—a personal quirk common among some nobles.
He had displayed the same eccentricity when first meeting one of Satsuki's puppets.
"You are too kind, Lord Toudou," the puppet Kiyomaru, playing the role of a noble attendant, responded politely. "My lady wears a ribbon over her eyes due to an illness in her youth. I hope the lord will not take offense."
"Haha, not at all, not at all."
Not offended?
Of course he was. Otherwise, why would he have sent his subordinates to investigate the background of this suddenly emerging noble?
In this era, eye-based jutsu were no secret among daimyōs.
And while these men had their flaws, anyone who had climbed to power in this chaotic world was no simpleton.
Even if driven by lust, they would still conduct basic investigations. That was only logical.
Yes, a normal thought process.
And so, it came as no surprise to Satsuki.
Just then...
Whoosh~~
A white-haired ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to suddenly appear beside the castle lord. After whispering a few words into his ear, he vanished without a trace.
"Lord Toudou, what was that?"
Kiyomaru, at Satsuki's side, feigned a look of surprise.
Though the lord was mildly displeased his subordinate had chosen such poor timing to report, the information nonetheless put his mind at ease.
He made no effort to hide his emotions and, with a false smile on his powdered, bloated face, laughed: "Haha, think nothing of it. Let us enjoy this banquet to our hearts' content."
He clapped his hands, summoning servants who brought out an array of exquisite dishes and drinks.
The atmosphere quickly turned festive.
The prior scene was silently dismissed by both parties, as though it had never occurred.
But in truth—Satsuki had already achieved her goal.
That white-haired ninja had been none other than Shirakumaru, the same man who had led the pursuit of Satsuki's puppet forces five days prior, tracking them to her mountain stronghold.
The difference was that his original consciousness was now completely erased, reduced to a puppet under Satsuki's control.
Because Shirakumaru was still only under initial control, unlike the earlier puppets, Satsuki had not yet been able to guide him through the defensive barrier into the castle.
After extracting information about the mission from his memories, she had him send a message via scroll to the castle lord: "The mission is extended, but a report will be made in due time."
Now that she had entered the castle herself, Shirakumaru had successfully infiltrated it as well.
Out of caution, Satsuki refrained from acting personally on the enemy's turf.
Instead, during Shirakumaru's whispered report to the castle lord, she used him to discreetly plant another control seal on the lord himself.
Controlling an ordinary person was a simple task for her.
With that, her mission was complete. While she continued the charade with the now puppetized castle lord, her attention shifted back to the samurai puppet.
Compared to the castle, the puppet's side held a more familiar element from her past life—a character that piqued her interest.
...
Inside the Senju clan's ninja outpost:
"That's the agreement. Production will increase fivefold while maintaining quality, priced at double the previous procurement rate. Payment will be made quarterly, and trade will be restricted to the Senju and clans allied with us. A Senju representative or the clan head's authorization is required at all times."
Butsuma Senju held the contract, looking up at the demon-masked samurai puppet before him.
"Does Warrior-dono have any additional terms?"
"None," the puppet replied, pretending to review the document. Then it stamped the Ōtsutsuki clan crest at the bottom with ink.
"However, my master does have one personal request, if you would permit it."
The puppet glanced at the Senju gathered behind Butsuma.
Finally, its gaze settled on a young boy—none other than the future God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
"I've heard the Senju are descended from the Sage himself. From a bloodline perspective, there may be some relation between your clan and ours. Would it be possible to deepen our partnership?"
The Ōtsutsuki had always been one of the Naruto world's most taboo subjects.
So much so that only clan leaders with Ōtsutsuki heritage would, through unique ancestral lore, come to know of their existence.
Upon gaining this knowledge, all of them inevitably treated the Ōtsutsuki with extreme caution.
Butsuma Senju's expression turned serious. "What exactly do you mean by deepening the partnership?"
"Simple. My master will soon establish contact with the Kōga ninja faction of Musashi Province and engage with the Uchiha clan, who also descend from the Sage."
The puppet spoke slowly and clearly. "Since both clans are of that divine lineage, my master wishes to offer you equal opportunity. A contest, if you will, to determine which of you is more worthy of future cooperation."
"The victor will gain the support of every power in the land and be recognized as the rightful heir to the legacy of Ninshu."
"Whether the Senju receive that opportunity depends entirely on your own strength."
Butsuma Senju furrowed his brow at the puppet's words.
"Warrior-dono, forgive my bluntness, but such partnerships are founded on parity. I have yet to see any proof that this so-called Ōtsutsuki clan possesses the strength to match their claims."