"Cough..."
The face of the Iga castle lord twisted in sheer terror.
Through her Byakugan, Satsuki saw a surge of chakra at his throat—a concealed technique, designed to silence the traitor the moment he spilled too much.
But before it could activate, she raised her hand and gently swiped through the air. The chakra technique that targeted the lord's throat vanished into nothing, erased as easily as dust from a tabletop.
Though her Byakugan hadn't yet reached the level of the Tenseigan, Satsuki had trained extensively over the past few years. Her ability to manipulate chakra remotely at close range was now exceptional.
This seemingly simple move was something few in the shinobi world could replicate.
"It... it's a Tailed Beast, milady..."
The Iga lord, startled and pale, regained a moment of awareness during the brief chakra disruption.
But before long, his mind was shoved back into the dark cage of unconscious submission.
Satsuki followed up quickly: "Where is it located? Which Tailed Beast is it?"
But no matter how she pressed, the castle lord couldn't respond. He trembled violently, drenched in cold sweat. His body was on the verge of collapse.
Satsuki changed tactics.
"Let's set that question aside. Why are you using a Tailed Beast as a bargaining chip?"
"The Tailed Beasts are true monsters. But those arrogant Senju believe they can control them. So we nobles decided to use a Tailed Beast to weaken the growing power of the ninja."
So the so-called marriage alliance was a lie.
The real goal was for Yamato's aristocracy to use a Tailed Beast to undermine the Iga faction—particularly the expanding strength of the Senju.
"Aren't you worried that once the Iga are weakened, the Kōga ninja will swoop in and take over?"
"The daimyōs of Musashi and Yamato already have an understanding. The rebellion in Musashi was secretly instigated by the Musashi daimyō himself. While we nobles engage in regional skirmishes, this ninja problem is something we all agree on."
Heh. This was a world where rigid hierarchy ran so deep, it stifled intelligence.
"Still... this aligns perfectly with my plan."
Though she scoffed at the mindset of these nobles, Satsuki urgently needed to identify which Tailed Beast the Senju were targeting.
If she couldn't get the exact location directly, then...
"Let me see the proposed route for the marriage procession."
She decided to infer the Tailed Beast's location through the logistical planning of the marriage alliance.
At her signal, Kiyomaru presented a map and laid it out before the castle lord.
Surprisingly, he showed little resistance in revealing such information. Likely because this didn't directly touch on Tailed Beast intel and thus didn't trigger his internal defenses.
Raising a trembling finger, the lord drew several lines across the map.
"Quite cautious, aren't you? Splitting into multiple units... It seems this plan isn't solely being driven by the nobles. The Senju must have been preparing for this too. Looks like I'll need to use my brain a little more."
A breeze blew through the keep, stirring the dark strands of Satsuki's hair.
In that instant, her consciousness plunged inward. Over the still, dark surface of her mind, two identical versions of herself appeared, standing in a triangle with her true self.
This was her unique method of thinking—a process of internal reasoning that replaced verbal questions.
As the original Satsuki stood silently, the two other selves began a rapid back-and-forth of questions and answers.
"What can you determine from the route just shown?"
—"The Senju have three potential targets."
"Do the Senju have multiple Kage-level fighters capable of capturing several Tailed Beasts at once?"
—"Impossible. If they had such strength, they could've unified the ninja world by force and ended the chaos."
"Then why divide their forces?"
—"To avoid drawing attention. They don't want their true movements or objectives revealed. And they certainly don't want the Tailed Beast's existence becoming public knowledge."
"What is their ultimate goal?"
—"To unify the ninja world and become the rightful heirs of Ninshu."
"Why do they need a Tailed Beast?"
—"Because a Tailed Beast possesses immense power—enough to be used as a weapon for unification."
"Do the Senju have the Mangekyō Sharingan to control a Tailed Beast?"
—"No. But the Senju have the Uzumaki clan as allies. They can rely on them for sealing techniques or Jinchūriki-related support."
"If they plan to rely on the Uzumaki, how can they be sure word won't leak?"
—"They can't. So it's likely the Senju won't tell the Uzumaki the full picture—only partial truths."
"Has the Uzumaki clan ever successfully sealed a Tailed Beast before? Do they casually have seals strong enough for this?"
—"No."
"If the Uzumaki aren't the main sealing force, what secret weapon does the Senju have to avoid major losses when facing a Tailed Beast?"
—".... Which means the real question is."
At that moment, the two mental projections turned their gaze toward the original Satsuki.
—"What is their trump card?" *2
...
In a flash, thought rippled through the mental plane. But in the real world, it passed in the blink of an eye.
As the strands of her hair settled from the passing breeze, Satsuki opened her eyes.
She whispered, "A sacred tool."
The Senju must have a sacred tool capable of sealing a Tailed Beast. Paired with the Uzumaki's sealing techniques, their success was all but guaranteed.
Because currently, the only successful examples of Tailed Beast sealing involved specific sacred tools. Without them, all other methods had failed.
"Sacred tools capable of sealing Tailed Beasts are extremely rare. Each one counters a specific beast through its unique properties. Find the tool, and you can deduce the target."
Acting quickly, Satsuki ordered the Iga lord to present the gift inventory for the arranged marriage.
"To stay discreet, hiding the tool among the dowry would be the most effective strategy."
Gift registries weren't considered top-secret. At her command, the castle lord had several of his servants retrieve them from his study.
Satsuki flipped through them at high speed, and on the third list, she found a familiar name: the Amber Purifying Pot.
With that, the target and the plan were finally revealed.
"Gyūki, the Eight-Tails."