Many situations, whether they succeed or not, depend on a single turning point.
Oda Ieyasu's turning point was his child.
In order to keep his child alive, he didn't dare mobilize his own forces, didn't dare casually use his trump cards.
If it were on ordinary days, as long as there was a 50% chance, with Oda Ieyasu's boldness, he would take action.
But when it involved his child, even if he had a 99% chance of winning, he wouldn't dare bet on that 1%.
Now, Ryosuke had helped him recover that most crucial "1%."
They arrived at the Saito residence.
Being able to form a marriage alliance with the daimyō, the Saito family was one of the greatest financial groups in the Land of Water.
As the eldest daughter, as long as her father passed away, Saito Ayame could become the head of the Saito family and control immeasurable wealth.
But when Ryosuke's group arrived at the gates of the Saito residence, they found the doors wide open, not a single servant or maid, and no samurai guards.
The vast mansion was silent, without the slightest sound of a living person.
Only in the main hall, a faint candlelight flickered.
Kamihara Hayato whispered, "Something feels off? We were carried here by Ryosuke, logically speaking, the news of Hidan and Kakuzu's defeat shouldn't have spread yet."
He tiptoed slightly, peeking inside.
"Could there be some kind of trap?"
Just as he finished speaking, from the wavering candlelight in the main hall, a lingering melody floated out.
"It's a shakuhachi." (T/N: 'Shakuhachi' is a japanese flute made out of bamboo.)
Oda Ieyasu was silent for a moment, "This is my wife's specialty, and my favorite tune, Wind… The one playing it is her."
That made it even stranger.
A wife who had backstabbed her own husband, instead of fleeing, had sent away all the guards and attendants, remaining alone in the mansion, playing shakuhachi…
What was this?
An Empty City Stratagem?
"She's waiting for me," Oda Ieyasu said, his tone certain.
He took a step forward, crossing the threshold, entering the Saito mansion.
Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and Kamihara Hayato all instinctively held their breath, wary of potential traps and ambushes.
Ryosuke wasn't nervous.
Among those present, apart from Oda Ieyasu, he was the one who had interacted the most with Ayame, and his intuition told him, she wasn't the kind of woman to play such little tricks.
If she were, she could never have betrayed Oda Ieyasu.
Oda Ieyasu cradled little Hideyoshi in one arm, walking forward as if returning to his wife's home on a family visit, headed straight for the long-missed reunion with his wife.
Ayame wore plain snow-white robes, light makeup, kneeling formally on the tatami mat.
The soft moonlight of the autumn night shone on her, smoothing away the fine wrinkles time had carved, making her seem ten years younger.
Just as she had been when she and Oda Ieyasu were first married, adorable and moving.
She bowed politely to Oda Ieyasu and Ryosuke.
But when her gaze fell on her son's pale face and the stitches across his chest, Ayame froze for half a second. Her eyes reddened, but she quickly returned to composure.
Oda Ieyasu said, "You were waiting for me."
"Yes."
"Why?" Oda Ieyasu gestured to the empty mansion, "You shouldn't have received the news yet, that Hidan and Kakuzu failed."
Ayame nodded, "Indeed, I didn't receive it. But I trust you. I also trust Mr. Ryosuke. The moment I learned you hadn't died in the explosion, I guessed the plan had already failed."
Oda Ieyasu was silent.
Ryosuke looked at his profile. His emotions, his rage, churned inside.
Only after a full quarter-hour did Oda Ieyasu finally force out words, "Since you believed in me, why… couldn't you continue to believe? Why did you betray me?"
Ayame smiled softly, "Because, I am the daughter of the Saito family."
What is most important?
Is it a husband, or a son?
A household, or the family that raised her?
The traditions guarded for dozens of generations, older even than the so-called Senju Hashirama or the Sage of Six Paths?
Or a brand-new, terrifying, unknown world?
Using Oda Ieyasu as the sacrifice, sullying Ryosuke's name.
This was the only answer thousands of advisors from great families, after months of scheming, could arrive at.
"Oda-kun, I have always fancied myself a clever woman, yet I truly didn't know how to choose. Choices come from understanding, I could only make the choice that fit my understanding."
"Now I have chosen. It's your turn."
Ayame produced two flasks of wine, poured two cups, and placed them on the table.
"These two cups, one is poisoned, the other isn't. Oda-kun, leave Hideyoshi outside, and choose. Which cup would you like me to drink?"
Oda Ieyasu handed little Hideyoshi into Ryosuke's arms, removed his shoes, and stepped onto the tatami.
He looked carefully at the woman before him, as though branding her image into his heart.
Ayame met his gaze, offering a sweet smile.
Oda Ieyasu stared into her eyes, then pushed one cup forward.
From Ryosuke's angle, he couldn't see which cup it was.
After making his choice, Oda Ieyasu rose and gave his wife a slight bow.
"These years, thank you for taking care of me."
Ayame also bowed. "These years, thank you for tolerating my willfulness."
"Farewell, Oda-kun."
"Farewell, Miss Saito."
Oda Ieyasu walked out of the room, taking his child back from Ryosuke's arms.
Inside, Ayame drained the cup of wine. She gently placed the empty cup on the table and whispered, "Forgive me, Oda-kun. I lied to you. Both cups… were poisoned."
That was why she wore white robes.
Not to remind her husband of their wedding day and spare her, but because she had long prepared for suicide, already dressed in her burial shroud.
Oda Ieyasu did not look back, striding away with little Hideyoshi.
Ryosuke cast one last glance, at Ayame collapsed on the tatami, lifeless.
Before death, she had blown out the candle on the table. The smoke curled upward, then vanished.
He then looked at little Hideyoshi, biting his lip until it bled, letting tears stream silently without making a sound.
Ryosuke wanted to ask, was the cup Oda Ieyasu pushed truly the unpoisoned one?
Or did Ayame, not wishing her son to resent his father, deliberately say so before her death?
Ryosuke shook his head. The answer no longer mattered.
That clever woman, who had crossed political blades with him many times, was dead.
This was Ayame's end.
'If not for her great clan behind her, with her wisdom… perhaps she could have achieved something remarkable.'
They walked out of the Saito residence, closing the door.
The dark mansion stood like a tomb, its plaque hanging high like a gravestone.
Oda Ieyasu turned, walking on. His eyes regained calm, and recalling what had happened, his expression grew ever more resolute, "Mr. Ryosuke, I will help you advance the 'Awakening' plan."
"Other nations I cannot meddle in, but at least in the Land of Water, I know every clan's background, weaknesses, and desires. I can guarantee your plan will proceed as swiftly as possible."
"I hope… to become the final daimyō of this country."
"I hope to create a nation where wives, children, and brothers no longer maim each other for power."
"I earnestly beg..."
Oda Ieyasu knelt, bowing low.
"... to become part of this great work."
His forehead pressed against his hand, eyes shut tight, teeth clenched.
Only this way could Oda Ieyasu restrain his grief and stop his tears from falling.
"No."
Oda Ieyasu raised his head in shock.
Ryosuke smiled, extending a hand, "If you want to join, only if you can break your habit of kneeling to everyone you meet."
Hot tears slid down, but Oda Ieyasu smiled.
"Yes."
He grasped Ryosuke's offered hand.
Ryosuke exerted a little force, pulling Oda Ieyasu up.
"Welcome aboard."
At that moment, Ryosuke once again heard the system prompt.
[Triggered World Deflection, gained 1000 Soul Fragments]
[Obtained 1 Ascension Star Core]
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