[The Daimyo Residence]
A man in his fifties, with a head full of silver hair, yet still visibly handsome, an old good-looking man, was nervously reading the script in his hand over and over again.
He was the Chief Counselor within the daimyo bureaucratic system, whose main job was to convey the daimyo's decrees outward and review political orders. Put simply, he was the propaganda big shot who handled both internal publicity and external publicity.
The Chief Counselor had worked dutifully for his whole life, thinking that in just another two years he would retire, return to his hometown, and enjoy his twilight years.
But then he lowered his head and glanced again at the script in his hand, and felt this matter was a bit uncertain.
The Chief Counselor asked the samurai in front of him who had delivered the message.
"I really need to say it like this?"
The samurai said coldly, "This is the decision of the lords."
Not "lord," but "lords."
That meant this was the result of discussion among all the great families.
The news that the Akatsuki organization's assassination attempt had failed had already spread, and all the great families knew Ryosuke was wandering within Kyoto City with Oda Ieyasu.
The families had dispatched their own privately kept samurai and ninja armies to pursue, block, and surround Ryosuke and the others. On the other side, they planned to quickly cut the knot, settle the matter in definition.
From outside came the voices of the crowd.
The parade car that had set off from the Water Source Shrine, under the escort of the entire city's commoners, arrived at the front of the daimyo residence, waiting for the daimyo to come out and deliver this year's speech.
The old Chief Counselor stood up.
"Then I'll go."
He took three steps, turning his head back with each step, hoping the message-bearing samurai would call him back.
But behind him was complete silence.
The old Chief Counselor sighed softly in his heart, knowing this matter had landed right on his head, unavoidable. Forcing himself, he walked to the microphone, unfolded the official document in his hand.
"The daimyo residence proclaims to the world, Lord Oda Ieyasu has unfortunately been harmed by traitors, and last night passed away..."
Like Morgan Freeman's deep, magnetic voice, under the effect of the microphone, it resounded across the streets.
Everyone who heard this sentence had the smiles on their faces, which had been brimming with festivity, freeze solid.
They could not believe their ears.
Oda Ieyasu, that daimyo who, in just half a year since taking office, had been so diligent and capable, gaining the love of countless people across centuries… dead?
The Chief Counselor paused, facing the gazes of the commoners, only feeling his legs go numb, and was about to continue reading the next line, [The murderer Ryosuke, his crime must be punished.]
Suddenly, from the curtain behind him rushed out a samurai.
He whispered in his ear, "Don't read, change the script, the plan is canceled!"
The Chief Counselor looked at the other's face. He was from the families. He pinched the man's cheek, he was not a ninja in disguise. But…
'What plan?'
He was just an old man handling publicity with no real power. How would he know the families' nonsense plans.
The samurai saw he still didn't understand, and growled lowly, "The daimyo is alive."
After saying that, he slapped away the Chief Counselor's hand that was gripping his face, and slipped back behind the curtain.
The Chief Counselor opened his mouth, turned his head, and met the eyes of tens of thousands of commoners below the stage.
Now his legs weren't just numb.
His entire body was numb.
No, what kind of hobby is this? A group of family lords playing tricks on this old man?
The Chief Counselor was so anxious that his head was covered in sweat, racking his brains to find an excuse to explain. Then another person walked out from behind the curtain.
His heart sank, thinking there was more news.
He turned his head, and met Oda Ieyasu's gentle smile.
"Sorry to trouble you."
Oda Ieyasu walked past the Chief Counselor. He hadn't had time to change clothes. The bright red bloodstains on his abdomen were especially eye-catching. Even though he had used Ripple to remove the poison, his complexion was still extremely weak.
But for some reason, when the Chief Counselor looked at Oda Ieyasu's back, he had never seen this lord's back so solid, so tall.
Seeing their beloved daimyo appear, the people who had just heard the bad news burst into cheers. Oda Ieyasu smiled, waved his hand in greeting, and with just a few words of lighthearted jokes, brushed away what had happened before.
After briefly celebrating the Water Garden Festival, in front of tens of thousands of Kyoto citizens, and with the television cameras broadcasting on both sides, he announced a series of reform measures involving technology, diplomacy, education, and many other fields.
Ryosuke and the others stood behind the curtain, listening through the gaps to Oda Ieyasu's fluent speech.
"Truly remarkable," Kamihara Hayato said.
His wife had just died, and yet he could stand before tens of thousands, smiling and giving a speech without change of expression.
Kamihara Hayato couldn't do it. Not even for a wife, if a girl he liked a little got married back in her hometown, he would be heartbroken for a long time.
"Yes, truly remarkable," Terumi Mei said.
After Saito Ayame's death, Oda Ieyasu connected with the forces under his control, spreading his influence outward.
By making phone calls, he intimidated, bargained, and negotiated with the great families, forcing himself to "live" through, and set down the reform plans he was now presenting.
Every single measure was extremely favorable to the expansion of the Awakening movement. The families hadn't wanted to agree, but with Oda Ieyasu's skill in maneuvering and balancing, under pressure and interests, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and nod.
Altogether, it had taken less than an hour.
"Indeed very remarkable," Ryosuke said.
Merely by joining their side, Oda Ieyasu could bring forth an Ascension Star Core. This meant his support could bring major change to the Boundary Line's development.
Zabuza glanced at his three teammates, scratched his head, feeling like what they were saying wasn't quite the same thing.
———
The Water Garden Festival concluded successfully.
Most ordinary people couldn't understand the meaning of the reforms, but many merchants, spies, and lower officials hidden in Kyoto had already realized something was wrong.
In Kyoto City, shining with lights, undercurrents surged, and all kinds of information flew everywhere.
And the one behind all this, Ryosuke, sat cross-legged on the tatami with Oda Ieyasu, discussing in detail the following series of plans,
How to unfold the reforms, which people they could try to contact and bring aboard, which people needed to be suppressed, and which needed to be set aside for now.
The chain reactions behind each reform, and inevitably, the positive conflicts that would occur, and what ways should be used to resolve them.
It was an extremely complex task.
Fortunately, Ryosuke already had a clear draft in mind, while Oda Ieyasu knew the various forces within the Land of Water thoroughly.
Both were highly efficient. From evening they talked until three in the morning, five to six hours, drafting a general action plan.
Ryosuke let out a long breath, rubbing his temples swollen from intense thinking, "That's basically it."
"I still have one last question."
Oda Ieyasu put down the pen in his hand. The next words weren't convenient to write down, "You saw it earlier as well. Many matters depend on those key points, those key personnel."
"They are smart. They won't confront you head-on. But they have countless ways to delay, obstruct the execution of the plans."
"I don't have their handles, nor their weak points. For such people… can I use assassination, honey-traps and the like?"
"No."
Ryosuke's reply was very firm.
"Because of justice?" Oda Ieyasu asked.
Ryosuke shook his head.
"It's not about justice. Reform needs bloodshed."
"If both sides have already gone to war, then any tactics don't matter. But if war hasn't started, I don't want assassination methods."
Ryosuke picked up the document on the table.
"What decides history is not one person. In non-war times, assassinating is only replacing one enemy leader with another."
"We follow the great trend, target the rules, walk openly and aboveboard, win straightforwardly. And besides…"
Ryosuke raised his hand, and in his palm appeared a wisp of golden flame.
"The destruction of the body is too useful, too simple. But once we get used to solving problems this way outside of wartime..."
"Over time, we will neglect the real problems, become lazy to think of better solutions, and use killing to resolve everything."
"That is not right."
Oda Ieyasu gazed at that wisp of golden flame, sighing softly, "I really have taken on a troublesome job."
"Afraid?"
"A little, but..."
Oda Ieyasu thought of Ryosuke's words just now, "It makes me more confident too."
Ryosuke smiled, "Come on, let's eat something."
"I won't go. Hideyoshi is waiting for me. He needs me."
Ryosuke nodded.
For a five-year-old child, tonight little Hideyoshi had gone through too much. He needed his father's comfort.
"And also..."
Oda Ieyasu jerked his chin toward outside, "Don't you have someone waiting for you too?"
Ryosuke turned his head to look.
Through the window, he saw Terumi Mei sitting on the steps, wrapped in a thin blanket, yawning.
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