# Land of Demons
Inside a massive mountain that was hollow from within, Kaede stood in front of the sealing altar. She had been staring at it for quite some time now.
"The same vision again," she said quietly to herself. "Every night, the same thing."
The chamber behind the altar was where she lived. It wasn't much, but it was her duty as the priestess to stay here, to watch over the seal. She had accepted this life long ago.
Footsteps echoed through the cavern as the shrine guards approached.
"Your Highness," the captain said. "You haven't been sleeping well these days."
Kaede turned around. "I need you to find someone for me. A man with golden eyes. I don't know what he looks like beyond that, and I don't know his name either."
"Golden eyes?" The captain looked puzzled.
"When you find him, ask if he'll come to the shrine. Don't force him. If he says no, just come back and tell me. I'll go see him myself."
"I understand, Your Highness."
---
Across the Land of Demons, in a different building entirely, Shiro entered a room where Gōriki was sitting at a table covered with papers.
"Lord Gōriki, Kenta is dead. His whole group too."
Gōriki didn't look up from his papers immediately. "Dead? Who killed them?"
"One person. A man. Nobody knows where he came from, but he was the last one seen with Kenta before it happened."
Now Gōriki looked up. "One person killed Kenta's entire group?"
"That's what the witnesses say, my lord. I sent some men to look for him."
Gōriki leaned back in his chair. "If this man could kill Kenta, your men won't be able to handle him. Call them back."
"My lord?"
"I hired mercenaries for a reason. One of them claims he once tried to kill Hashirama Senju and lived to tell about it. The other two are from some group called the Twelve Kizuki. This group made quite the waves during the previous war. We wait for them."
Shiro nodded. "Yes, my lord."
After Shiro left, Gōriki went back to looking at his papers. One shinobi wouldn't be enough to stop what was coming.
---
Back at the inn, Masato approached Kenji with his daughter Aiko trailing behind him.
"Sir, I wanted to thank you again. For what you did for Aiko." He put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Go on, say thank you."
Aiko looked up at Kenji and tried to bow properly, but she was too small and it looked awkward. "Thank you, big brother."
"Aiko," Masato said, shaking his head. "You should call him 'sir' or 'my lord.'"
"It's fine," Kenji said. "She doesn't need to be so formal."
Masato looked relieved. "You're very kind, sir." He patted Aiko's head. "Why don't you go help in the kitchen?"
"Can I play with big brother later?" Aiko asked, looking between her father and Kenji.
"If he doesn't mind," Masato said.
Kenji nodded, and Aiko ran off toward the kitchen, calling back, "I'll show you the best places to see around here!"
"She's taken quite a liking to you," Masato said. "If you're planning to stay a few more days, I'd be happy to cook some proper meals. Nothing fancy, but good food."
"I'll think about it," Kenji said, then headed upstairs.
---
That night, Kenji stood by the window of his room. He could sense people watching the inn from a distance. They weren't trying very hard to hide.
"So they found me," he said to himself. "Wonder what they want."
The next few days passed quietly. Kenji would walk around the town during the day, sometimes with Aiko showing him different shops and places she thought were interesting. She would chatter about everything and nothing, and Kenji found he didn't mind listening.
In his previous life, he had been an only child. His parents had always been busy, always focused on work or other responsibilities. Playing with Aiko reminded him of something he'd never had but always wondered about.
This went on for several days until one afternoon, a group of men entered the inn. They looked around the common room, checking faces. One of them spotted Kenji and immediately went to speak with what appeared to be their leader.
Kenji could hear everything they were saying, even though they were whispering. They were looking for someone with golden eyes. The priestess had sent them.
He had heard stories about the priestess of the Land of Demons and her ability to see fragments of the future. Apparently, those stories were true.
The leader of the group walked over to Kenji's table.
"Excuse me," the man said. "I'm Kageaki. I'm the captain of the shrine guards."
"I've heard of the shrine guards," Kenji replied. "You guard the demon seal."
"That's right. The priestess has asked me to find someone, and I believe that someone might be you. She'd like to meet with you at the shrine, if you're willing."
Kenji studied the man's face. "She sent you to look for someone with golden eyes."
"Yes. Will you come?"
"I can come with you. But I need to let someone know I'm leaving first."
"Of course. We'll wait outside."
Kenji found Masato in the kitchen, preparing food for the evening meal.
"I have to go somewhere," Kenji told him. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."
Masato looked up from his cutting board. "Business?"
"Something like that."
"Well, you know you're always welcome here. Aiko will ask about you."
"Tell her I'll try to come back soon."
Kenji gathered his few belongings and left with the shrine guards.
---
On the other side of the Land of Demons, Shiro found Gōriki in the same room, still surrounded by papers and maps.
"My lord, the man who killed Kenta left town with the shrine guards. They were heading toward the shrine."
Gōriki set down the document he was reading and looked at Shiro. "The priestess sent for him?"
"It looks that way, my lord."
Gōriki stood up and walked to the window. "She knows something. She wouldn't call for a stranger unless she had a reason."
"What should we do?"
"Our guests arrived last night. I think it's time we moved our schedule up."
"How much sooner, my lord?"
Gōriki turned back to face Shiro, and there was something cold in his expression. "Three days. Maybe less. The priestess has played her hand, so now we'll play ours."
"I'll make the preparations."
"Good. And Shiro? Make sure our new allies understand the stakes. I'd hate for them to underestimate what we're up against."