Hōgen shook his head. Seeing this, Kazuma was about to speak, but Hōgen raised a hand to stop him.
"I'm not shaking my head because I don't know, but because I'm not certain."
"You know Kazuyama Gekkō's background. A man ostracized by his own village should, in theory, accept the Daimyō's offer without hesitation."
"But he's still hesitating. That's why the Daimyō wants you all to demonstrate the strength of the Manor's shinobi forces."
That said, Kazuma now had a clearer grasp of Kazuyama's situation.
...
As evening fell, Kazuyama returned to the Daimyō's Manor. He arrived before Obito and Shisui. Just as he was wondering where those two brats had gone, they returned—both wearing grim expressions.
That piqued Kazuyama's curiosity.
Obito's sour face clearly meant he'd lost money again. But Shisui? Why did he look so miserable too?
"What happened to the Uchiha duo? Surely nothing around here should be upsetting you two?"
Kazuyama was genuinely curious. What had they been up to?
He probably shouldn't have asked.
The moment he spoke, Obito and Shisui turned and glared at each other, practically ready to settle things Uchiha-style with fists.
"Hey, hey, what's going on?"
"Gonna fight?"
"Want me to set up a ring for you?"
"I can even be the referee."
Kazuyama stepped back and sat cross-legged, watching them with interest. He was dying to know.
"Hmph! Captain Kazuyama, this bastard actually asked me to help him cheat at a casino! Tell me—is that something a ninja should be doing?"
"Shut up! I was winning until you laughed! You think it's funny? The moment you laughed, everyone looked at me! Of course I got caught!"
Kazuyama nearly choked from laughter. His body trembled as he struggled to hold it in—then gave up.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"You two are killing me!"
"One tries to cheat, the other ruins it. Are you really from the same clan? Maybe you were born to be enemies!"
Hearing Kazuyama's full-bellied laugh, the two boys looked embarrassed.
Obito was embarrassed because his cheating plan had flopped. Shisui was embarrassed because, as a self-proclaimed elite Uchiha, he'd ended up being dragged into a gambling den.
"Hmph! If it weren't for him, I'd be rolling in cash!"
"You've got some nerve! I told you not to go to the casino! But no—you insisted! And then had the nerve to cheat!"
They kept snapping at each other like a couple of squabbling siblings.
Eventually, someone from Yanagimura came to invite them to the banquet, putting an end to the argument.
Kazuyama politely told the messenger they'd be there shortly. When asked why, he offered a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Hey, we've got to change clothes before we attend, right? Please ask Mr. Yanagimura to wait just a moment."
Yanagimura laughed and took no offense. He didn't think Kazuyama would cause trouble—he'd shown at least basic respect for the Manor.
As for anything else? Not a concern. The banquet was about to begin, and he didn't believe Kazuyama would back out at the last second.
...
Inside the room, while changing clothes, Kazuyama leaned over and quietly said to the two boys, still locked in a silent stare-down:
"I doubt tonight's banquet will be peaceful. You two stay alert."
"If anything happens, your top priority is protecting yourselves. Got it?"
Then he gave a wry smile.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
Given how the Daimyō was treating him, tonight's dinner was probably just another test.
"Still, I wouldn't rule out a fight with the Daimyō's shinobi. Just stay sharp."
That got the already-frustrated duo fired up again.
"Don't worry, sensei! If they want to fight, I'm all in!"
"Yeah! Strength-wise, I doubt any of them can beat me!"
Kazuyama smiled and shook his head as they puffed up with enthusiasm.
Still just kids...
...
The Daimyō's residence was brightly lit.
Kazuyama wore a black robe, hands tucked into his sleeves, geta sandals clacking as he strolled in looking completely at ease.
Obito and Shisui followed on either side like bodyguards—though clearly underage ones.
By the time they reached the banquet hall, everyone else had already arrived.
"Oh? Looks like we're the last ones here."
"Apologies, apologies—we were delayed by a patrol. Hope that's not a problem, Your Excellency."
Kazuyama's laid-back tone drew a hearty laugh from the Daimyō.
He didn't mind at all and welcomed Kazuyama to his seat.
"Kazuyama, try this—it's fresh seafood from the Land of Frost."
"Absolutely top quality."
Kazuyama glanced at the salmon in front of him and resisted the urge to grimace.
Seafood... again...
Ever since that incident years ago—when he'd kidnapped Yugito and ended up drifting at sea for ages—just the sight of seafood or grilled meat gave him a headache.
"What's wrong? Not a fan of the salmon?"
"Or is it the crab?"
"If you don't like seafood, try the beef. It's excellent."
Kazuyama forced a smile and replied cheerfully,
"No, no, it's not that I don't like it, Your Excellency."
"It's just... I haven't had this stuff in ages. You know, I've been fighting on the frontlines for so long."
"As for meals—hah, it was all dried rations and more dried rations."
"My stomach's gotten... fragile. Don't even get me started. Brings a tear to the eye."
If he didn't want to eat, he might as well act. And for Kazuyama, acting was easy.
Sure enough, the Daimyō nodded in understanding.
Ah, so it was just that he'd been through hard times and couldn't stomach rich food anymore.
That was nothing to worry about—not in the Daimyō's eyes.
"Then no problem. Just eat a little at a time—you'll get used to it."
"Don't worry, Kazuyama. Here at the Daimyō's Manor, the food won't disappoint."
Soon, the kitchen brought out noodles and vegetables. Kazuyama's face instantly brightened.
It wasn't that he didn't like meat—he was just sick of it after the trauma at sea.
These days, tempura and sushi were way more appealing to him.