The day before the coronation ceremony.
Daimyo Manor, main hall.
The hall was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
Hundreds of palace attendants and ceremonial officials moved through it, yet there was no noise.
Everyone's face bore a solemn expression.
Shin stood on the high platform in the center of the main hall.
He wore a layered kimono, with golden flame patterns embroidered on it, shimmering in the candlelight.
Two elderly ceremonial officials knelt before him, carefully adjusting the hem of his robe.
"Your Highness, for tomorrow's ceremony, you must enter through the South Gate and walk ninety-nine steps."
"When ascending the platform, your left foot must go first, symbolizing the treading down of the old and the creation of a new chapter."
Chief ceremonial official Yamano's voice was aged and respectful, explaining every detail, fearing the slightest omission.
He had repeated these rituals to Shin no less than ten times.
Shin remained expressionless and motionless, allowing the officials to arrange him.
These elaborate rituals were utterly boring to him.
Compared to the coronation, the grand play of 'executing the tyrant' tomorrow would be far more interesting.
But to make this play more realistic, he needed to perform his role well.
A young monarch about to rule the world.
His gaze involuntarily fell towards the west of the city.
West of the city, underground waterways.
This place was like a different world from the Daimyo Manor.
A nauseating stench permeated the air.
Water dripped from cracks in the stone above, making a dripping sound and splashing tiny bits of sewage.
In the corner, a fire flickered.
Over two hundred samurai and ronin sat or stood, silently wiping their weapons.
The flickering firelight reflected off the blades, illuminating their frenzied faces.
These people were all remnants of defeated forces from the succession struggle.
They were desperate outlaws who had gambled everything and lost.
Saionji Takashi stood on a platform, his brows tightly furrowed as he looked at the murky sewage below.
His heart was as chaotic as this sewage.
Unease.
A strong sense of unease gnawed at his heart.
Behind him, he heard his nephew, Shu's, suppressed gasps.
Shu's eyes were bloodshot, and his cheeks were flushed with excitement.
He stared intently at the only exit leading to the surface, like a wild beast trapped in a cage, uneasy and excited.
"Uncle, do you think... can we really rely on Danzo?"
His voice was hoarse, trembling with mixed emotions.
Reliable?
Saionji Takashi sneered inwardly.
He knew better than anyone that a schemer like Danzo Shimura was merely using them.
They were a blade.
A blade that might be discarded once used.
However, they had no way out.
Saionji Takashi said nothing, looking up, his thoughts drifting to the Daimyo Palace.
Daimyo Manor, main hall.
"...When receiving the imperial seal, you must raise it high above your head with both hands, then turn to face the civil and military officials, and face all the people under heaven."
Ceremonial official Yamano was still explaining tirelessly.
Just as Yamano turned to adjust the sash hanging down Shin's back, and when no one was paying attention, Kiyotsuki Saki, who was standing by, silently slipped out through a hidden door in the side hall.
Her movements were swift, a tiny folded piece of paper clutched in her hand.
In an unnoticed corner of the corridor outside the hall, she slipped the paper to an old servant who was trimming a bonsai, then immediately returned.
The entire process took no more than a dozen breaths.
When she returned to her original position, standing with hands down, her breathing was not disordered in the slightest, as if she had never left.
None of the surrounding guards or ceremonial officials noticed.
Only Shin, motionless on the high platform, finally showed a trace of a smile, full of amusement.
He did not make a sound, nor did he even glance at her, as if nothing had happened.
The subtle change in expression was fleeting.
His consciousness spread out from the Daimyo Manor like a tide, beginning to observe other, more interesting points of light in the city.
At the Konoha annex.
Minato Namikaze's light was bright and steady. He was diligently studying Hokage's work documents, a hardworking young man.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's light, however, was slightly dim. He sat alone in his room, smoking a pipe.
And Danzo's light was like a flickering ominous star, cold and malicious.
He was also waiting.
In the underground waterways.
"Still no news?"
Shu suddenly turned, grabbing Saionji Takashi's arm, his fingernails almost digging into the flesh.
"The man we planted in the city guard! He said he would deliver the final defense map for the ceremony today!"
"Don't rush."
Saionji Takashi endured the pain in his wrist and soothed, "At times like these, you must be calm."
"Calm? How can I be calm!"
Shu flung him away, looking insane.
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow is that bastard's coronation! If we fail, all of us will die!"
"I don't want to die! I am the true Daimyo! That position is mine, mine!"
His roar echoed in the narrow tunnel.
The surrounding outlaws looked over, their eyes filled with a mix of disdain and pity.
A sense of powerlessness rose in Saionji Takashi's heart.
Was it really right to stake everything on such a good-for-nothing?
Just then, a faint whistle sounded from afar.
It was their agreed-upon signal.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all looked in unison towards the end of the dark passage.
A man dressed in civilian clothes came scrambling over, his face full of joy.
"Sir! Lord Shu! We got it! The defense map has been obtained!"
He presented a scroll to Shu as if it were a treasure.
Shu snatched it and eagerly unrolled it.
Saionji Takashi also quickly leaned in.
The scroll meticulously depicted the guard deployment for tomorrow's ceremony, patrol routes, and even the changing of shifts were clearly marked.
"Excellent!"
Shu's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened as he looked at it.
"Look here! The corner tower on the east side has the weakest defense! Our people can break through there!"
"And here, when Shin ascends the platform, he will only have twelve guards by his side! We only have one chance!"
He pointed at the defense map, his voice sharp with excitement.
The previously silent atmosphere was instantly ignited.
Flames of fervor burst forth in the eyes of the outlaws.
As Saionji Takashi looked at the excessively detailed defense map, the unease in his heart grew even stronger.
Too smooth.
Everything was too smooth.
Saionji Takashi suppressed his inner unease and quickly inquired about the source of the defense map.
When he learned that Kiyotsuki Saki had risked her life to deliver it, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps he was overthinking things.
Daimyo Manor, main hall.
The etiquette rehearsal had ended.
The ceremonial officials and attendants had all withdrawn.
Only Shin and Kiyotsuki Saki remained in the empty hall.
Having shed the heavy ceremonial robes, Shin changed into his usual clothes, feeling completely at ease.
He slowly walked to the hall door and pushed open the heavy doors.
The night wind blew in, bringing a touch of coolness.
He looked down at the brilliantly lit city below.
The myriad lights of homes stretched into the distance, forming a continuous expanse.
His gaze passed over the layered rooftops, finally settling on the unlit area in the west of the city.
"The stage is set."
He spoke, his voice calm, drifting on the night wind.
Kiyotsuki Saki stood behind him, head bowed, her heart uncontrollably accelerating.
She thought he was lamenting about tomorrow's ceremony.
But she always felt something was off.
Shin suddenly smiled, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery. "The bait has been cast, and the fish have taken it."
Kiyotsuki Saki's breathing hitched for a moment.
What bait?
What fish?
"Do you know why I kept you by my side?" Shin's voice rang out again.
Kiyotsuki Saki's lips moved, but she said nothing.
Shin seemed to see through her thoughts, chuckling softly. "You want to say it's because of your beauty? Is that right?"
He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of pity.
"Would a true power-holder keep an enemy by his side just for a pretty face?"
"Kiyotsuki Saki, you overestimate yourself and underestimate me."
Boom.
A silent thunderclap exploded in her mind.
Enemy?
He even knows I am his enemy!
"You are beautiful, but that's all."
"In the arena of power, beauty is the most worthless thing."
Shin turned around, the moonlight outlining his stern profile, his eyes deep.
He slowly walked to her, raised a hand and gently patted her shoulder, his movements gentle, his gaze icy.
"Now, we just wait for those rats hiding in the sewers to crawl one by one into the cage I've prepared for them."
"Speaking of which, I should thank you."
"If not for you, this play wouldn't have started so soon."
Every word stung Kiyotsuki Saki's nerves.
She finally understood.
That note she had risked her life to deliver... that opportunity she thought was heaven-sent... it was all a trap he had meticulously laid himself!
He didn't even bother to stop her. He simply went with the flow, keeping everyone in the dark.
A bone-chilling coldness rose, Kiyotsuki Saki's body began to tremble violently, her teeth chattering.
A devil, he was a devil.
Shin savored her despair, as if watching a toy.
Moments later, he withdrew his gaze.
"Guards."
"Drag her away."
"After the rats are caught, I will deal with you."