According to the original timeline, Kurozumi Orochi used hostages to force Oden to dance, and on that day, Shinobu happened to be lurking in the General's mansion, making her the only one who knew the truth.
But now many things have changed significantly. For instance, Shinobu also has no knowledge of what happened that day. She and her brother Shinosuke spent New Year's at Ringo, and the next day, all they saw was an obituary.
Oden Castle and the General's Mansion in the Flower Capital have already become ruins. She returned here simply because she heard the news that Kozuki Hiyori was to become the General. She believed that the original Imperial Court Guards were no longer fit to protect the General, which is why she came back.
This was also the purpose of the Hundred Beasts. Instead of letting those loyal to the Kozuki Family remain hidden, it was better to use Kozuki Hiyori as bait to draw them all out. The first fish to take the bait has now appeared.
She was already at odds with the original members of the Imperial Court Guards, but seeing these court members wounded made her feel something was amiss.
"What's with your injuries? What exactly happened that night?"
Neither Chome nor Raijin answered her questions. These fence-sitters just wanted to survive; they wouldn't offend the Hundred Beasts for someone they had already fallen out with, like Shinobu.
Not to mention they didn't know all the details; even the parts they did know, they were unwilling to share. They didn't want to be hauled back to the mines under monster supervision.
Chome even provoked her with a couple of sentences, urging her to challenge Greninja.
"Hey, Chome, is that necessary?"
"Who told her to be so arrogant? Our paths parted years ago. If she's so defiant, let her go hit a wall herself.
If not, that person will find a chance to assert dominance anyway. If you don't want to be the sacrificed chicken, just be the monkey watching the show obediently.
Besides, let's see what exactly he can do; let Shinobu find out for herself."
Not even really provoking her, she merely informed Shinobu that Greninja was the leader of the newly parachuted Imperial Court Guards of the Hundred Beasts, and defeating him would earn her the leadership position.
Beastman types like Greninja, Inteleon, and Zeraora, once given full language capability, are hard for regular people to distinguish as ability users or not.
In their eyes, Greninja was just a strange Demon Mage.
Greninja didn't refuse the challenge either, for he needed such an opportunity to showcase his abilities. Although as a newly born entity his combat experience was lacking, it was sufficient for a match.
"What do you want to compete in?"
The pink-clad Shinobu asked Greninja. Before she turned into a plump middle-aged woman, Shinobu was indeed a "bewitching" female ninja, with titles like "Enchanting Female Ninja" and "Men's Nemesis".
Among the misfits of the Imperial Court Guards, Shinobu's strength was relatively high. Of course, these meant nothing to Greninja; humans enchanting frogs was nearly impossible.
"The Imperial Court Guards are a ninja troop, so let's compete in something simple. Since you claim to be a ninja, you should at least know the Three-Body Technique."
Greninja's knowledge originated from Arceus, so regarding ninjas, he began to speak words Shinobu couldn't understand.
"Three... Three-Body Technique?"
"Substitution, Clone, Instant Body; you claim to be a ninja and don't even know these?" With that, Greninja demonstrated the Substitution Technique—using a stand-in substitute.
Clone Technique—accurately it was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, leaving several phantoms.
Instant Body Technique—a Quick Attack, in which he appeared behind Shinobu in an almost teleportation manner, his finger slicing past her neck.
"Right, I forgot to mention, the Imperial Court Guards I lead differ from the previous ones, not something one can come and go from as they please. If you continue as a traitorous ninja, I'll make you understand the cost of betrayal."
With that, he conjured a Water Shuriken in his hand; many Water-type Pokemon have special uses for water, Inteleon with its fast Sniper Shot, and Greninja with the Water Shuriken.
Ever since Greninja parachuted in as the head of the Imperial Court Guards, the original gathering place of the guards became his territory. Here, there were many dummies for ninja practice, though they were merely straw-wrapped wooden posts.
The shuriken they usually threw embedded at most, while Greninja's Water Shuriken severed several straw posts in succession, finally disappearing into the horizon.
The "Three-Body Technique" and Water Shuriken concluded this so-called challenge. Although the ninja system of Wano Kuni differed from Greninja's, clones and shuriken were basic elements, indicating Greninja's overwhelming power.
However, her heart still set on the Kozuki Family, she chose to return to the Imperial Court Guards.
...
The day for Kozuki Hiyori's succession arrived quickly. The collapsed palace was still not fully repaired, but for the past few days, the old retainers had been teaching Kozuki Hiyori about the so-called etiquette.
In his younger days, Kozuki Oden didn't listen to them at all. After Kurozumi Orochi usurped the throne, they dared not voice their opinions. Now, with a young General present, they finally found a place to apply themselves.
Due to their indoctrination, Kozuki Hiyori's mind was filled with thoughts of what actions a General should take.
Traditionally, all the Generals and Daimyo Clan members were supposed to appear at the ceremony, but now those seats were empty, with only nominal nobility, like Kojiro, present.
And Kozuki Oden's previous household attendants, seeing Kozuki Hiyori safe and sound was their greatest relief at that moment.
For Kozuki Hiyori, this ceremony was, in fact, a burden. The clothes on her body weighed about 30 kilograms in total; this was the result after reducing the size. Just wearing the hat made her neck ache with pain.
The citizens of Wano Kuni witnessed Kozuki Hiyori becoming the new General in a live broadcast. On this day, a new official position emerged in Wano Kuni, called the General's Liaison.
In the terminology of Wano Kuni, "御用" is the honorific for "affairs," referring to the General's affairs, and "挂" means handling it.
This position meant being a specialist managing the General's affairs, akin to a confidential secretary, and the person holding this position was King.
In summary, all matters requiring the General's attention needed to be transferred to Kozuki Hiyori through King. Even if others wanted to see Kozuki Hiyori, it had to be communicated through King.
After completing the complicated and exhausting ceremony, even before she could rest, King was already approaching her.
"General Hiyori, there are many matters to address next. First, the original Samurai troupe Mimawarigumi will be disbanded, the Shinsengumi will form the new Samurai force, with the new ninja forces built around the Imperial Court Guards, and Brother Kaidou to assume the role of Protector King of the Nation..."