Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu could barely contain the joy rising in their hearts.
To them, this meant only one thing.
Their positions as elders might soon be restored.
At that moment, Princess Chiba turned toward the Daimyō seated beside her.
"Father, I think Konoha's Hokage should be replaced!"
Pampered since childhood and raised as the treasured princess of the Daimyō's palace, Chiba had never once been denied anything she wanted. No one had ever dared speak against her.
And now, after hearing that Konoha's Hokage had refused to serve as her personal guard, Princess Chiba was furious.
Beside her, the Daimyō listened to his daughter's words and gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"Indeed."
"If that is the case, then replacing the Hokage may be necessary."
Back when Orochimaru had come here and suggested that Tsunade become the Fourth Hokage, the Daimyō had shown little interest.
And now, even when the topic had shifted to replacing the Hokage, his attitude remained just as indifferent.
Princess Chiba nodded in agreement, as though this was only natural.
It was obvious that, in the eyes of the people within the Daimyō's palace, Konoha was not some untouchable military power, but merely a shinobi village beneath the authority of the Land of Fire.
If they could replace the Hokage on a whim, then destroying Konoha itself likely did not seem like such an impossible thing to them either.
Seeing the Daimyō's attitude, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances before sinister smiles crept across their faces.
It seemed their plan had worked perfectly.
So what if Shiki had stripped them of their elder positions?
Soon enough, they would return.
Both of them sneered inwardly.
Once they regained their seats, they swore they would make Shiki, Tsunade, and every clan that had supported Shiki pay the price.
A pack of insolent brats.
At that moment, the Daimyō lifted a hand lazily, and a man dressed like a samurai stepped forward at once.
"My lord."
The Daimyō waved his hand as if issuing an insignificant order.
"Go to Konoha and inform them. The Hokage is to be replaced."
These samurai were retainers maintained by the Daimyō's palace.
The palace paid them. In return, they served without question.
"As you command."
The samurai showed no hesitation at all.
To him, there was nothing dangerous about this mission.
Like many samurai clinging to the pride of a bygone age, he looked down on shinobi from the bottom of his heart. In his eyes, ninja were little more than sneaking tools, unworthy of true respect.
After giving his response, he stood and strode toward the exit.
Once he was gone, the Daimyō leaned back into his seat and returned to his usual careless demeanor.
"There's no need to worry. Replacing a Hokage is nothing more than a word from me."
Bang—!
The moment those words left his mouth, the great doors of the palace exploded apart.
The samurai who had just stepped outside came hurtling back in like a black streak, his body moving so fast it was almost impossible to follow.
Boom!
He slammed into the wall with a deafening crash, and the stone behind him shattered instantly.
The man who had walked out moments ago full of confidence now hung there for only a breath before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
He was dead.
"Who's there?!"
The sudden turn of events sent shock through the entire hall.
Princess Chiba let out a sharp scream on the spot.
The quiet atmosphere of the palace vanished in an instant.
All the samurai retained by the Daimyō's palace rushed in from every direction, surrounding the chamber at once.
After all, this palace fed them.
If something happened here, they had no choice but to show themselves.
"Shiki!"
"It's you?!"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were stunned.
Someone had actually dared to stir up trouble inside the Daimyō's palace.
But when they turned and saw the figure walking in slowly through the broken entrance, both of them froze.
For a moment, fear flashed across their faces.
Shiki had already cast a trauma over their hearts.
But then they remembered where they were.
This was the Daimyō's palace.
And with that thought, their courage returned.
Homura Mitokado even raised a hand and pointed at Shiki as he shouted, "Shiki, how dare you! Do you even realize where you are? To behave like this in the Daimyō's—"
Swish!
A streak of golden sword light flashed through the air.
Everyone saw only a blur.
By the time they reacted, Shiki had already returned his greatsword calmly to its sheath.
"Idiot."
He glanced at Homura Mitokado with open disdain and didn't even bother saying anything more.
Homura remained there, still frozen in the act of pointing.
Then, a few seconds later...
His body split apart.
He collapsed to the floor in two pieces.
"This…!"
Utatane Koharu's face turned deathly pale as she stumbled backward.
This monster had actually made a move inside the Daimyō's palace.
Homura Mitokado was dead.
And just like that, Utatane Koharu no longer dared to say another word.
All she could do was pray that the authority of the Daimyō's palace would be enough to restrain him.
Shiki's sudden strike had caught everyone off guard.
Even the samurai guarding the Daimyō, who had initially remained aloof, no longer looked so calm.
Because not even they had seen clearly when Shiki drew his blade.
"You are Shiki?"
At last, the Daimyō gave him his full attention.
Beside him, Princess Chiba stared at Shiki with glittering eyes.
"So handsome…"
That single strike had completely stolen her breath away.
Without hesitation, she turned to her father at once.
"Father, I want him to be my husband!"
The Daimyō merely gave a grunt.
He had no objection to his daughter's taste.
The moment Utatane Koharu heard that, panic surged through her.
I asked you to deal with Shiki, not make him your son-in-law!
If Shiki truly married into the Daimyō's family, then wouldn't all hope of suppressing him disappear completely?
"Lord Daimyō, this man is—"
"Silence."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.