HEIRS

Amara stared at the stiff corpse of her father. Unlike yesterday where it appeared to be warm, it's now ghostly pale under the light of the morning sun falling through the close wooden windows.

His older brothers Rin Jinbo and Dai Ogawara both stood at the doorway of the chief's room. They received the news of the patriarch's assassination and quickly marches to the castle.

Amara has stayed awake in his father's room since last night when she was called to the council. Fully aware of her father's yokai blood, she believed he would wake up from his mortal wound like it was nothing. Ohara checked up on her early morning and asked her if she wanted a meal but she refused to move from his position and requested not to open the windows.

"This is impossible!!!" Rin exclaimed, stepping hurriedly inside the room and kneeling in front of the dreadful carcass of their father.

She watched her brother, Rin cried with tears flowing down like a wet cloth dripping down when twisted and forced to dry. While her other sibling, Dai paced slowly towards Rin and settled his hand on his brother's shoulder to console the man's grieving soul.

"The Iga clan did this!!!" Rin shouted, accusing the northern shinobi clan of their father's death.

Dai nodded his head, "The Iga clan are demon slayers, they must have plotted this for a long time."

Amara exhaled audibly for her brothers to notice her, "Father would have known if there are any Iga shinobi disguising themselves around the village. He can smell their blood."

"She's right," Ohara acknowledged Amara's observation.

"Maybe they used a large longbow that can throw an arrow as far as the next village." Rin assumed, pointing at the iron pointer that pierced their father's heart.

"The arrow came from above. It made a hole as it passed through the roof. If you can see the sun's light, it directly shines on the arrow." Amara clarified her observation with a strict tone.

She requested Ohara not to open any windows and keep the room darkened for her to watch where the light would slip from.

Both Rin and Dai lifted their head to stare at the tiny hole on the roof. They followed the light and were amazed to discover the sun directly shines on the iron arrow.

"Amaterasu killed our father???" Dai raised a question that no one dared to answer. 

Amara has heard of heavenly deities but not one story of their interaction with earthly beings. They have earthly deities who she heard slept with men. Like their grandmother, a demon fox queen who bore their father making him a half-demon and half-human.

"She must have known Otou-san's plan to fill the world with yokai children," Rin nodded his head to agree.

Amara raised her brow to the simplest explanation her brothers would come up with. His father has a lot of enemies other than a deity. 

Ohara cleared his throat before speaking, "Jinbo-san, as the oldest living child of Rokkaku-sama, you will be automatically the next chief—"

"—I'm the next chief!!

Rin shouted undeniably ecstatic. He stood from his position and in everyone's shock, he pulled the arrow from the cadaver that made him a chief.

"JINBO-SAN!!!" Ohara exclaimed, watching the new chief hold the arrow with ease.

"It's fine, Ohara-san. I will keep the arrow and ask a swordsmith to make it into a sword," Rin explained and playfully handed it to his younger brother, Dai.

"The craftsmanship is good," Dai flicked the arrow and it vibrated, making a light tingling sound of metal, "Take a look at this, Amara-chan!"

Dail stepped towards her and bent one of his knees, handing the arrow carefully with two hands, "Take it!"

"I'm sorry… but I can't, Dai-san," Amara replied, staring down at her hand.

She glared at the burn mark at the end of her palm still stinging from holding the arrow that killed the patriarch. Amara wondered how her two brothers can withstand holding the holy arrow without scorching their hands.

"Why not???" Dai's thick brows ruffled from wondering why his younger sister would refuse to take the arrow.

Ohara emptied her throat, "The announcement for the next chief will be this evening after the Rokkaku family will have a farewell ceremony for Takayori-sama," Ohara notified the heirs in the room, "But, I have to inform you about the Rokkaku tradition first."

"We know about the tradition, Ohara-san," Rin proudly countered, "The Rokkaku's 100 footsteps of an assassin is a tradition to collect 100 nails from their feet among the village family."

"I know about it too," Dai boasted, "Otou-san received 2 nails each from the 50 families of our village."

Ohara stared at his master's eldest daughter patiently sitting at a cushion on the floor. The young lady demonstrates great resilience since yesterday after her father's death. 

After the council concluded last night, he managed to explain precisely what the "100 Footsteps of an Assassin" tradition is to the young woman. Contrary to the two half-brothers, the young lady has a better grasp of how dangerous it is for the next chief.

Amara stood from her position and carefully fixed her black kimono, "Since Rin-san and Dai-san already know about the tradition, I'm going to leave and prepare for the ceremony later."

"I hope to see you well at the ceremony later, Amara-chan," Dai bowed his head and gazed at her beautiful younger step-sister.

Dai noticed how the young kid turned into a charming poised lady of the Umino house within three years of training from Setsuko Sunada. The rambunctious kid running around with the swordsman from the Takeda clan is now a woman ready to be devoured by a man.

'No wonder their father wanted to keep Amara restrained at the castle,' Dai thought.

His eyes devilishly glare at the woman bowing her head to each one of them. His sight followed her every step towards the sliding door of the room and only looked away when he saw Ohara fiercely glaring at him.

An inkling began to play in Dai's mind, he stepped towards Rin who peered down trying to recognize the corpse beneath his father's remains.

"Is this Mochizuki—???" Rin asked, ruffling his forehead.

"I don't know…," Dai answered, and stepped closer to his older brother to whisper, "I have an idea that can make the tradition easy for you to achieve."

"Really??? How???" Rin moved his ears closer to hear his younger brother better.

"We auction Amara-chan to the person who can collect 100 nails for you in 100 days," Dai muttered with a wicked smile on his face.

"Amara-chan wouldn't agree to that." Rin walked away to his devious younger brother.

"You are going to be the next chief of our clan, she wouldn't dare say no," Dai coaxed the next new chief about his great plan.

As a trained shinobi and master of dark arts, he can guarantee to get 100 nails for his brother and rightfully own Amara without the woman resisting his favors.