Inoue is aggressive
On a forest road, a carriage stopped strangely in the middle of the path. The three ninjas beside the carriage remained motionless, either brandishing their swords or performing hand seals.
The clan emblem they wore was unrecognizable. They probably belonged to a minor clan.
Shigeru smiled, then stepped forward and began modifying the memories of the three ninjas.
Compared to the guards guarding Tanaka Daimyō, the mental transformation of these three was much simpler.
Shigeru only needed to issue an order, following the entrance to Tanzaku-gai, while subconsciously ignoring Daimyō Tanaka. Beyond that, nothing else was needed.
"Made!"
Once the alteration was complete, Shigeru clapped his hands, and the three ninjas resumed their alert stances.
At that moment, a cold flash crossed Shigeru's eyes, and his figure disappeared from the scene.
Phew...
A gust of cold wind blew by, and the three ninjas regained consciousness, snapping out of their brief state of confusion.
"Lord Daimyō, what is it?" one of them asked from the carriage.
According to his recollection, it was Daimyō Inoue himself who had ordered them to stop.
At that moment, both Inoue Daimyō and his wife also woke up from the mind control exerted by Shigeru.
Noticing that the carriage was stopped, Inoue frowned and, in an annoyed tone, ordered.
"What's going on? Go on."
The coachman obeyed immediately and resumed his journey at full speed.
The three ninjas carefully observed their surroundings. Not detecting anything out of the ordinary, they attributed what had happened to an inexplicable lapse and continued on their way.
Some time later, Inoue Daimyō entered the castle without incident, accompanied by his wife, Keiko, the eldest daughter of Daimyō Tanaka. The two then headed to the Daimyo's Mansion.
"Father!"
"Father-in-law!"
As soon as they met, they both greeted Tanaka Daimyō.
Keiko bowed with sincere respect, while Inoue Daimyō performed a merely formal bow.
After all, they were both daimyōs. In terms of status and influence, they were equal.
The only reason Inoue greeted was because he was Tanaka Daimyō's son-in-law.
"Okay, have a seat," Tanaka said with a smile, nodding slightly.
Once settled, the three ninjas escorting them positioned themselves behind them, acting as if they did not see Tanaka Daimyō, remaining silent.
Tanaka was accompanied by three people, Tetsuno, Asuka and Shigeru.
"Father-in-law, I heard that Maku passed away recently. My condolences…" Inoue Daimyō said with feigned concern as soon as he sat down.
As soon as he heard this, Tanaka Daimyō's face turned gloomy.
Although she was under Shigeru's control through genjutsu, her feelings for her son could not be suppressed.
Therefore, upon hearing the mention of Maku, he was visibly affected.
Shigeru, noticing the reaction, strengthened the genjutsu on Tanaka, while realizing Inoue's evil intentions.
Faced with Inoue's false compassion, Princess Asuka could not contain herself.
"Hey! Brother-in-law! My father is just getting over his grief. Why dwell on the past?"
Even Inoue's wife, Keiko, discreetly tugged on his sleeve.
"Husband…"
But Inoue ignored her and, with a smile, looked back at Tanaka Daimyo.
"Father-in-law, Maku passed away less than a month ago. Isn't it a bit hasty to have a wedding for Asuka?"
Faced with his aggression, Tetsuno responded in a deep voice.
"My father-in-law hasn't been in good health lately. According to the doctor, he needs to celebrate to improve his mood, and this will improve his health, so Asuka-chan and I agreed to marry him."
Inoue looked at him with disdain.
"Are you Yamamoto Tetsuno?"
"That's right," Tetsuno nodded firmly.
Inoue narrowed his eyes.
"I heard you'll inherit my father-in-law's daimyo position. And now you're marrying his daughter… Could it be that…?"
Pop!
"Enough is enough!"
Suddenly, Tanaka Daimyō slammed the table hard.
"Inoue! I'm still alive! Are you getting aggressive because you want to steal the Tanaka family inheritance?"
Seeing his outburst, Inoue smiled with feigned innocence.
"How can you think that, father-in-law? I'm just afraid there are outsiders wanting to take over your property."
"Hmph! What you want is to take over the foundation of the Tanaka family!" Tanaka snapped coldly.
They both looked at each other with hostility.
Inoue regained his calm expression.
"I'm his son-in-law… What's the point of talking about looting and all that…?"
"All right. You've been traveling all morning. Go rest. I'm tired too," Tanaka interrupted with a gesture, not allowing him to continue. He stood up and headed to his chambers.
Seeing him leave, Shigeru and the others also stood up and left.
"Husband...?" Keiko asked, looking at Inoue with concern.
He smiled.
"Come on."
…
Shigeru and Zenitsu returned to the courtyard where they resided, while Tetsuno went to accompany Princess Asuka.
'This Daimyō Inoue is troublesome...' Shigeru thought. 'Luckily, I neutralized his ninja guards in advance. If I hadn't, I don't want to imagine what might have happened.'
Seeing his expression, Zenitsu proposed.
"Should we kill him?"
After all, Inoue was just a civilian. For someone like Zenitsu, eliminating him would be trivial.
"Huh? Kill him?" Shigeru looked at him in surprise.
It's not that Zenitsu hadn't assassinated daimyos before, but it had always been on commission.
This time, with no contract involved, he offered to kill him without hesitation.
'He's definitely changed a lot lately...' Shigeru thought.
"Yes. What better option is there?" Zenitsu replied matter-of-factly.
Shigeru gave a light laugh.
"Actually, it's a good idea. But it's not the right time yet."
"So we'll do it after the wedding?" Zenitsu asked.
Shigeru did not respond directly, but instead turned his gaze toward Tanaka Daimyō's residence.
'Heh... everyone has their uses. Even if Inoue has to die, let him at least give us his last contribution.'
'Besides... it would be suspicious if Tanaka died so soon after the wedding. On the other hand, with Inoue being so aggressive, hinting at his ambition to seize Tanaka's assets...'
'There could be no better scapegoat.'