137 The Beginning of the Tide

The fat man in the first seat narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mr. Tokumitsu from the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce."

As he spoke, the sounds of silk and bamboo music vanished instantly, and the room fell silent.

Hyuga Tokumitsu nodded eagerly. "Yes, my lord. What orders do you have for me?"

Lord Fat Pig swirled the wine in his small glass, his thick layers of fat nearly merging together.

"I hear your Aster Flower Chamber is selling medicine at low prices in the city."

Shikaku understood immediately. As expected, this was the problem.

Before the Aster Flower Chamber arrived in Shinjuku Town, only one pharmacy existed, owned by the former Lord. 

Anyone needing medicine had no choice but to buy from him at steep prices. But now, with the Aster Flower Chamber in town, his business had collapsed.

A look of fear appeared on Hyuga Tokumitsu's face. Even Shikaku, standing beside him, had to admire his impressive acting skills.

"My lord, this was entirely my subordinates' decision. I will have them raise the price of the medicine immediately," Hyuga Tokumitsu promised.

Lord Fat Pig smiled faintly.

"That's the best approach. Everyone should make money together. But if someone tries to take it all for themselves..."

He sneered—a sound that, to Hyuga Tokumitsu, was no different from a pig's squeal. But on the surface, Tokumitsu remained fearful and quickly responded, "Thank you, my lord, for your generosity."

"If there's nothing else, you may leave," the lord said, waving them off. He had no intention of keeping them any longer.

Back at the pharmacy, Hyuga Tokumitsu wasted no time in adjusting the medicine prices.

The sudden change left the city's residents confused.

To make matters worse, the lord had openly sent someone to summon Tokumitsu for a discussion.

Before long, rumors began spreading throughout the city.

"I heard the lord forced the Aster Flower Association to stop selling us cheap medicine."

"Yeah, that city lord is heartless."

"My old man got injured moving stones this morning—what are we supposed to do now?"

"Quiet down. Taxes are due in a few days."

"Shinjuku Town is surrounded by mountains. Where are we supposed to get 1.5 million Ryo?"

"Even if I sold everything I own, I still couldn't afford it!"

"Didn't that wandering poet say something last time? These nobles raise taxes so high that we can't pay, forcing us to take loans—then they seize our land!"

"Yeah, I heard that too. It's despicable."

"But what can we do...?"

The conversation stopped there.

What could they do?

Suddenly, a child's voice broke the silence.

"Resist."

"Resist? How?"

In the dim light, the child's eyes burned with determination.

"With our fists. With our lives."

...…..

Backyard of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce

Shikaku couldn't help but ask Hyuga Tokumitsu:

"Mr. Tokumitsu, is this how things work in the ninja world?"

Hyuga Tokumitsu glanced at him and smiled.

"Pretty much. Ordinary people have no power to resist, so the nobles do whatever they please."

Shikaku fell silent, lost in thought. His mind wandered to his wife, unsure of what she would think about all this.

Hyuga Tokumitsu patted him on the shoulder.

"That said, the noble matter is entirely in your hands."

Shikaku nodded without hesitation. His eyes grew sharp.

"I understand."

Soon, the wandering poets and traveling performers of Shinjuku Town began their work.

The poets roamed every corner of the city, telling tales of heroes—stories that lit sparks in the hearts of listeners. And with those stories, some quietly passed along weapons.

Meanwhile, the performers—especially the women—moved through the streets, tending to the wounded for free.

 As they treated the injured, they listened, drawing out painful memories of suffering and injustice.

Of course, the former noble couldn't allow these people to keep stirring unrest in his territory.

But every time the samurai went out to hunt them down, the wandering poets and performers vanished without a trace.

For a while, Shinjuku Town felt like a volcano suppressed for thousands of years—building pressure, ready to erupt. When the time came, it would unleash molten fury, consuming everything in its path.

......

Lord's Mansion

The fat pig lord lay on his bed, listening to a samurai's report.

"Did you catch anyone this time?" he asked, clearly irritated.

But a delicate voice beside him interrupted.

"My lord, don't keep me waiting~"

His displeasure vanished instantly.

"This isn't important. Just keep catching them."

Then, waving a hand lazily, he added, "Bring more men tomorrow. I want every last tax coin collected!"

The samurai leader of Shinjuku Town let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If the lord had pressed him further, things could have gotten complicated.

He quickly reassured him, "Rest assured, my lord. As long as we're here, no troublemakers will succeed."

"Good. Now leave," the lord said, clearly uninterested in government affairs at the moment.

Before the samurai leader could step out, a hungry growl filled the room as the figure beside the lord lunged at him playfully.

The samurai leader lowered his head and left without a word. He was all too familiar with these scenes.

Stepping outside, he thought to himself:

Once the tax collection is finished, the lord will enjoy the spoils.

And with the wealth he gains, I'll have enough to buy a few women of my own…

As he walked, he had already decided on his next target.

"If those farmers can't pay their taxes, have them hand over their daughters to settle the debt."

Tax day was approaching.

Shikaku stood on the roof of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce, hands in his pockets, watching the scene unfold below.

On the streets, groups of samurai knocked on doors, demanding payment.

Some families had no choice but to hand over a decade's worth of savings.

Others, unable to pay, were forced to sell their farmland under the warriors' threats.

And then there were those who had nothing left to sell…

...….

Inside a Farmer's Home

"I think your daughter looks quite nice," the samurai chief said, resting a hand on his sword hilt.

"No land? Then use your daughter to pay off the debt." A wicked grin spread across his face.

The old farmer collapsed to his knees, pleading desperately.

"Master Samurai, please, just a few more days—ten days!"

"No, five," the samurai leader sneered. "You'd better have enough silver by then."

Behind the old man, his daughter trembled. She was his only family left.

No matter what, she couldn't fall into the hands of these samurai.

"Old man, stop your nonsense!"

The samurai stomped on the farmer and sent him flying with a brutal kick.

"Father!"

The girl ran to her father, sobbing.

The samurai leader grinned.

"Such a filial daughter. Then be obedient and come with me!"

He grabbed her wrist effortlessly.

She was no match for a trained warrior. Within seconds, he had her pinned to the ground.

Watching her struggle, he sneered.

"The more you resist, the more exciting this gets!"

Hearing the commotion, people began gathering outside the yard.

But years of fearing the samurai kept them frozen in place—silent, unmoving.

The samurai chief glanced at the gathered crowd.

"What are you looking at? Do you dare defy the lord?"

He tightened his grip on the girl, unaware that behind him, the old farmer had already picked up his hoe.

His wrinkled face was flushed with rage.

With every ounce of strength left in his body, he swung the hoe down at the samurai.

"Foolish old man."

The samurai leader's eyes flickered coldly as he drew his blade in an instant.

The sharp steel sliced through the air, splitting the wooden hoe in two.

Without slowing down, the blade continued forward—

Blood sprayed into the air.

"Kill!"

"He's killing people!"

Panicked cries erupted, and the crowd descended into chaos.

The samurai leader narrowed his eyes, just about to bark out an order—

A black shadow suddenly leaped out from the crowd.

The samurai leader squinted, and the figure quickly appeared before him—it was a teenager.

"You're asking for death!"

The red samurai sword in his hand swung down at the boy.

"Iron Body!"

The boy didn't flinch.

A look of disdain crossed the samurai's face.

"How bold to think you could stand against me."

The blade cut through the boy's clothes, but his skin remained untouched.

With unwavering determination in his eyes, the young man raised his finger and pointed at the warrior.

"Your days are numbered."

"Finger Pistol!"

Suddenly, powerful impacts shot out from his fingertips like bullets.

The samurai's eyes widened in shock as the impact pierced his heart.

"This is impossible..."

He collapsed, lifeless.

The young man raised his arms and shouted,

"Anyone who refuses to be a slave, follow me! Kill these warriors and overthrow the nobles' rule!"

The faces of the remaining warriors shifted in panic.

They had planned to kill the boy, but now the situation had completely changed.

A loud roar erupted from the crowd.

The people Shikaku had secretly placed among them quickly grabbed weapons and rallied behind the boy's call.

"Don't be a slave, overthrow the nobles!"

The atmosphere ignited. Ordinary people, inspired by the movement, picked up scattered weapons and threw them at the samurai.

"What the hell is going on...?"

More than a dozen warriors were paralyzed with fear.

"You troublemakers..."

Before they could finish, a hoe struck one of them hard on the head.

Then, hundreds of feet stampeded forward, crushing the warriors into the ground.

The volcano that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted in full force.

The raging, hot magma would consume everything corrupted!

From a distance, Shikaku turned his gaze toward the Lord's Mansion.

"It's begun."

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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