"Thank you."
Tamamo Hotaru wiped away her tears and spoke earnestly.
No one could tell whether she was thanking Shinji for saving her from the Hidden Cloud Village ninjas once again, or for healing Kagetsu.
Shinji, however, thought nothing of it and simply replied, "I do the job I'm paid for," and left it at that.
His utterly unromantic, straightforward nature was on full display.
Fortunately, after spending these days together, Tamamo Hotaru had come to understand Shinji and his companions well enough that she didn't find his reply cold or unfeeling at all.
She'd long since gotten used to it—no questions asked.
Meanwhile, Princess Haruna, who had hidden herself earlier and even considered running away and leaving everyone behind, had now returned with her attendants.
There wasn't a trace of embarrassment or shame on her face.
With such thick skin, she was easily the top candidate to become the next Daimyō of the Country of Vegetables. After all, people like her always knew exactly how to play the game.
"How strange… How could those people back in the country ever afford to hire ninjas from the Hidden Cloud to assassinate me?"
She seemed well aware that her earlier behavior had made her unpopular, so the moment she came back, she brought up the topic herself, putting on a deeply remorseful and worried expression.
Tamamo Hotaru was far too naive and inexperienced; she failed to see right through the true meaning behind those words.
She immediately hurried to explain, "It has nothing to do with you. Actually… they were all coming for me."
Bingo. That was exactly what Haruna wanted to hear.
With those words, she could completely absolve herself of any blame. Even her earlier cowardly escape now seemed perfectly reasonable and justified.
After all, she was just an ordinary person. Her few guards had been useless and couldn't have helped at all—staying behind would have only gotten in the way.
Most importantly, since those powerful enemies had never been after her in the first place, her choice to leave had been completely right and sensible.
A faint, fleeting smile flickered across Haruna's lips, then vanished instantly as she put on a look of deep concern and began asking exactly what had happened and how it all started.
Tamamo Hotaru knew there was no point hiding anything anymore. So many Hidden Cloud ninjas had died here—no one involved could possibly escape responsibility.
Truth be told, from the moment Haruna returned with her people, their interests had become completely aligned.
Otherwise, once the Hidden Cloud launched their investigation and retaliation later, none of them would be able to walk away free.
Would anyone believe you if you claimed you had nothing to do with it? Of course not.
After listening to the whole story, Haruna immediately sided with Tamamo Hotaru, feigning righteous indignation as she condemned the cruel acts of both the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock Villages. She even slapped her chest and made grand promises.
"If I ever become the Daimyō of the Country of Vegetables, I will do everything in my power to protect and help you. I'll help you hide your identity and throw the Hidden Cloud off your trail. And I swear—I will help the Tamamo clan restore its former glory and prestige."
But in plain truth? She simply saw Tamamo Hotaru as a perfect pawn—someone she could use and mold into one of her most trusted, loyal subordinates.
Think about it: something so valuable that both the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock were willing to fight and kill for it… and she could obtain it effortlessly, without lifting a finger.
How thrilling was that?
In a few years—or even decades—the Tamamo clan would become the shining calling card of her country.
She might even be able to revive the old glory once held by the Country of Beasts, just in a whole new form.
If she dreamed a little bigger… she could even found her own ninja village.
Haruna's heart burned with ambition and excitement. At that moment, even Akagi Shinji no longer mattered half as much to her as Tamamo Hotaru did.
She could tell right away: a man like Shinji was far too independent and unyielding—someone she could never control or manipulate.
But Tamamo Hotaru? That was different. She was young—easy to influence and persuade.
She had powerful enemies—easy to bind and control. She was all alone—easy to bring under her wing and integrate into her plans.
So Haruna began to fill her head with all sorts of grand ideas and sweet talk, practically praising the Country of Vegetables as if it were already the greatest and most powerful of all the Six Great Nations.
For all her independence and experience living in the red-light districts—places full of danger and intrigue—Tamamo Hotaru's skills had only ever been used to fend off lecherous men who wanted nothing more than her body.
Compared to Haruna—a woman determined to rule an entire nation and a natural-born politician—she was still incredibly young and naive.
Before long, they were calling each other "sister," and every word and glance from Tamamo Hotaru was filled with nothing but gratitude.
In her eyes, Haruna was taking a massive risk—making an enemy of the Hidden Cloud, endangering herself and even her whole country—just to stand by and help her.
What noble, selfless devotion! How moving!
She was so swept up in emotion that she completely forgot: Haruna wasn't the Daimyō yet, and she had no guarantee she ever would be.
It was the classic case of being sold, yet happily counting the money for the person who sold you.
Shinji, walking ahead of them, found the whole conversation almost too ridiculous to bear.
"It sounds like Her Highness is already completely sure of victory. I suppose the moment she shows her face, all those rebel forces in the country will just throw down their weapons, fall to their knees, and beg for mercy."
Those words hit Haruna like a bucket of ice-cold water, instantly killing all her excitement and confidence.
She knew perfectly well it was true.
Defeating the Three Evil Ninjas had only bought her temporary safety. Right now, she had no army, no wealth, no power—nothing but her title as princess. Who in the country would ever listen to her?
Did she really think she could just talk her way into ending the rebellion and sitting comfortably on the throne of Daimyō?
She might as well go home and sleep—only in her dreams would things be that easy.
Just as Haruna hesitated, holding back her words, Tamamo Hotaru—who truly thought of her now as a dear friend—spoke up eagerly, "Can't we help Sister Haruna? If the Country of Vegetables falls into the hands of those greedy, power-hungry men, the common people will surely suffer terribly."
Oh, what a wonderful, sweet sister! Haruna thought. I knew I saw right through you. Go on—keep going!
Tamamo Hotaru's words were exactly the perfect push Haruna needed, and she was absolutely delighted.
With the power Akagi Shinji and his group had already shown—few in number, yes, but overwhelmingly strong—they were more than enough to crush the entire rebellion in the Country of Vegetables.
After all, it was a small nation to begin with. It had a few scattered ninja, but no formal ninja village.
And ordinary people stood absolutely no chance against ninja.
You didn't even need jōnin—a dozen or so chūnin could slaughter them easily. And once they'd worn everyone down, they could just vanish.
How could a bunch of regular citizens ever hope to catch them?
In the face of Tamamo Hotaru's earnest request, Shinji didn't move an inch, and actually felt like laughing.
You really don't get it at all, do you?
If it weren't for the fact that those jade tokens could be exchanged for Spirit Points, I wouldn't even have bothered saving you in the first place.
Do you honestly think you have that much influence over me?
So he replied bluntly, "Help her if you want. But once we've got what we came for, we're leaving. If we're destined to meet again, we will."
Tamamo Hotaru was left embarrassed and stung again—especially since this time she'd lost face in front of her newly found "sister."
But there was nothing she could do about it, and she couldn't even get angry.
Because suddenly, she remembered exactly how everything had gone from the start.
What right did she have to make demands or ask for favors?
Silence fell between them. Both women stood there, awkward and uncomfortable.
Tamamo Hotaru had spent years being flattered and fawned over by lecherous men.
Haruna had been raised a princess—spoiled, self-centered, and used to everyone doing as she pleased.
But Shinji? In both his past life and this one, he had never been the type to chase after anyone or cater to others' whims, and he never intended to start now.
He was simply teaching them a simple truth: the whole world does not revolve around you, and men don't exist just to please you.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"