On his way back to Gelin City, Linto watched the live broadcast of the trial of six corporate leaders in a small town's izakaya.
Tokugawa Shingen was a skilled politician. He knew exactly what Linto wanted and how to best warn the corporations.
From the day Linto left Warsaw City, Tokugawa Shingen had been building public support across the country.
He spent four days ensuring everyone in the Land of Wind knew about this righteous trial against the zaibatsu.
On the day of the trial, countless people were glued to their TVs and radios. Even the strictest factory supervisor had to let his workers take a break.
As the trial began, the Grand Minister read out the crimes committed by the six corporate leaders one by one. There was some arguing, but it was shut down by the ironclad evidence presented by Tokugawa Shingen.
At the very last moment, Tokugawa Shingen closed his fan and announced the verdict:
"All to be executed, immediately."
After a brief silence, cheers erupted in the izakaya where Linto was.
The people of the Land of Wind didn't recognize the six men, nor had they even heard of their corporations.
That didn't stop them from knowing that these rich people were reckless individuals who treated human lives as worthless.
But when they saw the six men publicly hanged, dangling on the gallows like dead dogs, the cheers gradually faded.
A light, never seen before, flickered in people's eyes—
"So…"
"The wealthy zaibatsu can be killed too!"
Linto sat at the table, a half-empty bottle of liquor beside him.
He rarely drank, and when he did, it was just a sip. But today, with the trial as his appetizer, he felt like having a bit more.
After the hanging ended, Linto poured a cup of wine and lightly sprinkled it on the ground.
Linto didn't know how many innocent people had died because of these six sinners.
He could hear the world breathing. With the deaths of these six sinners, countless spirits floating in the mortal world let out joyful laughter, their obsessions gone, scattered by the wind.
"Host," Linto said. "Two bowls of noodles, extra beef, no green onions, and a whole head of garlic."
"Coming right up!"
Just as he finished speaking, the izakaya door opened again.
Linto turned around.
As he turned, the gazes that had been subtly watching him in the izakaya quickly shifted away.
It was dinnertime. Most of the convoy members were resting at the inn, while some were wandering around town. Only a few people had come in for a drink. The rest of the izakaya patrons were locals or other travelers.
Some had guessed Linto's identity from the convoy parked outside. Word spread quickly, and though many eyes were on Linto, no one dared to approach him.
"Linto."
That name carried so much weight. Not only was no one daring to strike up a conversation, but just being in the same room with him made them feel nervous from the bottom of their hearts, their palms sweating.
Kakashi entered the izakaya and clapped his hands, a human-shaped silhouette of dust forming behind him.
After brushing off the dust, he walked over to Linto and pulled out a chair to sit.
"Did you find out?" Linto asked.
Kakashi nodded, his expression complex. He looked back in the direction he came from.
Not long after they left Warsaw City, they encountered a small convoy of over ten people.
The people in the convoy were familiar. It was Fujikaze Yukie, the performer from the welcoming banquet on the night Linto arrived.
She had only come to Warsaw City for a gig and hadn't expected so many things to happen. Seeing that things had settled down, she and Linto departed around the same time.
When the two groups met, Fujikaze Yukie's manager proposed that they travel with Linto's group, offering to pay for the escort.
The desert was full of dangers, not just heat and lack of water, but also many desert bandits.
It was a common practice for small trade caravans to pay to follow larger ones for protection.
However…
On the night of the banquet, it was hard to tell because of her stage makeup. Now, with her makeup removed, the more Kakashi looked at Fujikaze Yukie, the more familiar she seemed, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen her.
This kind of situation usually meant it wasn't an enemy, perhaps an old acquaintance from a mission years ago.
If it were the old Kakashi, he wouldn't have dwelled on it if he couldn't remember. He would have deliberately avoided deepening any relationships.
But after experiencing so much in the Land of Wind, Kakashi didn't want to continue living the same way, seemingly working and living hard, but actually stuck in his ways.
Soon after arriving in this town, Kakashi sought out Fujikaze Yukie and learned her true identity.
"...You're saying she's the princess of the Land of Snow?" Linto raised an eyebrow.
He had just said goodbye to Tokugawa Yukino, and now another Fujikaze Yukie... Were there too many princesses these days?
Kakashi corrected him, "She's more like a princess on the run. The Land of Snow has been controlled by her uncle for many years. If she reveals her identity even slightly, she'll be hunted by Land of Snow ninjas."
In just a few sentences, the izakaya owner brought two bowls of noodles, a large plate of beef, and a head of garlic to their table.
Linto slurped down a large mouthful of noodles, chewed, and let out a soft sigh, "If only this were Lanzhou lamian."
Kakashi didn't understand Linto's words and picked up his chopsticks, continuing, "After I exposed her identity, she wants me to ask you to help her reclaim her country. She promises that once she regains the Land of Snow, she will promote your awakened ideology domestically."
Linto peeled some garlic and offered a clove to Kakashi.
Kakashi accepted it with some hesitation.
As a native of the Land of Fire, Kakashi preferred lighter foods and ate very little wasabi.
Under Linto's urging, he took a bite. The spiciness immediately made him sweat, and forgetting the rule about not drinking during missions, he quickly downed two cups, much to Linto's amusement.
Once Kakashi recovered, Linto asked,
"If she wants to reclaim her country, why didn't she come to me directly after traveling with us this far?"
Kakashi shrugged, "Perhaps due to this or that concern... Do you want to help her reclaim the Land of Snow?"
Linto shook his head.
"She isn't ready to be a 'king'."
Among the people Linto knew, Oda Ieyasu, Tokugawa Shingen, and the late Saito Katsuchō, and even the unconscious Raikage-A whose optical disc was stolen... Regardless of their stance or the path they walked, their resolve was unshakeable.
The so-called "resolve" is a belief that once something is deeply considered and decided, no matter the fear or shame, even if it costs one's life, one will never back down.
A person who desires to restore their country, but is afraid to even pay a visit, how can they talk about reclaiming it?
Even if they did reclaim it, could they hold onto it?
Kakashi listened to Linto's explanation. "So you're not going to do anything?"
Linto thought for a moment and said, "Have her come back to the Land of Water with me."
When they return, specialized intelligence agencies will assess whether intervention is necessary and how many people should be dispatched.
A small country with weak defenses like the Land of Snow no longer requires Linto's direct intervention.
Of course, if there were powerful ninjas who could bring Linto a large amount of soul fragments, that would be a different story.
Kakashi nodded. His connection with Fujikaze Yukie was just from a mission. Helping her by relaying the message was already going above and beyond, and he felt Linto was right.
Desire is one thing, reality is another.
Given Fujikaze Yukie's current abilities and mindset, her role as a performer suits her better than that of a queen.
Kakashi finished the last sip of soup and put down his chopsticks.
"I've eaten and we've talked. I should be going now."
From this town, heading north leads back to Konoha, and west leads to Gelin City.
Kakashi had been out for too long and needed to return to his village to complete his mission.
Both men had straightforward personalities, so there were no lingering goodbyes or attempts to persuade each other.
They clinked their cups one last time, downed the drinks, said their goodbyes, and Kakashi left the izakaya, heading alone into the desert.
The izakaya door closed. Linto retracted his gaze and put down his cup.
He opened the system interface after a long time.