The residents of the capital could feel a change in the atmosphere recently. The current Daimyo seemed to be subtly targeting certain policies introduced by Konoha Village. Normally, these common people wouldn't notice, or at least it would take some time for them to realize, but the Daimyo's recent actions were quite obvious, to the point that even those focused on their own lives could sense this subtle shift.
When chatting in tea houses, people would secretly discuss this matter. Frankly, their goodwill towards Konoha Village far surpassed that for the current Daimyo. Everyone could learn about Konoha Village's actions from the newspapers, and many people, especially merchants, benefited from the measures it implemented.
However, recently, merchants were the ones more significantly affected. Many businesses, to varying degrees, experienced profit losses, and these were all merchants who had a relationship or some form of cooperation with Konoha Village.
Because they didn't understand the details, they could only assume they were caught in disputes between some important figures, and they worried about what would happen in the future.
Some well-connected individuals decided to test the waters and learned that the Daimyo was indeed targeting Konoha Village, but his actions were somewhat excessive, appearing overly aggressive, which puzzled many officials and nobles.
Immediately, they planned to visit Miss Kana, who was stationed in Konoha Village. She had always been active in the capital, not only maintaining good relations with nobles but also enjoying very high popularity among common people, never appearing condescending.
Compared to the Konoha ninjas who served as Guardian Ninjas, Kana was relatively easier to approach. This was because Kana had always cultivated relationships with the common folk, but this time they hit a wall. It wasn't that Kana suddenly became cold, but rather she apologetically hinted at—avoiding suspicion.
Those who came to visit understood and did not bother her again. Due to the Daimyo's influence, the once bustling Kana's residence saw a decline in visitors, no longer as it used to be. Kana's situation at this point was somewhat awkward.
For Kana herself, it was a rare period of leisure. Although it was not conducive to her mission, given the current circumstances, she needed to carefully consider her next moves.
Kana rarely received foreign guests anymore. These days, she invited Asuna and Mizuki to gather and chat about their own topics.
This time, when Asuna and Mizuki visited, Kana specially placed new desserts from the village in front of them, asking them to taste and see how they were.
Asuna and Mizuki had been away from the village for a long time. Because they usually had to stay near the Daimyo's mansion to perform protection duties, they rarely interacted with other people from the outside.
Kana, however, frequently kept in touch with the village, and with the help of traveling merchants, she could learn about many new things.
"How does it taste?" Kana asked after seeing the two eat the special cake, a new product from the village, that she had brought out.
"Mmm! It's so delicious, Kana-nee, why didn't you tell us about something this good sooner?" Mizuki exclaimed, her eyes lighting up after taking a bite.
"Haha, it's a new item that just came out. It's also quite troublesome to get it here. I had to ask many people to be able to taste it here in the capital," Kana said with a smile. "The girls in the village are much luckier; they can buy it anytime, unlike us here where it's a hassle."
"Then Kana-nee, you might consider returning to the village. It's best to leave early now," Asuna said seriously, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief after swallowing her cake, looking at Kana.
"Has the situation gotten that bad?" Kana asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"It hasn't reached that point yet, but I think it's better for Kana-nee to leave early, otherwise it will be more troublesome to leave later," Asuna said earnestly.
"Hmph, now we hardly get to see the Daimyo a few times. It's probably that scoundrel Tobi whispering malicious words into the Daimyo's ear. Because of the Lord's incident, the Daimyo trusts us less and less. Although we still have the title of Guardian Ninjas, we are already outsiders," Mizuki complained.
"I'm having similar troubles on my end. The nobles who used to visit regularly have basically stopped coming. Some people did give me some hints that it's because of the Daimyo. Living in the capital, they dare not directly offend the Daimyo, so they chose this way," Kana said.
"I don't know what the Daimyo is thinking, to make things so tense between both sides. Even if there's genuine dissatisfaction, it shouldn't be like this. Some of these things are just being unreasonable!" Mizuki pouted.
Because they were in a private room, with Anbu protecting Kana on duty nearby, and with Asuna and Mizuki, two experts, present, there was no fear of eavesdropping. Therefore, Mizuki spoke without any reservations.
"Princess Chiyo secretly told me that the Daimyo has been acting a bit strange lately. As his younger sister, she's very worried," Kana said.
"Acting a bit strange? Could he have been controlled by genjutsu?" Mizuki quickly replied upon hearing this.
"It's possible, but we can't confirm it. We can barely even get into the Daimyo's mansion now," Asuna said.
"If that's really the case, then we'll have a reason to act. If the monarch is controlled by genjutsu, the village can send troops under the pretext of protecting the monarch's safety," Mizuki said somewhat excitedly.
"But we have no evidence. We can't act rashly without evidence," Asuna shook her head slightly.
"Any conspiracy will eventually show its flaws. With your abilities, you should be able to detect it. I just hope you can remain vigilant." Kana knew the crisis Asuna and the others were facing. After much consideration, she decided not to cause trouble for Asuna and the others, saying, "I plan to leave the capital in the next few days."
Kana's decision made Asuna and Mizuki breathe a slight sigh of relief. Although Kana had Anbu protection, she herself had no power. If she encountered a crisis, especially in a place like the capital, she might not be able to protect herself. Leaving here early was the best choice.
"Kana-nee, that's for the best. Leave early, but be careful. Tobi and his group might be ambushing you in the dark," Asuna said.
"Last time, you seemed to have been ambushed by the Jashinists, right?" Kana asked.
"Yes, I was lucky to survive," Asuna nodded. "We all believe that the Lord's death was due to the Jashinists, and the mastermind behind the Jashinists is Tobi. If they dared to secretly murder the Lord, what else wouldn't they dare to do? If Kana-nee were to die, it would definitely cause a very bad impact."
Kana was the daughter of the First Hokage. If she were assassinated, Konoha Village would undoubtedly be enraged and seek justice for her.
"Yes, yes, I heard that the village has arranged protectors for the nobles they are close to, to prevent any Jashinists from infiltrating secretly," Mizuki said, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, the Jashinists have a secret jutsu that can curse people from a distance. The village believes its medium is blood. Kana-nee, you must be careful. If you get injured and bleed, be sure to have the Anbu observe the surroundings. The Jashinists' secret jutsu requires performing the curse within a certain distance. I remember Uncle Kei is Kana-nee's protector, right?"
"Okay, I'll remember that," Kana nodded. She had no intention of letting the other party succeed in vain. Her life was precious, and even if she had to sacrifice, it should be in a valuable place, not in the enemy's conspiracy.