"Speak. What's your plan?"
Ye Liang was alone with Kaguya Hime in a room. Ever since returning, both had been unusually quiet.
It was deep into the night.
He sneaked into Kaguya Hime's bedroom.
"My clan sent me to infiltrate Earth and grow the fruit of the God Tree."
"That's all?"
"Hmm."
Kaguya's answer remained exactly as Ye Liang had seen in Shippuden.
He reached out, tilted her chin up, and chuckled, "You know I'm still a man. If I find out you're lying to me, we'll end up right back in that cave again."
He was threatening Kaguya Hime.
Upon hearing Ye Liang's words, her body visibly trembled, and her voice softened immediately.
"I won't lie to you. I truly was sent here to plant the God Tree."
"Just a gardener?"
"Hmm."
Ye Liang fell into deep thought.
He had even resorted to threats, yet Kaguya still didn't change her story. It was clear she wasn't lying.
His tone eased slightly, "From now on, don't do things like this anymore. Just live properly—life isn't always that bad.
Oh right!"
Suddenly remembering something else, he asked, "Since your mission has failed, what are your plans now?"
Kaguya looked momentarily stunned.
"Go home?"
Ye Liang shook his head.
"Then I'll just stay here then."
Nodding satisfactorily, Ye Liang stood up and left the room.
He couldn't possibly let Kaguya leave.
To him, Kaguya Hime's planet represented the unknown. One Otsutsuki was already difficult enough to deal with; if the entire Otsutsuki Clan were involved, Ye Liang wasn't sure how he would handle it.
Not killing Kaguya already showed great mercy.
After leaving the room, Ye Liang instructed Aye, who was waiting at the door, to go inside and serve Kaguya before returning to his own quarters.
Three months passed.
Early morning.
Ye Liang stepped out of his room with a smile.
Today was a blessed day!
His body had finally recovered completely!
With daily nourishment, his bones had been fully replenished through the Yin Seal. Although his chakra reserves remained low, he could easily return to his original world using the time-space turtle.
"Hmm... Should I really just leave her behind? That could cause trouble?"
Ye Liang thought aloud in the hall.
His concern was Kaguya Hime.
At this point, he could leave this timeline, but now there was an uncontrollable Kaguya Hime, which troubled him greatly.
"Should I take her with me?"
"No no! The time-space turtle is a creation of the Kaguya Clan. I can't let her discover this item or there will be trouble."
As he hesitated, a soldier burst into the hall.
"Lord! Bad news! Soldiers from Hitsu no Kuni have launched an attack!"
"Hitsu no Kuni?" Ye Liang was taken aback. Suddenly realizing, he muttered to himself, "This must be Shizhi Xiao's country. This doesn't make sense. Old Man Shizhi wouldn't have the nerve to attack me."
"You're absolutely sure? They're really from Hitsu no Kuni?"
"Yes, Lord Ye Liang. They are carrying Hitsu no Kuni's war banner, their identity is quite obvious."
"Fine, I understand." Ye Liang waved dismissively, sending the soldier away. Then he tidied his attire and headed toward the battlefield.
Inari Lake.
The soldiers of the Ancestral Nation were facing off against those of Hitsu no Kuni.
Two armies stood opposite each other, separated by a lake.
"Suzaku! Your daimyo of Hitsu no Kuni once declared we would never be enemies. What does this mean now?"
The one shouting was Ichiro Matsushita.
He had now become the commander-in-chief of the Ancestral Nation's armies.
Opposite him stood Suzaku, a shady man wearing a pendant on his forehead. His face bore a sly, clearly untrustworthy smile.
"Hahaha, are you kidding me?" The shady man burst out laughing. "That coward Shizhi Xiao actually wanted us to surrender to your Ancestral Nation?
Our nation's strength is several times yours. Surrender?" He tossed a bundle from his hand into the lake. The bundle broke open, revealing clearly a human head.
It was Shizhi Xiao!
"Zhuque! You've killed your own daimyo!" Ichiro Matsushita accused.
"What daimyo? The current ruler of Hitsu no Kuni is Lord Sakata!"
Ichiro Matsushita's expression darkened. He called over an attendant and whispered beside his ear: "How much longer until Lord Ye Liang arrives?"
The attendant bowed respectfully.
"Calculating the time, the soldier sent to deliver the message should have just arrived at the Capital."
"Just arrived at the Capital! What have you all been doing?"
Ichiro Matsushita barked in anger.
It would take at least a day from the Capital to here. Now the battle was about to ignite any moment. By the time Ye Liang arrived, it would definitely be too late!
Feeling disappointed, he waved his hand, letting the servant leave. Then, unusually, he displayed a confident demeanor.
"Minister Suzaku, since you insist on fighting, our Ancestral Nation won't fear you either! If you've got the guts, cross this river right now—we'll wait right here!"
His words carried weight.
Minister Suzaku smiled.
"Bluffing again!" After speaking, he didn't rush into attacking either. Instead, he similarly summoned a page and whispered something into his ear: "Well then, are we certain they have no reinforcements?"
The page respectfully clasped his hands: "Lord Suzaku, our spies have spread across Inari Lake entirely! They only have this many people."
"Good! Issue orders immediately—let the entire army rest, eat lunch, and then cross the river right after!"
The page went down to deliver the order.
On Matsushita's side of the lake.
Seeing Hitsu no Kuni's soldiers retreating for lunch, he slightly relaxed his breath. The deputy commander approached.
"Lord Matsushita, even though Minister Suzaku hasn't attacked yet, our forces are far fewer. Once they've eaten and refreshed themselves, they'll probably attack us immediately."
Ichiro Matsushita gave a bitter smile: "How could I not know."
Turning back, he then ordered the messenger officer to stop cooking, then followed the deputy commander to find a quiet shaded spot under a tree and sat down.
"This Minister Suzaku is a cunning strategist who excels at ambushes. If my guess is correct, right after finishing their meal, he will definitely command his troops to secretly cross the river, catching us off guard."
"Lord, if you already know this, why don't we set an ambush now?" The deputy commander asked puzzled.
"It won't work," Ichiro Matsushita shook his head. "The gap between us and them is simply too large.
Outwardly, we have three hundred men versus their five hundred.
But that's only on the surface."
"If I'm not mistaken, they've already set up an ambush in the nearby woods with no fewer than three hundred soldiers lying in wait.
Once we launch our attack on the troops in the water, those hidden in the woods will strike us from behind! We'll be trapped between two fronts and die even faster!"
After hearing this, the aide's heart sank halfway.
"M-my lord! Since the situation is so dire, why insist on stubbornly holding this position? Why not quietly slip away while they're preparing their meal? That would be perfect timing."
These words stirred Ichiro Matsushita's heart deeply.
He pondereded for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses and slapped the aide across the face: "People from our Ancestral Nation would never become deserters!"
He stood up, his legs trembling.
Deserter—he had already been one once. Never again would he allow himself to become one!
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