Inside the inn, White Ram knelt to report his findings.
"Captain, the Grand General of the Left in the Land of Rivers only returns to his estate once every half-month. The rest of the time, he's stationed at the west gate of Tenshu Castle.
Even when he does return to the noble quarter, he's guarded by over a hundred samurai.
Among them, at least eight are disguised Suna-nin.
As for the Palace Councilor, he lives directly within the Imperial Ministry compound.
Ever since Sunagakure and Konoha went to war, the officials have grown even more cautious.
Please give me a bit more time. I'll uncover more intel on them."
Yako replied calmly, "Keep digging. I'll find a way to kill both targets out of the capital."
"Out of the capital? How?"
"You'll know when it's time."
Yako left the inn and boarded a carriage from the Ōkura Ministry.
That carriage took him to the outskirts of Kyoto, where he switched to another—this one belonging to Councilor Koiji Chisa.
Inside, the air was thick with perfume. Each corner held a sachet of fragrant herbs.
"Mr. Miqū, forgive my urgency," Chisa said, folding her hands. "Ever since the Land of Lightning discovered electricity, Kyoto has grown completely reliant on electrical devices.
We're nearly out of coal. In a month, even Tenshu Castle will be powerless.
The blueprints you gave me—I had them reviewed by engineers from our thermal plants. They believe hydropower might actually work.
Today, I'd like you to visit the proposed sites with them and settle the location for the hydroelectric station."
Miqū was the alias Yako had registered.
"I can't just take a million ryō for some diagrams," Yako said, feigning modesty. "This is the least I can do."
Inside, he was already calculating how to convince Koiji Chisa to invite nobles to the dam's groundbreaking ceremony—an ideal way to draw out their targets.
Following the flow of the Yoshimizu River, they arrived at a secluded valley.
"The soil in the Land of Rivers is unique," Yako explained. "The water naturally carves deep gullies as it flows. Those gullies can be harnessed. With a dam here, we could create an artificial lake. The lake's gravitational force would power turbines for electricity."
Chisa studied the map, her brow furrowing.
"Why not build the dam upstream from Kyoto, Mr. Miqū? It would generate power and help regulate the city's water supply."
Yako shook his head.
"If a dam upstream gets destroyed, Kyoto will be swept away.
Don't overestimate a shinobi's morality. If I were a Suna-nin, I wouldn't hesitate to blow it up—flood the whole city—just to cripple a power station Konoha is protecting."
Chisa fell silent.
Shinobi could be terrifying. Ordinary people spent years nurturing their fragile world, only for a few jutsu to reduce it to rubble.
"I didn't expect you to understand ninjas this well," she murmured.
"You learn a thing or two when you've lived long enough between killing and being killed."
She found his words dark… but he said them with a smile.
"Mr. Miqū, would you consider settling in the Land of Rivers? I can request my brother grant you the rank of Kawachi Guard. You'd be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the dam."
Koiji Chisa—sister to the Daimyō—had never married. She oversaw the Ōkura Ministry, a vital part of the nation's administration.
Yako's mind stirred. This would bring him even closer to the aristocracy.
"Is the ministry in financial trouble? If I become Kawachi Guard, does that mean I forfeit the million-ryō bounty?" he asked playfully.
Chisa chuckled. "I'll have the money—and the seal of your office—delivered tomorrow."
For several days, Yako buried himself in work at the Ōkura Ministry, pushing to get the foundation ceremony underway.
Eventually, Chisa agreed to invite nobles to a grand event.
Her admiration grew day by day. A supposed vagabond from the Land of Lightning, now working tirelessly for the Land of Rivers.
She told herself: he's not a wanderer anymore. He's the Kawachi Guard now. He'll live here in Kyoto.
Their feelings grew rapidly. Yako fed the flame, and Chisa found herself drawn to his brilliance and capability.
The full moon hung like a silver plate.
Its glow lit the courtyard deep within the Ōkura compound.
With the power out, there were no lamps—only moonlight and candles. Somehow, that made it feel more romantic.
In her chambers, with the window open, Chisa stood bathed in the moonlight. Her face flushed as she asked:
"Why do you insist I keep my glasses on?"
Yako gazed at her pale figure under the moon.
"I like you in glasses. There's a charm to that contrast. A hidden beauty."
"But… they keep slipping. It's uncomfortable."
"You have to wear them."
As the Daimyō's sister, she wasn't used to such boldness.
Strangely… it made her all the more willing.
Outside, a maid stood waiting in the corridor—ready to be summoned at any moment to assist Lady Chisa.
Her eyes flicked toward the study now and then, where the initial hydroelectric blueprints were kept.
Everything happening here… she'd already reported it to Iwa's spy network.
What decision the spymaster would make… she couldn't say.
But if the Land of Rivers completed the power station, they'd stop buying coal from the Land of Earth—and coal was Iwagakure's economic lifeblood.
Half a month later, the diagrams were complete.
The groundbreaking ceremony began.
Yako wore the full regalia of a River official—tall hat, flowing robes—seated on the grand platform.
White Ram hid among the engineers, his dark glasses concealing his gaze as he scanned the nobles' rest area.
'So the captain really did lure both targets outside the capital.'
The hydro project was too important. Both the Grand General of the Left and the Palace Councilor had shown up as honored guests.
But surrounded by so many samurai… it wouldn't be easy to strike.
White Ram glanced at his captain—sitting beside the elegant Councilor Chisa. The two were laughing softly together.
People who've crossed the line always behave differently. Glances that linger too long. Touches that stray too close. Boundaries… gone.
White Ram could only guess: for the sake of the mission, the captain had clearly seduced the Daimyō's sister.
'Root never trained us in seduction techniques…
Turns out they're pretty damn effective.
Too bad I'm always carrying my bugs. Guess I'll never get to try it myself…'
The ceremony began under Councilor Koiji Chisa's clear voice.
"Noble guests, honored engineers—the Kyoto Hydroelectric Station groundbreaking begins now.
This is one of the Daimyō's most important projects. It will solve the energy crisis caused by the coal shortage—"
Yako watched her speak, the side of her face framed in that elegant dress.
His gaze drifted—scanning the Grand General's bodyguards.
'Which one of them was a Suna-nin?'
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure wasn't over yet. But these nobles were already hedging their bets.
Yako wondered: was this cowardice their own, or an order from the Daimyō?
Maybe the Daimyō feared Suna would win.
Suddenly, four engineers leapt up and charged the platform.
"Kill the Kawachi Guard! We cannot allow the hydro project to succeed!"
"Earth Release: Iron Rock Cannon!"
Stones erupted from their mouths—growing mid-air into two-meter boulders hurtling toward the stage.
Yako blinked. 'I'm planning to assassinate nobles—why the hell are they targeting me?!'
Chisa gasped, then drew a slender blade.
Three elegant strokes—one of the rocks split in mid-air.
She was surprisingly skilled in kenjutsu.
"Protect the Kawachi Guard!" she shouted to the samurai.
Grabbing Yako's arm, she pulled him to the side.
"Iwa spies are attacking to stop the hydro project," she said, panic tightening her face. But still, she whispered, "Don't worry, Miqū. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know," Yako said, smiling faintly. "Nothing will happen to me."
The chaos had begun.
He gave White Ram a subtle hand signal.
It was time to act.