The bridal procession had only traveled for less than a day, so it was still not far from Daimyo City in the Land of Fire.
Surprisingly, Karura had infiltrated the bridal procession. She used the Transformation Technique to transform into a fifteen-year-old attendant, following right beside the palanquin.
The Transformation Technique was perfect; everything from her appearance to her movements made her an authentic attendant, but her eyes betrayed her.
Her indigo-blue eyes held a gentle gaze, a look rarely seen in a Ninja, yet Karura possessed it. Inoyue had seen it before; being Gaara's mother, she had paid close attention and looked at her a few more times back then.
What was she doing here? Inoyue suppressed her wildly beating heart and began to analyze calmly.
Assassinate the Hime? This should be impossible. The Land of Fire marrying off the Thirteenth Princess to the Land of Rivers was more of a political statement; it showed their attitude towards the Land of Rivers to deter other countries, especially the Land of Wind. If they directly assassinated the Hime, the Land of Fire's wrath would be directed at the Land of Wind, which would be a complete loss.
Could it be to infiltrate the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Rivers and assassinate the Daimyo? This was possible, but not highly probable. No! This is very likely, Inoyue's eyes lit up, and she suddenly changed her mind.
Infiltrating the bridal procession to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers could achieve the assassination goal. Secondly, it could sow discord between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. After the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers died, they could support a successor who leaned towards the Land of Wind, thereby achieving the goal of controlling the Daimyo.
"Your Highness Hime, there's no need to be sad. I heard the Prince of the Land of Rivers is also a good person." Inoyue's expression was noticed by an attendant nearby. Her current state made the attendant mistakenly believe she was sad due to parting with her lover.
"Ah... Oh!" Inoyue snapped back, uttering an "ah oh" and not refuting it. There was no need to explain these things; she wasn't the real Hime.
Turning her thoughts back, Inoyue considered the chances of acting now. Besides herself, there was a Jonin guard named Kikukawa Ginta in the procession. His strength should be decent, but against Karura, Inoyue still felt it wasn't enough.
Well! If the strength isn't enough, it's better to stay put for now. I'll make a plan after confirming her objective.
...
The front was already quiet, as if the lover named Kuchiki had given up, and the procession slowly moved forward again.
"Your Highness Hime!" The attendant, transformed Karura, called softly from beside the palanquin.
"This is an ornament that Lord Kuchiki asked to return to you." Karura's fair wrist reached in through the window, holding a purple, round jade pendant.
Inoyue took it. The jade pendant was entirely purple, cool to the touch, and without any impurities.
What a fine piece of jade, and what a romantic person. Unfortunately, they are destined to be without fate. Although I am replacing Hime to go to the Land of Rivers this time, once the situation stabilizes, the real Hime will still be sent there.
The bridal gown had no pockets, so Inoyue had to wear the jade pendant on her chest. This was the Thirteenth Princess's item, and she would have to return it after the mission was completed.
The previous interlude passed quickly, and the rest of the procession's journey was very smooth, as such a scene only needed to happen once.
When camping at night, Hime, played by Inoyue, would wear a veil over her face when she came out to rest, to prevent other men from seeing her face. It was precisely because of this etiquette that Inoyue could stand fearlessly before Karura.
With a confident Transformation Technique and a face-covering veil, Karura would never have imagined that the Hime beside her was the Konoha Ninja she had almost killed.
The night passed uneventfully, and at dawn, the bridal procession continued its journey. Karura showed no flaws, doing whatever was required, fulfilling her role as an attendant.
Walking and stopping, stopping and walking, the procession finally arrived at the Daimyo City of the Land of Rivers: Kikyo Castle.
Kikyo Castle was an ancient city; whether it was the buildings along the streets or the pagodas, everything looked so rustic. As Inoyue secretly peeked from within the palanquin, she felt an urge to immediately learn the history of this city.
The city was bustling with people, lively and vibrant. With the Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire marrying, a grand welcoming ceremony and wedding ceremony were held in the city.
The wedding ceremony was elaborate, with guests coming and going. From dawn when they entered the city until sunset, everything was finally completed. Thus, the Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire, Hime, officially became the daughter-in-law of the Daimyo family of the Land of Rivers.
...
At night, after the guests had dispersed.
Inside the Daimyo's inner city, the Asakura family, the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, was holding a small family meeting. Perhaps that's not quite right; the correct way to put it was that Inoyue was giving a mission briefing.
There were seven people in the hall: Asakura Yuichi and his wife, and Hime's nominal husband, who was also the future successor of the Land of Rivers: Asakura Ichikai. Behind each of them were two samurai carrying swords.
"Starting today, I will be responsible for the safety of your son, Asakura Ichikai, until the mission ends. That is all, Konoha Chunin: Chiba Inoyue."
"Where is my Hime?" Before Asakura Yuichi, the Daimyo, could speak, his son Asakura Ichikai immediately asked about his eight-year-old wife.
Inoyue looked up at Asakura Ichikai, who was already hollowed out by wine and women: "Princess Hime will only come after the situation has stabilized."
Hearing Inoyue's answer, Asakura Ichikai chuckled, his Adam's apple bobbing: "So before the real Hime comes, you're going to sleep with me?" His lecherous response and lustful eyes indicated that Asakura Ichikai was not only lecherous but possibly also had a severe case of pedophilia.
The two samurai behind Asakura Ichikai showed similar, disgusting smiles.
Although Inoyue was a Chunin, her young age and gender made it easy for people to underestimate her.
"Lord Asakura Ichikai, please show some self-respect. I am only responsible for your personal safety." Inoyue said indifferently. Whenever she spoke in this tone, she was usually suppressing the anger in her heart.
Asakura Ichikai didn't care and continued to smile lecherously: "Isn't eating and sleeping together better for close protection?"
"Is that so?" Inoyue retorted, already furious. A golden color quickly filled her eyes, her Mind's Eye activated, and she released the inherent killing intent of a Ninja.
As Inoyue's eyes changed, Asakura Ichikai suddenly became afraid. The two samurai behind him had already placed their thumbs on their sword guards, ready to draw their katanas at any moment.
Although these two samurai weren't terrified, their playful expressions were gone, replaced by solemnity.
The killing intent released by this eight-year-old Konoha Chunin was no weaker than that of two samurai who had been killing for years. At only eight years old, they felt as if they were facing an unfathomable beast, truly terrifying.
Most people couldn't withstand the killing intent released by Inoyue, let alone Asakura Ichikai, whose body had long been hollowed out by wine and women. He suddenly recoiled, leaning back against the two samurai behind him, as if only being close to them could make him feel a little safer.
"Ichikai, you may leave first!" Asakura Yuichi, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. At this, Asakura Ichikai looked as if he had been granted a great pardon. He quickly led the two samurai behind him out of the hall, not even daring to glance at Inoyue.
Asakura Yuichi stood up and walked towards Inoyue. He was somewhat old, but his steps were firm, showing the demeanor of a Daimyo of a country.
"I apologize, Konoha Chunin, I apologize on behalf of my son." Asakura Yuichi walked closer to Inoyue, his sudden apology startling her.
With the Daimyo of a country apologizing to her, what else could Inoyue not understand? She quickly replied, "Please rest assured, I will do my essential work."
...
The Land of Rivers was a small country without its own Ninja village. Of course, the Daimyo could recruit rogue Ninja; however, rogue Ninja had issues of loyalty, and their strength could not compare to Ninja from the great Ninja villages. Now, with the Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire marrying, they seized this opportunity to connect with Konoha and issued this B-rank mission.
A B-rank mission? Was it really B-rank? Inoyue didn't think so. After a conversation with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, she realized she had been tricked again. Not only did this B-rank mission encounter the hostile Elite Jonin Karura, but her protection target alone was strange enough.
A year ago, the young Asakura Ichikai was a promising youth, excelling among his peers in both political and administrative abilities. But exactly one year ago, he suddenly transformed into a pleasure-seeking playboy, requiring a virgin to serve him every night, and showing signs of developing pedophilia.
Such a sudden transformation indicated a significant problem.
Karura, the Sand Ninja's objective, was still unclear, and now the protection target had this whole mess. It was truly a case of bad luck piling up, as if nothing was meant to go well for Inoyue.
Aside from these issues, there was one more thing that Inoyue found quite concerning. That was, when she activated her Mind's Eye just now, she clearly saw two different souls on Asakura Ichikai's body: one was as thin as a cicada's wing, emitting a fading light, as if it could dissipate at any moment. The other was no different from an ordinary human, but within it, faint traces of evil qi flowed.
[ +1 Chapter, per 10 power stones (2/5) ]