"Ah!"
A pig-slaughter scream split the hall as the host clutched his arm and rolled on the ground.
The crowd stared in shock. That reversal came too fast.
The shinobi on both sides rushed up, but in the next instant an explosion burst out. Chaos swallowed the hall.
Some fled. Some shouted for fire crews.
Through the thick smoke, Shigeo walked out calmly and left the venue.
For the next two days the cruise ship grew quiet. No one invited guests to join "fun activities" anymore.
As for that fight, the fake Lute explained to everyone: "A misunderstanding!"
There were doubts, but since "Mr. Lute" personally reassured them, no one pressed further.
The fake Lute still remembered that night.
Senzo, that boy's arm-breaker, was his right hand and higher in status than him, Lute's stand-in. How could he swallow such humiliation? He ordered the boy killed on the spot.
But when the shinobi rushed up, within three seconds the entire third-floor hall was blown apart. Only timely rescue saved the ship from sinking with all souls lost.
Afterward Senzo was escorted to his room. Medical shinobi treated him, but he raged and ordered every shinobi to hunt the boy. He swore never to live if that hatred went unanswered.
Yet when he turned his head, the boy was already in his room, holding a seven-foot long sword of Hyōton (Ice Release), its tip at Senzo's throat.
"Choose: death, or life?"
Senzo froze. Even breathing felt dangerous. Only the fake Lute was there; all the others had been sent to search.
"L-life. I want to live."
Senzo always bullied subordinates, leaning on his favor as Lute's man. Except for the big boss, he looked down on everyone. But here, facing a killer's intent, he knew better.
Survival mattered most. He bent, became the boy's dog.
"Pass the order. Say it was a misunderstanding. Recall every shinobi. Let no one disturb the peace."
"Yes, yes!" Senzo bowed and scraped.
The ship calmed. In truth, the boy had seized control.
The next days he lived in the best cabin, enjoyed the best service. Outwardly calm seas, but the fake Lute sensed a storm was near.
Finally, the ship docked. Everyone disembarked on East Secret Island.
Senzo tried to cry for help. Instead his emotions surged, foam gushed from his mouth, and he collapsed dead. Medicine could not save him. The healer declared "sudden death."
The fat fake Lute stood nearby. He saw the crowd's eyes on him, then glanced at the youth's calm smile. He forced composure. "Since it was sudden death, bury him properly. Don't panic. Soon I'll have people guide you around East Secret Island."
After speaking, he saw the youth's smile and relaxed.
As Shigeo passed, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll handle your sister's matter."
The fake Lute's true name was Cheng Da, a peasant from the Land of Hot Water. By chance he met the real Lute. Their faces were so alike that even Lute's subordinates nearly mistook him. Lute imprisoned him.
To hide the truth, Lute poisoned Cheng Da's parents and abducted his sister.
Threatened, Cheng Da obeyed. For two years he studied Lute's mannerisms in the shadows, serving as his double whenever needed.
This voyage to pick up Shigeo impostors was one such job. He looked like the boss, but had no power. Worse, the boss's men vented their frustrations on him.
Senzo especially. To Lute he played the sycophant, but behind his back he tormented Cheng Da, beating him often.
Cheng Da endured humiliation, hoping only to one day save his sister.
Shigeo's arrival ignited hope. He did not know who Shigeo was or if he could succeed, but even the faintest hope was enough to follow him.
They exchanged few words. Shigeo only learned his story while watching Senzo bully Cheng Da.
The fat man spoke little but quietly helped him. Shigeo understood what he sought without words.
With Senzo dead, the island administrators asked Cheng Da about ship matters, then took the guests into town.
East Secret Island lay hidden in the East Sea. Few in the outside world even knew of it.
The island's east-side town appeared prosperous, full of craftsmen. Their wares—kettles, sketchbooks, porcelain—were tied to Shigeo's name.
The crowd wandered, marveling, until guides led them west. If the east held craftspeople, the west was the domain of the Blue-Gate Trading Company's boss, Lute.
The massive estate covered half the island. At the gate carriages waited to shuttle guests inside.
The butler on board spoke endlessly of East Secret Island's legends, mostly bragging of the company's vast reach. Just last year's profits could buy several cities.
"You are all Blue-Gate's contributors. Without you spreading the name across the shinobi world, who would know of Shigeo? It was the boss's foresight to lift him so high. Though our goods don't sell well in the Five Great Nations, elsewhere they sell fine. You have done your jobs well."
As he rambled, his eyes fell on the youth sitting in the back row.
Everyone on this carriage carried a gold envelope. All were impostors of Shigeo. So he was one too?
(End of Chapter)
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