Amahara Ye had already received Shigure's message and was waiting outside the gate of the Daimyo Castle for his daughter and her savior. This time, Amahara Ye was dressed not as an old servant, but in opulent noble attire, though his face showed a subtle pallor.
When he saw Suisen and Shigure, he immediately burst into tears.
"Maybe the profession of a ninja was always meant to help people. That could have been the Sage of Six Paths' original intent for Ninshu—not using ninjutsu for conflict," Shigure felt his heart stirred by the heartfelt reunion.
"You actually brought Suisen back… thank you so much!" Amahara Ye cried with joy and hosted a welcoming banquet for his daughter and Shigure, inviting them into his mansion.
After the feast of fine wine and meat, Amahara Ye spoke privately to Shigure while Suisen was away. "Mr. Shigure, you're not married, right? What do you think of my daughter, Suisen? I promised: whoever could rescue her would inherit the Amahara family fortune and become our son-in-law. From experience, I can sense you have feelings for Suisen!"
"So, don't be a ninja anymore; join us! I hear you do business too. You must be a merchant yourself," Amahara Ye urged.
"Mr. Amahara, I'm not just any ninja. I'm the Third Hokage's personal student. If I left the ninja life, it'd be a blow to the Land of Fire—many would blame you for swaying me," Shigure replied with a playful smile.
"Is that so… Actually, it doesn't matter. Be a ninja or a businessman, it's all fine—as long as you take care of my only daughter. That is my greatest wish," Amahara Ye said, his expression mixed.
Shigure again demurred politely. "Parenthood is always sorrowful—you're only thinking of Suisen's future. But I'm not even ten years old yet, and Miss Suisen is just a little older…" "Age isn't the point—inheritance is," Amahara Ye countered softly.
A fleeting sadness brushed Amahara Ye's face, but Shigure's keen perception didn't miss it.
"Why do I feel I'm being entrusted with a child?" Shigure thought it odd.
But then, Shigure activated his light-blue Sharingan with a thought. He saw within Amahara Ye's body that his heart was already weaker than ordinary, and his chakra meridians blocked.
It was clear Amahara Ye did not have long to live.
"Odd… When I left with Hayashi Rei, Amahara Ye didn't seem this sick. What changed?" Shigure used his sharp observer's eye for a closer look, and soon he spotted bluish-purple substances inside Amahara Ye's body.
"Bluish-purple… Poison! Someone poisoned him?!" Shigure was startled.
Amahara Ye was the head of the three merchants of the Land of Fire and held noble office—how could someone have poisoned him?
"Mr. Amahara, be honest: what happened after I left?" Shigure asked directly.
Amahara Ye was stunned. "You saw it? I'm sorry… Since you left, nothing strange happened, but I keep feeling weaker day by day… maybe it's them… or maybe I'm just imagining things." He rubbed his head.
Shigure shook his head and moved to examine him.
"I don't know who 'they' are, but it was definitely them. You have been poisoned, Mr. Amahara."
"If you run the Amahara business, and with Suisen's kidnapping, someone who gets rid of you could seize the family assets. Do you have any rivals?" Shigure pressed.
Amahara Ye immediately replied, "Could it be… the Nakajima family?"
"Nakajima? That name's familiar," Shigure recalled that, years earlier, when Hoshiko worked for Suisen, a Nakajima had tried to bully her—he claimed he wanted Suisen, and Hoshiko said her goal was the Amahara assets.
"So you know Nakajima… let me explain briefly."
"Of the three great merchants of the Land of Fire, there's Amahara and Nakajima. We have turf wars—if anyone would poison me, it'd be Nakajima," Amahara Ye insisted.
Suddenly, "Cough, cough, cough!" Amahara Ye started coughing up blood. He was clearly very poisoned.
"Father!" Suisen ran in and saw the scene.
"What's happening?!" Suisen's eyes filled with tears.
"Don't worry, let me try to treat him." Shigure placed his hand on Amahara Ye, trying to detoxify him with his triggering ability. But Amahara Ye lacked chakra, and Shigure quickly realized how complex the poison was.
"In Konoha… there's almost no poison master this skilled," Shigure thought. He himself could never be poisoned—the power of Ryūchi Cave's Sage force, combined with Fierce Blood Mode and Eight Dragons Rebirth, could purge any venom instantly. But healing others was something else.
"I'm sorry, I can only suppress it temporarily. There are only two people who could fully cure Mr. Amahara," Shigure explained.
"Who are they?!" Suisen was desperate.
"One is Tsunade, one of Konoha's Sannin; the other is Chiyo, Sunagakure's puppet master and poison expert. I suspect Chiyo made this toxin. I can suppress it for now, though," Shigure said.
Suisen knelt in front of Shigure, pleading, "Please save my father!"
"I will. Please get up first." Shigure helped her, then turned to Amahara Ye.
"Chiyo is far in Suna, and Tsunade is missing. I can only repress the poison for a few months. I'll do my best to find Tsunade."
"Why don't Father and you travel together, Shigure? When you find Lady Tsunade, she can treat him at once," Suisen suggested.
"No! If I suppress the poison, Mr. Amahara cannot move. If he's absent, the Nakajima family will suspect something and may hijack the Amahara assets. If Mr. Amahara just acts like he's worsening and stays indoors, the enemy will hesitate and just watch."
"Just do as I say, Mr. Amahara. Only then can we win this."
"Mr. Amahara, your tea has arrived," came a voice.
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