As Shigure and Amahara Rei discussed countermeasures, one of Rei's servants, Uncle Fu, knocked and entered the room carrying a steaming cup of medicinal tea.
"Does it have to be delivered at this hour? What a coincidence," Shigure thought with a trace of suspicion.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Fu." Rei took the tea with a smile.
Using his sensory abilities, Shigure carefully examined the tea but detected no abnormalities.
"Indeed, it's just some beneficial herbs." Still cautious, Shigure stopped Rei before she drank it.
"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Rei and Suisen both looked puzzled.
"I don't know about the tea, but I'd like to try it first, if I may?" Shigure said politely, already picking up the cup.
Rei wasn't naive—she knew Shigure was suspicious of Uncle Fu.
"I'll get another cup," Uncle Fu said, turning to leave, but Suisen quickly stopped him.
"No need, Uncle Fu. After this tea, I should be able to identify the poisoner." Shigure smiled faintly as he sipped the hot tea.
"Poison?" Uncle Fu shook his head in confusion.
Shigure only felt a mild warmth coursing through his body, nothing else.
"Hmmm, the tea is fine," Shigure concluded, though he still sensed something off.
"A false alarm!" Rei said, relieved and certain that Uncle Fu—the caretaker she trusted—had not poisoned her.
"Sorry for suspecting you, Uncle Fu." Suisen tried to regain his favor, but Uncle Fu waved it off.
"If someone tried to poison Rei, this old man would fight them to the death immediately!" Uncle Fu declared indignantly.
"Apologies again, Uncle Fu," Shigure smiled and patted the old man's shoulder.
"Since this was a misunderstanding, let's proceed with the original plan," Shigure said.
His method to protect Rei was simple: by fully activating his Sage Mode chakra, Shigure would suppress the metabolism of the toxin inside her body, keeping her safe for at least a week.
Having done this, Shigure bid farewell to Rei and Suisen, leaving behind his shadow clone, and then exited the Amahara residence.
Outside, a breeze blew, carrying the scent of rare trees planted at the Daimyo's castle. For some reason, Shigure's heart clenched painfully.
"I... why..." "I was poisoned without even realizing it..." "Who is the poisoner?"
Shigure was stunned. No one had approached him, and with his vigilance, nobody could have poisoned him unseen.
But Shigure's analytical mind was sharp, and he quickly deduced the cause.
"So that's it! The scent!"
"The Daimyo's castle hosts many precious trees and flowers, and their molecules drift on the air currents. Most people entering inhale this scent. The scent alone isn't toxic," he realized.
"The medicinal tea Rei drank is also not poisonous by itself, but when combined with the scent, it causes toxin production in the body. Though I don't know the exact ingredients, that's the principle. If untreated, the poisoning will be fatal!" Though Shigure was poisoned, the natural energy coursing through him helped neutralize the toxins.
Without sharing a word, Shigure instantly teleported back to the Amahara mansion.
Upon arrival, he saw Suisen standing with her back to the main gate—but could not sense his shadow clone at all.
"Suisen? What's going on? Where's my shadow clone?" Shigure asked anxiously.
Not only could he not detect the clone, but there was no information transmitted from it—meaning the shadow clone hadn't vanished, but hidden itself.
"Where's Rei? Uncle Fu is the culprit! Be careful!" Shigure shouted urgently, but then noticed there was no Hiraishin mark on Suisen.
Suisen abruptly turned, showing a pale, expressionless face.
"Da da da!" Suisen opened her mouth mechanically, and razor-sharp spikes suddenly shot out towards Shigure.
"A puppet!?" Shigure reacted swiftly, flipping backward to avoid the attack and putting distance between them.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect the plan to nearly succeed, until an annoying brat like you showed up." Uncle Fu stepped forward, grinning sinisterly, manipulating the Suisen puppet with chakra threads in his hands.
"Using a mixed toxin? What's your relationship with Chiyo? Where are Rei and Suisen hidden?" Shigure's eyes narrowed. His Detective Eye found no trace of them or his shadow clone.
"To guess all that, not all Leaf ninjas are idiots. But what can you do? You've already been poisoned with the mixed toxin, haven't you? And I have three puppets against your one!" Uncle Fu gloated.
He wiggled his fingers, and puppets shaped like "Amamiya Rei" and "Suisen" exploded out from within the puppets they controlled.
One resembled a chameleon; the other had razor-sharp claws, like Wolverine.
"I wanted to seize this guy's assets without bloodshed, but now... I must fight. Oh well, kid! Remember my name: Shada! My puppetry is inherited from the Second Kazekage, Shamon! How can it compare to that old crone Chiyo's White Secret Technique? Today, witness my Shada's Yellow Secret Technique!"
"Chameleon! Wind Wolf!"
Shada controlled one puppet in each hand, an imposing sight.
Shigure secretly shook his head inwardly.
"How can a puppet master's strength be measured by the number of puppets they control? Chiyo controls ten! And you only have two."
Shigure's words struck a nerve.
"Nonsense! I'll show you my power!" Shada began an intricate dance with his hands. The Wind Wolf puppet swung its blades wildly, imbued with wind chakra, charging at Shigure.
"Similar to Danzo's style?" Shigure narrowed his eyes, drawing his Meteor Blade.
A cool shiver surged through him as his mind sharpened.
He preferred the Meteor Blade—it suited direct combat far better.
"This is my first time fighting a puppet master. Turns out they're descended from the Second Kazekage's line. How very interesting."
--
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