Inside the inn, White Ram came to report on the reconnaissance of the past few days.
"Squad Leader, the Land of Rivers' Left Imperial Guard General only returns to his residence once every half month. He stays guarding inside the west gate of the Tenshu Castle. Even when he returns to his mansion in the noble district, he has over a hundred samurai as guards. Among those samurai, there are at least eight Sand ninjas hiding. As for the Master of the Empress's Household, he lives directly within the Council of State. Since Sunagakure and Konoha went to war, these officials have become more cautious. Please give me more time, Squad Leader. I will definitely find more intelligence on them."
Yōkō said, "Continue your investigation. I will find a way to create an opportunity to lure those two out of the capital."
"Lure them out of the capital? How?"
"Just wait for my signal."
Yōkō left the inn and boarded a carriage from the Office of the Chief Treasurer.
This carriage took Yōkō outside the capital. After changing carriages outside the city walls, he boarded the carriage of Chief Treasurer Koishi Chisa.
The interior of Koishi Chisa's carriage was filled with fragrance, with four sachets hanging in the corners.
"Mr. Kōji, please forgive me for pressing you like this. Ever since the Land of Lightning invented electricity, the capital has become dependent on various electrical appliances. Our coal reserves are critical. In a month, not just the capital, but even the Tenshu Castle will have no electricity. I had the artisans from the coal-fired power plant look at the blueprints you gave me. They said it might actually be possible to use the river water to generate electricity. Today, I ask you to discuss on-site with the artisans, finalize the plan and the site selection, and see where is suitable to build the hydroelectric power station."
Kōji was the false name Yōkō had given.
Yōkō said, "I can't just take the 1,000,000 Ryo for drawing a few blueprints. This is what I should do."
He calculated in his mind, thinking of a way to persuade Koishi Chisa to invite some nobles to the hydroelectric plant's groundbreaking ceremony, to lure the two targets out of the capital.
Walking downstream along the Yoshimizu River, Yōkō selected a valley. Yōkō said:
"The Land of Rivers has special soil composition. After the river flows through, it continuously erodes downward, carving out deep gullies. These deep gullies can be fully utilized to build a hydroelectric power station. This spot is quite good. Just by building a dam here, we can create an artificial lake and use the gravitational potential energy of the lake water to generate electricity."
Koishi Chisa looked at the map and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Kōji, why not build the dam upstream from the capital? It could generate electricity and also regulate the water flow for the capital."
Yōkō shook his head and said:
"If we build the dam upstream of the capital, if someone blows up the dam, the capital is finished. Don't overestimate ninja morals. If I were a Sand ninja, to destroy the Land of Rivers protected by Konoha, I wouldn't hesitate to blow up the dam, even if the flood would kill thousands of capital residents."
Koishi Chisa's expression darkened.
The destructive power of ninjas was too great. Ordinary people carefully maintained their living environment, but a few ninjutsu from passing ninjas could destroy everything.
"I didn't expect Mr. Kōji to understand ninjas so well."
"One gains some insights between killing and being killed."
Koishi Chisa found Kōji to be quite optimistic.
"Mr. Kōji, I wonder if you would be willing to settle down in the Land of Rivers? I am willing to apply to my brother to grant you the official position of Governor of Kawachi, to construct and manage the dam and the hydroelectric power station."
Koishi Chisa was the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers' sister, unmarried, helping the Daimyō manage the important Office of the Chief Treasurer.
Yōkō's heart stirred—wouldn't this make it easier for him to get close to the nobility? He said:
"Is the Land of Rivers' Office of the Chief Treasurer facing difficulties? If I become the Governor of Kawachi, does that mean I won't get the 1,000,000 Ryo reward?"
Koishi Chisa smiled and said, "I will deliver the reward tomorrow, along with the official seal for the Governor of Kawachi."
For several consecutive days, Yōkō worked at full capacity within the Office of the Chief Treasurer, solely to start construction and hold the groundbreaking ceremony as soon as possible.
Koishi Chisa had already agreed to invite nobles to the groundbreaking ceremony and hold a grand ceremony.
Koishi Chisa grew increasingly moved. A rogue ninja from the Land of Lightning was working so desperately for the Land of Rivers' hydroelectric project.
On second thought, she could no longer think of Kōji as a rogue ninja. He would settle in the capital and serve as the Governor of Kawachi.
Their feelings for each other warmed up rapidly. Yōkō deliberately cultivated this relationship, and Koishi Chisa was also attracted by Yōkō's engineering talent.
The full moon was like a silver plate.
Moonlight shone down on the courtyard deep within the Office of the Chief Treasurer.
The power outage meant no electric lights, relying only on moonlight and candlelight for illumination, which instead felt more romantic.
Inside the boudoir, the window was open, allowing moonlight to stream in.
Koishi Chisa was bathed in the moonlight. Her face flushed as she asked, "Why do you want me to keep wearing my glasses?"
Yōkō looked at Koishi Chisa's snow-white body under the moonlight and said, "I like it when you wear glasses. It has a unique beauty of contrast."
"But... the glasses keep shaking around. It's uncomfortable."
"You must keep them on."
As the Daimyō's sister, Koishi Chisa had never encountered such a dominant man before, which made her more compliant.
Outside the boudoir, a maidservant waited in the corridor, ready to be summoned to attend to Lady Chisa.
The maidservant's eyes were shifty, occasionally glancing towards Lady Chisa's study, where the preliminary design blueprints for the hydroelectric plant were kept.
She had already passed on everything happening here to the Rock ninja spy. She didn't know what choice the spy master would make.
If the Land of Rivers successfully built the hydroelectric plant, they would no longer need to buy coal from the Land of Earth. Coal was a crucial economic pillar for the Land of Earth.
Half a month later, the equipment blueprints were finished, and the dam's groundbreaking ceremony began.
Yōkō wore the official robes of the Land of Rivers and a tall official hat, sitting on the dais.
White Ram, wearing sunglasses, was blended in among the artisans.
His eyes behind the sunglasses occasionally glanced towards the noble rest area on the side.
He never thought the Squadron Leader could really lure the assassination targets outside the capital.
The hydroelectric plant was too important for the Land of Rivers. Both the Left Imperial Guard General and the Master of the Empress's Household attended the groundbreaking ceremony as specially invited nobles.
The two nobles were heavily surrounded by samurai, making it difficult to strike.
White Ram glanced at the Squadron Leader. The leader was sitting beside the tall and beautiful Chief Treasurer, the two of them talking and laughing about something.
Two people who have been intimate had a different sense of boundaries with each other compared to others—unintentional eye contact, occasional touches—it was all different from ordinary friends.
White Ram guessed that to complete the mission, the Squadron Leader must have submitted himself to the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers' sister.
Root training hadn't taught him the 'handsome man trap'.
So the 'handsome man trap' was this effective.
Sigh. He was raising insects all over his body. It seemed he would never be able to use the 'handsome man trap' in this lifetime.
The groundbreaking ceremony commenced under the direction of Chief Treasurer Koishi Chisa.
"Honored nobles, esteemed artisans, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Capital Hydroelectric Power Station officially begins! The hydroelectric power station is the project His Highness the Daimyō values most. It will solve the power shortage caused by the lack of coal..."
Yōkō watched Koishi Chisa's silhouette in her long gown with a smile.
His peripheral vision swept over the guards of the Left Imperial Guard General.
He wondered which of those guards were the Sand ninjas.
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure hadn't even been decided yet, and these fence-sitters couldn't restrain themselves.
He didn't know if the fence-sitting behavior of nobles like the Left Imperial Guard General was spontaneous or secretly ordered by the Daimyō.
Perhaps the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers also feared that Sunagakure would be victorious.
During Koishi Chisa's clear address, four artisans suddenly leaped up, charging straight towards the dais!
"Kill the Governor of Kawachi! We must not let the Land of Rivers complete the hydroelectric plant!"
"Earth Release: Rock Iron Gun Technique!"
The four simultaneously spat pebbles from their mouths. The pebbles grew larger in the wind, turning into large rocks one or two meters across, flying towards the dais.
Yōkō was taken aback. I'm here plotting to murder nobles, why is someone coming straight for me?
Koishi Chisa was startled, but immediately drew a thin sword, brandishing it continuously, and with three strokes cleaved one of the rocks apart.
She actually possessed considerable swordsmanship.
She quickly ordered the samurai: "Protect the Governor of Kawachi!"
Having said that, she grabbed Yōkō's hand and pulled him away to the side.
"Rock ninja spies are trying to sabotage the hydroelectric plant because of the coal," Koishi Chisa said, her face anxious, but her voice comforting. "Don't worry, Kōji. I definitely won't let anything happen to you."
Yōkō said, "I know. Nothing will happen to me."
Chaos has erupted.
Yōkō made a hand signal to White Ram, ordering him to take action.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!