Chapter 38 — Time to Show You Blue Star's Ruthless Media
Every living person has a limit to their patience.
Just because they don't explode right away doesn't mean the fire isn't there.
Today, the Grass envoy chief did everything Cloud's Yuki wanted:
He took the blame for Cloud,
He barked at Oda Nobunaga on Cloud's behalf,
He took on all the dirty work…
And what did he get in return?
Before they even benefited, the Cloud shinobi kicked away the ladder.
Right in front of everyone.
They sold him—openly, brazenly, shamelessly.
The Grass envoy chief panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
Once, twice, thrice—
he tried to be someone else's attack dog,
hoping to drink a little soup from the table…
He didn't even get a drop.
His hand, originally reaching toward Nobunaga, froze mid-air.
He stared daggers at Yuki.
Damn barbarians—exactly as unreliable as the rumors say!
---
"Heh."
Zōmajirō still didn't understand why Grass and Cloud were suddenly infighting at this perfect moment.
But Nobunaga understood perfectly.
This was simply the effect of his Truth-from-Lies ability:
once the fabricated "rule" took hold, neither side dared violate it—
not when it involved harming a Daimyō.
As long as Nobunaga remained the key pillar of "Daimyō authority,"
Cloud and Grass were shackled by their own political constraints.
Though…
Nobunaga glanced at the "side table" beside him—
which was actually Kimimaro in transformation.
Originally a hidden trump card,
now it felt… unnecessary.
Watching the two idiots glare at each other like rabid dogs,
Nobunaga no longer wished to waste another minute on them.
Clap.
The moment Nobunaga lightly clapped his hands,
Kimimaro reverted from a side table into a man—
and, without warning, kicked the Grass envoy chief across the room.
At the same time, scores of Sound shinobi poured into the hall,
forming an encirclement like a pack of silent predators.
They surrounded both Grass and Cloud ninjas with chilling precision.
"Lord Oda Nobunaga—what is the meaning of this?"
Yuki, who had made one fatal misstep and now risked losing everything,
glared at Kimimaro with open hostility.
His eyes lingered on those unmistakable Kaguya Clan markings.
"So this is your trump card?
A leftover from the Kaguya clan with a corpse-bone kekkei genkai?"
Now that the masks were off,
Yuki abandoned all pretense of politeness.
"With mere scraps like these, you think you can stand against Cloud Village?"
"Even if you kill us here today,
the only outcome waiting for you is war!"
"You spoke of rules earlier, didn't you?"
Yuki's lip curled.
"Then let's talk rules."
Oda Nobunaga rose slowly, his expression calm and unhurried.
He waved a hand, and several attendants rolled out a projector.
Soon, the machine began clicking—
and the images appeared.
It was the recorded footage of the Grass shinobi secretly selling the Uzumaki mother and daughter to Nobunaga's group,
complete with audio.
After that, the footage shifted to the part where the Grass envoy chief claimed his people had "gone missing" during the search.
Except…
The transaction segment was fairly realistic.
But the "searching for comrades" segment?
That part was pure malicious editing—
cut, spliced, twisted, overdubbed, and dramatized beyond recognition.
This was Nobunaga's intentional demonstration:
a full tour of the Blue Star's shameless media arts—
masterclasses in slander, framing the innocent, and selective editing.
By the time the entire reel finished playing,
the Grass envoy chief felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss—
shivering uncontrollably, face drained of blood.
He thought he finally had a flawless excuse, a solid pretext,
something substantial enough to pressure Nobunaga and sabotage the "Ninja-Nation Unification" movement.
But now?
The truth was laid bare.
Cloud's envoy leader, Yuki, stared at the retracting film reel with a strong urge to burn it on the spot.
Because the truth was crystal clear:
The Uzumaki mother and daughter were sold by Grass Village.
Nobunaga did not "steal" anything.
And the Grass shinobi who came "searching for comrades"?
In the footage they were clearly trying to ambush and kill Nobunaga's group for profit.
A direct violation of shinobi norms:
attempting to assassinate a Daimyō.
If this video spread, forget the international outrage—
just Grass Country's own Daimyō would probably laugh three times and immediately slash Grass Village's funding.
---
"Fake! It's all fake!"
Grass's envoy chief panicked the moment the footage ended.
His previous swagger evaporated entirely.
He hopped in place like a cornered animal, screaming,
pointing at the video and declaring it fabricated.
But to everyone else, his reaction looked exactly like guilty panic.
Ironically, no one even considered that the footage actually was fake—
meticulously forged by Nobunaga's Truth-from-Lies ability.
---
"Hmph."
Yuki scoffed coldly.
He was seconds away from taking advantage of the chaos, lunging toward the projector, and seizing the tape.
But at the critical moment, from within the shinobi crowd, Mabui subtly tugged his sleeve.
"Hmm?"
Without turning his head, Yuki steadied himself.
He wasn't about to expose Mabui's identity—not now.
Mabui whispered using Cloud Village's coded sign-language:
"The tape can be duplicated.
With the means this Nobunaga possesses…
copies are likely already in the hands of other Daimyō.
Taking this one is meaningless."
"Tch."
Grinding his teeth, Yuki reluctantly gave up the idea of grabbing the tape.
He shot Nobunaga a venomous look.
Negotiations were over.
"Let's go."
He flicked his sleeve dramatically, leading his Cloud ninjas toward the exit.
There was no point remaining and humiliating themselves further.
As for whether Sound shinobi would try to block them—
Yuki was confident:
even if Nobunaga had eight hundred lives,
he wouldn't dare start a war with Cloud Village here.
Starting pointless conflicts?
That's Cloud's specialty—not anyone else's.
---
"Wait for us! Lord Yuki—let us accompany you!"
Seeing Cloud leave, the Grass envoy chief panicked.
He couldn't take the tape, couldn't fight,
and without Cloud backing him, he was done for.
He immediately forgot all the resentment he'd had toward Cloud minutes earlier
and shamelessly glued himself to Yuki's side again.
Dignity?
He threw that away long ago.
"Scr—"
Just as Yuki was about to bark "Scram,"
something caught his eye.
A flash of red hair peeking from behind a doorway inside the residence.
Thanks to a shinobi's sharp eyesight, he instantly recognized her—
Uzumaki Shion.
She's here?
Right inside the Daimyō's estate?
A bolt of lightning struck Yuki's mind.
There was no way Cloud Village could return home empty-handed!
Failing such an easy mission would destroy reputations—
and damage Cloud's prestige across the continent.
"You're coming with us."
He grabbed the smiling Grass envoy chief by the collar,
then looked Nobunaga dead in the eyes
and walked out with exaggerated pride.
---
"My lord, should we…?"
Left-behind Zōmajirō looked to Nobunaga.
He gestured subtly—a downward slash.
"Shall we kill them?"
But Nobunaga's gaze remained tranquil, cold.
"We need time."
He watched Cloud and Grass disappear beyond the gate.
Before he could challenge Cloud Village openly,
before he could ignite a war with righteousness and public support behind him…
He needed preparation.
He needed resources.
He needed the right moment.
And above all—
He needed a just cause that would shake the entire shinobi world.
Right now…
it wasn't time yet.
---