After Ichiro threw Kobayashi Haro's severed arm on the table to Setoru, the deputy chief of the outpost's surprise knew no bounds. He immediately looked at Ichiro with a completely different look and for the first time offered him tea. However, Ichiro refused, received the reward, and left.
Returning home, Kenshin could not avoid close examination from his worried wives. Hitomi immediately noticed bruises under his eyes and asked the Twenty-Second in a displeased tone:
"What happened?"
"Nothing serious, just a nose fracture, but I performed primary treatment as you taught me." The Twenty-Second said softly, instantly becoming meek and silky in front of his strict mother.
"I didn't teach you to do your job so sloppily! Why didn't you stop the bleeding and remove the bruises?! Doesn't your own father deserve quality treatment?!" Hitomi snapped.
"I… Sorry, mom…" The Twenty-Second mumbled. When it came to professionalism, Hitomi gave no slack even to her own sons.
"Stop it, Hitomi, don't be so strict with him, in field conditions he did everything that was required of him." Kenshin said with a smile, not wanting to listen to arguments between relatives, especially when the mission ended without much loss.
Hitomi immediately fell silent and seating Kenshin in a chair began to treat his nose and remove bruises under his eyes.
"How did it go? Did you manage to destroy the target?" Kasumi asked excitedly. She was very worried about the success of the mission and all this time could not find a place for herself.
"Not ideally of course, but we managed to take down this bastard. If he hadn't somehow foreseen our attack in some strange way, everything would have been even better." Kenshin answered.
"Yes, father, this scum somehow incomprehensibly managed to foresee my attack and even created a decoy in the form of a water clone. I just don't understand why this woman agreed to be a decoy…" Ichiro said with a sigh.
"Most likely no one asked her. Let me see everything you managed to notice during the attack." Kenshin ordered and touched Ichiro's head.
For the next few minutes he did nothing but review this moment over and over again under x150 focusing and came to some conclusions.
"Apparently this woman was immobilized. Surely the bastard damaged her spine so she couldn't make sudden movements. However, she was conscious, otherwise with our scanning with the Twenty-Second we would have easily seen the trap."
"And how did he know about the attack?" Kasumi asked. Thanks to her natural wit, she could easily notice the most important points in the events taking place.
"Good question. Honestly — I don't know. Either he had some technique related to predicting fate, or it's the vaunted intuition of high-level shinobi. If you think about it, the bastard was really a very strong Jonin, contrary to what was known about him…" Kenshin muttered thoughtfully. The ability to predict did not give him peace. With it, all his plans could go to hell, because powerful enemies could easily feel a threat in him even if there were no prerequisites for this.
"The great elder told how amazing and incomprehensible the existence of a shinobi becomes the closer he approaches the level of the Sage of Six Paths." Kasumi said. She immediately remembered how, holding her breath, she listened to numerous stories about the great shinobi of the past. And although in the Nara clan much attention was paid to great ancestors, even they could not ignore the greatest shinobi in history. Such as Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and the Sage of Six Paths.
"This is very bad… There are many dangerous enemies around who can turn their attention to us ahead of time. If any of Akatsuki decides to pay us a visit, we won't even be able to resist effectively… Let's hope that this intuition only works on direct danger, otherwise we will have a hard time…" Kenshin said with a sigh.
"You said that on Mount Myoboku lives a completely unique creature that was familiar with the Sage of Six Paths himself, and it can predict the future, right?" Kasumi asked with interest, remembering what Kenshin had told them based on watching anime.
"I don't know how true this information is, but it is quite possible that the old toad will feel something if our family plays at least some role in the upcoming events…" Kenshin muttered indefinitely and seated Hitomi who was standing nearby on his lap to relax, inhaling the scent of her well-groomed long hair.
Having finished the discussion on a rather unhappy note, everyone returned to their affairs. Kenshin's sons went to rest, and he himself continued to sit in the chair hugging his beloved wife and thinking.
He tried to come up with at least something that would guarantee them complete safety but came up with nothing. The extremely risky option of an alliance with one of the influential structures he rejected almost immediately, because he understood that deals are made only with equals, and the weak will be enslaved, humiliated, and trampled, regardless of such empty words as "honor", "dignity", and "morality".
The only conclusion he came to was the need for personal power. Only power can protect their entire family from the fate of the owners of the estate where Haro was hiding. Moreover, all-encompassing and overwhelming power can not only serve as a shield from Haro but also be a sword that will destroy him.
"Hitomi, tell me, would you like to live in a world where there are no more endless wars?" Kenshin asked affectionately, stroking her smooth tummy.
"Mmm… Of course, everyone dreams of this… Why?" She answered tenderly, melting from his caresses.
"I am going to build exactly such a world…" He said softly, enjoying the closeness with his beloved woman.
"W-What?" Hitomi exclaimed in shock and turned her head.
"Initially I just wanted to live on the outskirts and not interfere with anyone. But today I realized that scum like Haro will find you even at the end of the world and trample your beautiful life with a dirty boot if you do not have the strength to answer them. That is why I will focus all efforts so that our Nakayama Family becomes a strong Nakayama Clan as soon as possible." Kenshin said resolutely, sending a horde of goosebumps through Hitomi's entire body.
"Whatever you decide, I will always support you." Hitomi said affectionately and kissed him on the lips. She had long ago decided that even if Kenshin decided to destroy the entire Hyuga clan, she would personally hand him the sword.