"Lord Daimyo, if I may ask, where have all these people gone?" Satoru asked directly, his gaze sweeping over the empty places at the feast tables.
He nodded, a slight smile touching his lips.
"Ah, you mean them? Those seats, my young friend, are reserved for very high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, lately there's been a flu outbreak in the capital, and they all had to take sick leave."
The young man's gaze carefully scanned the spacious hall. He counted at least ten tables with not a single soul. An unpleasant, ominous premonition gripped him.
"So many officials falling ill with the flu at the same time? Quite a strange coincidence..." he mused thoughtfully.
The ruler nodded again, his expression unchanged.
"Yes, I myself find it rather strange. However, the fact remains: due to their mass illness, many important state affairs in the Land of Fire have been put on indefinite hold."
Hearing these words, the young ninja immediately sensed something was off.
"A flu epidemic paralyzing the entire political apparatus of the Land of Fire? And this at the very moment when war is already distinctly in the air, when tensions between the great powers have reached the limit?" Satoru couldn't shake the suspicion that behind this "flu" lurked something more, perhaps intrigues from other hidden villages or even hostile states.
"Oh, and one more thing," the castle lord perked up. "You've come to us to join the ranks of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Therefore, I suppose I should enlighten you on a few matters beforehand. You see, not all of these twelve warriors are ninja in the usual sense. Among them are unparalleled masters of ancient martial arts, the best bodyguards hardened in countless battles, and even... former criminals given a chance to atone! But rest assured, they are all utterly devoted to me now and ready to give their lives for their lord..."
"However, no matter how much I tell you, it's better to see it with your own eyes once, right?" The ruler clapped his hands. At that moment, a man entered the hall silently. First, he bowed deeply to the ruler with utmost reverence, then just as courteously to Satoru.
The Konoha envoy felt a bit out of place from such reception.
"No need for such excessive courtesy," he quickly said, slightly embarrassed.
The entrant, however, did not dwell on the niceties of etiquette. Raising his head, he reported clearly:
"Lord Daimyo, Lord Satoru, all preparations are complete."
The castle lord nodded in satisfaction.
"Satoru, allow me to introduce this man. This is Lord Tenzo, our chief steward and manager. In the future, if you have any questions or something seems unclear, feel free to approach him directly. He will bring you up to speed on all matters."
"And now he will show you to your assigned quarters. Oh, and one more thing," the ruler himself added with a barely noticeable sly smirk, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "The other squad members... this evening, quite likely, will want to get to know you... so to speak, up close. So be on guard, my boy." His words were quite vague, but the young man perfectly understood what this intrigue-savvy schemer was hinting at. Most likely, the other eleven members of the elite Guardian squad were planning to give him a not-too-warm welcome, a sort of test of endurance. Veteran hazing for the newbie? It seemed the lord had warned him in this Jesuitical way while enjoying the upcoming spectacle.
The young shinobi gave a short nod of thanks and silently followed Tenzo to his new room.
Along the way, the young ninja couldn't help noting that Lord Tenzo's gait was remarkably even and precise, his breathing calm, deep, and measured. Very likely, this seemingly modest steward was actually a hidden master of the highest class, but the newcomer wisely decided not to show he had noticed.
He carefully looked around, studying the surroundings. Though called a castle, it naturally bore no resemblance to the massive stone fortresses of the West. This was a traditional Japanese castle, architecturally more like an elegant multi-tiered pagoda tower.
The spacious hall where the audience with the ruler had just taken place was at the very heart of the castle and served as the main reception room.
Satoru's assigned room was in the western wing of this vast structure.
"Here are your quarters, sir," Tenzo said, stopping before a carved door. "If you need anything, be it a trifle or something significant, just tell any of the servants, and your requests will be fulfilled immediately."
The young man entered and examined his new apartments with interest. The room was not overly spacious but more than comfortable and roomy for one person.
It had everything necessary: a separate toilet, a small but functional kitchen, a cozy living room, a quiet bedroom, and even access to a small balcony. From the adjoining corridor by the entrance, where an elegant tea table stood by the window for ceremonies, one could enjoy the warm rays of the afternoon sun in seclusion.
Previously, Satoru had imagined service in the Twelve Guardian Ninja as grueling, exhausting, and thankless work full of hardships. Now, looking at this splendor, the expected "hard labor" had unexpectedly turned into a pleasant and undemanding sinecure.
Moreover, adjoining his personal quarters was a small but charming inner courtyard. In this garden, birds chirped incessantly, the air was filled with the fragrance of exotic flowers, and unknown but evidently very valuable and rare tree species grew around. However, the main highlight of this paradise nook was a masterfully crafted miniature rocky cliff from whose summit a small waterfall cascaded. Its waters, though not impressive in primal power, babbled through the entire courtyard, creating an atmosphere of perfect harmony and serenity.
These apartments pleased Satoru. He immediately told the approaching servants about some things he would need for settling in, and they carried out everything with readiness and efficiency.
The castle staff consisted mainly of young maids, all selected for their prettiness and grace.
Such a level of comfort, of course, could not be called excessive or ostentatious luxury, but it was definitely very high and thoughtful. Housing a high-class bodyguard, even one so young, in such splendid conditions vividly demonstrated how much the ruler valued Satoru and what hopes he placed on him.
However, it was precisely this circumstance that planted the first doubts in the young ninja's soul.
"Have they given only me such exceptional conditions, or do all the other squad members live in similar luxury?" The answer to this question came quickly enough with a little thought.
Quarters of this level were undoubtedly a great rarity throughout the huge castle. Among all the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Satoru was likely the only one honored with such treatment.
"Now I understand why the Daimyo advised me to be on guard," flashed through the young man's mind. "If the other protectors are bunked in common barracks on hard double bunks, and I, the newbie, get something like a presidential suite, they'll definitely be, to put it mildly, displeased. He couldn't not know that. So what is this? Another test for me? Or is he testing the loyalty and endurance of the other eleven this way?" By this point, the young man was beginning to grasp the essence of the Land of Fire Daimyo's character. This man was far from as simple and naive as he might seem at first glance. Much, if not everything, was cunningly thought out and pre-orchestrated by him.
Realizing that the other eleven squad members would surely be hostile toward him, Satoru naturally had no intention of passively awaiting trouble. He prepared in advance and thoroughly in his cozy courtyard: skillfully set clever traps, planned escape routes, prepared several body replacement techniques, did everything possible for effective defense. Now he just had to patiently wait for the uninvited "guests" to deign to arrive.
It was unknown how much time passed in waiting, but at some point, the young shinobi sharply sensed faint anomalies in the aura surrounding him. He immediately concentrated and sharpened his sensory abilities to the limit.
And indeed, his intuition did not fail: a squad of high-class masters was already silently moving toward him.
"Well, what must be, must be. I'm very pleased with our correspondence acquaintance, good sirs," Satoru mentally greeted them, already fully prepared for the upcoming "friendly" meeting.
Chi-chi-chi! Several kunai sliced through the night air with a sharp whistle, hurtling straight toward the young man's figure. These throwing daggers seemed to have been specially prepared—their tips were slightly blunted.
Evidently, his future squad mates, despite their intention to teach him a lesson, still didn't want to cause him serious harm.
The kunai thudded dully into "Satoru's" body. In the next instant, three dark figures rose from the ground in the courtyard, as if emerging from beneath the earth.
"This guy... Why didn't he even try to dodge? Could he be...?!" The three attackers froze in astonishment as their target turned into an ordinary wooden log with a light pop.
Of course, Konoha's envoy had prepared and activated the body replacement technique in advance. Now, hidden in the shadows, he watched the unfolding spectacle before him with interest.
Shuh-shuh-shuh! Falling for the first trick, the hapless opponents immediately triggered the next layer of the trap. Countless shuriken hurtled toward them from all sides, like an enraged swarm of hornets.
They deflected the hail of throwing stars raining down on them with incredible dexterity using their own kunai, but in doing so, they completely overlooked what was right under their feet. Satoru had prudently dug a deep, camouflaged pit there. And just like that, all three shinobi let out short cries and plunged into it instantly.
A sturdy net woven from thick ropes immediately collapsed from above, securely covering all three captives.
At that very moment, three more figures appeared at the edge of the courtyard. They clearly intended to rescue their comrades who had fallen into trouble, but the clever mechanism of yet another trap sprang into action. Explosive seals, pre-attached to the ground beneath their feet, suddenly began to smoke, heralding an imminent blast. Mere moments before detonation, they leaped aside with enviable reaction speed to what seemed the safest spot. However, that "safe spot" was also part of Satoru's cunning plan—a meticulously disguised trap.
These three fell straight into the snare set by the young genius as well. Thus, now all six attackers were caught.
Another trio appeared right after them. These three, to give them credit, proved far more perceptive and cautious than the previous six. They didn't, like naive characters from an old fairy tale about pumpkin brothers, selflessly rush to rescue grandpa one by one, falling into the villains' clutches. Instead, they immediately spread out and dashed to the best cover spots in the courtyard, hurling several powerful explosive seals there at the same time.
Now Satoru had no choice but to stop hiding. He was forced to reveal his true position. And at once, these three ninja charged at him in a furious assault, as if by prior agreement.
"Not for nothing are you called Konoha's supernova!" one of the attackers shouted in admiring irritation, dodging a counterstrike. "To set up so many clever traps in advance! You really prepared!"