The Daimyo of the Land of Bear is very clever and also ambitious. What he has in mind is the future of the entire Land of Bear.

"Then what should I do?"

Akakage asked.

"Accept it."

Ox bluntly said.

"Accept it?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's not yet time to swallow the Land of Bear whole. Our current objective is the Hidden Star Village. Devouring the entire Land of Bear is something for later. You still need to keep working by the Daimyo of the Land of Bear's side so you can cover things on that front. From the standpoint of completing the mission, you have to agree as well."

"..."

"Of course, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. But can you really bear to hand such a lovable woman over to someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple. There are still a lot of men back home who haven't taken wives. When the Land of Bear's nobility declines, the unmarried women in their families will all be high-quality, hotly contested resources. If you don't make a move now, you'll only be letting others benefit later. We're all just answering the Country's call, doing our best to add to the population. Lord Hakushi will turn a blind eye to it."

"That doesn't sound like something an honest man would say at all."

Akakage glanced at Ox's simple, honest-looking face, and forced that sentence out from between his teeth.

"Honest men can't do espionage work. To reach my level, you need brains, not just brute strength."

"..."

Ox's counter made it impossible for Akakage to counter.

"Besides, this is also to help Lord Hakushi. Sooner or later you're going to grow old, and who knows when you might die on a mission. When that happens, there will be one less shadow protecting Lord Hakushi. Only by leaving your power behind can you serve Lord Hakushi better."

Ox said solemnly.

"I don't want to use an innocent woman."

"Is that so? But you need to understand, in this day and age, mutual love is an extravagant luxury. It's precisely because we want to end this unfair Ninja era, twisted in its thinking, that we gathered under Lord Hakushi's banner. As long as you possess the power to protect a woman, in times this rotten, that is already the greatest gift you can give her."

There are people for whom just staying alive already takes everything they have.

Ox had seen that countless times.

Most nobles were lost in dissipation; the Ninja of the Five Great Nations would say their wars wouldn't spill over onto ordinary people, yet every time war broke out, those who shed the most tears and blood were precisely the common folk who kept the whole Ninja Realm fed.

Having once been a farming peasant himself, Ox naturally could not overlook all this.

It was also the truest reflection of the Ninja Realm today.

"Think this over carefully. In the end, your decision is what matters most."

Ox gave Akakage, silent before him, a serious look, then turned and left.

◎

The irritation had never once left Akakage's heart.

To Akakage, women had always been something dispensable.

The original reason he became a Ninja was merely to repay that lord, to become the shadow behind him.

So when it came to forming a new family, he felt as though he would be betraying that lord's trust in him.

Having a family meant having bonds.

Once he had bonds, his blade would grow dull.

Could someone like that still be a shadow behind that lord?

Looking at the familiar courtyard before him, Akakage was annoyed with himself for coming back to this place again.

His mission to protect that princess was clearly over; there was no need to return here.

So what was it that had driven him here?

He admitted that Tamahime was a kind and beautiful princess, but that was all; his aspirations did not lie here.

Just as he turned to leave, light footsteps sounded behind him, and a familiar voice gently reached his ears:

"My lord Ninja, have you come back?"

When Akakage turned, he saw a beautiful face lit with joy.

Akakage had just opened his mouth to speak when she quickly walked over and threw herself into his arms.

"It really is my lord Ninja's scent."

"..."

Akakage stood there, awkward, not knowing how to respond.

"That's wonderful. Now I don't have to elope with my lord Ninja."

Princess Tamahime said happily, much of the worry on her face dispelled.

Elope? Akakage felt there was something very wrong here.

What strange things had the princess been secretly imagining?

"I've already heard from Father, so for the sake of our future, my lord Ninja, please work hard. I shall be here, always waiting for your return."

Her bright eyes were filled with emotion, brimming with endless tender affection.

In that moment, Akakage felt his heart beating fast, and he unconsciously reached out and wrapped his arms around Tamahime's body.

Looking straight into Tamahime's passionate eyes, in those bright pupils he saw only his own reflection.

"Mm..."

Akakage did not know whether this decision of his was right or wrong.

He was dragging this woman into the unimaginably dangerous Ninja Realm.

◎

Three days later.

"I didn't expect something this interesting to happen to Akakage."

In Hakushi's office, Ox was standing there, reporting everything regarding Akakage without so much as a smile—including his tangled, messy emotional entanglement with Princess Tamahime.

After listening carefully to Ox's account, Hakushi smiled with interest.

"Yes. On that point, I'm very sorry. I'll arrange for someone else to replace Akakage's duties as soon as possible."