Kiyoshi was really honest about this.
Frankly, when he first reincarnated and was subjected to the brutal training regime, he was truly hellbent on wanting to escape like Tengen. After that, he could easily follow Tengen's path and live a good life.
Even if he didn't become a demon slayer, he could still open a shop or something and survive. But as he slowly grew up here, he noticed the true wealth of this village.
The people here themselves don't even realize it, but the true wealth of this village is the people themselves! This village is truly a rare mine that can produce exceptional human resources!
But the "Leader," his father, is an idiot! Or rather, he takes the conservative path to the extreme. Kiyoshi can pretty much understand his father's thinking process.
Oh, the village is running out of money? There is low demand for ninjas? Then we will make even more powerful super ninjas! Surely we will get more missions and more money!
More money—bullshit!
He simply didn't understand the logic here and went the conservative way. It's like saying: nobody is buying swords? That means we need to make our swords even better to make them buy them!
No! The reason they aren't buying them is because they have guns!
Ninja is a profession abandoned with time. No one needs ninjas. World War I is going to happen in this era, alright?
In World War I, will ninjas be there throwing kunais at thousands of soldiers rushing with guns to kill?
The path his father took is wrong. And the proof is there.
In the original plot, without a doubt, the village went under. But at this point, the village, though in a dire state, is still saveable. It still has potential. And seeing all of this, alongside his wish to do something bigger than in his previous life, how could he not take advantage of it?
But for that, he needs to have power over the entire village. In direct succession, he doubted his father would nominate him over Takami. Takami is the ideal product of his father's experiments. He is truly a super ninja with no emotions, seeing women as nothing but objects to produce offspring, and able to sacrifice anyone for their benefit.
But who even knows what "their benefit" means? Is it the village? Or his father? Or something else?
He hopes it will be the village. Then he, Uzui Kiyoshi, as a bona fide super ninja and according to the faithful teachings, can only sacrifice his father for "their benefit."
Since they can kill siblings for benefit, they can surely kill their father. It seems pretty normal. Still, as much as he wanted to, Kiyoshi had his hands tied. Without a doubt, if he killed his father or even Takami, Tengen would turn his back on him.
"That guy is a bit sentimental."
That's why, despite finding himself appalled by the actions of his father and brother in the original plot, Tengen couldn't bring himself to kill them and ran away instead.
And if Kiyoshi wants his entire plan to succeed, he needs Tengen at any cost. The future Sound Hashira… How could he let go of such a good human resource from his hands?
"Speaking of Tengen, I should call him immediately to talk about the plan. Father-in-law has given his support, so there won't be issues in terms of manpower. My future… all of it rests on tonight's plan."
...
It seemed even nature was on his side. The moon was covered with clouds, making the night far darker than usual. Still, one had to be cautious, since ninjas are trained to have very sharp senses.
With light steps, Kiyoshi, Tengen, and a group of loyal ninjas sent by his father-in-law moved forward. Due to their attire—entirely black clothes—they seemed to blend in with the night.
The main Uzui Clan mansion, where his father lived, was a lot less guarded. First of all, the number of ninjas had reduced over time due to financial constraints. And with no incidents for a long time, the security was bound to become a bit lax.
Upon reaching near the wall, Kiyoshi signaled for them to stop. Then he quickly exchanged glances with Tengen and the rest of the ninjas, nodding that the plan had started.
The coup plan was very simple. Since they were ninjas, they should work like ninjas—aiming for a quick and effective coup with as few losses as possible.
Kiyoshi quickly changed his breathing style, making himself even stealthier. Tengen and the other ninjas soon followed. Though not as refined as the official Demon Slayer breathing styles, this ninja village also had its own breathing techniques that could reduce one's presence and emit fewer sounds.
All of them then jumped over the wall and quickly hid themselves in nearby places. Soon, after mapping the patrol ninjas, under Kiyoshi's signal, they all attacked.
"Hmph... Hmmm!"
All of the ninjas quickly grabbed the patrol ninjas and pushed handkerchiefs soaked with a heavy amount of chloroform over their mouths, making them instantly unconscious. With one successful example, all of them grew a bit more confident and attacked the rest of the patrols around the mansion, taking them down.
'It went a lot smoother than I thought.'
Because it was his first time doing something like this, he thought some mistake might occur, but it seemed it was his misconception. Though he himself joked about the "super ninja" stuff, his father did train him and Tengen to a somewhat extraordinary level. And those skills, though they didn't help to earn money the way his father wanted, certainly seemed useful for a coup.
"Kiyoshi, we took out all the patrols outside. Should we go inside?"
"Yup. Let's go. And everyone, like I said before—if possible, make them unconscious using chloroform. But if your life is in danger, then just do whatever it takes to survive."
"Yes, Kiyoshi-sama."
Survive... Tengen listened to Kiyoshi's orders and smiled. If someone else were here, they would have ordered them to kill at any cost instead of prioritizing survival. But now...
'Kiyoshi can truly change the village.'
With that possibility so close, Tengen's eyes sharpened with determination. If Kiyoshi could change the village, he would support him as much as he could.
"Alright, let's go!"
...
"Why is the mansion so silent?"
Inside, almost no guards existed. Kiyoshi thought some bodyguards might be present—if not many, then at least a few. His father-in-law had also informed him that there were some ninjas stationed inside the mansion to protect the "Leader." But he didn't see anyone.
"Kiyoshi."
"Hmm... I know."
Tengen also realized that something was amiss. Both of them quickly gripped their respective swords tightly, ready for combat. Slowly, at a snail's pace, they moved forward toward the target room.
Soon they reached a corridor lit with many paper lamps hanging from above. And at the end of the corridor, both of them could see a figure.
Just like them—silver hair and black clothes. If anything was different, it was that his eyes were far too blank, devoid of emotion, receptive to no one except the words of his father.
"Takami."
He wasn't surprised. But couldn't Takami appear somewhere normal? What the f*ck?! It really scared the hell out of him! But Kiyoshi was only unsettled for a second or so. He simply grabbed and raised his sword, ready to face his brother and carry out his plan. Tengen also pointed his two swords forward.
"Tengen and Kiyoshi."
"It's Tengen-nii-sama and Kiyoshi-nii-sama for you, my little brother! Everyone, attack!"
Whoosh!
In a split second, both Takami and Kiyoshi disappeared, only to appear in front of each other, swinging their swords with such force that the air vibrated.
Clang!
The swords clashed, and Kiyoshi instantly deflected Takami, making him take a step back. Tengen didn't miss the opportunity. As soon as Takami stepped back, he arrived behind him and slashed with both swords—one from above and the other from below—leaving Takami with no escape.
But...
"It's slow."
Takami jumped and changed his body posture mid-air, passing through the gap between the two swords and dodging the attack as if it were nothing.
'Damn!'
It seemed dealing with Takami might not be as smooth as he thought. But still, it was manageable. He and Tengen exchanged glances and instantly decided to gang up on him.
This super ninja...
Kiyoshi didn't believe Takami could come out unscathed while facing two super ninjas like himself.