Chapter 282: An Unbreakable Blood Alliance? (Part 2)
Dana returned to the Yotsuki clan grounds in the Old Cloud Village, feeling somewhat desolate. Kayo's mother's words had touched him, but his mind felt like paste.
It was already very late. The Old Man and Arashi hadn't returned yet, and his mother was probably asleep, so Dana headed toward his own room.
He hadn't been back to his small courtyard in a long time.
Approaching it, Dana suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. After thinking for a moment, he realized it was because the light in the other half of the house wasn't on.
Usually, when he returned, the half belonging to Maki Minabe would be lit. That girl would generally wait for him to return, helping him change and get ready for bed before sleeping herself. The large hole left from the "physical connecting room" days had always been kept.
Maybe Maki didn't know I came back and went to sleep early.
He pushed open the door quietly, intending not to wake her. But when he looked back, the adjacent room was empty. actually, it was a bit too empty, as if nothing was left.
Just as he was puzzled, the tall and slender Maki pushed the door open and entered. Seeing Dana, she froze for a moment, then whispered, "Young Master is back. I didn't know you returned today; forgive me for not welcoming you. I'll just take my things and leave."
Dana: "???"
Saying this, Maki bowed deeply and turned to organize the few remaining items in the room.
Dana hurried to stop her, confused. "Take what things? What do you mean?"
Maki lowered her head, tears falling plip-plop again. Her slender calves even trembled slightly.
Wait, why did I say 'again'?
"Young Master... Madam said you don't need me here anymore. I'll be sent to work in the Eastern Archipelago. Please take care of yourself after I leave."
Dana: "!!!"
Maki covered her face and ran out without waiting for Dana's reply, leaving him petrified on the spot.
"Hah??"
Activating his "Pulse" Vision, he confirmed Maki hadn't jumped into the river but had returned to the maids' dormitory on the other side of the clan grounds. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Dana hesitated again and again, but finally decided to go find his mother, Satomi, tonight to clarify things.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived at his mother's courtyard, he found she wasn't asleep. instead, she was drinking tea in the pavilion within the courtyard.
"Mother, you haven't slept yet?"
"Ah, Dana's back. I thought you were working overtime with your father tonight. How's the newlywed life? Come, have some tea."
Dana sat down, curious. "Mother, do you have a habit of drinking tea?"
"The moon is full tonight. Drinking tea while admiring the moon is very comfortable."
Dana looked up at the sky covered in dark clouds. Saying a lightning bolt might strike down in the next second wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Forget it, that's not important.
"I heard Maki is being transferred to the Eastern Archipelago?"
Satomi looked at Dana. "How do you know? Did you meet her?"
"Let's ignore that for now. Why send her to the Eastern Archipelago? That's not exactly a nice place..."
Satomi smiled. "Isn't it because of you? After all, you're married now. There's no need for her, a 'connecting room maid' in name only, to stay by your side. It would only add trouble. I plan to send her to the Eastern Archipelago to clear her mind. After three to five years, when people around here forget her identity, she can come back and get married. Although it will be a bit late, it's still a way out."
Dana asked in shock, "What do you mean 'no need to stay by my side'?!"
Satomi looked puzzled. "Isn't it? Maki has been with you for so many years, but I see you don't seem to like her much either. You treated a connecting room maid like a roommate. Better to make plans early. Otherwise, why do you think I didn't take her to the capital for the wedding? Wasn't it to avoid trouble on both sides?... Going to the Eastern Archipelago for a few years is good. If she stays in the village, someone in the clan will always remember she was your connecting room maid. With that identity, it would be hard for her to marry."
Dana felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He smacked his lips but couldn't say a word.
His mother's words felt like heavy hammer blows, making his head spin.
"No, no, no. This definitely won't do."
Satomi didn't get angry. She continued in a casual tone, "If you speak up, naturally, what you say goes. Your authority in the clan is greater than mine. I just saw that you were getting married and hadn't made any arrangements for her, so I thought you had completely forgotten about her. But you have to think clearly. If you keep her here and don't do... that... you're just wasting her youth. Or if you just feel the Eastern Archipelago is too harsh, sending her to the Land of Hot Water is also fine."
"Actually, from birth, you should have known you wouldn't have only one partner. The Yotsuki Clan, the village, and even Natsu are clear about this. When the engagement was made, your father said this in front of all the nobles and the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. But you aren't an ordinary child. No one dares to force you into things you aren't interested in. But Maki is my person; I have to think about her future. Not taking her to the wedding was also out of this consideration."
Dana's brain felt even more like mush. It was like knowing he couldn't let go of something and couldn't bear to part with it, but he couldn't articulate why immediately.
But he still said firmly, "Definitely not sending her away. How could we send her to the Eastern Archipelago? That's ridiculous. Mother, Maki stays by my side."
"Is that so? Are you sure you won't delay her life?"
"Mm..."
After Dana left the courtyard, Satomi quickly swapped the tea for water.
She indeed didn't have a habit of drinking tea, and drinking too much would keep her awake.
Even with the cup in front of her, she would unconsciously pick it up.
After waiting a little while longer, a small head peeked in from outside the courtyard.
"Madam, is it safe?"
Satomi's eyes curved into crescents as she waved her hand. "Not only safe, but basically done!"
Maki bounced in happily, looking at Satomi with adoration. "Thank you for your help, Madam."
Satomi pulled Maki into her arms and pinched her flawless cheek.
"I've long considered you half a daughter. Of course I'll make decisions for you. That brat Dana... with his mother stepping in, isn't it a piece of cake? He's just been too mature since childhood, exposed to too many messy things, so he's actually very dull regarding romance! Leave it to me!"
Maki was very happy. This was another big step for the Blood Alliance.
The Blood Alliance is unbreakable!
Satomi was even happier. With so many little lambs happily wanting to jump into her son's big wolf mouth, how could she not be happy?
Land of Rain, Somewhere.
Having just finished the significant Secret Kage Summit, the Third Kazekage, accompanied by guards Rasa and Sasori, secretly arrived at a town.
In a secluded and luxurious courtyard, the Third Kazekage met the target of this trip—currently Sunagakure's most important financial backer, second only to the Daimyo.
Um... actually, he can't just be called a financial backer anymore. We have to add "Daddy" to express our respect.
"Kitanouji-dono, sorry to keep you waiting!"
Before entering, the Third Kazekage deliberately adjusted his expression to appear neither humble nor arrogant. His eyes held three parts intimacy, three parts openness, and four parts self-respect.
"Not at all, not at all. Kazekage-dono is the one who worked hard coming here."
Kitanouji didn't put on airs. He stood up to welcome him. Compared to the Third Kazekage, who needed to maintain the dignity of a Great Ninja Village, a businessman had fewer scruples and appeared very affectionate.
The Third Kazekage felt a wave of comfort in his heart. Look, this is the difference!
Both contributed massive amounts of funding to Suna, yet the Wind Daimyo pointed at his nose and scolded him, while the wealthy merchant Kitanouji treated him with courtesy.
Who could refuse a Sugar Daddy who treated you with respect, spent generously, and spoke nicely?
If he had a daughter, the Third Kazekage would have wanted to unite his family with Kitanouji's.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, then confirmed the quantity of Gold Dust and Iron Sand for the next transaction.
The actual exchange wouldn't happen here—Suna didn't have the Cloud's super-large sealing scroll technology, so they relied on physical delivery at the Wind-Rain border. The two leaders were here for another matter.
"Kazekage-dono, regarding the matter I mentioned last time, what do you think?"
Previously, after a transaction, Kitanouji mentioned he heard Suna wanted to host a Joint Chunin Exam and expressed some immature commercial ideas for cooperation.
Roughly speaking: The Kitanouji Guild would provide sponsorship and funds, while Suna would host the event. Throughout the competition, Suna would continuously advertise the Kitanouji Guild on various levels.
According to Kitanouji, he expected the attention on the Second Joint Chunin Exams to be far higher than the first. After all, the first one produced so many geniuses, and word of mouth had spread. People from the entire ninja world would likely come, and the advertising benefits would be considerable.
The Third Kazekage naturally applauded. He had wanted to facilitate this for a long time, but with the unstable situation in the ninja world over the past year and Suna's budget being cut repeatedly to the point where they could barely open the pot, he hadn't dared to bring it up again. The feelers he put out to other villages earlier were treated like farts in the wind.
But now, with a sponsor, he was naturally willing with both hands.
Although some secret agreements were reached at the Kage Summit, the Third Kazekage felt they should still organize the Second Joint Chunin Exams as soon as possible. Otherwise, once war started and lasted for years, who knew what would happen?
The two confirmed many details, agreeing that the sooner the Second Joint Chunin Exams happened, the better.
Then, the Third Kazekage thought of something from the summit and lowered his voice. "Kitanouji-dono, it would be best to be careful recently. The ninja world situation is unstable..."
It was best if this Sugar Daddy lived a long life. Suna was currently surviving entirely thanks to the Kitanouji Guild. If something happened to Kitanouji, the Third Kazekage might actually cry.
A sharp glint flashed in Kitanouji's eyes. "Does Kazekage-dono have insider information? To be honest, the Kitanouji Guild has businesses all over the ninja world, and we fear changes in the situation the most. If there is any news, I would be grateful if Kazekage-dono could share it."
Originally, I just wanted to instigate a Joint Chunin Exam to delay the war as per orders from above... I didn't expect an unexpected harvest...