Shimotsuki Yasuie didn't know much about overseas matters either, so he could only helplessly accept what Yuriko said. The group soon arrived at the shogun's residence.
"Only the daimyō and daimyō representatives may enter." The samurai sitting in front of the shogun's residence stopped Yuriko, though his gaze lingered on Ayame, who was accompanying them. Ayame was dressed in light armor and wore a mask on her face, appearing to be a dangerous individual.
Yuriko nodded and said to Ayame, "Kujō, wait for me here."
She was cautious and didn't directly call out Ayame's real name, instead using the surname that Ren had later bestowed upon her.
"Then please be careful." Ayame had no objections. Although she had come this time as Yuriko's guard to Kuri, it didn't mean that Yuriko couldn't function without her protection.
Don't forget that Yuriko herself was also a capable fighter. Shimotsuki Yasuie and the others also removed their weapons and handed them to the guards, then the five of them followed a servant toward the inside.
As Yuriko walked, she observed the shogun's residence. The residence of the shogun of Wano Country didn't look particularly impressive—it wasn't even as refined as the daimyō's residence in Kuri.
She secretly shook her head, already planning in her mind how to renovate this building after Ren became shogun.
After passing through a corner of the corridor, Yuriko heard a violent coughing sound.
"This is... the shogun..." Shimotsuki Ushimaru opened his mouth as if to say something, but thinking it was inauspicious, he closed it again. The expressions of the others also became grave.
The servant brought them to the door and gently knocked: "Lord Shogun, the daimyō have arrived."
"Let them in." It was Kurozumi Orochi who answered.
After the servant slid open the shōji door, he bowed and withdrew. Shimotsuki Yasuie was the first to enter. In the spacious room, there were only three people. One was Kurozumi Orochi, whom he was familiar with—this person had worked as a servant at his residence for a period of time.
The other was the shogun's retainer Udon, who was now looking with a haggard face at the person lying on the tatami, completely devoid of color.
Cough cough cough—cough— Yasuie, you've come... Seeing Shimotsuki Yasuie and the others walk in from outside, "Sukiyaki" struggled to prop up his body, as if trying to sit up.
Udon and Kurozumi Orochi hurriedly went to support him.
"Lord Shogun, please lie back down."
Sukiyaki coughed a few more times, but didn't listen to him. Instead, he stretched his neck looking outside, but when he didn't see the figure he expected, he became disappointed again.
"Oden... cough cough, Oden didn't come?" He looked like an ordinary old man who wanted to see his son in his final moments.
Shimotsuki Yasuie's face didn't look good, but at this moment he could only force himself to say: "Lord Shogun, Oden... he has already set sail..."
"What?" Sukiyaki's voice suddenly rose. His pale face became flushed upon hearing this, but it was an unhealthy red. Soon Sukiyaki began coughing violently.
Harsh sounds continuously came from his chest, his body arching and trembling continuously, his arm gripping Kurozumi Orochi tightly. Black blood spilled from his mouth.
Yuriko had to marvel at Kurozumi Semimaru's dedication—just watching, she was worried that he might cough up his lungs. Even if he didn't, it always made one feel like his internal organs had been torn apart.
After a long while, he finally recovered. Kurozumi Orochi kept patting his back to help him breathe.
Only then did Sukiyaki look toward Shimotsuki Yasuie, asking breathlessly: "Is this true, Yasuie?"
"It is true. Also, the daimyō of Kuri has... This time, the person Kuri sent is Lady Yuriko..."
After receiving Yasuie's confirmation, Sukiyaki suddenly became angry again. This time, he seemed to hold back his coughing, but his chest still rose and fell violently. The other daimyō all showed worried expressions.
"Please calm your anger, Lord Shogun," Orochi quickly said.
Sukiyaki pushed him away, then looked at Yuriko as if only now noticing her.
At this moment, he composed all his emotions. He didn't question the fact that Kuri had sent Yuriko—after all, that was already a trivial matter.
"...I always knew that Oden wanted to go to sea. I even expelled him from the Flower Capital because of this. Cough. I originally thought he would settle down in Kuri, but I didn't expect him to succeed after all." He didn't say more, but his words placed the blame for this matter entirely on Oden.
"Oden he..."
"There's no need to say more, Yasuie." Sukiyaki raised his hand to interrupt Yasuie's words and continued: "Originally I planned to let Oden succeed my position, however, this brat, cough cough, cough cough, this brat, actually committed another offense, and hasn't even returned until now. I can only consider other options."
"But, Lord Sukiyaki, besides Oden, who else could assume the position of shogun? Lord Oden was destined from birth to become shogun!" Kazuki Otsuru said.
"That's right. Lord Yasuie and Lady Yuriko have already dispatched sailors to go retrieve Lord Oden from the sea. I think we just need to wait a while longer, and Lord Oden will surely return," Amatsuki Tenpura said.
However, she also knew these were just words to temporarily comfort Sukiyaki. After all, according to what Yuriko had said, Kozuki Oden had long since disappeared with a group of pirates.
But Sukiyaki still shook his head.
"No need to wait anymore. Actually, I also know that Oden doesn't want to become shogun at all." Sukiyaki seemed to be recalling the past, which made everyone feel somewhat sentimental.
Especially Udon, who had served Sukiyaki his entire life and had watched Oden grow up.
But in reality, "Sukiyaki" was merely building up emotions to make his performance more authentic.
"Oden is an unfilial son. Thinking back over such a long time, he has constantly caused trouble, and hasn't even come back to see me. During this time, Ushimaru might know, my health has been getting worse and worse."
Ushimaru nodded. When he had come to the Flower Capital before to learn sword-forging techniques, Sukiyaki's health had just begun to decline.
"Until now, Udon and Orochi have been taking care of me. Especially Orochi, he is not only very attentive but also very capable. Sometimes I feel he is more like my son than Oden."
Hearing this, Yuriko silently nodded. Actually, Kurozumi Orochi's sausage lips did look somewhat like Sukiyaki's. She heard that Sukiyaki was also born when the previous shogun was quite old.
Before he was born, the shogun's wives had been unable to conceive.
Yuriko began to suspect whether Sukiyaki might actually be Kurozumi Orochi's grandfather, born to one of the shogun's wives at the time...
It's hard to say. After all, when Sukiyaki was born, the previous shogun was already quite old—perhaps he no longer had the ability to have children...
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