Arisu looked at the stunned and shocked expressions of the officials in the hall and slowly nodded.
With a solemn expression, Arisu spoke earnestly, "My beloved ministers, this matter concerns the safety of two nations and the lives of countless people."
"As the ruler of a nation, how could I ignore all the people under heaven for my own selfish desires?"
"Once war begins, the flames of battle will spread without end, corpses will cover the fields. How many families will be torn apart? How many children will lose their fathers..."
"No matter how beautiful a woman is, she can only bring happiness to one person. But if a war starts because of her, the ones who suffer will be the countless common people."
"We stand at the highest seats of government. We should put the people first. If we don't even have this much responsibility, how can we call ourselves the ruler of a nation?"
His speech was passionate and filled with righteous conviction.
Hearing this, the officials were deeply moved. They all bowed and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Among them, an elderly minister with white hair and beard practically turned into an award-winning actor.
Tears streamed down his face as he stepped forward, tightly gripped Arisu's hand, and choked out, "Your Majesty has suffered such great humiliation, all because we ministers are incompetent! I... I deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"
"Your Majesty's humiliation is my crime!"
The corner of Arisu's mouth twitched slightly.
"We ask Your Majesty to endure this humiliation for a few days. In the future, we will surely wash away this disgrace!"
Arisu nodded gravely, "Endure... hide our strength and bide our time."
After saying that, Arisu waved his hand, signaling the officials to withdraw, then left the hall alone.
The moment he stepped outside, the heavy look on his face disappeared without a trace.
With his hands behind his back, Arisu strolled through the palace corridors, completely calm inside.
A dispute between two small mortal kingdoms had been blown up as if the sky were falling.
To him, it was nothing more than another part of moving the plot forward. It wasn't nearly that serious.
"My acting wasn't bad...", Arisu muttered softly, a faint amused smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
———
Afterward, Arisu summoned the personal maid he had previously assigned to Kaguya, a young woman named Aino.
She was the woman who died under a volley of arrows in the original story.
She was quite a pretty girl as well.
Before long, Aino hurried over. She respectfully knelt in the hall with her head lowered.
"Your Majesty, what are your orders for this servant?"
Arisu looked at the kneeling Aino with a gentle gaze.
He slowly said, "Stand up. Today I am rewarding you with a generous sum of money, along with a plot of fertile land."
"From today onward, leave the royal palace and live your own life well. From now on, Kaguya will no longer need your service."
"Eh?!"
Aino froze. She raised her head, her eyes filled with shock and reluctance.
Over these past days, she and Kaguya had gotten along extremely well.
That lady who had descended from the heavens had never treated her as a servant. Instead, she had treated her like a sister.
She had already developed sincere feelings for Kaguya. Hearing the emperor suddenly tell her to leave naturally made it difficult for her to accept.
Arisu noticed the reluctance in her eyes. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he let out a soft sigh and said bluntly, "Kaguya... is about to be sent to the Land Beyond."
Then Arisu deliberately told Aino how he had agreed to send Kaguya away for the sake of the nation.
Aino's eyes widened. Her face instantly turned pale, and her body couldn't help trembling slightly.
"...Your Majesty, i-is that true?"
Arisu gave no further explanation. He simply nodded and waved his hand.
"Go. Take my reward and leave this troubled place. Find somewhere safe and live in peace. Remember... don't ever come back."
Aino knelt on the ground, tears glistening in her eyes. In the end, she heavily knocked her head on the floor and choked out, "This servant... obeys."
When she stood up, her steps were unsteady, and her departing figure looked especially lonely.
Arisu watched her leave and let out a quiet sigh.
He did this because he clearly remembered that in the original story, this ordinary woman named Aino eventually died in the chaos of war.
In such a troubled era, the fate of ordinary people was often tragic and fragile.
Since he had met her, he might as well let her leave the coming storm in advance.
Of course, Aino definitely wouldn't obediently leave without saying anything. She would certainly tell Kaguya.
That was also why Arisu had deliberately told Aino.
Since Aino was unwilling to leave, he might as well go with the flow and continue pushing the plot forward.
———
Things turned out exactly as Arisu expected.
Before leaving the palace, Aino told Kaguya the whole truth.
After hearing it, Kaguya was stunned at first. Then a trace of disbelief flashed through her eyes.
She didn't immediately go and question Arisu. Instead, she chose to remain silent.
At this moment, a trace of disgust and coldness had already arisen in her heart.
She decided to deal with the Chakra Fruit first before making any other plans.
———
Soon, the day of Kaguya's sacrifice arrived.
Near the Ten-Tails, Otsutsuki Isshiki had already been waiting there for a long time. Standing on high ground, he looked down coldly at everything below, a cruel smile on his lips.
Meanwhile, Reki was hidden in a distant forest, wearing the immortal robe that concealed his aura. Holding his breath, he was ready to act at any moment.
High in the sky, Arisu's figure quietly floated in the air, silently watching everything that was about to unfold below.
Arisu couldn't help sighing inwardly. 'Many years ago, I also set things up like this and tricked Isshiki... Time really flies. So many years have already passed...'
Those familiar scenes felt as though they had happened only yesterday.
With a distant gaze, Arisu revealed a faint, complicated smile and quietly waited for the plot to continue along its predetermined path.
Soon, the distance between Kaguya and Otsutsuki Isshiki grew closer and closer.
Hidden in the darkness of the forest, Reki took a deep breath. He had already quietly prepared to summon the toads of Mount Myoboku, planning to launch a surprise attack that would catch Isshiki completely off guard.
Just as Reki was about to make his move...
Otsutsuki Isshiki suddenly stiffened.
His pupils contracted sharply, and it was as if something had instantly struck him. His expression became extremely strange.
The next second, his body shook violently, and the look in his eyes quickly turned blank, then filled with shock.
When he opened his eyes again, the cold arrogance that had belonged to Otsutsuki Isshiki had completely vanished. In its place was utter disbelief and astonishment.
Isshiki lowered his head and looked at his pale yet powerful body, his hands trembling slightly.
"I... I transmigrated into Otsutsuki Isshiki?!"
Otsutsuki Isshiki was stunned.
He had actually transmigrated. The current point in time should be just before Kaguya was about to betray him.
Alarm bells instantly went off in Isshiki's mind.
He immediately kicked Kaguya away with one strike.
Terrifying power erupted in an instant.
Kaguya's expression changed.
'Impossible!? He found out!?'
High in the sky, Arisu immediately realized that Isshiki had been possessed. He couldn't help frowning tightly.
"Don't possess characters from the original story. That makes things really difficult for me..."
Original characters being transmigrated into were the hardest to deal with.
Kill them, and it would affect the plot.
Spare them, and they would stir up trouble.