The night of the reveal of Princess Shinken Red, Shiba Kaoru, the Shinkengers were at a loss of what to do. Takeru and Genta had left the Shiba mansion, the former had his whole life taken away by the reveal, and the latter was loyal to his childhood friend and left after him.
All four remaining Shinkengers were summoned to the sitting area by a kuroko. Not a moment later, Chiaki left the sitting area and went somewhere to vent his frustrations while the others remained sitting, waiting for the others to arrive.
Kusakabe on the other hand remained silent as he waited for the people who summoned him and the other Shinkengers to reveal themselves.
"What is the meaning of this?" One Tanba Toshizo demanded, slamming the door open. "Who dares summon the princess?!"
"Tanba." Kaoru called out as soon as she entered the sitting area
"Yes, Princess?"
"Your voice is too loud."
"I deeply apologize, Princess."
The people present at the sitting area ignored the demanding guardian and continued to wallow in their grief and confusion.
"Who among you whelp decided to summon the princess?!" Tanba raised an accusing finger at the people present.
"Tanba." Kaoru called out once more.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Shut up." Kaoru threw a paper fan on her guardian.
"I deeply apologize, princess." Tanba nursed the spot where the paper fan hit as he bowed towards the princess.
Kaoru sat in her designated place and
"However, Tanba is right, why was I summoned?" Kaoru asked.
"We receive a summon ourselves, princess." Kusakabe, the Shadow Lord's guardian answered. "Chiaki was summoned as well, but he left to cool his head off."
"That insolent..." Tanba growled.
"No matter," A kuroko voiced. "He already knows more of the situation than our new arrivals."
"You insolent kuroko! How dare you summon the princess and her retainers?!" Tanba demanded.
"I apologize, but I am only possessing the body of this kuroko." The kuroko supplied. "He's the only kuroko privy to the situation at hand, but has faith in Takeru and the retainers to handle everything."
"Who might you be? If you are possessing one of the Kurokos, and why Komatsu of all people?" Kusakabe asked.
"That's this Kuroko's name? Regardless, Komatsu-san once left the Shiba house having lost faith in the family after the raid that cost the 17th Shiba head's life, but has since returned to service." The Kuroko answered. "I am Shiba Kaien, younger brother to Shiba Sakuya, fourth Shiba head."
"Younger brother? The Shiba line has no siblings!" Tanba exclaimed. "How dare you spout lies and pretend to be a Shiba!"
"Tanba, shut up."
"I deeply apologize, princess."
"Kaien-sama, what did you mean of the situation?"
"No need to be so formal to me, princess, nee-san had decided to send me away from the Shiba household and erase me from the records to protect me from the gedoushu, hence why I'm not in the records." Kaien shook his head. "To answer your question, I'm afraid, once Doukoku is defeated you will have a more fearsome enemy, someone who knows everyone too well, and it's someone of your own creation."
"You can't possibly mean," Mako exclaimed.
"Yes, Shiraishi, I mean exactly that."
"What is he suggesting?" Kaoru questioned.
"He's saying that Takeru could fall to Gedou."
"What?! Tono would never!" Ryuunosuke couldn't help but react.
"What nonsense," Tanba scoffed.
"Usukawa Dayuu, fell to Gedou because the man she loved married another woman." Mako supplied.
"Fuwa Juuzo, fell to Gedou when he lived by the blade." Kusakabe added.
"If the Shadow Lord would ever fall to Gedou, the princess can defeat him easily."
"Are you so sure about that?" Kaien asked. "Takeru has trained all his life in the Samurai lifestyle, even down to the way the Samurai fight; he has a knack of finding weaknesses in his enemies."
"As ashamed as I am to admit, Tono is leagues above us in terms of swordsmanship." Ryuunosuke sighed.
"Even with Umemori's Iaido, I doubt the princess and the rest of the team can defeat a fallen Takeru."
"That sushi-seller?" Tanba scoffed.
"Which brings me to my next point," Kaien continued. "The only reason that the Inromaru was completed in the first place was because of that sushi-seller."
"That's nonsense!" Tanba dismissed the claim.
"I vouch for the credibility of that story," Kusakabe spoke. "I tasked Genta myself to complete the Inromaru."
"I'm sure he's honored to have been of service to the noble Samurai cause." Tanba dismissed the vouching.
"You know, you've been completely dismissive of Takeru's and Genta's contributions." Chiaki leaned on the sitting room's archway entrance. "Without the two of them, your 'Shadow Lord' plan wouldn't have worked,"
"Chiaki!" Ryuunosuke admonished.
"You, insolent little-"
"Tanba, shut your mouth."
"I deeply apologize princess."
"Tani is right." Kaien agreed. "Without Umemori, your Shadow Lord and your retainers would have died early on, even before you could have fully grasped the sealing character."
Tanba wanted to say something on the matter but a glare from the princess shut him up.
"One of the retainers' souls had been taken by an Ayakashi," Kaien supplied. "Had it not been for Umemori and the Ebi Origami he created, you'd have been down one retainer, maybe even three if their initial plans to save one of their own came fruition."
Three of the four Shinkengers looked away from the Kuroko, they knew he was referring to the time when Kotoha's soul was taken, and that they had been partial to the idea of falling to Gedou.
Kotoha looked at Mako in confusion, she knew how the others were able to save her, but she didn't know everything.
Everyone agreed that Kotoha must never know of what they had thought before Genta arrived to literally save the day.
"Like I said, the Sanzu River could have overflowed and flooded the Earth before you could finish mastering the sealing character." Kaien reiterated.
"I see…" Kaoru hummed.
The actual 18th Shiba head was given more things to think about, especially regarding the Shadow Lord and his childhood friend. She was even remembering the words that her supposed retainers stated when it comes to shifting fighting with her.
"I understand that we shouldn't downplay their contributions, however, I fail to see how this will help us in sealing Doukuko," Kaoru pointed out. "I will admit that the risk of the Shadow Lord falling to Gedou will spell badly for everyone involved, however, I fail to see how that is important at the moment."
"You are still just a child." Kaien shook the head of the Kuroko he's possessing.
"Your insolence is unforgivable!" Tanba growled as he stood up, pointing his finger at the possessed Kuroko.
"Tanba!" Kaoru called out.
"Yes, princess?"
"Shut your mouth." Kaoru ordered.
"My deepest apologies, princess." Tanba went back to his place and sat down.
"To answer your question, you fail to see the bigger picture, princess." Kaien supplied. "Let's say that you were successful in sealing Doukuko, but Takeru has fallen to Gedou, the sealing character will not work on him compared to the other gedoushuu."
"No way…" Kotoha couldn't help but whisper.
"We would be forced to kill Tono." Ryuunosuke came to the same realization.
"That is if we can even land a hit on Takeru," Chiaki scoffed. "Even if I cheated and used other means to hit him, he's bound to adapt to them and fight back."
"It seems you four are self-aware," Kaien observed. "This time, you cannot count on Umemori's assistance."
"What do you mean?!" Chiaki took offense at the implication. "Gen-chan won't abandon us!"
"True, he won't," Kaien nodded. "He, however, will most likely be the first casualty as he worked on snapping his childhood friend back to his senses."
"Please stop this," Kusakabe demanded. "How could you talk about someone falling to gedou and the death of a retainer so casually, Shiba-sama?!"
"I apologize if that upsets you, Kusakabe," Kaien apologized. "However, if we don't correct the current course of events, the events I said would eventually come true."
"We are just talking about hypothetical situations, aren't we?" Kaoru voiced out.
"It may just be a hypothetical situation, but as it stands, it has more chances of happening than you sealing Doukoku," Kaien answered. "If that's true…"
"We just gave Chimatsuri Doukoku a powerful ally." Mako voiced her realization.
"I'm glad that at least a few of you are quick to realize the severity of your current situation," Kaien praised. "That will be all from me."
The Kuroko that Shiba Kaien possessed suddenly slumped down before getting up. He looked at his surroundings, confused as to what he was doing in the middle of the sitting area, surrounded by the retainers, and the princess.
"Thank you, Kuroko that will be all," Kaoru immediately dismissed the once possessed Kuroko. "Kusakabe will explain to you later."
The Kuroko bowed and left the sitting area.
"So?" Chiaki voiced out. "What are we going to do?"
"We do nothing!" Tanba expressed his opinion. "I do not believe for a second that the Shadow Lord could fall to Gedou!" He stood up. "He should be grateful now that the burden is off his shoulders."
"Tanba!"
"What is it, princess?"
"Shut up."
"I deeply apologize, princess, but-"
"Shut up."
"For now, let's leave searching Takeru to the Kuroko and Umemori," Kaoru relayed her plan of action. "Tani, you inform Umemori of what has transpired here." She gave another order. "That will be all, dismissed."
Kaoru and Tanba stood up and left the sitting area, leaving the Shinkengers and Kusakabe.
Chiaki obeyed the order the princess gave him and informed Genta of what happened, and the situation they are in.
"At least someone from the family is appreciative." Genta couldn't help but bite out.
"Yeah, we're counting on you, Gen-chan, we'll help out tomorrow morning."
"Leave it to me!" Genta assured the green shinkenger.
A week had gone by since the defeat of Chimatsuri Dokoku. Everyone was still recuperating from the wounds and bruises they received from the final battle.
While not as heavily injured as the other Shinkengers, Kaoru was nonetheless told to recuperate considering the strain she put her body into making a second House of Shiba disk, giving the Shinkengers access to the Shiba fire mojikara that's been passed through the Shiba line for generations.
Everyone was recuperating well when they received a summons to be in the sitting room. It was the sole reason why the Shinkengers, alongside Kaoru, Kusakabe, and Tanba, were gathered at the sitting area.
"Who dares summon the princess?!" Tanba demanded.
Kaoru, having fed up with her guardian's outburst, accepted a paper fan from one of the kuroko and whacked Tanba's head with it.
"You're noisy." Kaoru explained.
"Congratulations to the 18th Shinkengers, to the 18th and 19th Shiba heads, and the 1st Shinken Gold," A kuroko stood at the sitting room's entrance. "You went beyond sealing Chimatsuri Dokoku, you vanquished him from the world."
"Kaien-sama, on behalf of the Shiba family and the Shinkengers, we are honored to have received your praise." Kaoru stood up and bowed at the possessed kuroko.
Everyone present followed the princess's lead and bowed towards the possessed kuroko in a show of gratitude.
"Doesn't change the fact that my older sister was the Shiba head and I'm just her younger brother." Kaien shook his head. "In any case, you're welcome."
"If not for you, and your timely advice, we would have been too late." Mako continued to bow towards Kaien.
"You've seen how one can fall to gedou." Kaien deduced.
"I saw Usukawa Dayuu's memory of when she fell." Mako nodded.
"Take pride in the fact that you stopped it." Kaien smiled at the Pink Shinkenger.
"To what do we owe the visit, Kaien-sama?" Kaoru voiced her question.
"I'm just here to congratulate everyone on defeating Chimatsuri Dokuko with no casualties from within the team," Kaien admitted. "Takeru, I commend you for being able to find the Kyoryu disc and discern the meaning behind the message the first Shiba head left."
Tanba looked at the Princess's newly adopted son with an open mouth while Kaoru was beaming with pride, knowing full well that she made the right decision.
"He did a pretty good job finding the final key for the Kyoryu disc." Chiaki smirked.
"That's Tono for you!" Ryuunosuke nodded.
"Tono-sama is amazing." Kotoha nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm honored to receive your praise, Kaien-sama." Takeru stood up from his seat and bowed at Kaien.
"I know the lot of you will go back to your previous lives, but remain vigilant, as the gedoshuu still exist," Kaien offered. "However, I must insist on the 18th and 19th Shiba heads to pursue other endeavors other than the Samurai lifestyle."
"Please stop this nonsense!" Tanba exclaimed. "The Princess has many duties to per-"
Kaoru did not waste words to call her guardian as she would have before, she immediately whacked him with a paper fan.
"Rest assured, Shiba-sama, I have things in mind." Kusakabe nodded.
"As for you, Umemori, Takeru's father sends his thanks for being there for his son."
Genta couldn't help but tear up, he knew Jii, had Takeru's best interest at heart, but it still hurt, especially as a child, to be shooed away by Jii, but he knew his hand of friendship was returned and it did.
"Isn't that great, Gen-chan!" Chiaki elbowed Shinken Gold.
"I'm so happy for you, Gen-san." Kotoha voiced out.
"Well then, again, congratulations for everyone's win against Chimatsuri Dokuko."
With those parting words, the kuroko that was possessed slumped to the ground, unconscious.