Il Cielo dei Tre Regni
by Lunar Wave
Disclaimer: This story borrows the setting and characters of the Koihime†Musou series and borrows multiple elements from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I own neither series as they both belong to their respective owners. Also, considering Koihime†Musou could be considered a fanfic of the Three Kingdoms, I'd like to say I don't own anything related to the stories of the Three Kingdoms.
-()-
To Prepare, to Strike
-()-
"Enjutsu's making suspicious movements."
"Thank you, Josho." Kazuto nodded.
"Umm… suspicious?" Touka asked, unsure what to make of that brief report.
"I'll explain properly, Touka-sama." Josho nodded.
"Then please call Aisha and Shuri here, Mifa," Kazuto told her.
"Understood." Mifa nodded and left quickly.
"Are you sure, Josho?" Paitan asked.
"After I failed to spot Enshou's movements, I'd like to think I've pushed my information network to its limits… even cutting it from Koutou's."
"You did!?" Touka blinked, "But why? Was Sonsaku…"
"N-no! It's not as if I suspect the Son Family of betraying us… it's more for… my sake." Josho winced, "I wanted to not be too reliant on Koutou for these sorts of things."
"It's fine, Josho," Kazuto assured her.
"Here's my question." Pairen raised her voice. "Why was I assigned as your escort?"
"Because everyone else is busy?" Kazuto blankly said, "Didn't you… oh right, Sei dragged you out to get smashed last night. Still, with your clearly invaluable insight on Enjutsu, I think you'll do fine here for today."
"I only know the one thing!" Pairen balked at that.
"You're still more familiar with the politics than most of us are…"
"…"
"You called for us, Master?" Aisha walked in, with Shuri shortly after. Mifa closed the door behind them, before resuming her position behind Touka. In total, the people in the room presently are 8: Kazuto, Touka, Paitan, Mifa, Pairen, Josho, Aisha, and Shuri.
"Well then, report Josho." Kazuto turned to her once more.
"Got it." Josho coughed. "Enjutsu has started gathering troops and supplies. Whatever it is, she's preparing for something big, and it'll be flashy as everything we can expect from the En Family."
"It's not even spring yet…" Touka grumbled. "If she gathers supplies now, she'll starve her citizens."
"Well, depends on their stockpile." Kazuto shrugged. "And I doubt all her supplies would be food."
"I meant weapons and taxes, Touka-sama." Josho smiled.
"Ah, sorry for jumping to conclusions."
"Are you sure about this, Genchoku-chan?" Shuri frowned.
"Positive. I double-checked all the reports I got from Enjutsu's territory. Funnily enough, our contacts in Koutou have not given any indication to this."
"And considering their proximity, they should be aware of what's going on…" Aisha grimaced.
"We'll just have to be prepared." Kazuto frowned. "Keep a proper patrol on our border with Enjutsu. Do you have anything else to add, Josho, before we all start jumping to conclusions?"
"Not really." Josho sighed. "I'll try to spy out as much information as I can get from Enjutsu. It shouldn't be too difficult, but…"
"The brains in Enjutsu's operation is Choukun," Pairen added at the side. "Whatever's going on there, Choukun would be the one doing all the work. Enjutsu probably ordered her to do something."
"A Ganryou type or a Bunshuu type?" Kazuto asked.
"A Fan Type."
"Greeeat…" Kazuto grimaced. In other words, hyper-competent who exists only to spoil her master.
"Worse actually." Pairen sighed, "An EVIL Fan Type."
"How evil are we talking?"
"'Willingly leading the conversation to get Enjutsu to say and do things' evil."
"Umm… forgive me for asking, but how is that evil?" Touka asked.
"Hey Touka, there's a report here saying Sousou kicked a bunch of puppies," Kazuto told her.
"That's horrible!"
"Let's go fight Sousou again!"
"Ri… Oh." Touka caught on before she said something she'll regret. She glared at Kazuto for that.
"Hold on." Kazuto coughed, before opening the window and calling out, "Ren, I lied! Don't actually go hunt her down!"
The distant Ren calmly nodded, putting down what is clearly Houtengageki, and walked back to her spot with her dogs… and cats now. Huh? Didn't see that one coming.
"SAY THAT SOONER!" Nenene's voice roared… from somewhere, Kazuto wasn't sure.
"Ren was about to go to Kyoshou and beat Sousou up, wasn't she?" Aisha sighed.
"Yup." Kazuto chuckled, "Probably shouldn't have used that example when she's within earshot."
"That's cruel, Kazuto-kun!" Touka pouted.
Kazuto merely laughed, "Anyway, it won't be wrong to say that Choukun is the true ruler of Enjutsu's group if she can easily manipulate her master so." Not even Fan can claim that; Kuutan does as Kuutan wants, and Fan only indulges her.
"That's the impression I got too." Pairen chuckled.
"… You talked with them?" Touka asked, worried.
"Approached them with an alliance. They accepted it, but Enshou beat me too quickly for me to capitalize on it." Pairen winced.
"Fair enough." Kazuto nodded. "Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Choukun, so I have no idea how she actually is like, aside from what Pairen just told us." Choukun was there and she talked for their group, but since Enjutsu's only contribution to the coalition was supplies, there really isn't much they could get from that. "So what do you think is the reason Enjutsu is preparing?"
"… There's one thing I can think of…" Paitan pointed out.
"Eh, what is it, Paitan?" Touka asked.
"… The Imperial Seal."
"Ah… right…" Kazuto winced. "… An Emperor Declaration."
"Eh?"
"… In the story, Enjutsu's counterpart, Yuan Shu, declared himself an emperor… If things are still going according to that half-assed script…"
"This is Enjutsu preparing to declare herself Emperor, using the Imperial Seal as a pretext," Shuri concluded.
"This is all speculation of course, but… Josho?"
"I'll have our spies find some confirmation for it."
"Whatever Enjutsu is planning, either way, we need to up our training. Formations, and battle ranks. Aisha, can you and Rouan handle it? I know it's a bit early but…"
"Better safe than sorry." Aisha nodded. "I'll consult Rouan-dono if it's feasible to move up the schedule."
It need not be said but, if Enjutsu declares herself Emperor, Paitan's position as Reigning Emperor would be put into question if they don't stop them… but…
"… Paitan… we might have to declare your existence sooner than we might think."
"… Yes." They hoped for a few more months, a year even, enough to build up their power base. That, even if Enshou were to come at the declaration, they could fend her off. That they have solid alliances in the continent. But…
"… Let's contact Seiryou." Kazuto added. "What we need are allies, and Batou was favorable to us during the coalition. It might just be a sense of duty, but it would be rather important if we could get them to hear our side. Kanhyoku as well, but her proximity to Enshou could be a problem…"
"Is there anyone else we can contact?"
"… None off the top of my head." Kazuto sighed, "If we're talking story-wise? There's Kouchuu Kanshou, who eventually does serve Ryuubi, but… that's not something we can be sure of." Conflating the story to this world is not a good idea. Still, if Kouchuu is here then… the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han would be all assembled, well, if Bachou chooses to show up.
"… I'll do it." Shuri frowned. "I'll contact Batou, Kanhyoku, and Kouchuu. If allies are what we need, then we'll get as many as we can."
"Have them send delegates." Kazuto grimaced, "We'll reveal to them Paitan's existence and warn them of Enjutsu's possible declaration. We can't afford to be blindsided again."
"What of Sousou & Sonsaku?" Touka hesitantly asked.
"Whatever Enjutsu is doing, Sonsaku already knows. We shouldn't reveal our cards to someone who can potentially side with Enjutsu, no matter how much we liked them. And the longer we can keep Sousou away from Paitan, the better. She has Rakuyou; if we reveal Paitan to her, she will insist on Paitan returning to the capital."
"Chinkei is in Kyoshou." Aisha frowned.
"I know." Kazuto nodded.
"… If we don't at least inform her… she might see that as a slight against her."
"… Should I care?" Kazuto decided. "She has slighted us enough times that I would honestly be shocked if she thinks she's important enough to be given any information. Let's not kid ourselves; we know that she's been snooping around our base the moment I told her about her potential appointment. She even went so far as to spy on our flame training. If she thinks she deserves to know information, then why does she not just directly ask?"
"It's clear from the start, but Chinkei is a betrayer." Josho sighed. "Even information from my spies seem to indicate that she's been getting chummy with Sousou's group."
"… We could charge her for treason then." Aisha pointed out.
"We have no direct proof. Anyway, Sousou already knew about our Flames. The only thing that will probably make things difficult is if they learn the properties of our Dying Will Flames… And I doubt Chinkei missed exactly what most of us have been training with our flames."
"… Except for me and Hinari." Shuri hummed. "We only ever trained in the confines of our rooms since the winter started. Chinkei could never have spied on us in that environment." Especially since Kazuto has barred Chinkei entry into the residential hall.
"We still have Kazuma as a hidden trick." Kazuto frowned, "But otherwise… Regardless, we revealed to her exactly what we are willing to reveal to our soldiers anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Besides… we didn't reveal everything."
Aisha's might be the most straightforward flame, but it's one that's hard to deal with in the first place. Rinrin's strength is already ridiculous itself, that she doesn't need her flames. Ren more so. As for Sei… while the properties of slowing down are the most obvious, there are abilities that Rain Flames can do that aren't so simple. For instance, the ability to create ice. Real ice, not ZPB Ice. As for his and Touka's, there is little doubt that their skills are hidden, for the fact that neither of them really train as extensively as the others. For Kazuto, he's learned to treat the sky as if the ground and run on it, allowing him to do the one thing that he wants the most from this: the ability to use his forms in the sky.
"You sound… unsure…" Shuri grimaced.
"… Anyway, we'll have to be prepared. So, when the time comes, we'll be ready." Kazuto sighed. "… I wonder where Reborn is."
-()-
Ukitsu hummed as he looked at the report in his hands.
Reborn has not been active as a hitman for a long time. Reborn is commonly associated as part of the Vongola Family, the strongest Mafia Family. Looking into the Vongola Family got them their jackpot. A Tsunayoshi Sawada is the current head of the Vongola Family, meaning Sawada Kazuto is, at the very least, a relative. However, unfortunately, the spy did not manage to find any other information. He likely looked too deep and found himself killed in the abyss. Well, pawns are only useful because they can be sacrificed so easily.
"That's it?' Saji frowned. "A mere criminal organization?"
"The biggest in the world."
"… Are we going to reveal said connection to that place?" That place being St. Francesca.
"There's no point. You've already been incriminated for that sin and interfering with that world has no purpose for us at this point." Ukitsu dismissed. "The only thing that matters is hunting down the method they are using to send fools into our park. Unfortunately, finding out that it's the Vongola does us no service; they're such a big organization that they have bases across the world."
"Then why don't we simply break into them? With our superior strength, it should prove simple." Saji scoffed.
"… I suppose we do have the time for it." Ukitsu frowned, "The reversal of the time dilation between that world and this one has finally given us something to use."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Saji scoffed.
"You should. Breaking that mirror was the cause, after all." Ukitsu sighed, before narrating mockingly, "Once upon a time before the mirror was broken, this world's time disparity was thrice as fast as that one. Now, it has become the reverse, where one hour there has translated to three here."
"Is it such a problem?" Saji asked.
"Reports on the other side have become slow. And micromanaging everything on this side is proving difficult." With the original time delay, Ukitsu could comfortably go to the other world, plan out the course of action for every little thing, and then come back. Now everything is moving in real-time, and any activity spent on the other side is thrice wasted done on this world. "Regardless, we're working on borrowed time. We need to narrow down our options."
"Then, I'll hunt them down. It was starting to get boring being stuck here in base." Saji stretched.
"Do not underestimate them."
"And what will they do? Shoot me?" Saji laughed. "Where should I go first?"
"Why don't you go hunt down the father then?" Ukitsu smirked, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. The Tenth Head of the Vongola."
"Very well." Saji laughed. "I'll make that bastard an orphan."
-()-
"Bachou-sama!"
Bachou Mouki, the eldest daughter of Batou Juusei, blinked at the sudden appearance of the soldier, just as she got out of the Family Stable. She's been giving her horse a bath, and is rather wet and dirty, right now. "Yes?"
"You and your sisters are being called to your mother's office."
"Huh?" Bachou blinked. "Ruo and Sou too?"
"Yes, sir! As well as Batai-sama!"
"Tanpopo too, huh… Do I have to be clean for this?"
"I… don't know, sir!"
"… I'll assume that's a yes, and I need to get a change of clothes." Bachou sighed, "Anyway, understood. Can you put this away for me?" Bachou handed off the bucket filled with dirty water to the soldier.
"Yes, sir!"
-()-
Bachou soon arrived at her mother's office, where…
"Sui-neechan is late~"
"Tanpopo!" Bachou scolded Batai. "… Sorry for being late, mother. I was cleaning my horse."
"It's fine." Batou dismissed her concerns. "Sui, I'm assigning you four a platoon of soldiers each. March to Joshuu and reinforce them."
"I… uh… what?" Bachou blinked. "Why do we need to do this? I thought Sousou gave up her declaration of war?"
"A threat to the integrity of the Empire has emerged." Batou revealed, "There is reason to believe that Enjutsu has the Imperial Seal and is planning on declaring herself Emperor. This is something that we cannot allow."
"But isn't Kentei missing?" Bakyuu asked. "I mean, not to be rude but, it's been months since we've last heard of her."
"All the more reason to not allow a pretender on the throne. Kentei will reemerge. And we, as the protectors of the west of the country, will protect the will of the empire."
"Do all four of us have to go?" Batetsu asked. "And you're not coming?"
"Sui will eventually inherit this land. This will be vital training for all four of you, Sui as the commander-in-charge, Ruo as the one in charge of logistics. Sou and Tanpopo, I'll leave you two under Sui for this campaign."
"… We're not just rushing into things, right?" Bakyuu asked.
"It's fine, Ruo~" Batetsu smiled, "If Mother is wrong, then we can just turn back!"
"That still means wasting supplies, Sou!"
"Does anyone have any objections?" Batou asked.
"Nope!" Tanpopo answered for all of them.
"Then, dismissed."
-()-
"What do you think, Ryuuhyou-sama?" In a court in Keishuu, the province south of Sousou and East of Enjutsu, a purple-haired woman said to an old man.
The old man grumbled, "Must we send a delegate at the behest of a nobody lord?"
"Is it fine if it's just the three of us then?"
"No! You three may not leave me all at once! You three are my top Generals! Two of you can go so that the other has backup, but I'm not sending all of you!"
"What happened to the Kais?"
"Anyway, I'm only sending two!"
"Then mind if I bring Enya with me?"
"Fine, take Gien with you if you have to! I'm not sending more than that!"
"Not even our personal platoons?"
"… You may have bodyguards, but you may not bring an army! I don't want Sousou hounding us for marching one into her territory!"
"Understood."
The three generals left the man's presence.
"I swear, that Ryuuhyou's cowardice grows by the day." The bluish-white-haired woman sighed. Said hair is rather short for the most part, but the right side of her bangs go down over the front of her face and ends in red. "So spineless."
"There is hardly any need for that, is there, Kouso?" The purple-haired woman scolded. "He is still the lord of Keishuu. We have to abide by what he wants. Also, Kikyou, must you drink so early?"
"I'll drink for as long as I want, as much as I want." The woman with bluish-gray hair, reaching her shoulders, scoffed, as she took another swig from her bottle for effect.
"Give me some, Gengan. I need some way to get rid of the displeasure of dealing with that one."
"No." Gengan scoffed.
"Well, I tried." Kouso shrugged, "So, Kouchuu, what is your plan?"
"Hmm… we should avoid taking a route through Enjutsu, right? I suppose we'll have to pass through Sousou's territory then. Like Ryuuhyou-sama said."
"They've recently been at war with Joshuu, right? Would we be able to get past the border?" Gengan frowned.
"If Sousou can't read the signs, then she must not be as good as the rumors say." Kouso scoffed. "The writing's on the wall; Enjutsu's planning something big. As territories bordering her, we're the most likely targets. An alliance between us to deal with the threat only makes sense."
"Hmm, I suppose so." Gengan sighed, "Then I'll go see the twerp. She better be ready to lug my sake for me, cause it'll be a long trip."
"I'll go see our soldiers and pick some out to accompany us." Kouchuu nodded, as Gengan departed.
"You bringing Riri?"
"Of course I will." Kouchuu nodded, "I've no idea how long I'll be at Joshuu, and… I don't really trust anyone here to take care of her. No offense."
"None taken. Wouldn't want to be saddled with the brat either." Kouso shrugged.
"So, are you coming with, or are you going to vent your frustrations at the archery range?"
"Nah, I'm good. Sniping that Sonken was more than enough venting in my lifetime."
"Yet you didn't seem that happy when you got home…"
"… I don't like being used as a puppet for someone else's schemes, Kouchuu. That is all I'll say about that."
And with that, Kouso departed. Kouchuu shrugged and went towards the barracks.
-()-
"… Excuse me what?" Sousou asked a soldier who had arrived with some very confusing news.
"Umm… Bachou from Ryoushuu, Kouchuu and Gengan from Keishuu requested to enter Joshuu. Bachou brought an entire battalion. Kouchuu and Gengan each have brought personal bodyguards for their own protection, however…"
"What will they do in Joshuu?" Sousou asked.
"They said that they wished to meet the new lords, Ryuubi and Sawada."
"Bringing a battalion." Sousou dubiously looked at that.
"Yes."
"Do they have proof that they intended on doing so?"
"They claim that Joshuu asked them to send delegates."
"That's so suspicious!" Jun'iku pointed out, "They might be asking for them so that they can fight us again!"
"If that was the case then they wouldn't bother going through my territory." Sousou pointed out. "In fact, the most direct path between Joshuu and Keishuu should be through Enjutsu. And yet they chose to travel through us? Have you heard anything from them, Tou?"
"I'm afraid not." Tou frowned. "… I may have to return to Joshuu to see what the fuss is about."
"… As a reminder… Ryuubi and Hongou are pacifists, and their policies are pacifistic. What reason would either of them have to ask for reinforcements?" Sousou frowned.
"That they're not pacifistic and intend to go to war?" Jun'iku offered.
"Or that they're preparing for Enshou," Kakouen added.
"… Enshou has shown no signs of movement since her occupation of Yuushuu. And if it's some sort of personal reason, then the hero Batou wouldn't have bothered." Sousou pointed out.
"… Is now a bad time?" Kakuka poked her head through the door.
"Come in, Rin. What is it?"
"Information said that Kanhyoku has sent delegates of some fashion to Ryuubi," Kakuka reported.
"… Okay, something big is happening, and I want to know what." Sousou frowned. "Tou, if you go back, would you be able to tell us anything?"
"I'll only do my job as Joshuu's Delegate." Chinkei bowed.
"Then, I'll have you escort them."
"Very well." Chinkei smiled. "If I do not return, I assume you know what should be expected?"
"Yes." Sousou nodded. "I do."
If Chinkei is not allowed to return, then… it means that Ryuubi's target is them. In all honesty, it would be easier if they were the target, but…
-()-
Kazuto blankly looked at the smiling face of the blue-haired politician.
"Don't recall calling you back, but I'm grateful for bringing the delegates here. Is the Sake we bought for you not to your liking?"
"Oh, I had much fun with that~," Tou told him. "Thank you for it."
"I see…"
"So what's with the army reinforcements?" Tou asked.
"We didn't ask for them," Kazuto replied.
"Is that the truth?"
"Whatever Batou thought we could do with her four generals, I don't know. At most, we expected a single general from each place we contacted." Bachou, Kouchuu, and Choukou were the expected people. "We had something we wanted to talk to them about, and we wanted them to deliver a message to their lords if possible."
"… And who's the target?"
"Sousou should already have heard of it." Kazuto scoffed, "If you're trying to fish for details, at least do it for something else… or… I see. Batou's reinforcements scared Sousou." Kazuto sighed. "This is why I wanted a single general, but nooo… Go back and tell Sousou this: we have reason to believe that Enjutsu has the Imperial Seal and is preparing to announce herself Emperor. We contacted Batou, Ryuuhyou, and Kanhyoku to discuss any potential countermeasures about this situation."
"And proof that Enjutsu had it?' Tou asked.
"Tou. If I told you we're just basing it off our gut, would you believe us? Because we seriously just think that that's what's happening. We have no proof. I could swear on every deity you know that we don't give a flying fuck what Sousou is doing right now, as long as it's not abusing Chiihou." Kazuto frowned. "Just… go home and spend some time with Suu for a bit, and tomorrow hurry on back to Sousou. I swear if you stay here for much longer, Sousou might declare us her enemies. Which is really not what we want right now."
"… You seem in a hurry to remove me from Joshuu."
"I don't know. Maybe you're a bit of a blabbermouth and would willingly reveal our secrets to Sousou if it benefits you." Kazuto frowned.
"I've no idea what you-"
"Flames. You told Sousou what our flames can do." Kazuto accused her mid-sentence. That immediately shut her mouth.
"… I've no idea what you mean." Bingo. It was a guess, of course, but it was the single biggest thing that Tou could use to her advantage in negotiating with Sousou. To her credit, she recovered quickly, but that moment of hesitation was all the confirmation Kazuto needed.
"If you think we can trust you with information, you are dead wrong," Kazuto told her. "I trust you to do your job as our delegate to Sousou. I trust that you have Joshuu's best interests at heart. But what we don't trust is you have our best interests at heart. We have so little faith in you that we believe that you'll immediately betray us the moment we let our guards down for one second. So give us one, one reason why we should trust you with the sort of internal information that could screw us over in the hands of a person that dislikes us. And Sousou has not made a secret of disliking us."
"…"
"You have the information that you came here for: we asked the three of them here to prepare countermeasures for whatever Enjutsu's preparing for. Whether Sousou believes that or not is her problem. We will not move before Enjutsu makes any declaration. If she wants to join this Anti-Enjutsu Alliance, she's free to come, but we're not formally inviting her." Kazuto then sighed, "You can sleep in your home with Suu for the day, but I expect you back on the road by next morning."
And with that Kazuto pointed at the door. Behind Kazuto is the indecipherable expression of Chouun, who was there as the boy's escort for some reason. Tou merely bowed and left.
"… You know, if she actually thought we were worth anything more than just another piece in Sousou's chess set, I probably would've been happy to let her know all these things." Kazuto sighed.
"Can't be helped." Sei shrugged, "I imagine that Chiihou is proving just as difficult for Sousou right now."
"The difference is that Chiihou has no sway on the top officials of Sousou, while one word from Tou and we might suddenly get a rebellion overnight."
"Then was it wise to take such a strong stance against her?"
"If we don't then when do we? When she's sold us all out to Sousou?" Kazuto sighed. "I don't mind her existence. But what I do mind is if… by knowing too much about us, she winds up getting one of us killed. That alone, I'm deathly terrified of." Kazuto sighed. "And that's why I won't trust her with any information. She'd be an amazing person to have on your side, but that's only if she's on your side… And… we missed that boat the day she met Sousou."
"…"
Chinkei Kanyu calmly walked away from where she was. Chinkei had planned on visiting as much of her old haunts, to find as much information as she can on the going on in the province but… after hearing that admission, all she wants right now is to go home. To Suu. However, that's where it ends. It is what she wants, but… she's chosen her king. Sousou is the one that will rule this world. It will not be the commoner, nor the outsider. And if they want to survive in this world… wouldn't it be better to side with the winners?
Unknown to her, a Sonken Kouyuu was watching, and she quickly followed. This is something that everyone has decided the moment they heard of Tou's return. Even Suu agreed to it, as reluctant as she was to allow Mifa to spy on her mother. But Kazuto promises her, that whatever Tou tries to do, as long as it's not illegal, they will not use whatever Mifa finds out to cast suspicion on her.
Tou is not a spy; she's a very conspicuous existence. She is ill-suited for anything except negotiations, and, unfortunately, a politician that's not on their side is hardly the best negotiator for themselves. At best, she's a negotiator for Sousou's side, and Sousou should view her as such. A convenient existence that can freely enter Joshuu and talk to them.
Sonken Kouyuu kept a close ear on her conversations, as she allowed Chinkei to freely move that evening. Sonken kept note of each of the people Chinkei approached. High-ranking officials each and every one of them. Some were reluctant, some were eager. Chinkei used her feminine wiles to get them to lower their guard. They expressed dissatisfaction in Ryuubi and Hongou, saying that they haven't been giving any attention to them. Sonken dryly noted that these people barely did any work in the first place. Some of them are Joshuu's former generals who lost to Aisha. Some claimed that they only got so high up in position is because they sleep with the Heavenly Messenger. All baseless slander, of course, and it probably will never be picked up by the general populace who honestly seems to adore the top brass of the Ryuubi Army. It seems Chinkei herself is merely paying lip service to these men as well, caring little for their "struggles".
Ryuubi and Hongou were always bound to make enemies. Unlike in Yuushuu, they're entering a pre-established system. They can't build it all from the ground up. They can't afford to. And entering from the outside, they were never going to please those who have always been here; even though those who Ryuubi and Hongou had recruited are vastly superior to them. They did rather well for what it's worth. Touka's first instinct is to take care of the needs of the population, resulting in the common folk being rather enamored by her. The same goes for the village elders. The merchant class cheered for having Bijiku and Bihou in the court, as they served as their representative, and they served it well enough. The soldiers held confidence in their generals, each strong and brave that all of them could follow. However, it is the noble class that has been left out. Kazuto had blocked those wishing to line their pockets at every turn.
Kazuto admitted that, by ruling this way, they are leaving a lot of openings that their enemies can exploit… but this was the only way that they could do this. And they're sticking with it.
Sonken frowned as she heard a shuffle from the people she was following. Chinkei moved into the street… and into a small alleyway nearby.
"… You're there aren't you, Sonken?" Chinkei said with an amused smile.
"… Chinkei." Sonken greeted, seeing no reason to keep hiding once identified.
"Must you stalk me as though I'm an enemy of the state?"
"I'm not stalking you as an enemy of the state." She is following her for being the enemies of Touka and Kazuto, though.
"I see~ Then there you go~ A list of fools who don't know when to keep their mouths shut." Chinkei nodded in their direction. "I'd even write up a testimony for you if you need me to. I'll give it to you before I leave."
"… What's your aim, Chinkei?"
"It's for the sake of Joshuu?"
"…"
"I'm not trying to bring down Joshuu. Joshuu is one of the richest states in this country." Chinkei replied. "Joshuu needs to maintain its wealth and those sorts who would act like entitled fools, even though they contribute so little to the state, are among the first to go. If not from this world, then from any position of power."
"… Then I'll accept that for what it's worth. Tou."
"… It's been a while since you last called me so, Mifa."
"You know why."
"That day I advocated that we welcome Sousou as the next lord of Joshuu, correct?"
"You seemed so sure that Sousou is the most worthy lord in this country."
"Her charisma, her ability, Sousou is one that is blessed by the gods. She was almost certainly going to be great one day. Why wouldn't you want to side with her?"
"I'm afraid I cannot relate."
"Then why not meet Sousou once? If you see what I mean, I'm sure you'll agree."
"There's no meaning to doing so. I've chosen my master as well."
"Those two? Really?"
"I'm certain."
"What exactly do you see in them?"
"Touka-sama's kindness, Kazuto-sama's perseverance, their loyalty to their comrades, and their desire for a peaceful world."
"… Those aren't the traits of a great ruler."
"Maybe not. But those are the traits of the masters that I believe are worth serving. In the end, the two of us are too different; you are a politician to your core. I am a servant to my very being. We fundamentally value different things."
"… I suppose I can't argue with that." Tou shrugged.
"Then let's leave it at that."
"… And what if Hongou and Ryuubi choose to serve Sousou-sama?"
"Then I'll follow them as well."
"Even if you have to leave Joshuu?"
"I've made my choice, Tou."
"Then, I'll continue to push for that path." Tou shrugged.
"If it comes to be, then so be it." And with that, Mifa left. Tou walked out of the alley and walked on the way home. There's no doubt that Mifa is still tailing her. But she's done all she needed to do. She didn't get much of anything new, aside from the fact that a lot of the old nobles are disgruntled by the way the Hongou-Ryuubi group ruled. And there's nothing that she could find that goes against what Hongou claimed: that they were preparing for Enjutsu.
-()-
The next morning, the courtroom was bustling with activity. They had allowed their guests some rooms for the night, and they mostly just stayed in said rooms; aside for one of them who immediately went for a liquor store, apparently having run out on the trip here. Their soldiers were situated in the barracks, which, for what it's worth, fit them well enough, even with the surprise arrival of Bachou and her group.
Chinkei has been confirmed being escorted back to Sousou after sleeping in her home. On the other hand, she also left a list of condemnations of various nobility, backed up by Mifa. That woman sure loves giving him stress. Kazuto decided to shelve that for another day. This is a bit more important than a bunch of nobles trying to muscle in as much sway on the government as they can get.
"Seiryou's Bachou Mouki has arrived!" Bachou's friendly face was a welcome breath of fresh air for them. They had allowed the group rest yesterday… mostly to delay Sousou learning about anything that will happen here for at least a few days more. So this is their first official meeting. "It's been a while, Ryuubi, Hongou! These are my sisters, Bakyuu and Batetsu. The last one's my cousin, Batai."
"Bakyuu." The girl who stood out for being the only one that looks worried out of the four Ba Clan siblings introduced herself. She's a bit shorter than her older sister. She wore her hair similarly to her sister, but the ponytail is worn lower. A rather large tuft of hair stuck out and is hanging towards the front of her face. His first impression of her is that she's the one in charge of reeling her sisters in, judging by the slightly put-upon expression she wore. It reminded him of Aisha after dealing with Rinrin, Denden, and Rairai all at once.
"Batetsu~" The next girl who spoke was carefree. Wearing pink, with her hair significantly shorter than both her siblings. First Impression: ditzy, likely the sister with the least expectations piled on her shoulders.
"Batai is right here~" The last Ba Clan girl introduced herself. Wearing orange, and the girl with the shortest ponytail of the four. First impression: mischievous, if that smile is any indication.
"Keishuu's Kouchuu Kanshou." A woman, with a small child, greeted them. Purple-hair and a gentle smile. First impression: motherly, but that's a bit of a given, seeing as her daughter's right there. Still, there's something…
"Riri!" The little girl announced, breaking Kazuto's thoughts. Same hair as her mother, and bright innocent eyes. First impression: a normal kid. (Note: Kazuto's definition of normal is skewed; he grew up in the mafia, after all.) Still, she also looked wise for her age.
"Gengan. General of Keishuu."
"… You're already drunk." Kazuto bluntly said, noticing the sway of the general's body and the gourd hanging from her hip.
Kouchuu next to Gengan merely sighed. Under her breath, she seems to be saying something along the lines of: "I told you not to."
"Gyahahaha! Tell me something I don't know!"
"… My first impression of you is that you're the rowdy uncle of the family."
"Kazuto-kun! Be nice!" Touka scolded him.
"She asked for it!" Kazuto defended himself.
"… He's not wrong…" Kouchuu shrugged.
"Gyahahaha! I like ya even more, brat!"
"Yeah, I think I can deal with 'chronic drunk'." Kazuto sighed, turning to the last one from the Keishuu delegates…
"G-G-Gien Bunchou!" The tomboy declared. Her hair is a short mess of black hair which, on her right side, is white. Her entire focus is on Touka… got it. First Impression: Tomboy, easily flustered, tries to act tough, lesbian or, at least, bi.
Now then the last delegates… "It's nice to see you again, Ryuubi, Hongou."
"Kanhyoku-chan~" Touka greeted, "Umm… is it safe for you and Choukou to be here? What happened to Hanhou?"
"Hanhou's still in Kishuu." Choukou grinned. "Enshou hasn't been in Kishuu for a while but…"
"Enshou claimed the northern half of Kishuu," Kanhyoku told them, indirectly already telling them: Enshou is no longer in her control. Well, Enshou was never in anyone else's control, but this just made things official, "The southern part remains my territory, but…" Kanhyoku winced.
"It's not looking good, huh?" Kazuto winced as well. "Well… we aren't really here to talk about Enshou. You read my letters, right?"
"Enjutsu's preparing for something big, right?" Bachou frowned, "Oh and, uh, sorry for bringing a big group… we're sort of just following Mother's orders… We've also got… umm… a request to stay here till Enjutsu starts doing things, and then we help you when it happens?"
"Would've been nice if your group didn't do it… now Sousou's suspecting us of plotting against them." Kazuto sighed.
"If Enjutsu declares herself emperor, surely Sousou would join up with us rather than fight us then?" Kouchuu pointed out.
"Who knows with that one. She did lead an entire campaign to avenge her father, by trying to take the head of the state that it happened in. Not something you do on a cool head." Gengan shrugged.
"Umm, not to be a bother…"
"There's no way you're a bother, Ryuubi-sama!" Gien declared quickly.
"… but is it alright for Riri-chan to hear these things?" Touka finished, unfazed by Gien's attention.
"Sheesh, you're laying it on too thick." Batai sighed, directing her words to Gien.
"What did you say!?" Gien roared.
"Loud." Batai smirked with a finger to her mouth.
"Guh, I'm sorry Ryuubi-sama!"
"I'm going to assume that Riri here can handle these heavy topics," Kazuto said as neither Kouchuu nor Gengan was in any hurry to get her out.
"It's fine." Riri nodded, although there's a sign that she's a bit… unsure about it. As if she doesn't really care about the topic, but she's there anyway?
"Oh, I suppose it would be best to leave her somewhere but…"
"Rinrin, can you take care of her for a bit?" Kazuto asked the other girl who was equally bored in the room.
"Okay!" Rinrin nodded, turning to the girl, "Let's go have fun!"
"Okay!" Riri nodded and the two left quickly.
"Don't go further than the yard!" Kazuto called after them.
"Can I go too?" Batetsu asked.
"Sou, be professional… please. For a bit longer…" Bakyuu pleaded.
"I see that our little delegate group won't be out of place in the Ryuubi Camp." Choukou chuckled. "… Actually, Hongou, there's something we'd like to ask you guys about."
"What is it?"
Choukou turned to her master and bowed. Kanhyoku nodded, "Umm… Ryuubi, Hongou… would you two form an alliance with us?"
"Are, are you sure?" Touka asked.
"Well… you helped us during the coalition, so…"
"I!"
Kazuto interrupted them there. "We'll talk about the details of the alliance later. Let's just get what we called all of you here for first. We've sidetracked enough." Kazuto interrupted.
"Thought sidetracking is what you guys do best." Choukou grinned.
Kazuto did not rise to the bait. "During the coalition, Sonken Bundai has all but confirmed to us that she retrieved the Imperial Seal in the ashes of the Imperial Palace."
"You didn't bring it up then?" Bachou asked.
"We honestly didn't care enough about it." Kazuto shrugged. "And we weren't going to fight Sonken over it. Thing is more of a trouble magnet than anything."
"Heaven words, Kazuto-kun."
"Right, I mean it would cause us problems more if we did. So, we chose to just maintain some semblance of an alliance with Sonken's group rather than fight over a carved piece of jade."
"Well, with a Heavenly Messenger on your side, you can claim Mandate of Heaven whenever you please, really." Choukou shrugged.
"A fair point." Kazuto conceded. "Anyway, we already know that Enjutsu has some sort of hold over the Son Family… so…"
"There's a good chance that the Son family handed the Imperial Seal to Enjutsu."
"The increase in activity in Enjutsu's lands seem to coincide with the time that Sonsaku's campaigns south ended." Those brutally efficient conquests. Sonsaku really made a name for herself down there.
"So Sonsaku could be working with Enjutsu on this…" Bachou nodded. "So? What did you call us here for? If it's just that, you wouldn't need to, right?"
"Anyway, we have… some suspicion that Enjutsu will declare herself emperor, using the Imperial Seal as a pretext." Basically, just historical novel knowledge. "However, if the time comes that we come under fire from Enjutsu… we of Joshuu are lacking in alliances. Sousou is… unlikely to side with us given our recent war."
"Don't you have that lady delegate with Sousou?" Bachou asked.
"She's more Sousou's than ours," Touka admitted.
"… Must be rough."
"A traitor in your midst… And you haven't executed her?" Choukou raised her eyebrow at that.
Touka winced, "She's…"
"A special case among special cases. And anyway, we aren't here to talk about Chinkei." Kazuto sighed. "Just know that Sousou is not an ally, at least as of this moment."
"So, there's a chance?" Choukou asked.
"We aren't ruling out the possibility. There is the chance she joins," They just chose not to invite her because she looks like the type to charge the moon for it. "Now then, to our north is…"
"Still Sousou, this time being her home province: Enshuu." Kazuto sighed, "Then there's the other state, Seishuu."
"A shy above Enshuu is my Kishuu." Kanhyoku nodded with a grimace. Well, calling it her Kishuu is a bit… difficult… at best. But she still controls the capital of the province so it's correct to say so.
"We don't know how Enshou would react to Enjutsu's Imperial Declaration, but we do know ours… we will oppose it."
"If so, as per the orders of the Lord of Seiryou, Batou Juusei, Seiryou's Bachou the Splendid is yours to command when the time comes!" Bachou declared.
"If we're opposing her declaration as an Emperor, who will we be propping up to match them?" Choukou raised. "You, or Ryuubi?"
"Neither."
"Good." Choukou nodded, "You'd just sooner make enemies declaring yourself an emperor. But if so, then whose flag will we be flying during our resistance to this Imperial Declaration."
Touka and Kazuto stood up, with a nod.
"Paitan…sama." Touka beckoned to the side door.
A young girl, with pinkish-white hair, walked in, in full Imperial Regalia entered the room. She walked towards the throne, and sat down, with Kazuto and Touka standing to her side. Behind her, is another woman, with purplish-tinted white hair. She too walked but merely stood at the side, like a spectator. Trailing behind her is a blue-haired woman, wearing clothes that wouldn't look out of place in the Imperial Palace.
Touka smiled, "Allow me to introduce. Kentei, the current Emperor of this country. And Reitei, the previous Emperor." All of the guests quickly bowed.
Kanhyoku, as the highest-ranking member of the group, stepped forward and bowed, "We pledge our allegiance to the Emperor."
"To protect the Imperial Kan…" Paitan looked at them, "May I ask you to aid us?"
"By your command, Emperor!"
-()-
Ukitsu did not have an easy time finding where Sawada Tsunayoshi could be. The Vongola Home Bases are clearly well-kept secrets.
Still, Ukitsu has a general map he knows. He had kept track of the location of the deaths of every single one of his puppets and he's charted a plot of South Italy. Well… deaths, since Ukitsu had them self-destruct upon their discovery. There have been enough talks of interrogations near his puppets to know that that was what they intended for them. It honestly wouldn't be bad if a bunch of random mob thugs took some of them to their locations… if said locations weren't all dumpsites.
So, he had some of his puppets try and hang out in well-known hangout spots for mob members… Unfortunately, his puppets… were all Chinese, and looked Chinese. He had to do some extensive surgery on one of the guys to make them seem less Chinese than others. But…
"A face like that would be remembered anywhere. You must be one of those triad guys again! Your ram shod surgery isn't gonna cut it, punk!"
Or something to that effect. Ukitsu translated it, hoping to get some hint on Vongola, but it did not work. Still, it seems they're highly alert for suspicious Chinese people asking for Vongola.
So, he improvised. He took control of an Italian to try again… that, however, resulted in some strange laughter to echo in his head.
"Kufufufu. So you're the one who took the heir."
Ukitsu quickly shut down that connection and went to take a bath, feeling oddly dirty just hearing that asshole of a laugh. (He ignored Saji claiming he's hardly one to talk.)
Finally, a breakthrough. Some drunk bastard managed to say something about Sawada Tsunayoshi's location.
Saji smirked.
"Finally, I was starting to think you couldn't find that bastard."
-()-
The location stated was a high-rise hotel. He is supposedly meeting a VIP in this location. Saji shrugged at that and started scaling the walls. Each step he took dug into the wall and he ran up, without pausing or slowing down. Eventually, he landed at the top to hear a single word:
"EXTREME!"
Saji barely had the time to block as a punch, burning bright yellow, struck his arms, and…
"Gahh!" Saji growled, feeling his arms break from the impact. However, his knowledge of doujutsu was enough for him to heal that damage up as he dodged the next strike. Who the hell is this guy!? The man had white-hair, tanned skin, wearing a black suit. His hands had wraps covering them.
"Hoy! Octopus Head! The assassin's on me!" The short white-haired man yelled, probably loud enough to be heard on the ground floor. "… I see! Got it, I'll do that!" The man smirked as he clenched his fists again. "I'm going to knock you out, so let's go!"
Saji growled as he swung his legs this time covered in his flames.
"Whoops! That will be dangerous if it hits! I know that much!" The man laughed. "Hey… aren't you the guy my nephew was fighting before he went to the other world? Yeah, that's totally you! Hey, Octopus Head, this guy's totally the one who got Kazuto stuck in the other world!"
"Is that so?" A calm voice was heard from above. Saji turned his head towards him. The sight of a black suit was clear to him, and, in the light of that rooftop, he could see exactly who it was.
"… You're Sawada Tsunayoshi. The father of that bastard." And it was indeed. His hair was a mess as if he hasn't seen a comb in his life. But every instinct of his is screaming: dangerous. A flame burning on his brow, as he looked at him in some form of… pity? Regardless, he didn't like it. He was flying, his hands burning a bright orange flame. It seems he's found the one who taught the bastard how to use flames.
"His mother and I are properly married, I'm afraid, and he grew up a healthy child, so the title of bastard is hardly accurate."
"…"
"Still, I'm glad." Tsunayoshi gave a small smile. "If you have a method of going back and forth between this world and that world, then my son will be able to as well. We were worried that it would be another Ghost situation."
"Che. Shut up!" Saji roared as he jumped up, his flames burning around his ankles as he struck… open air, as Tsunayoshi flipped above him and slammed a fist into his back. He growled but he wound up hanging upside down in the air, as Tsunayoshi held him there.
"Still, I fail to realize why you are hunting me down."
Saji did not answer, instead, kicking his free leg at him. Tsunayoshi dodged, and let him go for it. Saji flipped and landed on the roof once more. However this time, there were five people on top, not just the one guy who was yelling.
"Yare yare, could this guy be any more flashy?" The guy in a trench coat with cow horns on his head scoffed.
"River Flames. Like that Mizuno from Shimon." A grey-haired man, whose hair went long enough to frame his face, scoffed, and Saji only grew alarmed. They know about Deathperation. Then…
"Eh? Wasn't his flame Ocean?" The black-haired generically handsome guy, with a shinai, blinked at the name.
"No, baseball idiot! It was River! If it was Ocean, don't you think it would be on the same level as Sky and Earth?"
"I see! Yeah, Ocean would be just as good as Sky and Earth, if you think about it."
"Boss…" The only woman there called to Tsunayoshi, "This man… shouldn't we capture him?"
"That's my intention, Chrome." Tsunayoshi nodded, his hand raised, in a strange pattern. What is he doing… no! He shouldn't wait for his enemy to finish what he's planning!
"Ch!" Saji went to dive off the building, "Ukitsu, you better be seeing this!"
"Get back here!" The grey-haired punk threw something behind him, and he could hear some sort of slithering sound trying to grab at his feet.
And suddenly,
BOOOOOOMMM!
A loud explosion burst on his back, and he could only feel pain as he dropped down. Tsunayoshi was… following him. He was there… Shit! He could feel him hold his feet! He can't let…
Suddenly a burst of sand exploded from his robes, and… the next thing he knew, he was back with Ukitsu.
"GAAH!" Saji roared as the injuries on his back hurt him heavily.
"Medics!" Ukitsu roared, as Saji growled.
"The bastard was holding me! Did he go through too?"
"Of course not! I won't make the same mistake you did!" Ukitsu pointed at the screen he had been using to monitor the situation. Sawada Tsunayoshi was on screen, flying back up the hotel, and landing on the rooftop.
"You did not tell me they were that strong! How the hell did that bastard punch through my defenses!?" Saji growled, "I had to use doujutsu to heal my arms! Then whatever those explosives are, they pierced through my sage clothes! No normal mob boss could've had subordinates that fucking strong! And the mob boss himself! He was flying!"
"I warned you not to underestimate them. We always knew that Hongou Kazuto had powers. His father having them too should not be that much of a surprise." Ukitsu reminded him. "… Still, we'll keep our eyes on hi-"
"Kufufu, so this is how you've been monitoring us?"
Ukitsu blinked as a man, with a pineapple haircut appeared on the screen.
"But don't you know? There is no such thing as a one-way connection. If you can see what's happening on one side, the other side can monitor it just as we-"
"SHUT IT ALL DOWN!" Ukitsu roared.
"You won't be able to shut me out forever, little paw-"
Someone had flipped the breaker and the laboratory's power went out.
"… Ch. Why can't I feel my feet?" Saji asked, only to spot a strangely colored ice on his shin, where the bastard was touching him. "… Fuck."
"… Cut it with your flame." Ukitsu dryly said. Saji growled and swung his fist only to…
"GUH!" Saji growled as he clenched his fist.
"… We'll have to work you out with a chisel then." Ukitsu frowned. Ukitsu blinked as he saw something blinking beneath the ice. "Quickly. Seems the man put a tracker there."
"Does that mean I have to get my leg cut off or something?" Saji glared at him, already loathing the idea. But he refuses to be the reason that their plan fails.
"Not necessary. Unless their tracker could send signals across worlds, it is a meaningless ploy." Ukitsu dismissed. "For now, get your back treated, while I purge my laboratory of whatever that man did to it."
"Who was that one? Didn't see him on the roof."
"Never you mind," Ukitsu growled. "We need to stay on target. We'll monitor their side to make sure that they don't send any other people. Besides, now that we've narrowed down that the Vongola is involved, we'll need to hunt down the location of the mirror."
Whoever this Vongola is, they are not equipped just yet to fight them. They're too strong, too connected, and too experienced. When a vast majority of their men are mind-controlled puppets that they've amassed over the centuries, they cannot defeat the Vongola… not unless they are willing to raze Italy itself for it, and, frankly doing that might… attract the bastard with the iron hat. If that man learned of what they're aiming for, their operation might just end. It doesn't seem that he's noticed yet, but…
"… I'll hunt down the location of the mirror. It should be in a Vongola Base if his father is the leader. Saji, you just sit pretty as we chip through that ice."
"I'm no invalid! This ice won't stop me from movin-"
Just as he said that he fell over, unbalanced by the ice.
"A martial artist like you would quickly realize it, right? It's not that your foot is frozen. Your ankles, your shins, the joints that connect your foot to your leg are all frozen. You cannot bend them as you're used to, and thus, you are effectively a cripple."
"Put it in boiling water if you have to!" Saji growled.
"Well, we have permission to go full torture on him. I want firepits, boiling water, and all the chisels you can get." Ukitsu sardonically said.
"… I swear if this ice stops me from my chance to kill the bastard…" Saji growled.
"Oh, right, that is a thing, huh…" Ukitsu hummed. "Well, you'll just have to live with it. You were the fool who underestimated the ones who likely mentored the boy. And you didn't even wind up fighting all of them."
"You told me to hunt down the father!"
"I did. If we kill the head, we can cause a succession crisis. With their principal heir gone, they'd have to resort to their second, and well… they're mafia. The second heir would likely stop all projects to pull the boy back, and forbid others from entering." Ukitsu shrugged.
"… I will take their heads. Both father and son." Saji promised.
Ukitsu scoffed. "That man was toying with you. You might not have been able to see it from your angle, but he was not fighting you seriously."
"And he'll suffer for it."
"My my… well, we'll focus on getting your joints out first, so don't worry." Ukitsu sighed, before looking at the monitors once more, grimacing. It took so much time to set these things up. He'll have to start working on them so that he can get back on track soon. How long would it take for him to double-check everything here to make sure that it's all clean? Weeks, if not months.
-()-
Back in the high-rise hotel that the Vongola Family was renting… at the penthouse, six people were all across the living room.
"Che, we had him." Gokudera Hayato grimaced, as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Hoy! Stupid Cow, weren't you supposed to circle around him and stop him from jumping off in the first place?"
The cow-horned man merely gave a lazy eye and scoffed, "Man was faster than I thought, Ahodera."
"Ah, are we bringing back all our old nicknames again?" Yamamoto Takeshi chuckled. Then he looked seriously at Sawada Tsunayoshi, who frowned as he sat in the lounge they were staying at. "You froze his foot, Tsuna?"
"I tried to at least," Tsuna nodded, "I also put the tracker on it too… what's the update on it?"
"No dice." Gokudera grimaced, "Seems he went off to the other world to escape. And they're good enough that, even though Tenth was holding onto him, they managed to pull him away."
"The way they're transporting people between worlds must be much more reliable than we thought…" Chrome sighed. "And to think we were just planning on entrapping the ones running the Chinese Triads that's been hunting down Vongola."
"And it turns out that it's the ones involved in Kazuto's situation. Figures. Nothing happens in our lives that isn't somehow connected to something else." Lambo slouched on the couch.
"I'm extremely sorry, bro!" Sasagawa Ryouhei bowed to Tsuna, "If I just knocked him out with the first hit, I could've gotten Kazuto back!"
"It's fine, brother." Tsuna waved it off. Tsuna walked away from the window and sat. "Let's just review what we know of these men."
"They use the Seven Flames of the Earth… without being related to Shimon." Gokudera frowned. So there's another faction making mass usage of it. It's not that surprising; there honestly should've been more Seven Flames of the Earth users in the world, about equal to Seven Flames of the Sky. It just happened that, due to the Arcobaleno and the Vongola's influence, most of the Flame Bearing Underground focuses more on Sky.
"They were looking for Vongola, likely due to Kazuto's connection to us." Chrome nodded. Likely searching for the mirror.
"That guy we just fought was extremely strong." Ryouhei gave his contribution. And he meant it too. If that guy hadn't been strong, that punch Ryouhei gave him would've shattered his arms.
"They don't mind sending their people to die," Yamamoto grimaced, "No… they see no value in the lives of those people."
"… But they still cared enough about that assassin." Lambo pointed out. "If they didn't, they wouldn't have pulled him out."
"Likely, because the people they sent at first were just scouts, puppets," Tsuna concluded. "That one, however, the way he carried himself, he was a high-ranking member. That they can entrust with important goals… however…"
"Then, let me come in here, then?"
"Ah, Mukuro-sama." Chrome greeted.
"Hello there, my Dear Chrome." Rokudo Mukuro appeared out of Mist Flames, just behind Chrome.
"Che, what do you want?" Gokudera hummed.
"A rather foolish Desert Flame user tried to inhabit one of the warm bodies I control. He cut off that quickly enough, but I managed to rifle through his thoughts for a minute." Mukuro hummed.
"Well?" Tsuna asked.
"He was hunting us down because they feared us sending more people to aid your son."
"… Then?"
"They don't know that the people sent are mere holograms that could barely just touch their surroundings." Mukuro laughed. "However, that does help us quite a bit."
"It means that the mirror is capable of sending entire people through. We just have to figure it out." Gokudera concluded.
"Also, the Desert Flame is Ukitsu. The River Flame user is named Saji."
"… Saji, Ukitsu…" Gokudera frowned, "The Taoist Sages, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji. Some sources believe that Yu Ji is actually a misspelling of Gan Ji."
"Sheesh, since when were you informed about something so old." Lambo scoffed.
"The moment that it turned out that Tenth's Son appeared in a messed up form of the Three Kingdoms." Gokudera scoffed.
"Saji, as it turns out, is an experienced Doujutsu Master. While Ukitsu is a Houjutsu specialist."
"Taoist Arts, and Method Arts… What's the difference?"
"It matters little." Mukuro shrugged, "For now, let's focus on a bit more…"
"What are their goals, Mukuro? What do they want to do?" Tsuna asked.
"Ukitsu is little more than a pawn, whose only direction is to… destroy the world. A quaint goal, really. Unfortunately, that means that there is a higher-up he is following orders from."
"And how do they plan to do that?" Tsuna asked.
"… I'm afraid I was removed from their premises before I could see that part."
"How useless." Gokudera scoffed.
"What I do know is that they need to have a cast-iron grip on the one that unites that world's China. And that all outsiders of that world must be killed."
"So that's why they're so hung up on stopping us then." Tsuna nodded. "Well, we won't stop. My son and his Family will get all the help they can get from us." That may be limited to finding useful books right now, but they'll expand elsewhere.
"If you managed to get that far, did you find a way to traverse worlds, Mukuro?" Yamamoto asked.
"Ukitsu himself is unaware of the method. All he knows is that it works." Mukuro frowned. "He had a peculiar machine on the other side."
Tsuna could only frown, "Before all that, I have one question, Mukuro." Tsuna looked at him dead in the eyes, "… If they're going to try to hunt down the mirror, where will they start?"
"At Vongola Bases, of course," Mukuro smirked. Tsuna too laughed.
"Well then, then they'll have a rough time finding them." Tsuna nodded, "After all…"
The place where the mirror is, where Reborn is, is not listed as a Vongola Base.
Their Cloud would never allow it.
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: January 1, 2021
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
Happy New Year! Say hello to the KHR Cast, in present-day for the first time in this story. And then, say goodbye, because they can't really do much when they're literally worlds apart.
As an apology for the downer of a last chapter Author's Note, I will not say anything else. See you next week~