I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"The first kendo school I ever entered was the Chiba Kendo School."

"Thinking about it carefully, this all happened more than ten years ago... Back then, my name hadn't been changed to 'Kano Tatsugoro' yet."

"Mr. Chiba Sadakichi was a true master who could impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts. He gave me a great deal of help and guidance when I was just starting out in the path of kendo."

"Without the guidance that Mr. Chiba Sadakichi gave me back then... my swordsmanship would never have reached this level."

"...Mr. Kanno, what should we do with Chiba Sadakichi's daughter?"

After listening quietly to Kamino's brief account of his past with Chiba Sadakichi, the "slanted-eyed samurai" turned his gaze back to Sanako, who was still unconscious, with a complicated expression.

Jinno's brows furrowed slowly... Judging from his expression, it was easy to see that he was also having a headache about how to deal with his mentor's daughter.

Without anyone needing to remind him, Jinno knew that Chiba Sanako had disappeared, and the Chiba family, with their terrifyingly extensive network of connections, would certainly not let the matter rest.

Tomorrow morning... no, probably tonight, a large group of people will come to search for the missing Chiba Sanako.

This will undoubtedly cause them great trouble.

But we can't just let Chiba Sanako go like this.

They cannot let the outside world know that Natsume Sohachiro's daughter has gone missing.

As for killing Chiba Sanako, that's even more impossible.

Jinno has always considered himself a "true samurai".

Because he considered himself a "true samurai," he always strictly adhered to the samurai code and would never do anything that would damage the image of a samurai, such as yawning in public.

Because he considered himself a "true warrior," he was willing to risk his life to protect the country from the barbarians and to drive all the barbarians out of the country.

To show disrespect to one's mentor's children... that is not the behavior of a samurai.

After pondering for a moment with a troubled expression, Jinno sighed heavily.

"...Let's tie Chiba Sanako and Natsume Tsuki up here for now."

"Right now, we are at a critical juncture as our long-planned 'major operation' is about to begin... I don't want to waste my precious energy and time elsewhere."

"After we finish dealing with all the important matters, we can slowly think about how to deal with Chiba Sanako."

"Yes!" the "slanted-eyed warrior" responded loudly.

"Yaguchi, I'll leave the task of keeping an eye on Chiba Sanako and Natsume Tsuki to you."

"Keep a close eye on the others and don't let them do anything inappropriate to Chiba Sanako or Natsume Tsuki."

"Our group for suppressing barbarians is not a bandit gang."

"We have been fighting until now to drive out the barbarians and protect this country!"

Having said that, Kanno half-closed his eyes, slightly raised his head, and revealed an expression of rapture like that of a devout believer.

“We must never do anything that has nothing to do with ‘expelling the barbarians’.”

"So, Yaguchi, if anyone dares to violate this prohibition of mine and does anything to Chiba Sanako or Natsume Tsuki... there's no need to report to me, just cut off their head."

"Yes." The "slanted-eyed warrior" nodded solemnly and firmly.

"Also, Yaguchi, have your wife come over and take care of Chiba Sanako and Natsume Tsuki's eating, drinking, and toileting needs. I don't want anyone taking advantage of the situation to do things that violate the discipline of our Extermination Group."

"Yes."

After emphasizing certain matters to the "Hanging-Eyed Samurai," Kanno turned around and strode out of the cellar with the "Hanging-Eyed Samurai," one after the other.

As soon as he returned to the fresh air on the ground, Jinno saw a short, dark-skinned samurai running up to him with a brisk pace.

"Mr. Jinno, something happened to Funabachi and the others."

“Funeichi?” Jinno’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

The dark-skinned dwarf nodded solemnly, then succinctly summarized the changes that had occurred in the settlement that day.

Upon understanding what had happened, Jinno's expression turned visibly grim.

"It's Tachibana Aoto again...!"

Jinno gritted his teeth, his eyes looking like they were about to spit fire.

"Why does this traitor always ruin our plans!"

Kamino angrily punched the wall next to him, and the wall that was hit made a mournful sound as if it was about to break.

"What were the losses?"

"Seven people died on the spot, two were seriously injured, and three people from the horse farm who were responsible for covering the rear went missing... The two seriously injured people were successfully brought back, but their injuries were very serious and they probably wouldn't make it..."

Baba—the surname of the "bearded middle-aged man" captured by Qingdeng today.

Missing... that's not a good word. It means that Baba and the others have most likely become prisoners of Aoto.

"Mr. Jinno, and—" the dark-skinned short man continued his report, "we've received confirmed information: Hanada Shichiro has also been captured by Tachibana Aoto..."

"..." Kamino did not express any opinion.

He then punched the wall next to him again.

After a moment of silence, exuding murderous intent, Kamino took a deep breath.

"...Never mind. It's just a minor, harmless accident."

"Neither Hanada Shichiro nor Baba and the others have any important core intelligence."

"We also got the topographical map of the settlement and the list of residents from Hanada Shichiro."

"Has Chuanba and his men moved their base?"

“All the important things have been moved or destroyed,” the dark-skinned dwarf replied. “After escaping from Tachibana Aoto’s knife, Funaba and the others immediately moved their supplies.”

"...Please pass this message down to everyone: tell them to remain calm, this minor incident is harmless and will not affect our next steps."

"Let everyone proceed according to the original plan and step by step."

"Also—make sure that if anyone encounters that traitor Tachibana Seiden again on the street or anywhere else, they do not engage him casually!"

"If Funabachi and his men had avoided a direct confrontation with Tachibana Seito today, so many people wouldn't have died!"

"Although I hate to admit it, that traitor is no pushover!"

Kamino's tone turned cold.

"I don't want today's tragedy to happen again in the future!"

"We will kill that traitor Ju Qingdeng sooner or later... but not now!"

"Things should be done one at a time."

"When we have the time and energy in the future, killing Ju Qingdeng will be a piece of cake."

“他能1个人打18个，难道还能1个打50个、打60个吗？”

"Don't let momentary anger throw you off balance and waste precious time and manpower."

"I hope everyone will take today's experience as a warning. If there is any similar impulsive conflict again, I will punish them severely!"

The dark-skinned dwarf, who had silently memorized all of Jinno's orders, shouted to his toes, "Understood!"

Having said everything he wanted to say, Kamino intended to leave.

But then he suddenly remembered something important.

"By the way," Jinno turned his gaze back to the dark-skinned, short man, "have you made contact with Natsume Sohachiro yet?"

“We made contact this afternoon.” The dark-skinned short man paused, then gave Jinno a smug smile. “Natsume Sohachiro has agreed to give us his full support.”

"...Yes, very good."

Jinno, whose face had been gloomy from listening to all sorts of bad news, now had a slight smile on his lips.

……

……

—Hmm…

Confusion...

—Hmm…

My thoughts are in disarray...

—So dizzy…

Whether it's memories or thoughts, everything in the mind is fragmented, making it impossible to grasp its specific shape.

In this chaos, Sanako felt herself gradually regaining control of her body.

Her long, slightly upturned, beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly... She struggled to lift her eyelids.

Upon opening her eyes, Sanako was surprised to find that the scene before her was exactly the same as when she had closed her eyes... a deep darkness filled her vision.

A thick, inky darkness filled Sanako's eyes and nose.

Where am I?

While still somewhat confused, Sanako asked herself this question, and subconsciously twisted her arms.

Then she found that her hands were tightly bound behind her back, and the only part of her two fair hands that she could move was her ten fingers.

The strange feeling in her hands made Sanako feel as if a bucket of ice had been poured over the back of her neck... The tangled ball of yarn in her mind was quickly combed out strand by strand, forming clear straight lines.

Memories from before she fell into a coma gradually resurfaced in Sanako's mind.

At the same time, Sanako's eyes adjusted to the darkness.

She hurriedly looked up and around, confirming that she was now locked in a place that looked like a cellar... Natsume Tsuki was tied up next to her and was still sleeping soundly.

"Ugh...! Ugh...!" With her mouth tied, Sanako could only utter some meaningless onomatopoeia. She twisted her body and tried to push Natsume Tsuki beside her with her shoulders.

A soft moan escaped Natsume Tsuki's lips as Sanako shoved her.

Then, the little girl finally woke up and slowly opened her eyes.

"?!" Natsume Tsuki, upon waking up, was initially stunned, but then her "dumbfounded" expression visibly transformed into "horror."

"Mmm...!" Natsume Tsuki, whose mouth was tied with a strip of cloth and who couldn't speak either, made "mmm" sounds to Sanako.

Although they can't speak now, Sanako can tell what the child wants to say from Natsume Tsuki's terrified eyes.