Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 371 Enduring Hardship and Biding Time
"Denjiro?!"

"What happened to you?!"

Kikunojo covered his mouth, startled by the sight of the other's disheveled appearance.

Kin'emon and the others rushed forward to help him into the back hall and took out a medicine box to treat his wounds.

Denjiro's wounds were not fatal; most were just shallow cuts, but the bleeding was quite heavy, making them look rather frightening...

"This strange wound, could it be..."

Raizo reappeared at some point, and while Kikunojo was bandaging him, he carefully examined Denjiro's wounds.

It's strange; it doesn't look like a normal knife wound, but rather like a wound left by ninja tools such as hook-claw kunai and senbon, and it's still bleeding profusely.

"Um……"

As a former ninja of the Kozuki family, Raizo came to a conclusion after only a moment's thought.

"This must be the work of the 'Otori Banshu'."

"The Oniwabanshu?!"
"Ah."

"They have a secret medicine that can maximally prevent wounds from healing, causing the target to bleed to death."

"Moreover, Denjiro's wounds were clearly caused by ninja tools... Apart from the 'Oniwabanshu,' there shouldn't be any ninja in Wano Country who could hurt Denjiro."

Raizo stopped Kikunojo from continuing to bandage the wound and instead gave the following instructions:
"Xiaoju, go outside and pick some Evil-containing Grass, crush it and apply it to the wound. This will neutralize the toxicity of the secret medicine."

"Yes, I'll go right now!"

……

Kikunojo worked quickly, and within minutes he came in carrying a bowl of freshly ground herbs, which quickly stopped the bleeding from Denjiro's wounds...

Seeing that the other person was no longer in serious danger, Raizo asked again:
"Denjiro, didn't you say you were going to the capital to buy supplies?"

"How did we end up encountering members of the 'Oniwabanshu,' and even get injured by them?"

"Whoo~"

"Brother Raizo, it's like this..."

Denjiro recounted in detail how he secretly participated in the alliance ceremony between Orochi and the beasts in order to gather information about them, and how he cooperated with the Yasuie family to force Orochi to abdicate during the ceremony.

"What?! The daimyo have launched a [duel before the emperor]?!"

"And Lord Ushimaru actually lost to that guy from the Hundred Beasts?!"

"Orochimaru appointed an outsider as the 'Guardian King of Wano Country'? What is he trying to do?!"

Upon hearing Denjiro's account, Kin'emon and the others nearly popped their eyes out.

Unexpectedly, such a huge change occurred in Huadu without their knowledge...

"After the ceremony, I originally planned to come back as soon as possible to tell Brother Jin and the others the news."

"But Orochi ordered the 'Oniwabanshu' to secretly assassinate all those who opposed him during the ceremony..."

With Denjiro's skills, dealing with a few ninjas shouldn't have been a problem.

However, his unconventional behavior during the ceremony caught Orochi's attention early on, and Orochi added him and Lord Hyogoro to his list of people to be closely watched...

Faced with the personal attack of Fukurokuju, the leader of the 'Oniwabanshu', and the constant harassment from more than a dozen elite ninjas, even he, who had mastered the Oden Ittō-ryū style, could not escape unscathed.

"hateful!"

"Denjiro, you wait here, we'll go and get justice for you!"

Having learned the whole story, Kin'emon could no longer contain himself and prepared to lead the rest of the Oden family retainers to Kyoto with their swords drawn.

"No! Please wait a moment, Brother Jin."

"Can't wait any longer!"

"It seems that Orochi had no intention of returning the shogunate to Lord Oden!"

“In that case, what we, as retainers of Lord Oden, must do is cut off his head and then ‘return power to the emperor’ when Lord Oden returns.”

Kin'emon's words were very firm.

Actually, his initial attitude towards Orochi temporarily assuming the position of shogun was rather appeasement...

After all, Oden's act of going to sea without permission was wrong to begin with, and now that he is not in the country, it is only right to appoint a general to act as his representative.

In addition, the giant snake disguised itself quite well for a period of time, leaving no room for criticism, so he turned a blind eye.

But now Orochi is brazenly bringing people from the outer seas into Wano Country and making them responsible for the country's so-called 'defense'...

This move undoubtedly crossed his bottom line.

Orochi, who could only serve as an agent for a few days, had two powerful armed forces under his command: the 'Mikaigumi' and the 'Oniwabanshu'. One of them was enough to suppress those samurai with ulterior motives.

But now he actually wants to bring in people from overseas... So who exactly is he trying to defend against in his so-called 'defense'?

The answer is self-evident.
Thinking of this, an uncontrollable rage flashed in Kin'emon's eyes.

"Kiku, you stay here to take care of Denjiro, the rest of you come with me to the capital."

"No, Brother Jin!"

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that Kin'emon and the others were about to leave, Denjiro, disregarding his own wounds, quickly grabbed the hem of his kimono. "Listen to me, Kin-nii-san."

"Those foreign pirates are definitely not a force we can currently contend with."

"At yesterday's ceremony, the duels held before the emperor, initiated with the prestige of the four daimyo, all failed. Even Lord Ushimaru was no match for them."

"Now that Orochi and the Hundred Beasts pirates have gained enough power, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock for us to go there. It might even give Orochi an excuse to take back Kuri."

"If even Kuri cannot be protected, then when Lord Oden returns, he may not even have a single stronghold to fight against the Orochi and the beasts."

"..."

After listening to Denjiro's analysis, Kin'emon finally stopped in his tracks.

If it were a few years ago, when he was still a hoodlum, he might have already recklessly stormed into the capital alone... But now, as the head of the retainers, bearing the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by Oden, he has slowly learned to restrain his recklessness and impulsiveness.

"But we can't just stand by and watch the giant snake run rampant without doing anything, can we?"

Some of the more restless Asura children asked questions.

"Well, that's natural."

Seeing that Kin'emon and the others had sat back down, Denjiro breathed a sigh of relief and spoke much more calmly.

He adjusted his glasses and slowly expressed his thoughts.

"It is no longer possible to openly resist them now, as we are at a disadvantage in terms of both strength and righteousness."

"What we need to do now is lie low, outwardly obey them, and secretly unite those who oppose us like ourselves, while simultaneously trying to create conflict between the serpent and the beasts..."

Denjiro narrowed his eyes. In his opinion, it would be best if the serpent and the beasts could fight each other because of the unequal distribution of profits.

"Fortunately, the major figures are all in good health now, and with their help, our chances will be much greater."

"When Lord Oden returns, all we need to do is raise our voices in the name of [Kozuki], and all the daimyo will respond in unison..."

"At that time, all the villages will surround the capital together, isolating it from the outside world. While ensuring that the casualties of the people are minimized, we will use swift and decisive means to kill the giant serpent in the capital, and return the reins of power to His Highness Oden!"

"..."

"Um……"

Upon hearing Denjiro's grand plan, everyone lowered their heads and fell into deep thought.

……

"As expected of the brightest one among us, Denjiro, you're definitely not to be underestimated!"

"I am truly ashamed of my own inferiority."

Kanjuro was the first to pat Denjiro on the back, expressing his approval of the plan.

"Ah~ Denjiro is right, now is not the time to act rashly. For Lord Oden's sake, we must learn to be patient."

"Tsk! To be patient... that's really annoying."

After some consideration, Kikunojo and Ashura Doji did not object.

"..."

"Whoo~"

Kin'emon took a few deep breaths. Even though he knew in his heart that Denjiro's words were correct, he still found it hard to accept.

[But this is for Lord Oden...]
Snapped!
Seemingly having made up his mind, Kin'emon produced a bowl scroll with the character '忍' (nin, meaning patience/endurance) written on it from somewhere and tied it to his forehead. Then, addressing the others, he gave the following instructions:
"Raizo, go after those tax-collecting thugs I just chased away."

"Are we to kill them?"

"Yes, we can't let them go back alive and complain to Orochi. We'll kill them after they leave [Kuri], and then do it disguised as thieves."

"Do it more carefully."

"Yes!"

call out--

Upon receiving the order, Raizo immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to set off.

"Kanjuro, go to the warehouse and count out the taxes for the past two years. When Orochi's men come to ask, tell them that we have already paid them."

"If they continue to cause trouble, then give them the taxes."

"I understand."

"Ah."

Kin'emon nodded, then clenched his fist and said with difficulty:

"Gentlemen, in the time before Lord Oden returns, we may have to maintain a superficial relationship with Orochi, and even..."

"Even to the point of groveling before him. I hope you gentlemen can be patient for now."

"I know this is humiliating, but..."

"What are you saying, Lord Jin?"

"Since we know that all of this is for Lord Oden, then we can endure any humiliation!"

"That's right, for Lord Oden (His Highness)!"
……

(End of this chapter)