NOBILITY-Naruto nobility SI (Patreon)
Content
Chapter 8
KATO SHIZUNE
It has now been nearly three since she had first come into contact with the young jito of Shinoi. He had been nothing more than a literal boy when she had first seen him as she accompanied Lady Tsunade to the newly arisen young lord’s castle.
She had feared retribution because of the millions and millions of Ryo lady Tsunade owed to the various gambling establishments and had thought that the owners of such establishments had reached out to the young lord for their due compensation. And the young lord, in his naivety, had agreed to their request and had summoned the infamous Senju princess to answer for her crimes.
Well, if that had been the case, the young lord’s reign would have come to a much quicker end, for no one in the capital had the strength to face the Senju princess.
Yet they had been received and treated as honored guests and then were presented with a chance to clear their debts. A mission in which they had been requested specifically, and what a mission it had been.
And with that mission had begun a certain partnership that had now brought her to these ever-changing lands once again as she watched Lady Tsunade examine the young lady lying unconscious on the futon, a young lady who was none other than the daimyo’s daughter and the newly wedded wife of the young lord standing beside her.
“What happened to her, you wrote that her condition was stable despite the poison?” she questioned recalling the contents of the letter she had received two days ago, the very letter which had prompted both her and Lady Tsunade to return to these lands.
“We were attacked,” he replied and she should have guessed as much, given how he had rushed to the city on a single horse, carrying his newly wed wife.
“Gods!” she gasped as she rushed towards him.
“Are you fine? Were you injured,” she questioned, examining him as he shook his head.
“No, I am fine, and none in my retinue were. But she passed out from the shock, and given her fragile health, I rushed with her to the city,” he replied as the scathing voice of Lady Tsunade cut in.
“And it is good that you did!” she said as she stood up, her head snapping towards the young jito, who stood there leaning against the door.
“If you had waited for even a day, even I wouldn’t have been able to help her,” she replied, and she gasped at that, for it seemed that the condition of the young princess was much worse than she had thought.
“Her whole body is riddled with enough of a lead-based poison to kill her twice over. I cannot even imagine how she is still alive,” Tsunade-sama replied, and she saw Akihito-san’s lips thin at those words.
“Will you be able to help her, Tsunade-sama?” he questioned moments later and the Senju princess nodded as she looked the young lord in the eye.
“Thankfully for you, yes. Though, her situation is rather precarious, you need not worry,” she said as she smirked and continued.
“I won't let you become a widower a day after your marriage,” she replied, and the young lord gave her a bow.
“For that, you have my gratitude, Tsunade-hime,” he said.
“You and Shizune-san shall have everything you need for this, I will return shortly after having preparations done at the castle for your and Shizune-san’s stay,” he began and just as he was about to step back Tsunade-sama cut in once more.
“Stop!” she said, her tone casual, something which would have landed her in trouble if it were any other noble, yet Akihito-san wasn’t any other noble, and neither did the Senju princess respond to the request of any other noble.
The young boy stopped as Lady Tsunade walked upto him and looked at him with a narrowed gaze.
“Where is that red-head?” she questioned. And there was no need to question about which red-head she was talking about, for there was only one red-head she would mention, the one with whom this all had begun.
“She is fine and is on her way to the city with the guards and one of the bandits who attacked us,” he replied, and Lady Tsunade nodded before suddenly reaching for the young noble’s head and gripping it in her hand.
“And did you really think you could hide that from me, boy,” she said menacingly, making her groan internally at the scene in front of her.
“Tsunade-sama! What are you doing!” she shouted as she rushed towards him and tried to pry her hand off from his head.
“Show me your hands, boy,” she said angrily, and she stilled as she saw the young lord’ lips thin as she reluctantly pushed forward his hand, making her halt at their state. They were injured.
“How did this happen?” she questioned as she began to examine the extent of the damage, which thankfully wasn’t that much.
“Let me tell you what happened,” Tsunade-sama snarled as she removed her hand from his head and looked at him accusingly.
“You tried to use those techniques despite my instructions, didn’t you?” she questioned, and the young Lord nodded.
“I needed to send a message, and I don’t think I need to explain to you the reason for that,” he remarked, looking the Senju princess in the eye, a feat that few could do.
“Tsk,” Tsunade-sama clicked her tongue, for he really didn’t. His recent marriage to the daimyo’s daughter was an announcement of his candidacy to become the next daimyo, something which would make him a target of many, many people.
She could reckon that this attack itself must have been orchestrated by one of these people, and in that sense he was right. The young lord did need to send a message.
“I am finished,” she announced as she finished wrapping the bandages around his wounds.
“Thank you, Shizune-san,” the young lord said as he gave her a smile, and reached for the door, sliding it open.
“You do know that you have painted a massive target on your back now. These attacks won’t end with this. No, this is just the beginning,” Tsunade-sama’s voice cut in, a tinge of concern laced in her tone as she glanced at the back of the young lord about to exit the room.
“I know, and don’t worry. I am ready,” he said with a final glance as he rushed out of the room.
Tsunade-sama glanced at the closed door before she huffed as she turned to face her.
“Shizune!” she called him out as she began to remove her green jacket.
“Get me a bowl of boiled water,” she said, and that was enough to tell her what she planned to do.
“It will be good for us if the future daimyo owes us a favor or two for saving his dear wife.” She said with a smirk, and she nodded as she made to rush out the door.
“Yes, of course Tsunade-sama!”
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