For the ruler of an entire nation to kneel and beg for forgiveness in front of a three‑year‑old child was nothing short of unheard‑of — his reputation and authority were effectively destroyed…
Yet Seimei felt not the slightest regret. He had made up his mind: As long as you survive, there is always hope for the future. It is far better to live humbly than to die for nothing.
"Once you are dead, you lose everything." Having accepted this truth, Seimei threw away all concern for status or dignity and began to grovel and wait upon Aoi hand and foot…
"Lord Aoi, would you like some fruit?" "There is water here — step on my back to cross it." "Lord Aoi…"
The high‑ranking officials of the Land of Craftsmen standing nearby could no longer bear the sight.
One of them flung his sleeves back in disgust and shouted, "Seimei! Your brother's body is still fresh — how can you fawn so shamelessly over the man who killed him?!"
At these words, Seimei flinched as if stung by a scorpion. He leaped up and punched the official hard in the face, roaring, "Don't you dare speak such nonsense!"
"Kiyomasa brought this fate upon himself. He walked right into his own grave."
Seimei immediately adopted the same cold logic and declared loudly, "I have formally severed all ties with him. Whatever he did has nothing to do with me…"
Once a person lets go of their principles, there is no limit to what they will do…
But Aoi was actually quite pleased with how Seimei was acting.
The Land of Craftsmen supplied ninja tools to the entire ninja world, making it a place of immense strategic importance.
If at first Aoi had only intended to teach Kiyomasa a lesson, the appearance of Seimei had sparked a new plan — to take control of this nation.
Even if he could not seize the title of ruler immediately, he would keep it firmly under his thumb.
"Master Chen Gong, it has been many days — how have you been lately?"
Seimei soon arrived at the home of one of the most respected master craftsmen, hoping to pass the task of forging the induction coil onto him.
Hmph…
But before he could even finish his greeting, Master Chen Gong let out a scornful laugh and slammed the door shut so hard it nearly broke Seimei's nose.
"Who does he think he is?!"
Seimei gritted his teeth, swearing inwardly: Once this is all over, I will strip him of his title, cut off all his business, and make sure he never works again!
"Having trouble?"
Aoi smirked. "The ruler of a whole nation can't even find one person willing to help?"
"Please do not worry, Lord Aoi — I will find someone right away." Seimei smiled awkwardly while clenching his jaw.
There are dozens of master craftsmen in this country. Surely I don't need Chen Gong to get this done!
But the truth soon became clear: there were indeed many skilled craftsmen — yet not a single one was willing to lend Seimei a hand.
As the saying goes, loyal subjects are ready to give their lives for a worthy ruler. But Seimei had completely lost the trust and respect of his people.
Even children walking past pointed and spat at him, chanting: "He wet his pants! Shame on you!"
Seimei's face turned ashen gray. He was finished. Though he still held the title of Daimyō, he was nothing more than an empty figurehead, with no real authority left.
Seeing this, Aoi smiled faintly. "Do you know why you have fallen so low?"
At once, Seimei dropped to his knees. "Because I was blind and foolish, and dared to think I could break our agreement — I am no better than a beast…"
"No."
Aoi shook his head gently, a strange glint in his eyes. "Your only mistake was being too weak."
"Too weak?" Seimei lifted his head in confusion, not understanding what Aoi meant.
"Exactly. Weakness itself is the greatest sin."
Aoi narrowed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the days when he had been threatened and manipulated by Danzo.
He swore he would never let himself be placed in such a helpless position again…
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