"Hold it!"
"..."
"Hand over your Vision!"
To avoid exposing himself to the Tenryou Commission too early, Sayu had actually hidden his true self; he looked completely different from his usual appearance.
"???"
As several armored samurai approached them, those Shogunate Samurai watched Raiden Makoto and Sayu with extreme wariness.
"What's going on? This is a bit strange." Sayu was a little dazed. He had just gone out in disguise, only to run into the Shogunate Army? And it was specifically the group enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
"Sister... hold on to me..." If he were alone, he would have definitely used ninjutsu to escape, but several Shogunate Army soldiers had surrounded them, and with the powerless Raiden Makoto there, he had to stand and fight.
The Vision Hunt Decree had been in effect for over half a year, and as time passed, the Tenryou Commission became increasingly aggressive in stripping those with Visions of their power.
Aside from those in the Three Commissions, almost everyone was a target.
"What are you doing? Hand over your Vision! Do not offer any pointless resistance!" one who appeared to be the leader barked. Having noticed Sayu's movements, he naturally became more alert.
"Captain... have you noticed? That lady... looks a bit like Her Excellency the Shogun..." a Shogunate Soldier whispered into the leader's ear. He had once seen the Raiden Shogun from afar while stationed at Tenshukaku, and the Raiden Makoto before him was truly too similar to her.
Raiden Makoto didn't know how strong Sayu's combat ability was, and she couldn't rely entirely on him right now. But hearing the whispers of the Shogunate Army, an idea formed in her mind.
"Withdraw at once." Raiden Makoto feigned a cold and aloof demeanor, her violet eyes filled with indifference.
"The... Shogun..." For a moment, the appearance of the Lady before them truly seemed identical to the Raiden Shogun they had watched from afar in the eyes of the Shogunate Samurai leader.
Although Raiden Makoto's clothing was completely different from the Raiden Shogun's, her current cold, ruthless aura and that remarkably similar face were just like the Shogun's. They didn't dare face the Raiden Shogun, let alone provoke her.
"It really is Her Excellency the Shogun!" The Shogunate Samurai leader was slightly startled, and the other Shogunate Samurai were also trembling.
"We deserve death for disturbing Your Excellency's mood..." The Shogunate Samurai leader knelt immediately, not even daring to lift his head.
"Captain, Her Excellency wants us to withdraw..."
"Sister?!"
"Don't say a word, let's go..."
Only when Raiden Makoto and Sayu had completely disappeared at the end of the forest did the Shogunate Samurai slowly stand up. The leader wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"To think we would actually run into Her Excellency... I thought it was just a lone Vision wielder..." The Shogunate Samurai leader was still shaken.
"Isn't Her Excellency always at Tenshukaku? Why would she be in Chinju Forest?"
"How could the likes of us ever hope to speculate on Her Excellency's movements?"
"I took a close look at Her Excellency just now... She seemed a bit different from the Shogun we saw beneath Tenshukaku back then..."
"You mean... could someone be impersonating Her Excellency? Who would dare?" Another Shogunate Samurai's eyes widened.
"No, this must be reported to Lady Kujou Sara."
...By now, Raiden Makoto and Sayu had fully entered Chinju Forest. When she had gone to outlying islands with Kamisato Ayaka and Thoma last time, they hadn't passed through Chinju Forest.
"Sister... what was that all about just now? Why did they mistake you for the Shogun?" Sayu looked at Raiden Makoto with a confused expression, but Raiden Makoto still looked cold and indifferent, causing Sayu's eyes to widen even further.
"You... you aren't really the Raiden Shogun, are you?" Sayu had never been close to the Raiden Shogun, but he had seen the ceremonies the Shogun presided over from a distance. In her current state, Raiden Makoto looked exactly like the Raiden Shogun.
"I'm coming clean: I am the Raiden Shogun, ruler of the Inazuma Shogunate." Looking at Sayu, who appeared incredibly cute with his eyes wide open, Raiden Makoto couldn't help but want to tease him, so she maintained her cold, heartless expression.
"Huh?!...Her Excellency! Please believe me, Sayu has always been loyal and has no ulterior motives!"
Sayu was shocked, but he was also panicking.
"Hahaha, alright, alright, Sayu. I'm just joking. How could I be the Raiden Shogun? Do you really think a weak Lady could be the Raiden Shogun?" Raiden Makoto rubbed Sayu's small head. She had to admit, patting Sayu's head was truly delightful.
"I've heard you say that the Raiden Shogun's martial arts are the pinnacle of Inazuma. Do I look like that to you?"
"Pah... Sister Zhen... you..." Seeing Raiden Makoto back to normal, Sayu just rolled his eyes. He now felt that Raiden Makoto definitely wasn't the Raiden Shogun. How could the Raiden Shogun act like an ordinary older sister?
"You said in front of those Shogunate Samurai that something was a bit strange. What was strange?" Raiden Makoto's mind was still focused on helping Kamisato Ayaka resist the Vision Hunt Decree, so she caught the key point.
"Generally speaking, the Vision Hunt Decree targets specific individuals... The Tenryou Commission doesn't just arrest people at random," Sayu said thoughtfully. The Shuumatsuban had always worked behind the scenes on intelligence, and Sayu had heard things from time to time.
"Perhaps those Shogunate Samurai were just looking for a way to advance their careers, so they picked you."
"What do you usually do for the Kamisato Clan?" Raiden Makoto was slightly curious. She actually felt that Sayu was a bit unreliable; after all, even if he was a Vision wielder, his combat ability probably wasn't much, being such a small girl.
"The Shuumatsuban's work usually involves undercover investigations and gathering intelligence."
"So... why didn't Ayaka ask you to investigate the Tenryou Commission in secret? Why send you to Watatsumi Island with me instead?" Raiden Makoto didn't quite understand.
"Sister, I don't think anything's wrong with the Tenryou Commission. I've heard that Lady Kujou Sara is a fanatical supporter of Her Excellency. She would never do anything rebellious."
Raiden Makoto didn't know much about Japan's history, but she had heard of the famous "Gekokujo" culture of the Sengoku period.
"Kujou Sara might not, but the Kujou Clan is another story. Kujou Sara isn't the Head of the Kujou Clan, is she?"
"Yeah."
"So, whether the Tenryou Commission has ulterior motives or not, no one can say for sure right now."
"I think you're better suited for investigating the Tenryou Commission. As far as I know, Ninjas... are better at stealth and assassination, right?"
"Sister, I... I will protect you!"
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