The ninja remained silent.

For the first time, Gua Nu recalled A-He's words, realizing the hidden meaning.
Perhaps when Gou Huan Ye Zhai sealed the secret letter, he had already calculated the time, and his secret medicine was differentiated by the number of days.
Gua Nu was overjoyed.
(Yes, we didn't notice at all, it turns out…)
There was no other way to break the "Kidney Water Seal."
Only "Menstrual Water."
Someone as brilliant as Huan Ye Zhai had cast two spells on the flower; it couldn't be broken by simple "Lustful Water."
Gua Nu's hands swiftly peeled open the azalea's core.
Hidden among the seven buds were pieces of paper of varying sizes.
She opened a smaller core first.
She saw a rather large piece of paper.
"Ah! Why?"
It was a blank sheet of paper.
There wasn't a single word on it.
The stars in the sky were very bright, and Gua Nu's eyesight was excellent—a ninja's eyesight was always sharper than an eagle's.
But there wasn't a single word, just a blank sheet of paper.
Full of suspicion, she opened the smaller piece of paper next.
There were some symbols that looked like words.
No, although they seemed very simple, they weren't words, making them impossible to decipher.
The
melon girl frowned, deep in thought.
She had seen these symbols before, but couldn't figure them out for the moment.
The other buds were empty.
(I must consult someone else…)
The melon girl cautiously looked around.
In the Peach Blossom Field late at night, A-He lay on the ground, seemingly delirious.
The melon girl didn't even cover A-He's bloodstains before quietly riding away on the night wind.
Soon after, in the Noshi of Aikawa, a rocket shot into the sky. It wasn't loud, but it ignited in the dead of night—was it to summon the forest spirits?
The melon girl returned to A-He and the horse.
The rocket she had just released was a unique summoning signal for the Puppet Clan.
She always harbored feelings of affection for A-He, which was why she had always stayed by his side; nothing more.
In an instant—
as the melon girl wiped the blood from A-He's lower limbs and covered her skirt, she heard a peculiar sound carried on the wind.
(Little melon girl…)
A voice sounded behind her.
It was Hyakki no Dan, standing there stiffly. He didn't even breathe.
(Your fire-starting skills are getting better and better…)
Before the words had faded,
(What is it? Melon girl, why did you summon us so urgently?)
Ripples on the river surface parted, revealing a head.
This was Hifuki Toroku.
Soon after, Chan Zi Xi San Cun, Mizuki Go Ichi, and Kohiro appeared one after another, gathering at the riverbank.
Momohara Plain was a place of scattered rocks, where the wind blew from all directions, and the figures quickly gathered.
Of course, they were all puppet ninjas.
Wild ninjas could appear in tens of millions of different forms.
The melon girl's success lay in her deep knowledge of military strategy and her ability to win A-He's heart.
The Sleeping Flower had already bloomed, but the result was unexpected.
"You succeeded?"
"Yes, but it was all in vain, just a blank piece of paper."
"A blank piece of paper? Were we tricked?"
Bai Qizhi carefully examined the small piece of paper.
"Hmm, I think I've seen this writing before..."
"Oh? Then explain it to us quickly."
"Hahaha, this is water and fire. Perhaps you don't know... For a female ninja, this is half a person's worth..."
"What does it represent?"
"Look, this is the symbol on the amulet."
"x", taking the left and right sides of the character for water, is a symbol representing purity. And "x" is the same, it breaks down the character for fire, and both "water" and "fire" have the meaning of removing obscurity and retaining purity.
Bai Qizhi explained as he spoke.
“Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember! No wonder this symbol looked so familiar…”
The melon girl nodded in agreement, but—
“But what does this water and fire dot symbol mean?”
“It’s a code.”
“…”
“Little leech, take it and wash it.”
“Yes.”
The young leech took it to the water’s edge.
After soaking it in the river water, he blew the fire and lit a wildfire.
He placed the damp white paper on the fire to dry.
Immediately, several blurry characters appeared on the paper.
“—The characters are out!”
Little leech shouted excitedly, after all, he was still just a boy.
There were only a few characters on the paper.
(The envoy has arrived at Fuzi)
“—Could it be…”
Bai Qizhi Dan secretly pondered.
“Is it the Xuan of Wutou Bianmao? Hahaha…” (Editor’s note: This sentence is a transliteration)
Little leech and the melon girl still couldn’t understand the mystery.
"Little Flower, you'll play A-He!"
After giving the order, Bai Qizhi Dan took out another piece of white paper and wrote the same words as on the secret scroll.
Fortunately, the secret scroll didn't have a signature or seal, so forging it wasn't difficult.
"We must restore it to its original state! Come on! Melon Girl..."
"Yes!"
"Let's use Little Leech's 'Kidney Water Seal'!"
Melon Girl's face seemed slightly flushed.
Little Leech, however, remained expressionless. The Puppet Clan had undergone rigorous training, and they would never hesitate in any situation.
Little Leech stood, while Melon Girl squatted between his knees.
To seal the seven flower buds, the man's semen had to be extracted.
Her right hand held the flower branch, while her left hand touched Little Leech's crotch. The boy clenched his teeth and closed his eyes.
Melon Girl, her eyes slightly closed, observed the boy's stiff expression, and suddenly a seductive smile appeared on her lips.
Her tongue, as moist as a snake, and her well-trained lips gave him a new and intense pain. She gently bit him—the melon-girl's teeth felt like they were nibbling at a soft sponge.
The boy's blood flowed faster.
The skilled tongue, the warm saliva, caused the sponge to swell and fill with blood.
In an instant, the boy became a man. She still held him in her mouth.
Of course, the melon-girl's pleasure was only hidden in her heart. The puppet ninja's mission was to extract the essence of the flower from inside the boy.
The so-called "Kidney Water Seal" of the Koga Ninja Technique requires the semen of Gogenyasai, and it cannot reveal any flaws in the countermeasures of Mizuchi Goichi's "Blowing Bloom" and "Lustful Water."
Hyakki no Dan didn't know where he had hidden A-He, but he returned quickly.
"I let her sleep for two or three days. Next up is Duan Qian Shi and his group..."
"I think they haven't cleared the gate yet. Rokkaku's men are no ordinary people."
"Perhaps they sneaked over under cover of darkness."
"If they have already cleared the gate, that would be troublesome, because it wouldn't benefit us... Let them meet."
"Yes!"
Suddenly, wild grass flew everywhere.
The black-clad figures of the Puppet Ninja rushed westward, swift as silent lightning in the night wind.
Only Gua Nu and Xiao Zhi remained in place.
To restore the blooming flower to its original tightly closed bud form, the female genitalia must be used. She placed the flower in her left hand between her legs, then stuffed the forged secret document into the original bud.
Finally, the leech's semen was coated layer upon layer onto the flower bud, as if encased in a transparent membrane.
The leech spewed out its life-giving essence, yet walked silently to the riverbank.
Perhaps it was still unaware of the river's icy chill.
The group of Danzen Shiyama Nakamasuke and his companions, wounded and battered after being tricked by Hifuki Toroku, dragged their weary steps to Nose-nohara.
"How are we going to get through?"
they exchanged despairing glances.
Predictably, soldiers many times stronger than them stood guard ahead, instantly crushing their courage. With great difficulty, they climbed over the mountain and smuggled themselves here via Ibaraki-do.
On the banks of the Mino River, there is a place called "Nemuro-yo-ri" (寝物與之里), named after the many small wooden houses at the border, separated only by a wall, allowing people from both countries to even talk through the wall in their sleep. It is also known as Nagayoshi.
The meaning of "Changjing" refers to the long-term competition between the two countries separated by the mountains of Mino and Omi.
Now, the mountains have melted into the night, appearing indistinct and difficult to discern from afar. Duan Qianshi and his group were at a loss.
"What should we do? We can't enter Mino now; even those two weak women got in. If word gets out, we'll become a laughingstock—"
"Shall we cross the Mino Mountains?"
The group approached from the left, situated in the very center of the Nose Plain. Although tall grass obscured the path, it was still faintly discernible.
They had traveled about ten cho (approximately 3.3 kilometers) when they saw flickering lights ahead.
In the middle of the path was a hollow of red earth, surrounded by many torches, with shadowy figures.
"Everyone, be careful—"
Daikansuke's bright eyes peered through the grass.
"It's nothing serious, just women,"
Gobei whispered.
Indeed, they were all women. However, their ages varied greatly, ranging from sixteen or seventeen to elderly women in their seventies. It was a chaotic group, but everyone shared a common trait.
"They're all blind—"
the old woman seemed to react to Daikan's surprise, rolling her cloudy white eyes.
"What are they doing?"
"—They're wanderers…"
"I think they're all highly skilled."
"How do you know?"
"Hahaha, that's easy, listen to how powerful their voices are…they must be masters; these despicable blind women…"
"Blind women?"
The sounds of an ancient pipa and a broken drum blended in the distance.
"What exactly are they trying to do?"
Gobei pondered, wondering if he could use these blind women to deceive them.
In the night wind, the blind women heard their whispers and unexpectedly answered him.
"We're digging a tunnel!"
"A tunnel?…"
The men finally revealed themselves.
In the center of the brightly lit torchlight, there was indeed a very deep tunnel, about five feet deep.
There were eight tunnels in total.
"Why are you all working so hard to dig this cave?"
"To make a grave!"
"Oh, a grave... Did your companions die?"
"No, it's for myself."
"..."
"I'm so tired of this nomadic life, playing the pipa for a living, begging for money. I've decided to end this miserable existence."
Ah, I see. There were eight blind women present.
"If you gentlemen have a kind heart, please bury us later!"
"Please..." The blind women sang a mournful song together.
"How...how can we agree to such a thing?"
"Hahaha, gentlemen, don't worry, let us sing you some songs to cheer you up!"
The young blind woman finished speaking, then slung her drum over her shoulder and began to beat it vigorously.
One played the flute, another the pipa—
amidst the mournful music, the old woman began to sing.
Daikan and his party, listening to these sorrowful orchestral sounds, couldn't help but feel confused. These people were blind women determined to die!
“We were so foolish to be manipulated by these blind women.”
Just as Gobei was complaining, the night wind suddenly shifted.
The thick smoke from the torches began to blow towards Duan Qianshi and his group. Their faces were shrouded in a mesmerizing fog.
“Ah, what’s going on?”
“I can’t open my eyes!”
the group cried out in anguish, but the thick smoke was like an impenetrable wall, tightly blocking their escape route.
In the chaos, the originally mournful songs slowly began to take on a mocking tone.
The human traffickers’ ship set sail, the poor little girl’s delicate body huddled quietly at the bow… like a homeless sparrow trapped in a villain’s pit, only today his sins would be atoned by Dai Kansuke…
For the first time, they realized they had been tricked.
“Quick! Everyone, break through together!”
The group drew their swords and fought, but the thick smoke blinded them, making it impossible to even see the direction of the torches.
“It hurts… my eyes hurt so much…”
Dai Kansuke frantically swung his sword, trying to escape this death trap, but because they were blind, the group fell into the graveyard.
"Hahahaha, hahahaha!"
"Hehehehe, hehehehe!"
The women laughed! They weren't blind women at all. They were sharp-eyed young women who, after removing their filthy blouses, revealed their true nature as puppet ninjas.
"How about that? We blind women have completely fooled you! Hahahaha!"
"Blinded by horse manure, that's the fate of you town lackeys..."
The *Records of the Grand Historian* mentions that in ancient times, prisoners were tortured by being fumigated with horse manure, causing them to go blind.
The puppet ninjutsu, however, incorporates several kinds of dried wood roots and leaves.
"Today we'll dig your graves, collect your corpses, and bury you!"
Daikansuke had made a grave mistake; he forgot to count the eight graves. After the great battle, only eight of them remained. Now, the puppet female ninjas, each baring their fangs and claws, hurled stones and branches at them, intending to bury them alive in an instant! His eyes could no longer see this world! But angry curses continued to erupt from his chest. Amidst Hyakki no Dan's cunning laughter, Daikansuke and his group were finally buried alive in this wasteland.
In the fading flames, the screams and groans of the dead also disappeared.
The ridgelines of the Mino Mountains, like a moving ink painting, saw the rising sun break through the mist, showering the earth with a vast expanse of brilliant golden rain.
The morning mist that had shrouded the plains slowly dissipated, revealing the mountaintop's ethereal form.
"Closer and closer—"
said the man on horseback.
"That's Inabayama..."
"And then the Nagara River?"
"Below the valley... ah, it's filled with golden light..."
The morning mist melted into the sunlight, making the winding river of the valley clearly visible.
Three men rode horses, and five walked. They all carried naginatas and broadswords, their legs wrapped in leggings, and their packhorses carried gleaming gold chests.
"Everyone be careful, the Mino people are cunning and sly."
The speaker was Hibuki Toroku.
Readers likely already know that the warriors disguised as Muromachi Shogunate money changers were members of the Puppet Clan.
Toroku was disguised as Daikansuke, and Hyakusai no Tan was disguised as Gobei.
"The melon girl... oh no, the secret envoy. She should have reached Kano by now."
"That should be it..."
Soon, the group fell silent, for venturing deep into enemy territory required even greater caution.
Clad in the morning dew, the group took a side road instead of the main road—and soon they saw in the distance the valiant guards blocking their way with thick ropes.
Most of the Mino region was under the control of the Toki clan
, who were descendants of Minamoto no Yoritomo from the Kamakura period. The Toki were a powerful clan, their master being Nariyori, and they were known throughout neighboring provinces for their "fierce and unruly nature."
The strained relationship between Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Yoshimi stemmed primarily from Yoshimasa's cunning and indecisive nature.
After the death of their eldest son, Yoshimi insisted on persuading Yoshimasa to relinquish the shogunate, offering to become a monk but eventually return to secular life.
However, Tomiko became pregnant with Yoshihisa. Yoshimasa then overturned his previous agreement to pass the shogunate to Yoshimi, and with Tomiko's strong support, Yoshihisa became the ninth shogun at the young age of nine. Under Tomiko's favor and domineering rule, Yoshimasa had no choice but to retire. This time, with Yoshimasa's active seizure of power, the inner workings of the affair were revealed once again.
Yoshimi harbored deep resentment towards Yoshimasa and Tomiko. Fearing Yoshimi would turn against her, Tomiko married her younger sister to him, attempting to resolve the brothers' discord. Thus, in the ninth year of the Bunmei era, Yoshimi left the capital, and Toki Nariyori burned down his grand mansion there, taking Yoshimi back to Mino.
Afterwards, the cowardly Yoshimasa could only tacitly condone Nariyori's arson and maintain a facade of harmony with Yoshimi. Although it appeared to be a reconciliation, Yoshimi never left Mino. After discussions, Yoshimasa and Tomiko finally decided that Tomiko's nephew would assume the reins of power.
Yoshimi had a son named Yoshitsugu, one year younger than Yoshihiro, at twenty-four. Yoshimi secretly loved him dearly.
Tomiko thought about the next shogun—
(Yoshitsugu to take the position…)
—was this a good plan?
(Although he is my nephew…)
Perhaps she could then gain freedom and have a legitimate claim.
Yoshimasa and Yoshihiro were the closest blood relatives.
If Yoshimi were to be chosen, it would undoubtedly bring many troubles. If his son Yoshitsugu were chosen, Yoshimi would surely have no reason to oppose the court. Even the commanders and generals would be convinced.
The secret letter that A-Tsuru carried was exactly what Tomiko had planned.
"What? From the capital?..."
Yoshimi was overjoyed to hear that a special envoy from the capital had arrived.
He had already heard about the death of General Yoshihiro.
Moreover, he already had a plan in mind.
(The proclamation of the black-headed envoy... surely good news will come.)
Yoshimi and his son Yoshitsugu beamed with joy.
"The time is ripe, my son..."
"We must treat the female messenger who brings good news well!"
Yoshitsugu grinned.
Although he had the blood of the Ashikaga and Hino families, his appearance was unlike his parents, possessing an ugly face with a flat nose.
"Are you called A-Tsuru? Come with me!"
"Yes..."
Hana followed Yoshitsugu sweetly.
This was a grand mansion situated on the eastern slope of Mount Inaba, north of the Nagara River. A stone staircase led from the gate to the riverbank.
Dozens of boats of various sizes were lined up along the riverbank, belonging to the navy. Mino Hiroyu controlled the Nijū-ryū River, and its navy was well-equipped. Toki Nariyori's navy was renowned for its skillful maneuvering on the water.
The bright moon of the eleventh day hung high in the sky, its reflection shimmering on the river.
"For me, this place is my second home. Even if I were to ascend the throne as shogun in Kyoto someday, I would definitely come here to gaze at the moon."
His ugly face betrayed no trace of the refined elegance of a nobleman.
He spoke thoughtfully, taking A-Tsuru's delicate hand in his.
"To spend this beautiful moment with you fills me with immense joy."
"Yes… such a beautiful view…"
A-Hana's lips met his lowered face, their hearts pounding with heat.
"Hahaha, this is the first time we've made love on the water, how strange…"
"But…"
A-Hana hesitated, glancing towards the bow of the boat.
"You lot, get out of here!"
The man at the bow of the boat immediately sank into the water.
"Hahaha, that's perfect."
With that, he reached his hand inside her skirt...
"Ah...but...but..."
Xiaohua hesitated, trying to resist.
"Hahaha, you're so beautiful, let's have some fun under the moonlit night of the Nagara River..."
Xiaohua was held tightly in Yicai's arms, her two flower-like lips like the gentle ripples on the river.
She was not only a messenger, but also a peerless beauty lying in the grass. The moonlight shone on Xiaohua's mysterious body, her delicate body revealing a seductive charm.
As a puppet female ninja, she shouldn't feel pain from being played with by a man. At this moment, Xiaohua kept pushing away the man's outstretched hand. Perhaps she had already experienced the six realms of human existence?
"Ah, the moon is out, she will see..."
Xiaohua's breasts were being kneaded by him, and she couldn't help but scream.
(Haha, even the moon is hiding behind the clouds...)
Even when Xiaohua heard Yicai's voice, she felt nothing; her senses had gradually become numb.
In her eyes, the moonlight lost its brilliance and disappeared into the night sky. Even the ripples of the river were gone; her body lay on the waves, entering a trance-like world. Though she was a female ninja, at this moment she simply let her womanly instincts run wild, indulging in unbridled pleasure.
Xiaohua was filled with joy, her body burning, but Yicai's body grew increasingly calm, like ice. A demonic aura emanated from the lone boat.
(Don't drown in it...)
Only Yicai heard this voice.
(This woman isn't from Dongshan Palace...)
"Ah, what?"
(Don't make a sound! This woman is called Xiaohua, the puppet female ninja... who has long since replaced the real female envoy.
Even Shi Nu and Duan Qian Shi have become puppet ninjas!)
"..."
All the blood in Yicai's body rushed to his head.
His entire body's functions withered due to shock and disorientation. Even his most sensitive male organ couldn't become aroused.
It's said that Koga's "Tsuchibaku" technique—once it touches a woman's vulva, it causes ejaculation within moments.
Perhaps Yoshitaka was afflicted by this ninjutsu.
He was stunned, speechless.
(Higashiyama-dono, you intended to regain your shogunate and mobilized the regent. It was Shogun Tomiko who wholeheartedly supported your ascension.)
"..."
(That secret letter was also forged. I was the one who used the "Sleeping Flower" ninjutsu. But they were attacked and lost by the puppet clan...)
"Oh?..."
(Now, the only option is to play along. I'll tell you, I am Koga's Gogenyasai...)
The voice faded into the distance...
No one was around. Was he in the water? After the strange ninja left, a strong lust rekindled, and his lower body swelled again. The female ninja, too, had reached an irresistible climax. The woman was enjoying everything he did, letting her body succumb to depravity…
When her senses returned, she opened her almond-shaped eyes and saw the bright moon in the sky.
It was the morning after Duan Qianshi and his entourage, serving Ashikaga Yoshimi, Yoshitaka, and others from Mino Kano, had departed. Two hundred men from the Toki Nariyori household also followed.
Upon reaching the border of Mino and Omi provinces, Yoshimi said,
“Be careful of the Rokkaku's power,”
and summoned Hibuki Toroku, disguised as Daikansuke.
“I’m afraid they might attack suddenly, so we must be prepared and not fall into their trap…”
“Haha, you don’t need to worry, old man.”
The puppet ninjas had two objectives. First, in the capital, their leader, Hema, was determined to kill Tomiko. Second, the puppet clan had made an agreement with Yoshimasa—to fulfill the puppet party's wishes and abolish their lowly status. This was the puppet ninjas' objective, and what Gogen Yasai was trying to prevent.
Their reason for ensuring Yoshimi and his son's survival was to avoid provoking Yoshimasa's breach of the agreement. Therefore, they wouldn't let Yoshimi and his son fall into Rokkaku Nariyori's hands.
The eight, including the Puppet Ninja Clan—of course, they were the puppet ninja clan.
"What is it?"
"I'm considering it," Hyakuchi no Dan said.
"We're now the Puppet Ninja Clan, and the Tang Gui is stuffed with fake silver. Why don't we become Yoshimi and his son's followers?"
"I see. If the enemy gets close... Besides, even if we kill the Puppet Ninja Clan, we can't eat their flesh and make them disappear without a trace."
The first one was A-Tsuru. She should have been lying peacefully in the mixed woods near Momoka, but a few days later, Hyakuchi no Dan went there and frowned.
"She's not here...she's disappeared."
"She must have woken up and run away."
But A-Tsuru shouldn't know how to escape ninjutsu. Could it be that her escape was due to no Dan's insufficient ninjutsu? With no Dan's ninjutsu, A-Tsuru could sleep for ten days or half a month without any problem.
Gougen Yasai? The unease in Hibuki Toroku's chest increased greatly after arriving at Nosenohara.
Yamanaka Daikansuke was originally the leader of the eight—
the seven or eight corpses buried on the grassland shouldn't have vanished without a trace.
"I think they escaped, clinging to life."
"But we've already buried them; those buried alive shouldn't escape."
"But…they're really gone."
All eight graves were wide open, and there was no trace of the dead.
The puppet ninjas had been fooled. In military strategy, "disordered mind" is a great enemy; their current panic and anxiety had blinded them.
"Ah! I remember burying them here!"
But all Kijimi saw by the roadside was a broken stone Buddha head.
"The head of Jizo…"
"How strange, why is there only a stone Buddha head here?"
Hiru shouted!
"There is one there too!"
The bright moon hung high, and four or five arrow-lengths away, another stone Buddha head lay clearly.
"How eerie…"
Could this be related to the disappearance of the Duanqian envoys' corpses?
The puppet clan was shrouded in layers of demonic clouds, bewildered by the strange scene around them.
There were ten stone Buddhas—
a chill ran down their spines as they counted.
He had killed ten people, including two female ninjas.
The leader of the ten stone Buddhas plunged the puppet ninjas into unprecedented panic, unfolding a bizarre spectacle before them.
In an instant, all the mysteries were solved.
From the deep grass, countless stone Buddhas rolled out, some standing, some lying… human-sized stone Buddhas, rolling down the slope of the hill.
“It’s the Five Hundred Arhats…”
A burst of wild laughter pierced the night sky, carried by the wind to everyone’s ears! Then, whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! Arrows rained down like a shower of flowers.
“Ah! Everyone, get down…”
But the Five Hundred Arhats, like a terrifying nightmare, began their attack.
"Alright! Let's fight to the death and take them down with us!"
They immediately drew their swords, but were the five hundred Arhats stone? Or human? Coupled with the blindingly fast-moving arrows, they couldn't see the enemy's movements.
They had fallen into a trap! A deadly one at that!
The cries of Xiaohua, the calls of Gua Nu, and the roars of Jizhi Dan all dissolved into the bloody sounds of battle…
The most jarring sound was a terrifying laugh that pierced the sky.
(Hahaha, puppet clan! You've finally tasted the price of suffering! This is the killing method of the Koga ninja…)
It was a familiar laugh.
"So it was that old fox, Genyasai!" No wonder Azuru suddenly disappeared, and the corpses of the eight people…
In the instant Hifumi Roku regained his senses, a scorching sword pierced his back, causing him to fall forward, blood gushing from his wound. His enemies trampled over his still-warm body; through the blur, he only saw the gleam of the naginata. Roku was cut in half at the waist; perhaps he didn't even know that after his death, his head had been severed by the enemy! His unparalleled fire magic, of course, vanished with his demise.
*
Through the tireless efforts of Gogenyasai, Hino Tomiko finally brought Ashikaga Yoshitada into the palace, but she could not "use the emperor to command the feudal lords," treating him as a puppet. Because Yoshitada was inherently cunning, and the existence of his father, Yoshimi, was a major obstacle, this powerful force ultimately allowed Yoshitada to ascend to the position of shogun and wield real power.
Although he arrived in the capital on April 14th and announced on the 27th that he had shaved his head to prove he had no political ambitions, as the rightful tenth shogun, his baldness was not a serious problem. Before long, he had learned how to wield power, and this was only a year and three months after he became shogun.
Yoshimasa maintained a reluctant opposition to him. On the seventh day of the second year of Entoku, after drinking seven-herb porridge, Yoshimasa suffered from incessant vomiting and diarrhea, and lay weakly in bed. By the time his attendants rushed to check on him, Yoshimasa had already passed away, his eyes rolled back in his head.
Rumors circulated that Yoshimasa had been poisoned, but no concrete evidence could be found. However, the real drama was yet to come. The following year—on the seventh day of the first month of the third year of Entoku—Ashikaga Yoshimi also suddenly died. This time, he didn't die from seven-herb porridge, but rather from a day of fasting on the anniversary of his brother's death. That evening, he ate some tea and snacks. Soon after, he vomited a large amount of blood and drowned himself in a pond.
Yoshimasa was highly revered, and after his death, he was posthumously granted the title of "Grand Minister of State" in his capacity as the Three Ministers of the Imperial Court. This was six months after Yoshitane ascended the throne.
Several days after the Puppet Clan's demise, a group of strange samurai arrived before the Five Hundred Arhats of Nose Plain on the border of Mino Province. It was their leader, Kama.
Skulls piled high like mountains lay scattered in the desolate path. Whose cruel joke was this? Tears streamed in Kama's eyes, as if dripping blood.
"I will never forgive..." he murmured to himself.
In the desolate mountain valleys of spring, a mournful wind blew, as cold as death. Would the Puppet Clan's tragic wish remain unfulfilled for life?
Yet, Tomiko's wealth and glory were fleeting. In the rebellion of Hosokawa Masamoto, Yoshitaka was imprisoned, and the capital was burned down. The rebels appointed Yoshikazu, the second son of Akira Toshiyuki, as the eleventh shogun. Tomiko's power plummeted; her boastful and proud life was ultimately nothing but a fleeting dream...

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