The Iemoto calmly asked, “And the current situation is?”0

“...It’s not looking good, sir.”0

The Iemoto quietly stared at his prostrating subordinate.0

The subordinate, kitted out in old-fashioned haori, kept his forehead buried in the floor as he resumed his report. “The backlash from all the gumis that lost their elite warriors is more severe than expected.”0

“More than expected?”0

“Yes, sir. Their issue being…” The subordinate nervously swallowed his saliva. “They ostensibly joined the grand conquest of the mainland through the peninsula, only to taste a complete annihilation even before stepping foot on the Korean soil…”0

“Hmm?”0

“...My apologies, sir.”0

The Iemoto didn't need to hear the rest to know. Those who dared to openly question his leadership must've reared their heads by now.0

‘Hmph! A bunch of stinking dogs!’0

This was what it meant to stand on top. No one complained while everything was plain sailing. However, when the crisis was afoot? Inevitably, those who stayed docile would erupt in dissatisfaction and criticize things they had no problem with until that moment.0

Humans always looked to shift the blame to someone else. They always searched for an easy prey they could rip apart. That was human nature.0

...And the Iemoto was also a slave to this nature.0

“How futile.”0

“…”0

It took the Iemoto the better part of five decades to raise Shinichi-kai into Kansai’s...0