Kaoru said nothing. His face remained unreadable, the silence stretching long enough to force the other two into filling it.
"Lord Kaoru," Illumi spoke at last, his tone heavy. "You know the Noda clan was among the first to place faith in Takimura. We bled beside the Terumi and the Takime in the last war. My clan suffered as much as any, and during this ambush, I lost all of my men. I alone returned."
'That's the only reason I'm even entertaining you two,' Kaoru thought coldly, his fists tightening beneath the table where they could not see.
"While your clan's contribution is, of course, valuable," Luna interjected, her voice carrying the frost of disapproval, "the issue is not who among us has sacrificed the most, nor whose influence runs deeper. The true problem is the chaos festering within Takimura and the fact that no one is addressing it."
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked flatly. His tone carried neither curiosity nor interest, only the demand for clarity.
"Since the day our Suikage… disappeared, the village has been all but sealed," Luna explained. Her tone softened into something measured, almost elegant, though the sharpness beneath it was still clear. "Trade has withered. Our dealings are collapsing. And beyond our walls, questions are being asked. Konoha, Kumo… none have realized yet how vulnerable we are. But they will. And worst of all…"
She raised a hand slightly, and the servant standing by the wall stepped forward at once. Plates were cleared in silence, the faint clink of porcelain breaking the tension only for a moment. Luna reached into her, pulling a scroll, and Kaoru wondered if she had drawn from a storage seal or if she had truly kept the parchment hidden on her person the entire time.
She set the scroll gently on the table. "I suspect the village received this report already or they will receive it soon. But…" her voice dropped low, her eyes narrowing, "Kiri has attacked our mine. They captured everyone."
"What?" Illumi's chair scraped sharply as he leaned forward, his fist striking the table hard enough to rattle the cups. His voice was a growl.
"They did not kill them. Only captured," Kaoru muttered as though to himself.
His fury, stoked moments ago at the suggestion of replacing Maki, shifted swiftly to this new threat. Yet rather than letting it burn openly, it cooled into something sharper, more dangerous. His thoughts ran cold and precise.
"Which means," he said, his voice steady, "they are not certain of our weakness. They are testing the waters."
Luna's eyes widened at his deduction, just for an instant.
"Yes… exactly," she replied quickly, almost too eagerly, her tone rising with enthusiasm that earned her sharp, dissatisfied looks from both men. She pressed on, more carefully now. "But if we show weakness, they will not stop at the mines. They will push further. They will come for the village itself."
"That will not happen," Kaoru cut firmly. His gaze hardened, the cyan in his eyes flashing with intensity that felt out of place at a dinner table. Too sharp for friendly company, too sharp to be ignored. "If they dare…"
"Lord Kaoru," Luna interrupted smoothly, her tone composed. "That is beside the point. Even if we are stronger than Kirigakure, even if we can repel them or even defeat them outright, it is only a matter of time before the other great villages begin to probe us as well. And what then? What will we do when they all realize Takimura is weakened?"
"It's only been a week!" Kaoru sneered, his voice sharper than he intended. His patience had frayed, and the words snapped free before he could temper them.
Luna did not answer. She lowered her eyes, unwilling to provoke him further, but the glance she cast sideways at Illumi was enough. He caught the silent signal and leaned forward.
"Lord Kaoru," Illumi began carefully, his tone measured, "can we guarantee that Lady Suikage will return in a few days? Or even a week? Or two?" He paused, letting the question hang before finishing. "I supported her wholeheartedly. She is the Kage I would follow to death in war. But…"
"Lord Illumi, I understand your point." Kaoru cut in, though his voice had softened, the raw anger ebbing. "I understand that we must prioritize what is best for Takimura. What I don't understand is why the council, meant to aid the Suikage in making decisions, now can not take the lead themselves."
"Oh, if only it were that simple." Luna shook her head in a slow, regretful motion. The gesture carried just enough patronizing weight to scrape against Kaoru's nerves. He felt heat climb his chest, his hands twitching under the table as he fought the urge to lash out. He had no idea why it irked him so deeply, but it did.
"The council is large," Luna continued, her voice now cautious, almost delicate, as if she had noticed the shadow of fury darkening Kaoru's expression, "And not all members are heads of the great clans who have fought and bled in war. There are three civilian representatives, two village elders, and several small clans. Their numbers are not insignificant."
As Luna spoke, Kaoru let the silence linger and truly considered her words. The council had always seemed united on the surface, unanimous in nearly every decision. But beneath that thin veneer of order, he knew there were factions - whispers, rivalries, alliances that shifted like sand underfoot.
Even if Luna had lost the support of the civilian members, she still commanded the loyalty of several smaller clans. They might have seemed negligible in terms of strength, but together they could sway the balance of the council when it came to voting. And now, Kaoru found himself wondering if the Noda stood beside her as well.
'It was Maki's strength and presence that kept them in line. They didn't dare raise their voices when she was here. But now that she's gone… all these lesser clans will gather under the Shegachi banner like moths to flame.'
His gaze sharpened as it moved between Luna and Illumi. The glow of the candles caught in his cyan irises, reflecting off the surface of the cherry juice still rippling faintly in his cup. He studied them not as allies but as players in a dangerous game, weighing the distance between their words and their true intent.
"Those less influential council members I mentioned," Luna went on, lifting her cup of cherry juice to her lips. She took a slow sip before continuing, her eyes fixed on Kaoru's. "They are not allowed to attend, nor to vote, in meetings that concern military or foreign policy. Their voices are silenced in those matters. Normally this is acceptable, as the Suikage herself represents them. But now?"
She lowered the cup back to the table with a clink.
"Now that there is no Suikage to speak for them, their interests vanish from the chamber. And because of that, they protest. They protest against a handful of us making decisions for the whole."
Her words hung in the air, the implication clear. Without Maki, the council was unstable. And instability was fertile ground for the Shegachi. Even if Kaoru was not the brightest politician out there, he could still understand what was happening.
"So this is why you want to elect a new Kage? For those people to have a representative?" Kaoru asked, his voice flat, his expression unreadable.
"Precisely," Luna answered, a faint smile tugging at her lips as though the matter were already settled.
"And what about you, Lord Illumi?" Kaoru pressed, his cyan eyes narrowing as he turned his gaze onto the head of the Noda clan. "Is this why you want to replace my sister and see a new Suikage rise in her stead?"
He sought Illumi's eyes, but the man lowered his head, shadows cutting across his face.
"No," Illumi said at last. The answer came firm, and it startled both Kaoru and Luna, though for entirely different reasons.
"Then why?" Kaoru demanded.
"I am not calling for a new Suikage," Illumi replied after a measured pause. He lifted his gaze again, and this time it was steady, resolved. "What I want is a temporary leader. Someone who can steady the village, direct our forces, and allow us to begin stabilizing Takimura while we search for Lady First."
"That is not what we discussed," Luna protested sharply, her voice carrying a note of reprimand.
"I'm not…" Illumi started, his voice rising, but he caught himself. His temper flared only for a moment before he drew a breath and controlled it. "Lady Luna," he said with restraint, though the edge still lingered, "it is not in Takimura's best interest to elect a new Suikage while we do not know where Lady First is. If it…"
"One month."
The words cut through the air like steel. Kaoru's voice had risen suddenly, his gaze hard as stone. "Give me one month, and I will bring my sister back. If I fail, I will support the election of a new Suikage."
Illumi leaned back, studying him for a long moment. Then he smiled - not with triumph, but with something closer to approval. He extended his hand across the table, and Kaoru clasped it firmly without hesitation.
Luna, however, sat stiff in her chair, her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes burned with restrained anger, though she said nothing.
"Lord Kaoru, Lord Illumi," she said finally, her voice tight, "this does not resolve our current crisis. The village must still be managed. And Kiri has already made their move. Or have you forgotten?"
Her sneer was almost mocking, but Kaoru's response came cold, stripped of patience.
"Then we will elect a temporary leader," he said sharply, his gaze cutting into her. "Just as we elected Akura during the war. The council gathers tomorrow, does it not? We will meet then, and a leader will be chosen."
He rose, taking the cup of cherry juice and draining it in a single motion. The taste lingered only a moment on his tongue before he set the cup down.
"I will excuse myself now," he said, bowing slightly to both clan heads. "There are too many things I still need to do today."
He turned and walked toward the door, his steps deliberate. At the threshold he stopped, his back still to them.
"Lady Luna," Kaoru said in a low voice. "Remind your gardener to tend to your camellias properly. I noticed they draw too much water, even from where it is not theirs to take. If it continues, the poor flowers will pay the price for that greed."
He did not wait for an answer. His form blurred, and he was gone.
Luna bit down hard on her lower lip, her nails curling into her palm beneath the table. Illumi, in contrast, leaned back, nodding in satisfaction.
"Sharp eyes," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "At such a young age he already notices what others miss. He values life… even in flowers."
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