Chapter 22

Sukehiro almost stumbles back due to Hisashi's strong attack.

"Hisashi! Calm down!" Ryuya calls out

Instead of stopping, Hisashi just swerves and spins making his brother lose his balance and gaining the opportunity to kill Usuma. This time, Ryuya enters the scene to defend him. Recovering quickly, Sukehiro rushes and tackles his brother down.

This time he was successful in taking him down to the ground. Ryuya also didn't faze out and quickly kicks the bloody katana off his friend's hand. He looks at Usuma with glaring eyes and points with his sword.

"Don't. Move." Hearing this, Usuma just nods aggressively. Ryuya then tends to the struggling Hisashi and the concerned Sukehiro.

Feeling the enhancement spells deactivating from his body, the bloodlust also releases from his mind as he slowly stops struggling.

…

Rushing inside, Yuna and Itsuki were panicked and sweating. Earlier, while wondering where their kids were, they were informed of bad news. Some samurai informed them that Hisashi is currently in prison after an attempted murder.

Without saying more, they rushed out of their house and ran to the nearest security station. There, they saw their son and Ryuya, waiting for them in a gloomy mood. They looked at Sukehiro who just points them towards the dark basement prison of the station.

They were soon accompanied by two samurai in charge of the prison. They reached the last cell where their son is supposed to be held and saw him.

Hisashi was there, sitting silently in the dark, with thick hand and ankle cuffs.

"Ma'am, Sir, it was just for safety measures. We'll remove it as soon as he was found not guilty in our investigations. By then, he'll recover back his yoryoku." Said one of the samurai. This infuriates Yuna causing her to explode on him.

"Guilty? What do you mean guilty?! My son would do nothing wrong! He wouldn't kill anybody! Release him!" Yuna demands as she grabs the man's kimono. Her rage starts to subside when she hears a familiar voice call out to her.

"Mother… I'm sorry." She immediately releases her hold on the samurai and ran to Hisashi. Of course, she was stopped by the metal bars. Itsuki on the other hand, just apologizes for his wife's sake.

"Hisashi! Are you okay? What happened to you? Did they hurt you? Tell the truth to them so they can let you go immediately." Yuna eagerly asks.

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry. I… I did something wrong."

"Something wrong? What do you mean?"

"I've… I've hurt someone. No, many people."

Hearing this, Yuna was shocked but then turns sorrowful. Hearing her son's voice in a sincere apologetic manner makes her believe him more. Even if she's expecting the opposite.

The long silence that followed is enough to snap her back to reality and accept the possibility of what was happening. Not knowing what to do anymore, she just looks at his husband who was looking back at her intently.

Knowing the meaning of her look, he immediately hugs her from the back before whispering to her ears. "It's going to be okay. Believe in him."

His advice gives Yuna the strength back again to believe in her son. She gives him a soft look before calling out to him.

"Hisashi." However, the kid kept on looking at the floor.

"Hisashi." Still, frozen on his spot.

"My child, look at me." She said softly. Finally, Hisashi responds.

"I can't, Mother."

"Why not?"

"I'm ashamed…" This makes Yuna inhale deeply before replying to him again.

"Don't be. I'm your mother. I'll understand you no matter what." Finally, Yuna's words were able to move Hisashi as they finally see his face.

His eyes were tearful. His pupils were all full of guilt. Just then, seeing his mother's face made the tears finally fall down his face. He bites his lips trying to prevent his eyes from tearing more, however, it was useless.

"I'm just glad that you're okay," Yuna said to him with pure sincere emotion.

…

In a castle in Koshu. A group of old men gathered at a banquet. Around them are a group of samurai with different weapons on them. These old men were the elders of three clans.

"So, Yato. What's this urgent meeting you are so eager to do about?" One of the Mushogatake clan elders asked the middle-aged man with yellow kimono. He was the current leader of the Minami clan.

The man took a bite of his tempura without answering which made the elder's brows knit. Before they can start to sermon him and cause chaos at the banquet, he answered.

"You see, according to our friends at the dock, the Han's are all amassing a large number of soldiers. This prompted me to check even more with some trained birds to scout. Of which, none came back. It intrigues me even more, so I sent 5 of my scouts; the best of the best. Guess how many came back."

Just from the man's storytelling, they've already started to get the gist of the situation. Unable to resist, one of them asked him.

"How many?" Said one of the elders from the Ryudo clan. Yato then looks at all of them before saying…

"None." This shocks every single one of them – though they never showed it. Among all the clans, the Minami clan has the best information-gathering and scouting skills. This was their most famous skill that was among the best even when compared with clans in other countries.

If it was to be ranked, it would be equal to only two more. Equal, not below. This means that whoever took out the best scout of the Minami clan had to have superior skills to them.

Among all the elders, they only know one clan that can do such a feat.

"I'm not saying that they did it, but the possibility is high. After all, even if my men were detected, they should've survived at the very least."

What Yato was talking about making some of the elders gulp. Not wanting to speak in codes anymore, the middle-aged leader of the Mushogatake clan finally asks.

"Are you talking about them?"

"Yes, I'm talking about the Yami Clan."