Jensen moved back to the row a few steps behind Aiko with Kairi standing right beside him and before long, the ceremony started.

Aiko glanced back at Jensen, trying to confirm if everything was alright.

He gave her a small smile and a nod, signalling that everything was fine which seemed to calm her down enough to begin the rites.

[A.N.: I am not quite certain if the rites below follow the regular Japanese customs there was just so many I decided to just go with the one that works well for the story. If there is an issue with this or shows your culture in a bad light, I am very sorry.

Feel free to send a message and I will address the issue as soon as possible.]

Daihachi and Aiko were the first to walk up to the coffin to pay their respects.

As much as Daihachi hated his father, he still had to keep up appearances and respect the traditions.

They walked up to the coffin with Daihachi maintaining a level of distance from Aiko. They paid their respect and returned to their positions.

The elders followed soon after, they bowed first to Daisaku’s coffin, then bowed to Aiko and Daihachi before they returned to their positions.

Jensen kept scanning for suspicious people, mostly for anyone trying to hide but there was not much he could do in a crowd this large.

Eventually, his eyes moved back to Aiko and then they drifted down to the priests standing not far from her.

His eyes were about to drift away to keep scanning the rest of the crowd when he suddenly stopped.

Something did not feel right.

He scanned their Levels. Level 1s and that was normal especially since they weren’t trying to hide it in the first place.

And neither did they seem to be fighters.

Just as his eyes moved to the next group, he froze. His gaze drifted down to part of the priest’s hands exposed just under the cloaks just as he moved.

He caught a glimpse of the lower part of a tattoo.

XR.

’I have been focusing on the crowd for far too long, but I should have also been watching the officiants.’

He began moving immediately.

"Young Master, is there a problem?" Kairi asked.

Jensen did not bother explaining. "Follow me."

Kairi did not need to be told twice. She focused on her spatial ring, ready to draw her katana at a moment’s notice.

Jensen arrived just in time to pull Aiko out of the way as a dagger stabbed into the spot where she had been standing.

The guards around them sprang into action.

The two Level 2s standing beside Daihachi pulled him out of harm’s way just in time.

Jensen caught the second dagger coming at them. He grabbed it and threw it back at the assailant.

Using his telekinesis, he increased the speed catching the man off guard... piercing his chest before he could get out of the way.

On cue, most of the officiants threw off their robes and attacked the guards.

Some of the guards reacted in time and blocked the attacks. Others were caught off guard and killed.

Bodies began dropping to the ground with blood spraying up, staining the ground and even falling on some of the guests.

The ceremony erupted in chaos with everyone running around like headless chickens, trying to escape being the next target.

But the chaos only helped the assailants... some of the members of the crowd sudden launched attacks on others.

Jensen had been searching for unusual people, mostly them ones trying to sneak around.

But the attackers had mixed perfectly into the crowd, blending in perfectly.

The only way they could have gotten in through the security where identity checks were requires was with the help of a high-ranking member.

And it was obvious who had given them such easy access to the Uesugi compound.

The Ashigaru Taishō raised his weapon to help but a wide attack threw him back.

His two deputies immediately retreated to his side ready to face the 6 assailants surrounding them.

’I have to say, this is such an elaborate performance,’ Jensen thought as he scanned his surroundings.

Taro was currently indisposed and could not come to their side.

He had been one of the first to be attacked and was now fighting being cornered by two people of a similar level, with several other lower-level fighters providing support to them.

Although outnumbered, Taro was not struggling but the group was holding their own just well especially because they were more defensive than aggressive.

It was obvious their plan was not to kill or defeat him. Just to keep him there, unable to help Aiko.

Kairi was fighting several opponents at once.

She had also been instantly ambushed and almost nailed to the ground by a spear.

With the spear next to her, she did not bother pulling out her blade anymore... she grasped the spear and immediately got down to work.

Her skill with the spear meant she was dispatching the assailants quite easily. Bodies fell around her as she quickly made her way toward them.

Even with the reputation and status of the guests nobody was spared from XR gang member attacks.

Some of the guests decided to join the Uesugi in their defence while most just decided to leave... after all it was truly not their fight, and the gang members did not try to stop them.

These left the Uesugi samurais to fight assailants more than twice their number because the attacks had most definitely planned in abundance.

Hower the Uesugi samurais were holding their own although Jensen could not tell who was in on the attack and who was truly fighting for their lives.

But that did not matter much... This fight showed the exact reason why he wanted to absorb the Uesugi samurais.

And this was also why the gangs in town were simply better than the bandits.

Yes, living on the edge favoured bandits and made them stronger, but that strength was typically individual.

And the efficiency of individual strength started to pale in comparison to good teamwork on a large battlefield where everyone was on a similar level.

Although the gang members were losing to the Uesugi Samurais, they were still far better than their counterparts.

Because teamwork was something bandits tended to lack... Posey had simply been a unique situation.

He would have gone a long way with his foresight but unfortunately, for him he had met Jensen.

Jensen observed the fight go on for a few more seconds before he sprang into action... he had seen enough.

He could absolutely help... turning the fight around but he did not.

He grabbed Aiko, hoisted her over his shoulders, and dashed out of the battle.

The plan was never to stop or partake in the battle... It was to draw all the players out and it seemed to be working.

Now all that was left before the final step was to take Aiko to safety.