Chapter 266: Chapter 116: Anti-foreigner Group Attacks! A New Mission!

Since the "Sakurada Gate Incident" where Ii Dairou was assassinated, all the senior ministers of the Shogunate, especially those who usually advocated opening the country, have either proactively or passively increased their number of guards.

The group led by Aoto, upon unexpectedly encountering Katsu Rintarō, all harbored a mindset of "Oh, it’s that famous personality we usually hear about" as they observed him from a distance.

None of them were fans of this Katsu Rintarō.

So when Katsu Rintarō walked away, Aoto and the others lost interest in scrutinizing him further.

Withdrawing their gaze, they continued towards the sushi restaurant that Harada strongly recommended.

"Harada, exactly how much longer do we have to walk to reach that sushi place you mentioned?" Nagakura raised a hand to touch his empty stomach.

"Almost there. Just around the corner ahead. Let me tell you, not only is the sushi there delicious, but they also have an adorable dog! You can eat sushi and pet the dog at the same time." Harada chuckled.

...

With the lively Nagakura and Harada leading the way, the group noisily headed towards the sushi restaurant once more.

And just as Aoto and his group set off again, Katsu Rintarō, whom they had been observing, suddenly turned his head and directly looked at the figures of Aoto’s group gradually moving away...

But because he was already far from Aoto and the others, Katsu Rintarō could only see vague silhouettes.

"Mr. Katsu," someone inquired after noticing his unusual demeanor, "what’s the matter? What are you looking at?"

"Hmm? Nothing." Katsu Rintarō turned back, laughing heartily, "I just happened to spot that group of Samurai over there, each one taller than the last, and couldn’t help but take a few extra glances."

Having said that, Katsu Rintarō withdrew his gaze and focused.

"We should pick up the pace a bit," Katsu Rintarō remarked while tightening his hold on the globe in his arms and said to his guards beside him, "We mustn’t keep the Marquis of Fukui waiting too long."

"Mr. Katsu," the same guard who previously asked about "what he was looking at" spoke again, "The Marquis of Fukui’s residence is a bit of a distance from here, should we get a palanquin?"

"Hahaha, no need, no need," Katsu Rintarō laughed again, "I’ve been neglecting my exercise lately, and my body has become a bit weak."

"That’s not good, one cannot achieve any great ambition without a healthy body."

"I plan to try walking on my own two feet wherever I go from now on."

"Besides—"

Katsu Rintarō at this point adopted a half-joking tone.

"Not taking a palanquin... also makes it easier to run away if I encounter an assassin on the street."

As Katsu Rintarō uttered these words, he happened to pass by a small tea house with his guards.

Inside the tea house, there was only one table occupied—a One-armed Warrior and a young Samurai with a cold expression sitting opposite each other.

These two Samurai ordered quite a lot of tea and snacks, but strangely, neither of them engaged in conversation.

The young Samurai kept his gaze lowered, as if in repose, and scarcely touched the snacks, only occasionally bringing a teacup to his lips to sip.

Sitting directly across from him, the One-armed Warrior was situated perfectly opposite the open entrance of the tea house.

He was devouring the snacks with gusto, leaving his lips shiny with oil.

At first glance, this One-armed Warrior seemed to be simply enjoying a hearty meal, but upon closer observation, one could notice—he continually lifted his gaze to scan the street scene outside the tea house.

As Katsu Rintarō joked with his men while passing by the tea house entrance, the One-armed Warrior’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he quickly put down the teacup, lowering his voice to the young Samurai across from him:

"Mr. Kamino, that middle-aged man outside holding a globe is Katsu Rintarō."

Shinno raised an eyebrow, slightly tilting his head back while putting down his own teacup, using the corner of his eye to glimpse behind him...towards the outside of the tea house.

He managed to catch a glimpse of Katsu Rintarō’s face before his figure vanished from view.

"So that’s Katsu Rintarō... excellent, I have memorized his face."

"Um... Mr. Kamino, I’m actually quite puzzled," the One-armed Warrior sighed in exasperation, "Why do you insist on seeing what this Katsu Rintarō looks like?"

"No particular reason," Shinno replied coolly, "Just pure curiosity."

"As I happened to have some free time in the last few days, I came to see what this Lower-Level Hatamoto, who rose to prominence in just six years, looks like."

"Hmph, the more I think about it, the angrier I get..."

Shinno suddenly tightened his grip on the teacup, causing it to emit a strange creaking sound under the pressure.

"Such a national traitor, who bows to the barbarians, rises to the top, while our true Patriots struggle to fulfill our great ambitions..."

"There are far too many traitors within the Shogunate."

"Mr. Kamino, should we try to... remove this national traitor Katsu Rintarō?"

The One-armed Warrior gestured a slashing motion across his neck.

"There’s no hurry for that," Shinno replied calmly, "There’s no need to rush to enact Celestial Punishment on Katsu Rintarō."

"We will eliminate national traitors like Katsu Rintarō in due time, but not now."

"Things must be taken one step at a time, one thing at a time."