Chapter 54.6- And so the Dragons Danced

“Enough” Toji said, putting an end to their squabbling and muttering. They were silly creatures to begin with, and this displays hd done nothing for his regard of them. Left to his devices, he would have killed them all and left chaos in this wake, but that was no ay to secure Natsu’s rule. The Fire Nation did not consist only of the Fire Nation anymore and that meant that Natsu could not afford to be dealing with the chaos these nobles would cause with their absence. Even Toji would admit that they were useful tools for administering the ethnically diverse region, and that usefulness would be key in the society that was to become.

“The truth is we have known of your plans for a while now. The Fire Lord patiently waited for you to duo something irredeemable and inexcusable. By murdering his grandfather in your reckless and careless attempt to eliminate him, you have crossed a line that is simply unforgivable, and the punishment must match that” He said, pressing upon them with the seriousness of their offense. If there was one thing Natsu’s ridiculous Agni kais had caccomplised, it was that they had sold the fact that he was the scariest motherfucker out there and sold it well. No one had any doubts that he was the strongest firebender anymore, as he coldly and calmly cut apart candidate after candidate. Toji had the joy of a front row seat to the dread that had built on their faces— even if he had failed to correctly identify the root cause. If he had known then, he would have taken his spear to them and damned the consequences. But in a world without old man Wu, the consequences would be theirs o deal with.

“What do you want?” Matsuhito asked through gritted teeth.

“Five heads must roll. Pick the five most active of your number and volunteer them for execution. Beyond that, each of you will send for your heirs in body and title, and until they arrive you will not be allowed to leave the palace. They will remain here as a guarantee of your future behaviors. And for the next ten years, the war time taxes you paid earlier will be doubled even while the other lords will see theirs halved.”

“That would ruin us” Kaizen cried.

“Then so be it” he judged