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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 5;
Having arrived at the Azai, Yukimura and his followers immediately started preparing for an all-out war. At this time, I was still pretty shaken up, and I had yet to witness true battle head on. In fact, my encounter with the Oda assassins and samurai at the Sanada camp was the very first situation where I'd had to take up battle and defend myself. Knowing this, Yukimura came over to me. After meeting eye contact with him, he pulled me to the side and laid out what was on his mind. He told me that he could only think what my situation was like, and that he realized that there was something more behind my survival than luck. Everything with the Master Sword and my journey, it all had to add up to something. I was meant to do greater things in this world, and this he was certain of. He then said; 'Look Hagoromo... For as long as you and-... For as long as you stayed with the clan, we never asked or demanded anything from you other than at least learning how to defend yourself. I don't know about you, but I am tired of this war, and I am most definitely going to get my revenge on the Oda clan for all of this. So what do you say? Why don't we find you an armor for you to try on?' He wasn't going to put pressure on me, but it was as if Yukimura and I saw eye to eye now. He knew what I felt, and he was right. The only thing I could think of was revenge.
At this point I was willing to forsaken everything I had learned and every values I stood for in life, much like one specific person from the Oda clan had done before me. You guessed it, Nobunaga himself. More on that later as, as of now, I was so lost in hatred that I didn't even hesitate answering Yukimura. It was time, and I knew it. After getting my first armor on, Yukimura then gave me a reassuring nod. He then told me to follow him as we came into what seemed like the great dinning hall of the castle where the Azai resided. Here, only Yukimura's most trusted followers would be allowed to accompany him inside to meet with the Azai, and of all people, he wanted me to join as well. I could only speculate that it had something to do with me being the only survivor of the massacre, and that I had witnessed some of what had happened, but truth been told, I had a feeling that it was a deeper purpose behind it. The leader of the Azai clan, Nagamasa Azai, had a troubled look on his face. He was seated in his chair as he insisted that Yukimura too would take up a seat by the table. Beside him stood his advisers, as well as his wife. The fact that she was Nobunaga's younger sister was obviously the elephant in the room, and everyone present thought about it but none dared say a thing, not at first. What would Nagamasa decide? Break his peace-treaty and go against his brother-in-law in open war? Or would he expel us people from the Sanada clan and send us as prisoners to the Oda to strengthen their truce? The decisive moment had come.
Looking at his advisers, the negotiations then began. 'We can't let them stay here Nagamasa! The longer they are here the more are we putting ourselves at risk! We should throw them out and let the Oda deal with them!' Turmoil had already begun to break out amongst his followers, and as soon as the first of them had voiced his opinion, the rest quickly followed. 'He's right! There's no way we can stand against the combined forces of the Oda and the Tokugawa! This peace-treaty would have been for none! Think of your wife!' Yukimura's followers however, would not stand idle by listening to this as one of them shouted out in anger; 'You would have us thrown out to the wolves?! Don't you see that it's only a matter of time before we're all going to be overrun by them, use your head! We would never have thrown out anyone in need if the situation was turned around! Your arrogance and selfish nature will doom us all!' Arguing was sure to break out and so it did as people from both sides were just about to start relying on their fists instead of their mouths to settle the score. When it seemed like the discussion was about to heat itself up even further however, Yukimura then stood up as he demanded his followers to stay quiet before gently taking his seat again. Things cooled down a bit, but how long would it last?
Pondering about what had been said, Nagamasa continued to remain silent. It was then that yet another one spoke, this time from his side again; 'Have you guys completely lost your minds?! We will get nowhere with all of the arguing back and forth between us, and you know it! Our clan prides itself upon honor, and won't simply cast out people who seeks our help, especially not the Sanada clan who long have been our allies! The Oda and the Tokugawa are on a war path, and it will only be a matter of time before they'll break our treaty themselves anyways!' Hearing what he said, one of those who had voiced their opinion earlier on, followed up; 'You're the one who's out of your damn mind! You just want to break our truce!! There's no honor in dooming our clan like this! We should not stick our necks out recklessly if we don't have to!' 'Do you listen to yourself?! Stop being so naive!' The other one retorted. The discussion between the advisers went back and forth nonstop, and it was as if Nagamasa himself had lost control over the meeting. It was then that he met eyes with his own wife that he finally spoke; 'Everyone, let's not make a hasty move. This is a delicate matter, so we should handle it like one. Yukimura and the other survivors of the Sanada clan are our guests, we won't cast them out like rats...'
Nagamasa Azai had always been a benevolent leader, so he was often times troubled by the ongoing events of the land and the constant battling. Even to such a degree that he didn't want to take part in direct battling, to avoid harm to fall upon his people. This time it was different however, and even Nagamasa himself could sense it. Looking over at Yukimura, he gave him a nod. 'The Oda clan...' Yukimura began. 'Is nothing more than a deceivable and ruthless clan hellbent on claiming this land their own. Together with the Tokugawa, there are almost none who can stand in their way. With my father-... And brothers gone-...' Having to halt for a second, Yukimura clutched his side where he had been injured earlier as a heavy expression was shown on his face. He didn't let that stop him though as he squeezed his hand together hard and continued. Laying out the details of what had gone down, how the Oda and the Tokugawa had conspired to wipe out the Takeda and the Sanada in one foul swoop, Yukimura then turned to me. I hesitated a bit at first, but then I finally spoke.
Everyone in the room was quiet as if expecting a fairytale to rival the old. I kept the details to a minimum, at least from my journey away from the camp, but as soon as I touched upon the subject of the massacre, I could easily see the rage in some of the Azai followers' eyes. Again I tried to lay out the details of how I had survived, but yet again did it seem like Yukimura held no interest in that part as he interrupted me. He then turned his eyes towards Oichi, which was the name of Nagamasa's wife and Nobunaga's sister. He said; 'Normally a woman's counsel would not matter in the art of war, but being that you are Nagamasa's wife and Nobunaga's sister, I would like to hear what you have to say.' Expecting an answer, Yukimura was stumped when Nagamasa then interfered, asking that he'd leave her out of it. Yukimura gently nodded at this request, he couldn't do anything else at this point, or rather, it wouldn't be wise of him to do so. Nagamasa then said; 'I'll take my time over this matter, and then get back to you. I will send a message to the Asakura and hear what Yoshikage has to say before making up my mind. Meanwhile, feel free to be my guests.' With that, Nagamasa stood up from his chair and left the room. The discussion continued between those gathered as Yukimura too stood up and left; I quickly followed.
On our way out, some of Yukimura's followers then started mumbling amongst themselves, showing that they were not pleased at all with the outcome of this meeting. One pressed how we didn't have time to sit around and wait, while another implied that we had to be patient and trust Nagamasa to do the right thing. As we came into the hallway, Yukimura suddenly collapsed as none of those gathered around managed to catch on to him before he fell flat on the ground. Helping him up, I was escorted to a nearby room where I put him down on a bed. He was sweating and his body temperature was rising. One of his followers then shouted out that it had to be the wound he had suffered earlier while aiding the Takeda, as some maids came running along and helped with the removal of his armor. It was as he had feared and the wound did not look good at all. As they began to treat the wound, they also kindly asked most of us to leave due to the number of men who had gathered around crowding up the place, and hearing this, I figured my service was not needed any further at the moment. I left the room as to gather my thoughts, thinking that Yukimura was in good hands. I hadn't been able to think much for the three days that had gone by since the massacre, for the three days that had gone by since that strange occurrence where I survived. Not to mention the fact that I had been lost in a trance for the whole of one of those days after that, until Yukimura and the rest found me. I could still see their faces, feel their pain as they melted away before my eyes. I had to shake this feeling off, I had to regain my posture if I was to continue living in this world. Thinking about the meeting and the discussion that just went down, I continued walking further into the hall before me.
I found a quiet place as I sat down. I probably sat like that for an hour or two, mumbling to myself. It was then that someone approached me, asking what the thing I had been repeating for the past five minutes meant. 'I'm not sure what you mean...' I simply answered. He had been watching me together with a few other men who quietly sat drinking in another corner of the room, as he finally had got intrigued enough to come up to me and ask. 'Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast.' He countered. I looked at him, but I didn't know what to say. But he was right, I had been mumbling those words, with my right hand shaking tremendously ever as I did, as each word magically fell in line. I said the words, but I had no idea where they came from or what I meant by them. 'You've been repeating that line, adding another word one by one for the past five minutes or so. What does it mean, what's the purpose of repeating those words? You're from the Sanada clan, right?' Reaching out to me, I simply rejected his hand as I got up to my feet. I was about to leave, but I turned around towards him again. I had to tell someone about what had happened. If Yukimura didn't want to hear its full extent or at least acknowledge that it happened, then I could tell these guys. No attachments, just friendly talk. I had to tell someone, and I decided that it would be them. I sat down as I laid out the details. None of them knew what to say or what to believe, so I had to go much deeper than that. One of them gave me something to drink as I laid out even more details. The meeting with the Wizard, the Master Sword and the Holy Sect of Peace. They were baffled to say the least. 'Your name was Hagoromo, right?' The man from before asked. I simply nodded. Too drunk to even question the motive of the question at that time. Had I even told him my name? I honestly couldn't say. Shaking my hand, he then got up and left, stating that it was time to head to bed. I never saw that man again for the entirety of the time we spent in the Azai camp. However, it wouldn't take long before our paths crossed again.
Spies... A common thing at this age, and they were everywhere. I came to realize later that he had been a spy all along, and not just any spy either. His name was Hanzo Hattori, the famed assassin, and I only found out about that later on when the final phase of the war began, just before I finally came face to face with my real father. After realizing who he had been, I simply couldn't understand how I had been lucky enough to escape a meeting with him alive, as he surely must have been out to claim it, how else would he have known my name back then? But for now however, all I cared about was finding a bed to sleep in. A week then passed by, and still was a decision yet to be made. Yukimura had recovered from his injury, but even he was starting to get impatient. It was then when a letter arrived from the Asakura that Nagamasa finally made up his mind. Fate would have it that the Oda clan had ruthlessly attacked the Asakura clan along their way towards the Azai, and it was this incident that would eventually tip the Azai in our favor. War was indeed upon us, and it was happening fast.
I hadn't spent much time doing anything reasonable that week, but I had indeed studied the Founding Book of Jutsu some more. Things were starting to get clearer now, and I had finally begun to understand how I was able to survive back then in the Sanada camp. Reading up on something called Ninjutsu, I quickly discovered that it was such a technique that I somehow had preformed. One so deadly that it had incinerated everyone around me. Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast... The first technique to ever be created. I decided there and then that such powers were too strong to be messed around with, and that whenever the time was right, I would teach men about Ninshu instead. Yes, because the pages about Ninshu was what had really opened my eyes. But like all things in life, they did not go entirely as planned, and before I knew it, I had to rely on Ninjutsu once more.
Having read through the book in that week, I felt like I was ready to adapt some of what I had learned. However, before all that, there was this one dusty old page that had caught my eyes, one about a so-called 'Forbidden Technique.' The page was hard to read out but it clearly said something about resurrection. Foolish and naive enough as I was, I eventually got so hung up on that page by the end of the week that I finally figured out what it was all about. And having already grasped the initial control of chakra, I was somehow able to do the most incredible things. This happened at the same time as the Azai decided to join forces with the Asakura clan and the remaining members of the Sanada clan, to oppose the Oda and the Tokugawa. Yukimura had come to me to tell me the news himself. Not only was he excited for war, but to have me by his side after all the things we had talked about and been through, he just couldn't wait to see my reaction and to see my promise. Entering the room however, Yukimura was suddenly sent blasting backwards by a bright light, knocking him unconscious as he bumped his head into the wall of the hall he came from. What followed, was beyond human understanding at that time.
Waking up by the call of a woman a few minutes later, Yukimura could not believe his own eyes when he saw who stood in front of him. He was so shocked and so in disbelief that he fainted once more. It was first on the second try that he managed to gather his senses long enough to stay awake. Before him stood a woman, a woman he had used to known. However, this woman had perished in the massacre together with the rest of the clan a week ago. Looking over at me, I could see that Yukimura was scared, for the first time in my life. The man who had been in a hundred battles, was scared. I was certain he would be happy, but it was what he told me then that changed my view on this so-called destiny of mine forever. He said; 'Hagoromo, how is this possible?? I can feel her presence, my eyes can see her standing in front of me right now, and my ears can clearly hear her voice speaking, but how is any of this possible? What sorcery have you done, what pact have you made with the devil to make this happen?!' I was shocked at this response, and I could even see that she resonated to what he said silently in contemplation. At this point she wasn't even sure where to begin, how to even grasp how she was alive. She remembered how she died, but she could not understand how I had managed to bring her back alive. None of it mattered though as I was certain that Yukimura would be happy to see this, to think of the possibilities, of what I could accomplish with what I had learned. 'One should never play god even with the powers to do so! It's wrong, and above all else, it is dangerous!' He seemed almost mad at this point. But Yukimura had all along understood what had happened to me, how I was able to survive, how I had been able to draw the Master Sword, and how I was destined to do things beyond human belief. He had sensed it all along, he just hadn't believed it before now. Beside me, and fully alive, stood your mother, Trea. She had been dead for a week, her body had been totally incinerated, but now, here she stood. Alive, as if nothing had happened. No magic nor illusions at play, this was the real deal. I can't remember the details of this technique, but I remember that it cost a lot of chakra and a lot of my life-force. I almost died resurrecting your mother, and I didn't even feel the effects at first.
Looking back at Yukimura, blood suddenly started to pour out of my nose. I felt dizzy, weak, and above all else exhausted. I passed out and landed on the floor. It took a whole month until I came to my senses again. A month. The war... Was almost already over by then. My incredible life-force, my desire to live with Trea, to see her alive again, was what had kept me breathing, kept me clinging on to life. As I came to myself again however, a lot had indeed changed, but seeing her face once more made me think it was all worth it. I was now at a different location all together. The Azai castle had been destroyed in the war, and more and more clans had joined in on the fray until it was the entire land against the Oda and the Tokugawa. Even then were they almost stronger, but the final day of the war was rapidly approaching. The leader of the Asakura had died in battle, so had Nobunaga's younger brother Nobuyuki. Both sides had suffered, even Yukimura himself had faced death many times only to barely make it out alive. One of those encounters was with Tadakatsu Honda himself. Upon returning from his latest battle, he was pleasantly surprised to see me up from bed and amongst the living, telling me that he was certain that I was a dead man. He did say however, that no matter how I had managed to resurrect my wife Trea, or even why, it was something that the three of us would have to keep a secret, hidden away from the rest of the world to avoid any devious plots against us. Too much was at risk. If it had been any other guy, he would have taken advantage of my knowledge to bring his family and his clan back to life, but Yukimura, was not like any other guy. The technique almost had a fatal consequence for me, as I barely made it out alive, and therefore, he disallowed me to preform or to speak about that technique ever again. From that moment, I decided that I would lay the teachings of Ninjutsu behind me for good, but like fate would so have it like I mentioned earlier, this was only just the beginning. He then told me to prepare myself. 'Prepare myself for what?' I asked. 'Well for the final battle of course!' He responded.
The next day I mounted for my first ever battle. Side by side with Yukimura, and with the Master Sword in my hand and the two sacred items on my back, I was beaming with confidence. Pulling me aside, Trea had a worried look on her face. Not just for what was about to go down, but because of everything that had happened and how I had seemingly changed. I reassured her that when the war was finally over and the land could experience peace, I would sit down with her and tell her everything. After all, she hadn't been talking much after being brought back to life despite the month that had passed by, and neither had I due to my near comatose state. Even I didn't know if there were any risks involved or if some after-effects could kick in at a later stage due to it. For now, I was fixed on ending this chaos once and for all, and from there on and out, I could focus on fulfilling my destiny. Riding off, we were on our way to the final battle. Meeting up with the Azai by nightfall, Yukimura met with Nagamasa to discuss their approach on the battle ahead. We had camped just by a hillside and around it and into the valley ahead stood the Tokugawa camp, with their leader Ieyasu. As they were in deep planning of what actions to take, my mind slipped away. I simply couldn't grasp everything that had happened in the month I was out. In fact, I had yet to realize what I had been able to accomplish. Trea was alive, and instead of spending time with her, I was out here in war. As I sat in my tent, it was then that Yukimura suddenly came inside. 'It's time.' He simply said. I nodded as I followed him out. Mounting on my horse, I watched closely as Yukimura and Nagamasa rode out in front, rallying their troops. The battle was about to begin, and my right hand was yet again shaking. Would I be able to come out on top of this?
Not long after, we came face to face with the Tokugawa troops. It was a fierce battle that seemed to go no way until reinforcement suddenly came from two other clans, catching the Tokugawa clan and their leader Ieyasu in a pincer attack. Their troops were shattered as many fled in panic. Yukimura was confident as ever before as he rode in front of me, wiping most of the upcoming foes out of the way with little ease. Seeing him rally, I too got inspired as I swung the Master Sword at my foes. The battle was bloody, and victory seemed assure. 'There! Up ahead, it's Ieyasu himself!!' Screaming out, Nagamasa came riding up from the West of the field as he immediately caught our attention. It didn't take long before we too headed in that direction. Ieyasu was mounted on his horse, struggling to get out of the trap he now found himself in. Getting hit by an arrow in his left shoulder he almost fell off the horse, but strong-willed as he was, he kept going as he made a run for it. 'After him! Don't let him escape!!' Yukimura shouted out as an entire battalion gave chase. Cornering him by a river, it seemed that Ieyasu was about to meet with his demise, but despite the odds, he continued on, forcing his horse out into the steep currents ahead. We all stopped as we watched his struggle. Nagamasa ordered everyone not to follow as the archers stepped forth, taking their aim. 'At my command!' Nagamasa said. It was then that the strangest thing happened...
Just as the arrows were fired, it was as if they hit a barrier of sorts, as they all peeled off Ieyasu as he finally managed to cross the river in one piece. Once there, his appearance suddenly changed, and it was obvious at this point that it was a decoy and not the real Ieyasu we had been chasing. Somehow along the way, one of Ieyasu's most trusted followers had switched place with him, and it was as this disguise came off from him that I recognized his face. Riding forth, I refused to listen to Yukimura's call for me to hold the ranks as I came right upon the river, halting by the banks. 'I know you!!' Screaming out, I caught the gaze of the man who was just about to make his escape. Hearing my call, he turned around on his horse as our eyes met. He remained silent for a while, but he then said; 'You sure do, Hagoromo...' At hearing this, distinct chattering began to spread around in our troops. Many a man had heard the tale, but few had known the full extent of it. This was why Yukimura had given me a cover name in the first place. Before I managed to answer him though, Yukimura also stepped forward, stopping just beside me as he said; 'You are the famed assassin known as Hanzo Hattori, isn't that right?' I couldn't believe my ears. He simply nodded. 'You were out for my life that night, weren't you? Why did you not take the advantage you had to claim it?!' I shouted out, referring to our meeting in the Azai castle a little over a month ago. 'It wasn't the right time for it. Besides, I was there to collect information.' He firmly replied before he continued; 'However, since I wasn't able to take care of you during my first two elimination missions, Nobunaga himself decided that he wanted a meeting with you instead.' 'What do you mean?!' I retorted. 'I was there when your adoptive father and mother perished... I was there when your sacred sect perished... That's all you need to know.' I was enraged at hearing this. I finally knew who Hanzo Hattori was and why he was so famed. Nobody ever escaped him if they were on his list, and yet had he failed twice to take care of me. Thinking back to the deaths of my parents, I realized that he had indeed been one of the assassins that night, as he wrapped a piece of black clothing around his face. I wanted to cross the river to take his life, but Yukimura reached his hand out to me, signaling me to stop. 'There's a time and a place for everything, Hagoromo... You will get your revenge, but now is not the time.' As I looked across the river again, Hanzo had already vanished. He was indeed a true ninja of his days.
Going back to the rest of our troops, we quickly sensed that the realization of me being Hagoromo Otsutsuki himself, was something on everyone's lips. But was it necessarily a bad thing? Nagamasa then came over to Yukimura as the two had a small conversation between them. Nagamasa then turned around as he addressed the entire army before him; 'The Tokugawa has been routed. What's left before us now is the Oda clan! Everyone, let's end this war and bring on a much deserved peace to this land!' Pointing his sword into the air, Nagamasa quickly rallied the troops as we all set our eyes upon the Oda castle that laid in the distance. We fought for ten days and ten nights straight, laying siege to it before we finally made our way through. The castle was so big that our troops got spread all over the place, even to such an extent that I lost track of who I was riding with until I suddenly came before the stairs which seemed to be leading up to the Master chamber at the top floor. With me was Yukimura as we looked around, but not a single ally nor enemy was to be spotted. We nodded at each other as we dismounted and headed up in a fast motion. Once there, we finally found the one we were looking for.
With his back turned towards us, stood a tall dark dressed man. He had a long cape with some writings on it as he simply turned his head to the side smiling. Around him several men were pouring out oil into every corner of the room, and onto every furniture that stood there. Finally finishing up, they all turned their attention towards the man as he gave them a nod. With that, they all came running towards us. Seeing that these men were no warriors, we let them pass as they ran down the stairs behind us and out of view. We then turned our attention back towards the man who had yet to turn around to face us. Before him was an alter of some sort, and to the side was a door leading into another room. Before we managed to say or do a thing, the door suddenly slid open as a large and fierce warrior suddenly came to view and stepped into the room we were in. I turned towards Yukimura who nodded back at me. The mysterious figure in front of us then finally spoke; 'I knew it would end in one way or the other. I just didn't think it would go down like this.' As he said, he then turned around to face us, with his renown characteristic traits immediately giving away his identity. Even I knew for certain who this man was at this point. Yes, it was Nobunaga himself. 'Well I'm glad you have realized that. We might not even have to have this battle...' Yukimura sarcastically replied. 'Oh but we do! There's so much to still learn in this world, and you might learn a lot from battling. Unfortunately, there's just not enough time to learn everything there is to learn.' As Nobunaga spoke, the man who had entered the room from the other door earlier then stepped in between us. This man was no ordinary man to be taken lightly however...
"The Warrior who surpassed Death itself..." Indeed, it was Tadakatsu Honda himself. 'Want me to deal with these two for you??' Tadakatsu coldly stated. Not even a single muscle could be seen moved on his face, nor even the slightest of emotions could be senses in his tone as he said it either. This man was beyond the normal standards of a human-being, he was by definition, a beast. 'I know that the guy in red is Yukimura Sanada... I've battled him on a few occasions but never have I been able to finish that rat off. If he only was present during the Sanada massacre, I would have dealt with him like I did the rest of his clan there...' I was certain Yukimura would charge him at this point, but somehow, he managed to keep his cool as Tadakatsu continued; 'As for the other scrawny looking guy, I don't think he's worth my time.' A strong presence filled the air as Tadakatsu spoke. This guy was powerful, probably even one of the strongest warriors to ever have lived. Just by looking at him, fear was inflicted upon me. I didn't understand why, but I was scared to death, literally. I had faced many a foe in this war by now, and I had got used to all the deaths and all the pain that comes with it, but this guy, he was definitely something else entirely. Charging in recklessly would mean certain death, that much I figured.
Yukimura then leaned in to me and said something that I knew was to be taken serious; 'I can't guarantee that we will make it out alive this time Hagoromo... But I will try to buy you enough time to take out Nobunaga himself. If we can deal with him, this war will be over, with Tadakatsu being still alive, or not. Once I can't hold Tadakatsu off any longer, he will definitely come for you. If I'm not dead by then, the fate of this world will be in your hands.' I looked at him... Yukimura didn't even blink when he said that. This was the moment which everything had been leading up to. The key to this entire war, to everything bad that had happened in my life, now stood before me. 'Let's not waste anymore time then, gentlemen.' Laughing out loud, Nobunaga then snapped his fingers as the room suddenly was lit on fire, as the oil that had been poured out earlier started to burn. It was only a matter of seconds before everything was engulfed in flames around us. Heading for the door leading to another room, Nobunaga was on his way. I looked one last time at Yukimura as he signaled me to go. The last thing I saw as I left the room was him and Tadakatsu crashing head on. I knew the countdown had begun. Entering the room, I realized that the fire was spreading fast. Nobunaga then turned around towards me, drawing a purple colored sword from his back as he did. I too readied the Master Sword, eagerly awaiting his first move. With a firm and confident glance, Nobunaga Oda then said; 'Now, are you sure you want to do this... Son?'
Fun Facts & Author's Note:
1: First of all, I want to talk about the change in pacing in this chapter... I had originally planned to follow the same pattern a little while longer but quickly discovered that it was not possible. And thus, some of the usual in-depth scenes that have been present earlier, disappeared from the chapter this time around. I had in mind to have a much longer scene of the negotiations that took place at the beginning with this chapter, but in the end I had to make it simple to avoid dragging this chapter out anymore as it was long enough as it was already. If I was to bet on it, I would say that if I followed the original plan, the scene might have ended up twice as long. This brings me to something else too regarding Nagamasa Azai and his wife Oichi. I originally planned to have both of them be more involved in the scene, not only through dialogue with Nagamasa's advisers but with Yukimura and his followers as well. The reason I cut this out was simply because that, for the first time in a great while, I wasn't sure how to portrait Oichi, or rather how to actually pull it off, with what she was suppose to say. That's why I ended up leaving her dialogues out completely and therefore also shortened some of Nagamasa's originally intended lines (I didn't cut content however, I simply just didn't write it).
2: As we dive deeper into this story, I've come to the realization that I might want to state a few things. The reason is that some of you might know a thing or two from the Sengoku Jidai (Warring State Period), especially after watching the Series I linked to last time, and with this in mind I want to state the following... This tale is only loosely based on the characters and the clans from that period, so regarding historic accuracy when it comes to the battles with who battled who, who allied with who, and who killed who, heck, even the location of the different clans in the land and how they perished along the way, is not really taken much into consideration. Yes, I have drawn inspiration from it, but at the same time I've decided to take my own route which might confuse some.
3: With the success of the last link, I want to link you guys to something else this time, something which I myself haven't even had time to devote myself to yet. I realize that it's a long shot and that 99% of you won't even care though, most likely, as you really need to be interested in this historic period to want to I guess (and since I haven't been able to watch it myself, I can't say whether or not it's actually any good xP). It's something I just want to share so take it as you leave it, but this might even be interesting for some looking for something new to watch (I know I am going to sooner or later, just don't know when yet). It's a totally new Anime adaption of the Sengoku Jidai, called 'Sengoku Musou Anime.' Here's a link to the first episode (external link):
4: The next chapter should be a really great one as I got a lot of content stored for it. Unlike the other times, I'm actually going to try and make it as long as intended and also try to keep the schedule of a release next week. I now realize that despite the fact that my chapters seem shorter nowadays, I guess most of the reason to that is because the narrative style is more compressed and consist of less spaces and paragraphs which tent to drag out dialogue written chapters. I might be wrong though, but let's call it an educated guess, lmao. Hope you enjoyed this one and are looking forward to the next one!
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The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 5;
Showdown:
Having arrived at the Azai, Yukimura and his followers immediately started preparing for an all-out war. At this time, I was still pretty shaken up, and I had yet to witness true battle head on. In fact, my encounter with the Oda assassins and samurai at the Sanada camp was the very first situation where I'd had to take up battle and defend myself. Knowing this, Yukimura came over to me. After meeting eye contact with him, he pulled me to the side and laid out what was on his mind. He told me that he could only think what my situation was like, and that he realized that there was something more behind my survival than luck. Everything with the Master Sword and my journey, it all had to add up to something. I was meant to do greater things in this world, and this he was certain of. He then said; 'Look Hagoromo... For as long as you and-... For as long as you stayed with the clan, we never asked or demanded anything from you other than at least learning how to defend yourself. I don't know about you, but I am tired of this war, and I am most definitely going to get my revenge on the Oda clan for all of this. So what do you say? Why don't we find you an armor for you to try on?' He wasn't going to put pressure on me, but it was as if Yukimura and I saw eye to eye now. He knew what I felt, and he was right. The only thing I could think of was revenge.
At this point I was willing to forsaken everything I had learned and every values I stood for in life, much like one specific person from the Oda clan had done before me. You guessed it, Nobunaga himself. More on that later as, as of now, I was so lost in hatred that I didn't even hesitate answering Yukimura. It was time, and I knew it. After getting my first armor on, Yukimura then gave me a reassuring nod. He then told me to follow him as we came into what seemed like the great dinning hall of the castle where the Azai resided. Here, only Yukimura's most trusted followers would be allowed to accompany him inside to meet with the Azai, and of all people, he wanted me to join as well. I could only speculate that it had something to do with me being the only survivor of the massacre, and that I had witnessed some of what had happened, but truth been told, I had a feeling that it was a deeper purpose behind it. The leader of the Azai clan, Nagamasa Azai, had a troubled look on his face. He was seated in his chair as he insisted that Yukimura too would take up a seat by the table. Beside him stood his advisers, as well as his wife. The fact that she was Nobunaga's younger sister was obviously the elephant in the room, and everyone present thought about it but none dared say a thing, not at first. What would Nagamasa decide? Break his peace-treaty and go against his brother-in-law in open war? Or would he expel us people from the Sanada clan and send us as prisoners to the Oda to strengthen their truce? The decisive moment had come.
Looking at his advisers, the negotiations then began. 'We can't let them stay here Nagamasa! The longer they are here the more are we putting ourselves at risk! We should throw them out and let the Oda deal with them!' Turmoil had already begun to break out amongst his followers, and as soon as the first of them had voiced his opinion, the rest quickly followed. 'He's right! There's no way we can stand against the combined forces of the Oda and the Tokugawa! This peace-treaty would have been for none! Think of your wife!' Yukimura's followers however, would not stand idle by listening to this as one of them shouted out in anger; 'You would have us thrown out to the wolves?! Don't you see that it's only a matter of time before we're all going to be overrun by them, use your head! We would never have thrown out anyone in need if the situation was turned around! Your arrogance and selfish nature will doom us all!' Arguing was sure to break out and so it did as people from both sides were just about to start relying on their fists instead of their mouths to settle the score. When it seemed like the discussion was about to heat itself up even further however, Yukimura then stood up as he demanded his followers to stay quiet before gently taking his seat again. Things cooled down a bit, but how long would it last?
Pondering about what had been said, Nagamasa continued to remain silent. It was then that yet another one spoke, this time from his side again; 'Have you guys completely lost your minds?! We will get nowhere with all of the arguing back and forth between us, and you know it! Our clan prides itself upon honor, and won't simply cast out people who seeks our help, especially not the Sanada clan who long have been our allies! The Oda and the Tokugawa are on a war path, and it will only be a matter of time before they'll break our treaty themselves anyways!' Hearing what he said, one of those who had voiced their opinion earlier on, followed up; 'You're the one who's out of your damn mind! You just want to break our truce!! There's no honor in dooming our clan like this! We should not stick our necks out recklessly if we don't have to!' 'Do you listen to yourself?! Stop being so naive!' The other one retorted. The discussion between the advisers went back and forth nonstop, and it was as if Nagamasa himself had lost control over the meeting. It was then that he met eyes with his own wife that he finally spoke; 'Everyone, let's not make a hasty move. This is a delicate matter, so we should handle it like one. Yukimura and the other survivors of the Sanada clan are our guests, we won't cast them out like rats...'
Nagamasa Azai had always been a benevolent leader, so he was often times troubled by the ongoing events of the land and the constant battling. Even to such a degree that he didn't want to take part in direct battling, to avoid harm to fall upon his people. This time it was different however, and even Nagamasa himself could sense it. Looking over at Yukimura, he gave him a nod. 'The Oda clan...' Yukimura began. 'Is nothing more than a deceivable and ruthless clan hellbent on claiming this land their own. Together with the Tokugawa, there are almost none who can stand in their way. With my father-... And brothers gone-...' Having to halt for a second, Yukimura clutched his side where he had been injured earlier as a heavy expression was shown on his face. He didn't let that stop him though as he squeezed his hand together hard and continued. Laying out the details of what had gone down, how the Oda and the Tokugawa had conspired to wipe out the Takeda and the Sanada in one foul swoop, Yukimura then turned to me. I hesitated a bit at first, but then I finally spoke.
Everyone in the room was quiet as if expecting a fairytale to rival the old. I kept the details to a minimum, at least from my journey away from the camp, but as soon as I touched upon the subject of the massacre, I could easily see the rage in some of the Azai followers' eyes. Again I tried to lay out the details of how I had survived, but yet again did it seem like Yukimura held no interest in that part as he interrupted me. He then turned his eyes towards Oichi, which was the name of Nagamasa's wife and Nobunaga's sister. He said; 'Normally a woman's counsel would not matter in the art of war, but being that you are Nagamasa's wife and Nobunaga's sister, I would like to hear what you have to say.' Expecting an answer, Yukimura was stumped when Nagamasa then interfered, asking that he'd leave her out of it. Yukimura gently nodded at this request, he couldn't do anything else at this point, or rather, it wouldn't be wise of him to do so. Nagamasa then said; 'I'll take my time over this matter, and then get back to you. I will send a message to the Asakura and hear what Yoshikage has to say before making up my mind. Meanwhile, feel free to be my guests.' With that, Nagamasa stood up from his chair and left the room. The discussion continued between those gathered as Yukimura too stood up and left; I quickly followed.
On our way out, some of Yukimura's followers then started mumbling amongst themselves, showing that they were not pleased at all with the outcome of this meeting. One pressed how we didn't have time to sit around and wait, while another implied that we had to be patient and trust Nagamasa to do the right thing. As we came into the hallway, Yukimura suddenly collapsed as none of those gathered around managed to catch on to him before he fell flat on the ground. Helping him up, I was escorted to a nearby room where I put him down on a bed. He was sweating and his body temperature was rising. One of his followers then shouted out that it had to be the wound he had suffered earlier while aiding the Takeda, as some maids came running along and helped with the removal of his armor. It was as he had feared and the wound did not look good at all. As they began to treat the wound, they also kindly asked most of us to leave due to the number of men who had gathered around crowding up the place, and hearing this, I figured my service was not needed any further at the moment. I left the room as to gather my thoughts, thinking that Yukimura was in good hands. I hadn't been able to think much for the three days that had gone by since the massacre, for the three days that had gone by since that strange occurrence where I survived. Not to mention the fact that I had been lost in a trance for the whole of one of those days after that, until Yukimura and the rest found me. I could still see their faces, feel their pain as they melted away before my eyes. I had to shake this feeling off, I had to regain my posture if I was to continue living in this world. Thinking about the meeting and the discussion that just went down, I continued walking further into the hall before me.
I found a quiet place as I sat down. I probably sat like that for an hour or two, mumbling to myself. It was then that someone approached me, asking what the thing I had been repeating for the past five minutes meant. 'I'm not sure what you mean...' I simply answered. He had been watching me together with a few other men who quietly sat drinking in another corner of the room, as he finally had got intrigued enough to come up to me and ask. 'Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast.' He countered. I looked at him, but I didn't know what to say. But he was right, I had been mumbling those words, with my right hand shaking tremendously ever as I did, as each word magically fell in line. I said the words, but I had no idea where they came from or what I meant by them. 'You've been repeating that line, adding another word one by one for the past five minutes or so. What does it mean, what's the purpose of repeating those words? You're from the Sanada clan, right?' Reaching out to me, I simply rejected his hand as I got up to my feet. I was about to leave, but I turned around towards him again. I had to tell someone about what had happened. If Yukimura didn't want to hear its full extent or at least acknowledge that it happened, then I could tell these guys. No attachments, just friendly talk. I had to tell someone, and I decided that it would be them. I sat down as I laid out the details. None of them knew what to say or what to believe, so I had to go much deeper than that. One of them gave me something to drink as I laid out even more details. The meeting with the Wizard, the Master Sword and the Holy Sect of Peace. They were baffled to say the least. 'Your name was Hagoromo, right?' The man from before asked. I simply nodded. Too drunk to even question the motive of the question at that time. Had I even told him my name? I honestly couldn't say. Shaking my hand, he then got up and left, stating that it was time to head to bed. I never saw that man again for the entirety of the time we spent in the Azai camp. However, it wouldn't take long before our paths crossed again.
Spies... A common thing at this age, and they were everywhere. I came to realize later that he had been a spy all along, and not just any spy either. His name was Hanzo Hattori, the famed assassin, and I only found out about that later on when the final phase of the war began, just before I finally came face to face with my real father. After realizing who he had been, I simply couldn't understand how I had been lucky enough to escape a meeting with him alive, as he surely must have been out to claim it, how else would he have known my name back then? But for now however, all I cared about was finding a bed to sleep in. A week then passed by, and still was a decision yet to be made. Yukimura had recovered from his injury, but even he was starting to get impatient. It was then when a letter arrived from the Asakura that Nagamasa finally made up his mind. Fate would have it that the Oda clan had ruthlessly attacked the Asakura clan along their way towards the Azai, and it was this incident that would eventually tip the Azai in our favor. War was indeed upon us, and it was happening fast.
I hadn't spent much time doing anything reasonable that week, but I had indeed studied the Founding Book of Jutsu some more. Things were starting to get clearer now, and I had finally begun to understand how I was able to survive back then in the Sanada camp. Reading up on something called Ninjutsu, I quickly discovered that it was such a technique that I somehow had preformed. One so deadly that it had incinerated everyone around me. Blazing Annihilation Atomic Incineration Blast... The first technique to ever be created. I decided there and then that such powers were too strong to be messed around with, and that whenever the time was right, I would teach men about Ninshu instead. Yes, because the pages about Ninshu was what had really opened my eyes. But like all things in life, they did not go entirely as planned, and before I knew it, I had to rely on Ninjutsu once more.
Having read through the book in that week, I felt like I was ready to adapt some of what I had learned. However, before all that, there was this one dusty old page that had caught my eyes, one about a so-called 'Forbidden Technique.' The page was hard to read out but it clearly said something about resurrection. Foolish and naive enough as I was, I eventually got so hung up on that page by the end of the week that I finally figured out what it was all about. And having already grasped the initial control of chakra, I was somehow able to do the most incredible things. This happened at the same time as the Azai decided to join forces with the Asakura clan and the remaining members of the Sanada clan, to oppose the Oda and the Tokugawa. Yukimura had come to me to tell me the news himself. Not only was he excited for war, but to have me by his side after all the things we had talked about and been through, he just couldn't wait to see my reaction and to see my promise. Entering the room however, Yukimura was suddenly sent blasting backwards by a bright light, knocking him unconscious as he bumped his head into the wall of the hall he came from. What followed, was beyond human understanding at that time.
Waking up by the call of a woman a few minutes later, Yukimura could not believe his own eyes when he saw who stood in front of him. He was so shocked and so in disbelief that he fainted once more. It was first on the second try that he managed to gather his senses long enough to stay awake. Before him stood a woman, a woman he had used to known. However, this woman had perished in the massacre together with the rest of the clan a week ago. Looking over at me, I could see that Yukimura was scared, for the first time in my life. The man who had been in a hundred battles, was scared. I was certain he would be happy, but it was what he told me then that changed my view on this so-called destiny of mine forever. He said; 'Hagoromo, how is this possible?? I can feel her presence, my eyes can see her standing in front of me right now, and my ears can clearly hear her voice speaking, but how is any of this possible? What sorcery have you done, what pact have you made with the devil to make this happen?!' I was shocked at this response, and I could even see that she resonated to what he said silently in contemplation. At this point she wasn't even sure where to begin, how to even grasp how she was alive. She remembered how she died, but she could not understand how I had managed to bring her back alive. None of it mattered though as I was certain that Yukimura would be happy to see this, to think of the possibilities, of what I could accomplish with what I had learned. 'One should never play god even with the powers to do so! It's wrong, and above all else, it is dangerous!' He seemed almost mad at this point. But Yukimura had all along understood what had happened to me, how I was able to survive, how I had been able to draw the Master Sword, and how I was destined to do things beyond human belief. He had sensed it all along, he just hadn't believed it before now. Beside me, and fully alive, stood your mother, Trea. She had been dead for a week, her body had been totally incinerated, but now, here she stood. Alive, as if nothing had happened. No magic nor illusions at play, this was the real deal. I can't remember the details of this technique, but I remember that it cost a lot of chakra and a lot of my life-force. I almost died resurrecting your mother, and I didn't even feel the effects at first.
Looking back at Yukimura, blood suddenly started to pour out of my nose. I felt dizzy, weak, and above all else exhausted. I passed out and landed on the floor. It took a whole month until I came to my senses again. A month. The war... Was almost already over by then. My incredible life-force, my desire to live with Trea, to see her alive again, was what had kept me breathing, kept me clinging on to life. As I came to myself again however, a lot had indeed changed, but seeing her face once more made me think it was all worth it. I was now at a different location all together. The Azai castle had been destroyed in the war, and more and more clans had joined in on the fray until it was the entire land against the Oda and the Tokugawa. Even then were they almost stronger, but the final day of the war was rapidly approaching. The leader of the Asakura had died in battle, so had Nobunaga's younger brother Nobuyuki. Both sides had suffered, even Yukimura himself had faced death many times only to barely make it out alive. One of those encounters was with Tadakatsu Honda himself. Upon returning from his latest battle, he was pleasantly surprised to see me up from bed and amongst the living, telling me that he was certain that I was a dead man. He did say however, that no matter how I had managed to resurrect my wife Trea, or even why, it was something that the three of us would have to keep a secret, hidden away from the rest of the world to avoid any devious plots against us. Too much was at risk. If it had been any other guy, he would have taken advantage of my knowledge to bring his family and his clan back to life, but Yukimura, was not like any other guy. The technique almost had a fatal consequence for me, as I barely made it out alive, and therefore, he disallowed me to preform or to speak about that technique ever again. From that moment, I decided that I would lay the teachings of Ninjutsu behind me for good, but like fate would so have it like I mentioned earlier, this was only just the beginning. He then told me to prepare myself. 'Prepare myself for what?' I asked. 'Well for the final battle of course!' He responded.
The next day I mounted for my first ever battle. Side by side with Yukimura, and with the Master Sword in my hand and the two sacred items on my back, I was beaming with confidence. Pulling me aside, Trea had a worried look on her face. Not just for what was about to go down, but because of everything that had happened and how I had seemingly changed. I reassured her that when the war was finally over and the land could experience peace, I would sit down with her and tell her everything. After all, she hadn't been talking much after being brought back to life despite the month that had passed by, and neither had I due to my near comatose state. Even I didn't know if there were any risks involved or if some after-effects could kick in at a later stage due to it. For now, I was fixed on ending this chaos once and for all, and from there on and out, I could focus on fulfilling my destiny. Riding off, we were on our way to the final battle. Meeting up with the Azai by nightfall, Yukimura met with Nagamasa to discuss their approach on the battle ahead. We had camped just by a hillside and around it and into the valley ahead stood the Tokugawa camp, with their leader Ieyasu. As they were in deep planning of what actions to take, my mind slipped away. I simply couldn't grasp everything that had happened in the month I was out. In fact, I had yet to realize what I had been able to accomplish. Trea was alive, and instead of spending time with her, I was out here in war. As I sat in my tent, it was then that Yukimura suddenly came inside. 'It's time.' He simply said. I nodded as I followed him out. Mounting on my horse, I watched closely as Yukimura and Nagamasa rode out in front, rallying their troops. The battle was about to begin, and my right hand was yet again shaking. Would I be able to come out on top of this?
Not long after, we came face to face with the Tokugawa troops. It was a fierce battle that seemed to go no way until reinforcement suddenly came from two other clans, catching the Tokugawa clan and their leader Ieyasu in a pincer attack. Their troops were shattered as many fled in panic. Yukimura was confident as ever before as he rode in front of me, wiping most of the upcoming foes out of the way with little ease. Seeing him rally, I too got inspired as I swung the Master Sword at my foes. The battle was bloody, and victory seemed assure. 'There! Up ahead, it's Ieyasu himself!!' Screaming out, Nagamasa came riding up from the West of the field as he immediately caught our attention. It didn't take long before we too headed in that direction. Ieyasu was mounted on his horse, struggling to get out of the trap he now found himself in. Getting hit by an arrow in his left shoulder he almost fell off the horse, but strong-willed as he was, he kept going as he made a run for it. 'After him! Don't let him escape!!' Yukimura shouted out as an entire battalion gave chase. Cornering him by a river, it seemed that Ieyasu was about to meet with his demise, but despite the odds, he continued on, forcing his horse out into the steep currents ahead. We all stopped as we watched his struggle. Nagamasa ordered everyone not to follow as the archers stepped forth, taking their aim. 'At my command!' Nagamasa said. It was then that the strangest thing happened...
Just as the arrows were fired, it was as if they hit a barrier of sorts, as they all peeled off Ieyasu as he finally managed to cross the river in one piece. Once there, his appearance suddenly changed, and it was obvious at this point that it was a decoy and not the real Ieyasu we had been chasing. Somehow along the way, one of Ieyasu's most trusted followers had switched place with him, and it was as this disguise came off from him that I recognized his face. Riding forth, I refused to listen to Yukimura's call for me to hold the ranks as I came right upon the river, halting by the banks. 'I know you!!' Screaming out, I caught the gaze of the man who was just about to make his escape. Hearing my call, he turned around on his horse as our eyes met. He remained silent for a while, but he then said; 'You sure do, Hagoromo...' At hearing this, distinct chattering began to spread around in our troops. Many a man had heard the tale, but few had known the full extent of it. This was why Yukimura had given me a cover name in the first place. Before I managed to answer him though, Yukimura also stepped forward, stopping just beside me as he said; 'You are the famed assassin known as Hanzo Hattori, isn't that right?' I couldn't believe my ears. He simply nodded. 'You were out for my life that night, weren't you? Why did you not take the advantage you had to claim it?!' I shouted out, referring to our meeting in the Azai castle a little over a month ago. 'It wasn't the right time for it. Besides, I was there to collect information.' He firmly replied before he continued; 'However, since I wasn't able to take care of you during my first two elimination missions, Nobunaga himself decided that he wanted a meeting with you instead.' 'What do you mean?!' I retorted. 'I was there when your adoptive father and mother perished... I was there when your sacred sect perished... That's all you need to know.' I was enraged at hearing this. I finally knew who Hanzo Hattori was and why he was so famed. Nobody ever escaped him if they were on his list, and yet had he failed twice to take care of me. Thinking back to the deaths of my parents, I realized that he had indeed been one of the assassins that night, as he wrapped a piece of black clothing around his face. I wanted to cross the river to take his life, but Yukimura reached his hand out to me, signaling me to stop. 'There's a time and a place for everything, Hagoromo... You will get your revenge, but now is not the time.' As I looked across the river again, Hanzo had already vanished. He was indeed a true ninja of his days.
Going back to the rest of our troops, we quickly sensed that the realization of me being Hagoromo Otsutsuki himself, was something on everyone's lips. But was it necessarily a bad thing? Nagamasa then came over to Yukimura as the two had a small conversation between them. Nagamasa then turned around as he addressed the entire army before him; 'The Tokugawa has been routed. What's left before us now is the Oda clan! Everyone, let's end this war and bring on a much deserved peace to this land!' Pointing his sword into the air, Nagamasa quickly rallied the troops as we all set our eyes upon the Oda castle that laid in the distance. We fought for ten days and ten nights straight, laying siege to it before we finally made our way through. The castle was so big that our troops got spread all over the place, even to such an extent that I lost track of who I was riding with until I suddenly came before the stairs which seemed to be leading up to the Master chamber at the top floor. With me was Yukimura as we looked around, but not a single ally nor enemy was to be spotted. We nodded at each other as we dismounted and headed up in a fast motion. Once there, we finally found the one we were looking for.
With his back turned towards us, stood a tall dark dressed man. He had a long cape with some writings on it as he simply turned his head to the side smiling. Around him several men were pouring out oil into every corner of the room, and onto every furniture that stood there. Finally finishing up, they all turned their attention towards the man as he gave them a nod. With that, they all came running towards us. Seeing that these men were no warriors, we let them pass as they ran down the stairs behind us and out of view. We then turned our attention back towards the man who had yet to turn around to face us. Before him was an alter of some sort, and to the side was a door leading into another room. Before we managed to say or do a thing, the door suddenly slid open as a large and fierce warrior suddenly came to view and stepped into the room we were in. I turned towards Yukimura who nodded back at me. The mysterious figure in front of us then finally spoke; 'I knew it would end in one way or the other. I just didn't think it would go down like this.' As he said, he then turned around to face us, with his renown characteristic traits immediately giving away his identity. Even I knew for certain who this man was at this point. Yes, it was Nobunaga himself. 'Well I'm glad you have realized that. We might not even have to have this battle...' Yukimura sarcastically replied. 'Oh but we do! There's so much to still learn in this world, and you might learn a lot from battling. Unfortunately, there's just not enough time to learn everything there is to learn.' As Nobunaga spoke, the man who had entered the room from the other door earlier then stepped in between us. This man was no ordinary man to be taken lightly however...
"The Warrior who surpassed Death itself..." Indeed, it was Tadakatsu Honda himself. 'Want me to deal with these two for you??' Tadakatsu coldly stated. Not even a single muscle could be seen moved on his face, nor even the slightest of emotions could be senses in his tone as he said it either. This man was beyond the normal standards of a human-being, he was by definition, a beast. 'I know that the guy in red is Yukimura Sanada... I've battled him on a few occasions but never have I been able to finish that rat off. If he only was present during the Sanada massacre, I would have dealt with him like I did the rest of his clan there...' I was certain Yukimura would charge him at this point, but somehow, he managed to keep his cool as Tadakatsu continued; 'As for the other scrawny looking guy, I don't think he's worth my time.' A strong presence filled the air as Tadakatsu spoke. This guy was powerful, probably even one of the strongest warriors to ever have lived. Just by looking at him, fear was inflicted upon me. I didn't understand why, but I was scared to death, literally. I had faced many a foe in this war by now, and I had got used to all the deaths and all the pain that comes with it, but this guy, he was definitely something else entirely. Charging in recklessly would mean certain death, that much I figured.
Yukimura then leaned in to me and said something that I knew was to be taken serious; 'I can't guarantee that we will make it out alive this time Hagoromo... But I will try to buy you enough time to take out Nobunaga himself. If we can deal with him, this war will be over, with Tadakatsu being still alive, or not. Once I can't hold Tadakatsu off any longer, he will definitely come for you. If I'm not dead by then, the fate of this world will be in your hands.' I looked at him... Yukimura didn't even blink when he said that. This was the moment which everything had been leading up to. The key to this entire war, to everything bad that had happened in my life, now stood before me. 'Let's not waste anymore time then, gentlemen.' Laughing out loud, Nobunaga then snapped his fingers as the room suddenly was lit on fire, as the oil that had been poured out earlier started to burn. It was only a matter of seconds before everything was engulfed in flames around us. Heading for the door leading to another room, Nobunaga was on his way. I looked one last time at Yukimura as he signaled me to go. The last thing I saw as I left the room was him and Tadakatsu crashing head on. I knew the countdown had begun. Entering the room, I realized that the fire was spreading fast. Nobunaga then turned around towards me, drawing a purple colored sword from his back as he did. I too readied the Master Sword, eagerly awaiting his first move. With a firm and confident glance, Nobunaga Oda then said; 'Now, are you sure you want to do this... Son?'
~ End of Chapter 5 ~
Fun Facts & Author's Note:
1: First of all, I want to talk about the change in pacing in this chapter... I had originally planned to follow the same pattern a little while longer but quickly discovered that it was not possible. And thus, some of the usual in-depth scenes that have been present earlier, disappeared from the chapter this time around. I had in mind to have a much longer scene of the negotiations that took place at the beginning with this chapter, but in the end I had to make it simple to avoid dragging this chapter out anymore as it was long enough as it was already. If I was to bet on it, I would say that if I followed the original plan, the scene might have ended up twice as long. This brings me to something else too regarding Nagamasa Azai and his wife Oichi. I originally planned to have both of them be more involved in the scene, not only through dialogue with Nagamasa's advisers but with Yukimura and his followers as well. The reason I cut this out was simply because that, for the first time in a great while, I wasn't sure how to portrait Oichi, or rather how to actually pull it off, with what she was suppose to say. That's why I ended up leaving her dialogues out completely and therefore also shortened some of Nagamasa's originally intended lines (I didn't cut content however, I simply just didn't write it).
2: As we dive deeper into this story, I've come to the realization that I might want to state a few things. The reason is that some of you might know a thing or two from the Sengoku Jidai (Warring State Period), especially after watching the Series I linked to last time, and with this in mind I want to state the following... This tale is only loosely based on the characters and the clans from that period, so regarding historic accuracy when it comes to the battles with who battled who, who allied with who, and who killed who, heck, even the location of the different clans in the land and how they perished along the way, is not really taken much into consideration. Yes, I have drawn inspiration from it, but at the same time I've decided to take my own route which might confuse some.
3: With the success of the last link, I want to link you guys to something else this time, something which I myself haven't even had time to devote myself to yet. I realize that it's a long shot and that 99% of you won't even care though, most likely, as you really need to be interested in this historic period to want to I guess (and since I haven't been able to watch it myself, I can't say whether or not it's actually any good xP). It's something I just want to share so take it as you leave it, but this might even be interesting for some looking for something new to watch (I know I am going to sooner or later, just don't know when yet). It's a totally new Anime adaption of the Sengoku Jidai, called 'Sengoku Musou Anime.' Here's a link to the first episode (external link):
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4: The next chapter should be a really great one as I got a lot of content stored for it. Unlike the other times, I'm actually going to try and make it as long as intended and also try to keep the schedule of a release next week. I now realize that despite the fact that my chapters seem shorter nowadays, I guess most of the reason to that is because the narrative style is more compressed and consist of less spaces and paragraphs which tent to drag out dialogue written chapters. I might be wrong though, but let's call it an educated guess, lmao. Hope you enjoyed this one and are looking forward to the next one!
