#oda of iga

[odaclan]

The Conquest of Iga, as recorded in Seishū Gunki

同年の冬、伊賀住人福地某が信長の味方になり伊賀追討の兵を要請した｡故に信長は信雄に伊賀を与え、各家臣に諸方から攻め込ませた｡伊勢､名張口は北畠中将信雄である。同じく馬野口は滝川左近将監一益である。長野口は長野上野介信包である。鹿伏兎口は神戸三七信孝である。甲賀山の口は多羅尾久右衛門尉が先陣を受けた｡下口は蒲生忠三郎氏郷である。大和笠置口は筒井順慶である。 伊賀の侍は防ぐ場所を失い其々城にこもった｡信雄は丸山城を落とした｡一益は富益城を落とし､富益氏は討ち死にして滅亡した｡また、具野尾城は落ちず、信孝は柘植城を攻め落とした｡氏郷は土山城を攻め数刻鉄砲合戦があった｡伊賀は大軍を受けてかなわず有るものは討たれ、あるものは降伏しみな信雄の支配下に入った｡故に信雄は丸山城を瀧川三郎兵衛尉に与え、柘植城を池尻平左衛門尉に与えた｡また、仁木友梅（前守護・義視）を取り立て平楽寺城に入れた｡

In the winter of the same year (1581), a certain Iga resident called Fukuchi became Nobunaga's ally, and requested for an army to launch a punitive expedition against Iga. Nobunaga granted Iga to Nobukatsu, and sent vassals to invade from all directions. From Ise, Nabari entrance, was the troops led by Lieutenant General Kitabatake Nobukatsu. At the same time, from Umano entrance, was the troops under Takigawa Sakon no Shōgen Kazumasu. From Nagano entrance, came Nagano Kōzuke no Suke Nobukane (Oda Nobukane). From the Kabuto entrance, Kanbe Sanshichi Nobutaka. The army coming from the entrance of Kōkayama was led by Lieutenant Tarao Kyūemon, while from the exit came Gamō Chūzaburō Ujisato. From the Yamato Kasagi entrance came the troops under Tsutsui Junkei. The samurai of Iga lost their defences, and holed themselves in their respective castles. Nobukatsu felled Maruyama Castle. Kazumasu felled Tomimasu Castle, and the entire Tomimasu clan were destroyed and killed. Gunō Castle did not fall, but Nobutaka attacked and conquered Tsuge Castle. Ujisato attaked Tsuchiyama Castle, and a gunfight lasted for a few hours there. Iga was no match for such a massive force, and some were defeated, while others surrendered themselves under Nobukatsu. After which, Nobukatsu granted Maruyama Castle to Lieutenant Takigawa Saburōbē and Tsuge Castle to Lieutenant Ikejiri Heizaemon. Also, he brought back Nikki Yūbai (the former shugo Nikki Yoshimi) and installed him in Heirakuji Castle.

(Seishū Gunki vol. 8)

In light of the recently released Assassin's Creed trailer, this really needed to be said:

Nobunaga does not invade Iga because he hated "ninjas"/shinobi. Nobunaga never participated in the Iga invasion and never directly led it.

Both are erroneous narratives that are constantly propagated both by Japanese and non-Japanese media, and this is just frustrating at this point. Some newer takes tried to "clean it up" by saying that Nobunaga invaded Iga as part of his nationwide conquest. That's a somewhat less wrong take on it, but if you put Nobunaga in direct command of the army, then it's still incorrect.

Both times the Oda forces attacked Iga, it was under the command of Nobunaga's son, Nobukatsu. After this final conquest, where Iga was thoroughly defeated in 1581, Nobunaga only came later to inspect the region. Everything had already been cleaned up, and the Shinchōkōki even recorded that there were lavish accommodations prepared for Nobunaga to stay in for the occasion.

Now going back to the narrative.

Seishū Gunki is somewhat less reliable than Shinchōkōki in various areas, but it's still a valuable material regardless. The are differences between this account and Shinchōkōki, though. For example, here Nobutaka was also listed as a participant. In the Shinchōkōki, Nobutaka was not listed as an officer that took part in the charge.

Another difference is that while Shinchōkōki corroborated Fukuchi surrendering himself to Nobunaga, it also mentioned that he was actually from Tsuge. Meaning that there was no need to attack and conquer Tsuge. Shinchōkōki also said that one of the Oda vassals went to Tsuge to protect it, and his name was listed as "Fuwa". In the above gunki narrative, this was the castle/region that Nobutaka attacked. It's likely that this part is in error in the gunki, and Nobutaka was not actually present here.

That aside, there has been various theories about why Nobukatsu attacked Iga, and there's an odd story of an Iga resident(s) who requested that the Oda invade his own homeland that was not explained in prior articles that I've seen. This request from the Iga folk themselves was what encouraged Nobunaga to grant permission for an official invasion of Iga, something that highly disapproved of 2 years prior.

This full text in the gunki provides an insight for the possible reason: It's possibly to restore the rightful shugo of Iga to power.

In the last part of the above text, a man named "Nikki Yoshimi" was referenced. The Nikki family was originally the official shugo (governors) of Iga. In a previous chapter of the gunki, it was mentioned that at some point they lost power, and the so-called council leadership of Iga became established.

If you've read the various floating narratives about how Iga is an "independent" society that is free from samurai rulership, this is how that supposedly came to be. The Nikki family were still there. They just got overrun by the people. If the above text is to be believed, the people who rebelled weren't peasants either. They were still considered of "samurai" class (they even own castles), just that they're perhaps of lower status (some texts would call them jizamurai).

If this narrative is actually accurate, then perhaps the men who came to the Oda for help were associates of the Nikki family. What they wanted was perhaps to the get rid of the "insurgents" who had rebelled and snatched power from the "rightful rulers".

So much for the mysticism of the secret "ninja" village and all, huh? It's just more of the typical power struggle between clans that are constantly happening in this time.

Incidentally, this situation is not entirely unique to Iga. A similar situation had occurred in Kaga almost a century prior, where the Ikkō from the Honganji affiliated temples there overthrew the shugo and ruled the land for a very very long time. Like in Iga, the shugo family were actually still there. They just effectively no longer had any power. The Ikkō rule remained until the Oda forces came and got rid of them as well.

[totallyseiso]

Naoe uses a kusarigama? This game looks like it was tailor made to make me buy it.

The trailer showed her village being burned by some samurai including Yasuke, so I bet that means she'll be from Iga

[teecupangel]

So I watched the trailer of Assassin's Creed Shadows and I thought I'd give my preliminary thoughts

History-wise

Okay... so Yasuke was Oda Nobunaga's vassal from 1581 to 1582. Historically, he was captured by Akechi's forces after Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga which led to Nobunaga's death. Instead of killing him, Mitsuhide ordered he be shipped to the Christians (whether he did it to save Yasuke's life or because he was being racist is still unsure) where he was treated and they sailed out of Japan later on.

Naoe being an Iga shinobi... I have nothing XD Nobunaga did destroy the shinobi clans in Iga (that was a whole 'nother thing) and her last name, Fujibayashi, was one of the ruling families of Iga province. Other than that... uuuhhh... the kanji of her name 名緒絵 sorta gives the impression of an honorable, kind and talented person. 名 is usually seen in words that translate to 'name' or 'distinguished', the first thing I thought of when I saw 緒 was 'beginning' but it can also mean 'strap' or 'cord' and 絵 is a kanji that appears in words that is connected to art and painting.

Possible Storyline

Oda Nobunaga is not a Templar. He was, for a time, an ally of the Brotherhood until he got his hands on a Sword of Eden and everything went downhill from there. So I see 2 possible storylines:

This is set before Oda Nobunaga's death in Honnouji and Yasuke has a redemption arc with Naoe guiding him to the ways of the Brotherhood. They probably act independently from Akechi's forces and the end game is to take away the Sword of Eden from Nobunaga. Yamauchi Taka (who kills Nobunaga in AC canon) would appear as a support character of some capacity. (He might even be Naoe's mentor)

This is set after Oda Nobunaga's death and Yasuke is on a path of vengeance against those who conspired against Oda. He and Naoe would have a more hostile relationship first before it developed into Yasuke finally letting go of his need for vengeance and becoming a blade to save the weak from this endless bloodshed.

Regardless, we'll probably see Hattori Hanzo since he's part of the Japanese Brotherhood.

Plot 1 would end in Honnouji and the retrieval of the Sword of Eden... or the Sword of Eden apparently gets into Akechi's hands and we get to have plot 1 AND 2 where the sword becomes 'pass the baton' kind of deal (this will fight with the current AC canon though)

Plot 2 could end anywhere from Akechi's death during the Battle of Yamazaki OR we get as far as the Battle of Sekigahara which is always fun (I mean... not fun because so many people died there but fun in a video game-y kind of way).

Plot 2 is more broad which could lead to 'too many characters, not enough limelight' while Plot 1 is more centered and could serve to make the character development shine.

(If this Oda Nobunaga gets a laser sword as well, at least we can say Isu bullshit on that one XD)

Gameplay

As far as I know, Assassin's Creed Shadows will follow the open world rpg setup of the Layla trilogy. Considering how Mirage made use of Valhalla's engine, that might be Naoe's gameplay as well. I would suggest to wait for an actual gameplay as Ubisoft sometimes make fancy 'moves' in cinematic trailers that you can't actually do in-game.

I also want to know how they would handle the two main characters setup. Considering we see them together in the trailer, this might be a case of "same missions but who you pick decide how you approach it" kind of deal instead of AC Syndicate's "Jacob and Evie do their own thing most of the time". Same missions also means there's a good chance of wanting to replay it as a different character for a different experience and also... it means they'd be reusing the same assets during development XD

teecup Rambles

Okay, here we go.

I really want to see Assassin's Creed version of Nobunaga Oichi because she's my favorite character in these kinds of stories. She's usually portrayed as the kind beautiful younger sister of Oda Nobunaga that he once said could have been a fine warrior if she had been born a man. Also, her daughters would later marry (or become a concubine) to prominent historical figures. Her relationship with Nobunaga after the death of her first husband is also vague so she can support Yasuke regardless if he's trying to avenge Nobunaga's death or if he betrayed him.

Other than that, I think the final battle being Sekigahara would be epic. Just waves and waves of enemies to fight as Yasuke while Naoe stealth her way to the big battlefield to assassinate their actual target. Although, historically, it would make sense for the story to end with Nobunaga's death or Akechi's death since that's around the last time we hear of Yasuke.

... then again, he would just return after being shipped off and that starts the main game too.

Yeah, that's about it. I really just wanted to talk about Ichi but I couldn't add it elsewhere.

Oh and Yasuke is in Samurai Warriors 5 if you want to have an idea of how Ubisoft can handle him... also in Nobunaga's Ambition. It would be awesome if his Isu armor's helmet would look something like Nagoriyuki's (who is inspired by the historical figure Yasuke) from Guilty Gear as a reference to a reference but I highly doubt it.

[itwontstayalive]

Yasuke isn't historically accurate

Ubisoft was very clever in featuring Yasuke as the protagonist of the new Assassin's Creed. This black protagonist is being used as a shield, and any criticism of the game will be used by the developers to say, "Anyone who dislikes this game is just racist."

On the official Assassin's Creed Shadows preorder site, you can read:

"Live the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful African samurai of HISTORICAL LEGEND…"

If you do a basic Google search, you'll learn that Yasuke indeed existed. He was an African who went to Japan under a mission with missionaries and met and served a Japanese Daimyo, Oda Nobunaga. However, he wasn't a samurai, much less a great warrior.

…DRUMROLLS… he was a retainer. He was a man who carried katanas and weapons of a Daimyo, that's everything he was. Nothing much different from a butler, an assistant.

That's because Oda was known to be a fan of outside culture, he liked different and exotic things. And when he saw a black man (by the way, he didn't believe Yasuke had black skin at first, Oda was surprised and even asked Yasuke to wash himself) he called Yasuke to serve under him but only as a retainer, that's all. And he only served for a few months, he had no training, he didn't go in any battles, Yasuke, to Oda, was a pet, a trophy that Oda was exposing to other Daimyos and other samurais.

I find it very amusing how they had all the opportunities in the world to make an Assassin's Creed game set in feudal Japan using real and accurate representations but chose the only African who was ever involved in the feudal period and had a pathetic level of importance.

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Kotaro / コタロウ, Mokushu / フウマ, Kohga / コウガ, and Igasato / 忍びの里

Kotaro (JP: コタロウ; rōmaji: kotarou) is the daimyo of the nation of Mokushu who allies with Nohr in Fire Emblem Fates. Like Saizo, Kotaro is named after a legendary Sengoku era figure that may or may not have existed. Fūma Kotarō (JP: 風魔小太郎) was the alleged fifth head of the Fūma clan. This clan, practiced in Fūma-ryū ninjutsu, served under the powerful Hōjō clan until they were dismantled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Stories of Kotarō and the Fūma clan describe them as a dreaded band of thieves causing trouble. Some say that he led two hundred men known as rappa (JP:乱波), meaning 'thief' or 'spy'. The most infamous tale of them is that they swarmed a Takeda clan camp during the Battle of Omosu, sowing chaos and spiking the death toll.

After the collapse of the Hōjō clan, it is said that the Fūma clan, though dwindled in numbers, remained active. By the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, what remained of them were little more than roaming bandits. The more time passed, the more outlandish the stories of Kotarō grew. The most tame say that he managed to murder his mortal enemy, the historical samurai and leader of the Iga-ryū ninja—Hattori Hanzō. Others lean into the 魔 (rōmaji: ma) "demon" in Fūma, claiming that he was a colossal man and part oni. Never mind that the rivalry between Kotarō and Hanzō only came about in fictitious accounts, and that the earliest form of the name Fūma is rendered as 風間 rather than 風魔.

The Hoshidan nation of Mokushu bears a very peculiar name. In Japanese, another reading for the word for trees or wood, 木 (rōmaji: ki) is moku. Then shu likely comes from the Japanese counter for trees, 株 (rōmaji: shu). It may also be intended to invoke 衆 (rōmaji: shū), a sonkeigo (respectful language used when speaking to a superior or customer) word meaning "people; group". Thus, the name Mokushu can be interpreted as "Trees" or "Tree People," relating to the dense forests of the land.

At least, that's the localization of the country's name. In Japanese, Mokushu is instead called フウマ (rōmaji: fūma). That's right: the original name is a direct reference to the Fūma-ryū ninjas. It seems this was considered too on-the-nose by the localizers. Unfortunately, this change broke the chain of locations named after ninja schools.

Kohga (JP: コウガ; rōmaji: kōga) was a nation destroyed by Kotaro and the Mokushujin. The name is derived from Kōga-ryū—called 甲賀流 (rōmaji: kōka ryū) in the native language—one of the major schools of ninjutsu during the Sengoku period. Originating from the city of Kōka, the ninja and samurai of this school served the Rokkaku clan opposing the mighty Oda clan. Though the clan persisted beyond the sixteenth century, the last head of the school refused to teach anyone, leaving Kōga-ryū to die in the 1900s. This may be the basis of Kohga's end.

Additionally, there may be a tie to one of the earliest published works that influenced depictions of Fūma Kotarō. In 1661, 古老軍物語 (rōmaji: korōgun monogatari) or "Old Army Tales," there is a rappa ninja called 風間の三郎太郎 (rōmaji: kazama no saburō tarō). Note that Kazama (風間), a name he received for his ability to slip through tightly guarded locations as easy as the wind, is written the same as the original form of Fūma. Kazama was said in the text to originate from Kōka. Some have also linked this Kazama figure to the legendary hero Kōga Saburō (JP: 甲賀三郎), described in the Shintōshū to be the human form of the Suwa god Suwa Myōjin. That may just be coincidence, however, as there is no overt relation to the nation of Kohga or its only known inhabitant.

Lastly, Igasato is the ninja village Saizo and Kaze call home. The name combines the Japanese word 里 (rōmaji: sato), meaning 'village' or 'countryside' and Iga-ryū, another major ninja school. This practice started in the Iga Province, hence the name. The prevalence of ninja activity in both this province and the close proximity to the city of Kōka has caused many to believe this to be where ninjutsu began. Despite modern depictions of the two schools displaying a nasty rivalry between them, the Iga-ryū and Kōga-ryū were very close and frequently cooperated. Both supported the Rokkaku clan, and after the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, both clans would be hired by Tokugawa Ieyasu, in part to his relation with the Iga ninja Hattori Hanzō. This may have inspired how Saizo and Kaze act as retainers to the Hoshidan royal family. Similarly, the aforementioned feud between Hanzō and Kotarō likely served as the basis for the conflict between Fire Emblem's Saizo and Kotaro, after the previous Saizo was killed.

At least, I would say that if Igasato wasn't a localization change. While the team behind Fates' western release removed the direct reference to the Fūma clan, they simultaneously added a new name relating to another ninja school. In Japanese, all mentions of Igasato by Saizo instead have him say 忍びの里 (rōmaji: shinobi no sato): literally "ninja village". Given how there are likely many "ninja villages" across Hoshido, giving the "Christmas Ninjas" a proper name to their home was a wise decision.

[itsmarjudgelove]

ninja and thief, was boiled alive on this day, October 8, 1594.

Believed born in Iga in 1558. An apprentice to the ninja master Momochi Tamba, Goemon trained under him at Mie Prefectures’ famed Akame 48 waterfalls near Nabari. The story goes that Goemon and his teacher had a falling out when Goemon had an affair with Momochi’s wife, getting her pregnant, and later threw another lover down a well, killing her. Stealing one of his master’s swords and escaping from Iga, Goemon became famous as a thief.

Another story has him turning to a life of crime following the attacks on Iga by Oda Nobunaga, which forced the ninja networks to scatter.

Many fictitious stories surround the man. He is claimed to have attempted to have stolen the golden tiger-fish rooftop ornaments from Nagoya Castle, to have made attempts on the lives of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is portrayed as a Japanese Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, amongst many other highly exaggerated claims.

Goemon was captured, and then executed on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, by being boiled to death in a huge cauldron in Kyoto. The story goes that he and his young son were sentenced to death together, and in order to save the boy, Goemon held him up over his head as the water boiled. Since that episode, the style of bathing in hot water heated over an open fire has been termed Goemonburo, or Goemon Bath.

Incidentally, the bath supposedly used to boil Ishikawa Goemon alive was used by the Nagoya Prison until just before the war. It is not known what became of the giant cauldron, but it was probably destroyed when the early wartime government went on a metal collecting spree.

[444namesplus]

aba abe abh abi abo abu acha ache achi acho achu ada ade adh adi ado adu afa afe afh afi afo afu aga age agh agi ago agu aha ahe ahi aho ahu aja aje aji ajo aju aka ake akh aki ako aku al ala ale alh ali alo alu am ama ame ami amo amu an ana ane ani ano anu apa ape aph api apo apu ar ara are arh ari aro aru asa ase ash asi aso asu ata ate ath ati ato atu ava ave avi avo avu az aza aze azh azi azo azu ba bal bam ban bar baz be bel bem ben ber bez bha bhe bhi bho bhu bi bil bim bin bir biz bo bol bom bon bor boz bu bul bum bun bur buz cha chal cham chan char chaz che chel chem chen cher chez chi chil chim chin chir chiz cho chol chom chon chor choz chu chul chum chun chur chuz da dal dam dan dar daz de del dem den der dez dha dhe dhi dho dhu di dil dim din dir diz do dol dom don dor doz du dul dum dun dur duz eba ebe ebh ebi ebo ebu echa eche echi echo echu eda ede edh edi edo edu efa efe efh efi efo efu ega ege egh egi ego egu eha ehe ehi eho ehu eja eje eji ejo eju eka eke ekh eki eko eku el ela ele elh eli elo elu em ema eme emi emo emu en ena ene eni eno enu epa epe eph epi epo epu er era ere erh eri ero eru esa ese esh esi eso esu eta ete eth eti eto etu eva eve evi evo evu ez eza eze ezh ezi ezo ezu fa fal fam fan far faz fe fel fem fen fer fez fha fhe fhi fho fhu fi fil fim fin fir fiz fo fol fom fon for foz fu ful fum fun fur fuz ga gal gam gan gar gaz ge gel gem gen ger gez gha ghe ghi gho ghu gi gil gim gin gir giz go gol gom gon gor goz gu gul gum gun gur guz ha hal ham han har haz he hel hem hen her hez hi hil him hin hir hiz ho hol hom hon hor hoz hu hul hum hun hur huz

iba ibe ibh ibi ibo ibu icha iche ichi icho ichu ida ide idh idi ido idu ifa ife ifh ifi ifo ifu iga ige igh igi igo igu iha ihe ihi iho ihu ija ije iji ijo iju ika ike ikh iki iko iku il ila ile ilh ili ilo ilu im ima ime imi imo imu in ina ine ini ino inu ipa ipe iph ipi ipo ipu ir ira ire irh iri iro iru isa ise ish isi iso isu ita ite ith iti ito itu iva ive ivi ivo ivu iz iza ize izh izi izo izu ja jal jam jan jar jaz je jel jem jen jer jez ji jil jim jin jir jiz jo jol jom jon jor joz ju jul jum jun jur juz ka kal kam kan kar kaz ke kel kem ken ker kez kha khe khi kho khu ki kil kim kin kir kiz ko kol kom kon kor koz ku kul kum kun kur kuz la lal lam lan lar laz le lel lem len ler lez lha lhe lhi lho lhu li lil lim lin lir liz lo lol lom lon lor loz lu lul lum lun lur luz ma mal mam man mar maz me mel mem men mer mez mi mil mim min mir miz mo mol mom mon mor moz mu mul mum mun mur muz na nal nam nan nar naz ne nel nem nen ner nez ni nil nim nin nir niz no nol nom non nor noz nu nul num nun nur nuz oba obe obh obi obo obu ocha oche ochi ocho ochu oda ode odh odi odo odu ofa ofe ofh ofi ofo ofu oga oge ogh ogi ogo ogu oha ohe ohi oho ohu oja oje oji ojo oju oka oke okh oki oko oku ol ola ole olh oli olo olu om oma ome omi omo omu on ona one oni ono onu opa ope oph opi opo opu or ora ore orh ori oro oru osa ose osh osi oso osu ota ote oth oti oto otu ova ove ovi ovo ovu oz oza oze ozh ozi ozo ozu pa pal pam pan par paz pe pel pem pen per pez pha phe phi pho phu pi pil pim pin pir piz po pol pom pon por poz pu pul pum pun pur puz ra ral ram ran rar raz re rel rem ren rer rez rha rhe rhi rho rhu ri ril rim rin rir riz ro rol rom ron ror roz ru rul rum run rur ruz sa sal sam san sar saz se sel sem sen ser sez sha she shi sho shu si sil sim sin sir siz so sol som son sor soz su sul sum sun sur suz ta tal tam tan tar taz te tel tem ten ter tez tha the thi tho thu ti til tim tin tir tiz to tol tom ton tor toz tu tul tum tun tur tuz uba ube ubh ubi ubo ubu ucha uche uchi ucho uchu uda ude udh udi udo udu ufa ufe ufh ufi ufo ufu uga uge ugh ugi ugo ugu uha uhe uhi uho uhu uja uje uji ujo uju uka uke ukh uki uko uku ul ula ule ulh uli ulo ulu um uma ume umi umo umu un una une uni uno unu upa upe uph upi upo upu ur ura ure urh uri uro uru usa use ush usi uso usu uta ute uth uti uto utu uva uve uvi uvo uvu uz uza uze uzh uzi uzo uzu va val vam van var vaz ve vel vem ven ver vez vi vil vim vin vir viz vo vol vom von vor voz vu vul vum vun vur vuz za zal zam zan zar zaz ze zel zem zen zer zez zha zhe zhi zho zhu zi zil zim zin zir ziz zo zol zom zon zor zoz zu zul zum zun zur zuz

[megashadowdragon]

GudaGuda: The Ieyasu Implication (feat. Bluebell)

source:

source

Commentary:

Art by the talented Bluebell, who did last year's New Year's Special comic if you recall.

Now that I think about it, perhaps the reason Ieyasu hasn't shown up in FGO or even REDLINE is that his very character arc seems to break conventional narrative. He is a man who, from even his formative years of being a political hostage, seemed destined to be fodder. There's this sense that if he had been a cast member in a story rather than a real life guy, he would've been killed during either Akechi or Mitsunari's respective coups to establish a threat level. By that same token, maybe it would've been apt if he had suffered a karmic Agamemnon-esque demise for killing his own son - or perhaps his son would escape the assassination attempt and become the protagonist in a narrative where he must oppose his father's (and his father's friends') tyranny.

But that doesn't happen. He survives both coups thanks to a bunch of grit, a bit of luck, and a lot of help from his pals (Hanzo, Mototada, etc.). He successfully executes his treasonous kid. And then that kid's mother (but not their daughter who wasn't as traitorous as either of them). And not only does he wind up becoming shogun despite being kind of typical compared to Nobunaga (wildcard madman) and Hideyoshi (rags-to-royalty tactician), but he also got a consort, and then remarried, and after his second wife tragically died soon after of natural causes, he threw up his hands and decided to go full harem route over a dozen strong and spread himself around, resulting in a grand SPECULATED low-ball estimate total of 20 kids by the time he croaked (placing him below Nobunaga's 28 and above Hideyoshi's 4, if you're curious).

But he's not all villainy and vice either. Despite being less exciting (and charismatic) than either of his predecessors, he managed to strike up a lot of genuine friendships, alliances, and associations. A lot of which are tied into his abilities as a Servant.

And as harsh as his treatment of his aforementioned scion was, he was also capable of mercy. Which, arguably, almost makes that whole filicidal capital punishment decision worse. Most crucially, he voluntarily provided sanctuary to the remnants of the Iga ninja clan after they had been shattered by Nobunaga in conjunction with their rivals, the Koga clan. And then doing the same to what was left of the Koga clan when Nobunaga turned on them, because while Nobunaga was fond of tricky gambits, he did not like being made the victim of sneak attacks and guerrilla warfare himself. Just ask those warrior monks. In fact, it’s rumored that the sniper Sugitana Zenjubo who tried to assassinate him twice was a ninja. Now, Ieyasu did not need to do this. Both clans were almost worthless in terms of military utility after this battle, and he could’ve easily curried favor with Nobunaga by using the ninjas as bargaining chips. Instead, he shielded them (this is how he met Hattori Hanzo). And years later, during Akechi’s coup, the typically feuding clans paid him back by escorting him across the country back to his territory when he was being hunted when they - still holding a grudge against Oda - could’ve just handed him over to Akechi and aided the usurper in defeating Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobunaga’s #2 who had been complicit in his many deeds both glorious and gruesome.

If Akechi is indeed Tenkai, then it speaks to Ieyasu’s capacity to forgive in his later years (though Chacha would understandably argue otherwise). And in FGO, this generosity imbues loyalty in Akechi so fierce that even with the entire Tokugawa lineage defeated in the Ooku Labyrinth Event, he sacrifices his life to in hopes of providing the means to defeat the mad God of Love to a potential rescuer.

So what you should glean from all this is that Ieyasu is a very wild and dark figure, but in a very unorthodox configuration. He’s not traditionally complex as much as he is objectively difficult to pigeonhole. Which is why his vassals like the Yagyu family, Adams, and Honda tend to assert themselves more easily in the minds of audiences since they can more easily synch with more concise archetypes. If Ieyasu shows up in a work of fiction, and he's not the antagonist, then chances are he'll be a supporting character at best.

Fate's rendition of him as a gloomy neurotic really intrigued me, because it was a uniquely sympathetic image. Writers tend to have him lean towards some combination of dull, cranky, or sly since to casual observation, he seemed to gain the title of shogun by just outlasting the two more interesting unifiers than through any real valor or cunning. In fact, some historians argue that his once audacious-seeming drum gambit after his defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara - where he threw open the gates of his mostly empty stronghold and had drums played and torches lit to make it seem like he was trying to lead Takeda Shingen's forces to an obvious trap where a secret army would lie in wait - was an accidental side effect of him doing that to lead his scattered men to a rendezvous.

These four unofficial yet really beautiful illustration of him by Dd (Mori Nagayoshi's artist) also helped construct the image of Ieyasu that i had in my head. He might be delicate, broken even, but he's still awfully dangerous because he's the guy who made it to the end of the line, and commanded the respect and loyalty of several Sengoku Era standouts. He's made the tough choices, the huge mistakes, the crucial plays, and while they were truly awful experiences, they were well worth it even if he occasionally stares off into the distance and wonders why he can't taste food sometimes.

To wit, milquetoast sub-boss turned sinister seinen final boss a fraction of the time, and this the rest of the time.

And I think you could still reconcile this with his original draft as just a body double of Ieyasu who can use his link to more legitimate warriors. Just have him be the real one and then have him pretend to be an innocent body double whenever he can't be bothered to deal with anyone who has an axe to grind with him (Amakusa, Muramasa, Chacha, and whoever else). Or if he must be a body double, then at least give him some agency and incorporate as much of the historical Ieyasu's bonkers journey into his character. If he must be a Pretender, make him a great one.

Hopefully, it would make Ieyasu a fascinatingly uncomfortable figure in a franchise where the likes of Bluebeard and Ivan the Terrible already exist.

So I wanted to somehow encapsulate all that with this comic where Akechi is reminded that while Nobu might be his god, and Hideyoshi his enemy, Ieyasu was his BOSS until the day he died, and forgave him for the assassination attempt rather than execute him for this insult like he did with member of his own immediate family for reasons he may never know.

So I can't blame Hidetada for listening to his father often during the Ooku event as, well, see above.

That said, neither the Ooku event or this comic are entirely accurate, as while Hidetada was his favorite son and successor, they did have their disagreements, particularly with how to deal with the remnants of the Toyotomi (who Hidetada had once been a hostage to as a child, much like his father was to the Oda). Their joint inability to come up with an acceptable solution for all sides during a period of purported peace was one of the core contributing factors to the 1614 Siege of Osaka coming to pass, which would be Ieyasu's final military campaign (don't get too excited, he died a year after it was over).

Gudaguda as a storyline seems to really like the story arc of an individual naturally talented genius who made history but whose downfall was caused by their inability to emotionally connect with the 'normal' people around them, so Ieyasu as the bland, unmistakably human guy who just happened to outlast all of the flaming dumpsterfires on team 'Unifying the nation through force' seems a bit too slippery to slot into the story in the same way as Nobu or Kagetora.

Ironically, Fate Ieyasu's probably a bit further down the road from where Guda's mental state is heading at this point, someone who was incredibly human but still strong-willed, and earned the respect of legendary heroes and mythical warriors, but has been cracking slowly for quite a long time under the shee

r weight of responsibility that's been on their shoulders.

I feel like if any character can convince Guda to get some fucking help for their brain problems, it would be Ieyasu.

[iinexorabile]

TANBA,MAIN INFO (redux)

                       OVERVIEW

“MOMOCHI TANBA, THE IGA’S GRANDMASTER… HE’S CRUEL, BRUTAL; A NATURAL BORN KILLER.”

NAME: momochi tanba ALIAS(s): too many. AGE: 30 - 40 biologically BIRTH: 1600’s ORIGIN: japan CLASS: assassin EYES: gold HAIR: black HEIGHT: 5'8"default, but always changing ALIGNMENT: neutral evil ENNEAGRAM: 8w7 MBTI: ENTP-A

STORY

Born into one of Iga province’s greatest Shinobi clans– the Momochi– Yasumitsu was the youngest of his four siblings, and was not particularly favoured by his father at birth. Having three sons already, more than enough to ensure the stability of his family line, Yasumitsu’s father had hoped for a daughter, one he could eventually use as a political tool, and receiving yet another son did not sit well with him. In all likelihood, Yasumitsu would have been carted off to a monastery once he was old enough to speak, having no use to his family, at least in his father’s eyes, but destiny would have greater plans for the boy.

A great plague would one day strike the province, tearing through households like a raging fire, and the Momochi clan was not spared from the blaze. Each of Yasumitsu’s elder brothers perished to the blistering infection, dying slow, agonizing deaths, to which their father could do nothing but watch. Not Yasumitsu, though; strangely enough, this disease never touched the boy, even while those around him dropped like flies. When all was said and done, and the last of his brothers slipped away from this world, Yasumitsu was left as his father’s only male heir. The father had mixed feelings on this matter, wishing that it was Yasumitsu who perished instead, but like it or not, his father knew what this meant– Yasumitsu was the Momochi clan’s future.

For the rest of his childhood and later teenage years, Yasumitsu lived Kashiwara Castle, where he studied tirelessly under the tutelage of his father. Trained and conditioned in the ways of the Iga-ryu, Yasumitsu, to his father’s surprise, excelled in all areas, magic especially, and by age seventeen, he was regarded as one of Iga province’s fiercest, and brightest, a true shinobi prodigy if there ever was one. There was great hope for this to-be leader of the Momochi clan, and when Yasumitsu’s father finally passed away under ‘mysterious’ circumstances, Yasumitsu set in motion a series of events that would change Iga province forever.

Taking the name Tanba Momochi, he immediately called for a grand council of Iga’s three great shinobi clans, and there, they deliberated for four days straight. Tanba’s goal was to bring Iga’s great houses together under a single banner, to truly combine their strength and end the days where they played second to Nihon’s other major powers. Iga had been effectively independent for quite some time already, and the Divine Body that fueled the power of all Iga-ryu shinobi made them a force to be reckoned with, their but Tanba wanted to see Iga become a force that could rule all of Nihon one day.

There was great resistance to Tanba’s idea of course, and with good reason– working toward what he proposed would set many eyes upon Iga, and could easily put it in great danger. In the end, however, Tanba’s charismatic nature won out, and for the first time in history, Iga’s three great Shinobi clans, the Momochi, the Hattori, the Fujibayashi, and the smaller retainer clans beneath them, stood united under one cause, one banner, and one leader– Tanba himself. Being elevated to the post of Sōdai-shinobi (Grand Shinobi) by the heads of the Hattori and Fujibayashi, and self styling himself as the ‘Shinobi King’, Tanba immediately set out on making his goal a reality, becoming a feared presence across all of Nihon through his machinations, fighting prowess, and command of ancient magecraft, although the eventual rise of a certain warlord in Owari– Oda Nobunaga– would end up setting the stage for a war more difficult than originally expected.

For years, Tanba would go on to work against Nobunaga and their allies, even working behind the scenes to string together a coalition of warlord’s to oppose the Demon King at one point. In the end, however, Tanba’s hubris would spell the end for him and many of his people. Tanba’s actions and ambitions, you see, had not gone without notice, and inevitably, he ended up drawing too much attention to Iga, putting them in the direct sights of many, including Nobunaga, who, by 1580, had either killed or subjugated most of their enemies– save Tanba.

Isolated and surrounded on all sides, Iga was invaded by a vengeful Nobunaga in 1581, and in the fighting across the province that followed, Tanba and his forces were thoroughly routed. Whether Tanba himself was killed in the fighting or escaped is unclear, but what was clear was that he vanished from the pages of history afterword.

PERSONALITY

An eccentric who’s as kind as he is twisted and egotistical, “complicated” would be the easiest way to describe Momochi Tanba. Cordial and upbeat with those he encounters, and at times prodigal with his wealth, it would be easy to mistake Tanba for a genuinely “good” person, an undeniably strange person on account of his odd and at times over the top mannerisms, but a good one nonetheless. Stick around Tanba long enough, however, and one will quickly see how morally bankrupt the man truly is behind his smiles, pleasantries, and quirks. That’s not to say that what Tanba presents to others is a front, it isn’t, what you see (in most situations) is what you get with him, but his affability and eccentricities can easily be overshadowed by the more troubling aspects of his character.

Tanba is someone who can be deceptively intelligent and astute, being able to think quickly and efficiently on his feet with unparalleled wit in any given situation, making it a mistake to write him off as a “fool”. An even greater mistake, however, would be to write Tanba off as “harmless”, for he is anything but. Tanba is, in every sense of the term, a ruthless murderer, one who takes great joy in spilling the blood of others, often brutalizing his targets in displays that show a disturbing lack of humanity. Tanba’s standards on who or what he kills can be inconsistent, but he is generally open to and okay with killing anything and anyone if he see’s the need or feels the desire to, be it man or woman, enemy or bystander, human or beast– it matters not, if someone is his opponent, they are in his way, or if he just happens to be bored, he will kill them, and he will most likely enjoy it to the fullest extent.

The ego on this man is another issue entirely– it’s not the most deplorable facet of Tanba’s psyche by far, but it can be seen as problematic. Believing himself to be, quite literally, of higher status than everyone around him, Tanba automatically assumes that those he encounters are lesser than he is in every conceivable way. Tanba doesn’t make it a point to flaunt this idea in the faces of others all day and night, and he’s certainly not above paying someone compliments about their own skills, but he has no problems with letting others know of his superiority when he believes its necessary. By extension of his own ego, Tanba believes that Shinobi in general are superior to everyone else, especially samurai, it just happens that he is the most superior Shinobi.

Tanba is also highly ambitious, harboring a dream that, if fulfilled, would give birth to a world where Shinobi reigned supreme, with him seated upon a throne as ruler of humanity. Tanba is extremely passionate about this dream, and if you spend any amount of time around him, it won’t be unheard of for him to mention it. However, Tanba’s passion for this dream usually translates into him killing others to make it a reality, meaning he leaves quite a trail of blood behind in his wake.

Looking past everything else, deep down Tanba is someone who struggles with his emotional connections to others. Tanba is more than capable of forming platonic bonds, but when dealing with bonds of the romantic nature, he experiences great difficulties. Tanba’s fumbling and awkwardness when romance is involved aside, he struggles with romantic “love” itself. “Loving” someone in the romantic sense has proved near impossible for Tanba despite his best attempts and desires to return the feelings of his various partners. Tanba is someone who wants to love, but the strings of his heart play a tune he and others often fail to understand. Tanba’s inability to deal with the troubles that stem from his romantic failings– like his tendency to run from those problems and the people he is involved with– only make things worse, but if his heart ever truly settles on another, he will never, ever let go.

PARAMETERS

STR: B+ // END: C // AGI: A++ // MAG: A // NP: A++ // LCK: C

SKILLS

PRESENCE CONCEALMENT: EX MASTER OF THE IGA RYU: EX DUAL LEGEND: C CHARISMA: B EYE OF THE MIND (TRUE): B BATTLE CONTINUATION: A GOLDEN RULE (AMBITION): B

SKILLS (in depth)

Master of the Iga-ryu: Iga-ryū (伊賀流, “the Iga School”) is a historical school of ninjutsu, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja schools in Japan, along with the Kōga-ryu. An art that taught mental, physical and magical techniques, Tanba’s degree of mastery and innovation in every one of it’s facets broke the limits of what was thought possible and then some– he may as well have reinvented the art himself.

As a servant, this skill serves as the overall representation of that mastery, allowing Tanba the use of Iga-ryu Ninjutsu and the use of Kuji-in (both on par with Magecraft from the Age of Gods thanks to their connection to a Divine Body), the knowledge to use a wide array of weaponry and tactics, and the ability to create / summon items suited to his profession in life (those of which can affect servants, but are more effective against masters or in stealth situations).

Dual Legend: A variant of the 'Double Summon' skill. According to legend, Momochi Tanba and Fujibayashi Nagato (one of Iga’s other great shinobi) were the same person, with the latter being one of Tanba’s many aliases, and while this is not true, their immaculate legends have still become mixed as a result, allowing them to benefit from one another’s individual reputations in the form of empowerment (rank up’s to each parameter, not counting personal skills, class skills, or noble phantasms), a higher leveled Saint Graph, and access to skills that would otherwise only be available to Tanba had he been summoned as a Caster (i.e Master of the Iga-ryu, which contains elements of the Item Creation skill and allows Tanba to use his unique magecraft/ninjutsu).

Technically, this skill also allows Tanba, and conversely, Fujibayashi Nagato if they are ever summoned as a servant, to use one another's Noble Phantasms, but only when they are within their Culture Sphere.

Charisma: A composite Skill consisting of a person’s charm as well as the natural talent to command or unify an army or country. Assassin first displayed this charisma when he was able unify Iga province without bloodshed, and displayed it time and time again as he led his people throughout the Sengoku Period, and strung together the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition.

Eye of The Mind (True): A heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. Eye of the Mind (True) is a danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent’s activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Battle Continuation: A Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds, and a skill that also reduces the mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn’t know when to give up, consisting of one’s strength of vitality in predicaments.

The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill. Tanba’s ranking in this skill is a result of his reputation for surviving/fighting through wounds or situations that would have killed most other people, a point that turns up in his legend multiple times.

Golden Rule (Ambition): Firstly, this skill represents the fortune Assassin was able to acure in life, and how he lavishly spent or used it in some way on himself, his land, and his people. Secondly, it represents Assassin’s sheer ambition, in regards to how relentlessly he pursued his goals, either for his own benefit or for the benefit of Iga, regardless of the challenges he faced.

It is a passive composite skill, and as a result of it, Assassin is afforded two boons– first, Assassin is never without access to great wealth (this wealth usually being in the form of pure gold). Secondly, thanks to this skill, Assassin receives a temporary boost to his END parameter (+ modifier) after talking about and/or boasting about his ambitions– i.e, his desire to rule the world or anything related to it. (yes his ego is so big that it can literally somewhat empower him, crazy right?).

Presence Concealment: This skill is the capacity to hide one’s presence as a Servant. In life, Assassin shared an affinity with the shadows that could scarcely be matched, with it being said he and the shadows were at times one and the same. Assassin was never seen or detected if he did not wish to be, not once, even when he came up against the most keen minds or greatest of magical defenses. As a servant, Assassin’s presence, at his ranking, is completely hidden at all times, outside of combat or otherwise, making perfect sneak attacks always possible, though servants with Instinct or other supernatural abilities like Clairvoyance are far more likely to snuff those attacks out before they land. A target’s luck parameter, if high enough, may also cause Assassin’s otherwise ‘perfect’ sneak attacks to fail, even if he is not detected.

As a result of his ranking in this skill, Assassin’s parameters, skills, and even true class designation, cannot be reliably viewed by outside sources, save for those with the skill True Name Discernment, although Assassin can still evade this with a successful luck check.

NOBLE PHANTASMS

Getsuruitō - Sword of Lunar Tears (Massacre by Moonlight) | Anti-Unit / Anti-Army / Anti-Fortress C ~ A++ Said to have originally been forged by the moon god Tsukuyomi, it is a katana-like blade that was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. When activated by the phrase ’watch now as the moon weeps; Getsuruitō!’, this noble phantasm gains the ability to manipulate moonlight and the shadows it casts, allowing it a number of effects. This noble phantasm’s classification, power, and ranking vary depending on what phase the moon is currently in.

The Thousand Golden Blades | Anti-Unit / Anti Army D They are kunai-shaped daggers with golden trimmings (similar to the Dirk’s used by the Hassan) that Assassin uses as throwing weapons or for close melee. They are noble phantasms of the passive nature, their blades inflicting a devastating poison-like effect upon enemies, but they are weak enough to be deflected by most magical armours. They are most effective when used in mass, and can utilized in such a way easily, with Assassin being able to multiply their number whenever they are thrown at a target if he wishes. The Thousand Golden Blades are especially effective during surprise attacks, too, though Assassin can utilize them in just about any combat situation with deadly skill.

Hensōjutsu - The Seven Ways of Going (Art of the Many-Faced Crow) | Anti-Unit (self) EX While Assassin has access to a wide array of Ninjutsu based magecraft, this specific area was converted into one of his noble phantasms due to his sheer level of skill in this particular area and how much his use of it influenced his legend. 'Hensōjutsu' itself is the art of disguise and impersonation, but in life, Tanba took it to levels never seen before him. Tanba did not merely disguise himself as a foe or impersonate them with simple shapeshifting, he rediscovered, tapped into, and then improved upon the Iga-ryu's most ancient and taboo arts that hailed from the Age of Gods, and used them to change his being and truly become whoever or whatever he wanted.

As a servant, Assassin need only look upon a target and hear their voice once to assume their complete identity, while also gaining the skills, powers, and/ or noble phantasm’s they have displayed despite not truly possessing them himself.

Replicating the full power of Noble Phantasm’s that are beyond the destructive anti-army classification is also not possible (unless he is within his culture sphere), though Assassin can still use said Noble Phantasm’s at anti-army capacity, regardless of their true classification. This Noble Phantasm’s ability to let Assassin assume different forms or identities extends far beyond human targets as well, giving it a wide variety of applications in truth.

Being ‘killed’ while assuming the form of someone else does not kill Assassin himself, but it will force him back to his normal appearance, and leave him in a severely injured state. It can be partially utilized without a chant, and is technically always active for Assassin in a passive-effect sense, but to activate its true power, Assassin must speak the phrase 'This crow has many faces, as the world will soon see; Writhe in fear, for I now walk the Seven Ways of Going’.

Tsuki no kage (Shadow of the Moon) | Anti-Unit (self) B At one point crafted by the same deity responsible for Getsuruitō, this set of light armour was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and like Getsuruitō, it was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. From dusk till dawn, this armour will completely protect the wearer from projectile attacks, hostile magical attacks/effects (including those dealt by noble phantasm’s), curses, and from the effects of poison, with the arm and shin guards in particular resisting all manners of damage. However, weapon’s, magic’s, poisons, and beings of demonic nature can bypass these defenses with ease.

Raijū (Thunder Beast) | Anti-Unit / Anti Army D An obsidian colored kusarigama with gold trimmings, it was said to possesses qualities that likened its slashes to bolts of lightning, and was recorded to have been used during a few of Tanba's engagements against Oda forces. In life, this weapon's origins were unclear, with some saying it was personally forged for Tanba, and others saying it was passed down to him. As a servant, Assassin does not utilize it as much as he does his other lesser Noble Phantasm, the Thousand Golden Blades, and depending on the power of his Master, he may not even be summoned with it, but if he does possess it, Raijū can have many useful applications during combat against single or multiple opponents.

[doomxdriven]

“MOMOCHI TANBA, THE IGA’S GRANDMASTER… HE’S CRUEL, BRUTAL; A NATURAL BORN KILLER”

                       OVERVIEW

NAME: momochi tanba ALIAS(s): too many. AGE: biologically in 40’s BIRTH: 1600’s ORIGIN: japan CLASS: assassin EYES: gold HAIR: black HEIGHT: 5'8"default, but always changing ALIGN: neutral evil ENNEAGRAM: 8w7 MBTI: ENTP-A

STORY

Born into one of Iga province’s greatest shinobi clans– the Momochi– Yasumitsu was the youngest of his four siblings, and was not particuarly favoured by his father at birth. Having three sons already, more than enough to ensure the stability of his family line, Yasumitsu’s father had hoped for a daughter, one he could eventually use as a politcal tool, and recieving yet another son did not sit well with him. In all likelyhood, Yasumitsu would have been carted off to a monastary once he was old enough to speak, having no use to his family, at least in his father’s eyes, but destiny would have greater plans for the boy.

A great plague would one day strike the province, tearing through households like a raging fire, and the Momochi clan was not spared from the blaze. Each of Yasumitsu’s elder brothers perished to the blistering infection, dying slow, agonizing deaths, to which their father could do nothing but watch. Not Yasumitsu, though; strangely enough, this disease never touched the boy, even while those around him dropped like flies. When all was said and done, and the last of his brothers slipped away from this world, Yasumitsu was left as his father’s only male heir. The father had mixed feelings on this matter, wishing that it was Yasumitsu who perished instead, but like it or not, his father knew what this meant– Yasumitsu was the Momochi clan’s future.

For the rest of his childhood and later teenage years, Yasumitsu lived Kashiwara Castle, where he studied tirelessly under the tutelage of his father. Trained and conditioned in the ways of the Iga-ryu, Yasumitsu, to his father’s surprise, excelled in all areas, magic especially, and by age seventeen, he was regarded as one of Iga province’s fiercest, and brightest, a true shinobi prodigy if there ever was one. There was great hope for this to-be leader of the Momochi clan, and when Yasumitsu’s father finally passed away under ‘mysterious’ circumstances, Yasumitsu set in motion a series of events that would change Iga province forever.

Taking the name Tanba Momochi, he immediately called for a grand council of Iga’s three great shinobi clans, and there, they deliberated for four days straight. Tanba’s goal was to bring Iga’s great houses together under a single banner, to truly combine their strength and end the days where they played second to Nihon’s other major powers. Iga province had been effectively indepenent for quite some time already, but Tanba wanted to see Iga become a force to be reckoned with, a force that could potentially rule all of Nihon one day.

There was great resistance to Tanba’s idea of course, and with good reason– working toward what he proposed would set many eyes upon Iga, and could easily put it in great danger. In the end, however, Tanba’s charismatic nature won out, and for the first time in history, Iga’s three great shinobi clans, the Momochi, the Hattori, the Fujibayashi, and the smaller retainer clans beneath them, stood united under one cause, one banner, and one leader– Tanba himself. Being elevated to the post of Sōdai-shinobi (Grand Shinobi) by the heads of the Hattori and Fujibayashi, and self styling himself as the ‘Shinobi King’, Tanba set out on making his goal a reality, becoming a feared prescence across all of Nihon through his machinations, fighting prowess, and command of magecraft, although the eventual rise of a certain warlord in Owari– Oda Nobunaga– would end up setting the stage for a war more difficult than originally expected.

For years, Tanba would go on to work against Nobunaga and their allies, even working behind the scenes to string together a coalition of warlord’s to oppose the Demon King at one point. In the end, however, Tanba’s hubris would spell the end for him and many of his people. Tanba’s actions and ambitions, you see, had not gone without notice, and inevitably, he ended up drawing too much attention to Iga, putting them in the direct sights of many, including Nobunaga, who, by 1580, had either killed or subjagated most of their enemies– save Tanba.

Isolated and surrounded on all sides, Iga was invaded by a vengeful Nobunaga in 1581, and in the fighting across the province that followed, Tanba and his forces were thoroughly routed. Wheter Tanba himself was killed in the fighting or escaped is unclear, but what was clear was that he vanished from the pages of history afterword.

PERSONALITY

An eccentric who’s as kind as he is twisted and egotistical, “complicated” would be the easiest way to describe Momochi Tanba. Cordial and upbeat with those he encounters, and at times prodigal with his wealth, it would be easy to mistake Tanba for a genuinely “good” person, an undeniably strange person on account of his odd and at times over the top mannerisms, but a good one nonetheless. Stick around Tanba long enough, however, and one will quickly see how morally bankrupt the man truly is behind his smiles, pleasantries, and quirks. That’s not to say that what Tanba presents to others is a front, it isn’t, what you see (in most situations) is what you get with him, but his affability and eccentricities can easily be overshadowed by the more troubling aspects of his character.

Tanba is someone who can be deceptively intelligent and astute, being able to think quickly and efficiently on his feet with unparalleled wit in any given situation, making it a mistake to write him off as a “fool”. An even greater mistake, however, would be to write Tanba off as “harmless”, for he is anything but. Tanba is, in every sense of the term, a ruthless murderer, one who takes great joy in spilling the blood of others, often brutalizing his targets in displays that show a disturbing lack of humanity. Tanba’s standards on who or what he kills can be inconsistent, but he is generally open to and okay with killing anything and anyone if he see’s the need or feels the desire to, be it man or woman, enemy or bystander, human or beast– it matters not, if someone is his opponent, they are in his way, or if he just happens to be bored, he will kill them, and he will most likely enjoy it to the fullest extent.

The ego on this man is another issue entirely– it’s not the most deplorable facet of Tanba’s psyche by far, but it can be seen as problematic. Believing himself to be, quite literally, of higher status than everyone around him, Tanba automatically assumes that those he encounters are lesser than he is in every conceivable way. Tanba doesn’t make it a point to flaunt this idea in the faces of others all day and night, and he’s certainly not above paying someone compliments about their own skills, but he has no problems with letting others know of his superiority when he believe’s its necessary. By extension of his own ego, Tanba believes that shinobi in general are superior to everyone else, especially samurai, it just happens that he is the most superior shinobi.

Tanba is also highly ambitious, harboring a dream that, if fulfilled, would give birth to a world where shinobi reigned supreme, with him seated upon a throne as ruler of humanity. Tanba is extremely passionate about this dream, and if you spend any amount of time around him, it won’t be unheard of for him to mention it. However, Tanba’s passion for this dream usually translates into him killing others to make it a reality, meaning he leaves quite a trail of blood behind in his wake.

Looking past everything else, deep down Tanba is someone who struggles with his emotional connections to others. Tanba is more than capable of forming platonic bonds, but when dealing with bonds of the romantic nature, he experiences great difficulties. Tanba’s fumbling and awkwardness when romance is involved aside, he struggles with romantic “love” itself. “Loving” someone in the romantic sense has proved near impossible for Tanba despite his best attempts and desires to return the feelings of his various partners. Tanba is someone who wants to love, but the strings of his heart play a tune he and others often fail to understand. Tanba’s inability to deal with the troubles that stem from his romantic failings– like his tendency to run from those problems and the people he is involved with– only make things worse, but if his heart ever truly settles on another, he will never, ever let go.

PARAMETERS

STR: B+ END: C AGI: A++ MAG: A NP: A LCK: C

SKILLS

MASTER OF THE IGA RYU: EX DUAL LEGEND: C CHARISMA: B EYE OF THE MIND (TRUE): B BATTLE CONTINUATION: A GOLDEN RULE (AMBITION): B+ PRESCENCE CONCEALMENT: EX

SKILLS (in depth)

Master of the Iga-ryu: Iga-ryū (伊賀流, “the Iga School”) is a historical school of ninjutsu, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja schools in Japan, along with the Kōga-ryu. An art that taught mental, physical and magical techniques, Tanba’s degree of mastery and innovation in every one of it’s facets broke the limits of what was thought possible and then some– he may as well have reinvented the art himself.

As a servant, this skill serves as the overall representation of that mastery, allowing Tanba the use of powerful shinobi magecraft, the use of Kuji-in, the knowledge to use a wide array of weaponry and tactics, and the ability to create / summon items suited to his profession in life (those of which can affect servants, but are more effective against masters or in stealth situations). Dual Legend: According to legend, Momochi Tanba and Fujibayashi Nagato (one of Iga’s other great shinobi) were the same person, with the latter being one of Tanba’s many aliases, and while this is not true, their personal legends have still become mixed as a result, allowing them to benefit from one another’s individual reputations in the form of empowerment (rank up’s to each parameter, not counting personal skills, class skills, or noble phantasms), and a higher leveled Saint Graph. Charisma: A composite Skill consisting of a person’s charm as well as the natural talent to command or unify an army or country. Assassin first displayed this charisma when he was able unify Iga province without bloodshed, and displayed it time and time again as he led his people throughout the Sengoku Period. Eye of The Mind (True): A heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. Eye of the Mind (True) is a danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent’s activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning. Battle Continuation: A Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds, and a skill that also reduces the mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn’t know when to give up, consisting of one’s strength of vitality in predicaments.

The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill. Tanba’s ranking in this skill is a result of his reputation for surviving/fighting through wounds or situations that would have killed most other people.

Golden Rule (Ambition): Firstly, this skill represents the fortune Asassin was able to acure in life, and how he lavishly spent or used it in some way on himself, his land, and his people. Seconldy, it represents Assassin’s sheer ambition, in regards to how relentlessly he pursued his goals, either for his own benefit or for the benefit of Iga, regardless of the challenges he faced.

It is a passive composite skill, and as a result of it, Assassin is afforded two boons– first, Assassin is never without access to great wealth (this wealth usually being in the form of pure gold). Secondly, thanks to this skill, Assassin recieves a temporary boost to his END parameter (+ modifier) after talking about and/or boasting about his ambitions– i.e, his desire to rule the world or anything related to it. (yes his ego is so big that it can literally somewhat empower him, crazy right?).

Presence Concealment: This skill is the capacity to hide one’s presence as a Servant. In life, Assassin shared an affinity with the shadows that could scarcely be matched, with it being said he and the shadows were at times one and the same. Assassin was never seen or detected if he did not wish to be, not once, even when he came up against the most keen minds or greatest of magical defenses. As a servant, Assassin’s presence, at his ranking, is completely hidden at all times, outside of combat or otherwise, making perfect sneak attacks always possible, though servants with Instinct or other supernatural abilities like Clairvoyance are far more likely to snuff those attacks out before they land. A target’s luck parameter, if high enough, may also cause Assassin’s otherwise ‘perfect’ sneak attacks to fail, even if he is not detected.

As a result of his ranking in this skill, Assassin’s paramaters, skills, and even true class designation, cannot be reliably viewed by outside sources, save for those with the skill True Name Discernment, although Assassin can still evade this with a successful luck check.

NOBLE PHANTASMS

Getsuruitō - Sword of Lunar Tears (Massacre by Moonlight) Anti-Unit/Anti-Army C ~ A++ Said to have originally been forged by the moon god Tsukuyomi, it is a katana-like blade that was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. When activated by the phrase ’watch now as the moon weeps; Getsuruitō!’, this noble phantasm gains the ability to manipulate moonlight and the shadows it casts, allowing it a number of effects. This noble phantasm’s power and ranking vary depending on what phase the moon is currently in.

The Thousand Golden Blades  Anti-Unit / Anti Army D They are kunai-shaped daggers with golden trimmings (simmilar to the Dirk’s used by the Hassan) that Assassin uses as throwing weapons or for close melee. They are noble phantasms of the passive nature, their blades inflicting a devastating poison-like effect upon enemies, but they are weak enough to be deflected by most magical armours. They are most effective when used in mass, and can utilized in such a way easily, with Tanba being able to multiply their number whenever they are thrown at a target if he wishes. The Thousand Golden Blades are especially effective during surprise attacks, too, though Tanba can utilize them in just about any combat situation with deadly skill. Hensōjutsu - The Seven Ways of Going (Art of the Many-Faced Crow) Anti-unit (self) A++ While Assassin has access to a wide array of ninjutsu based magecraft, this specific area was converted into one of his noble phantasms due to his sheer level of skill in this particular area. Hensōjutsu itself is the art of disguise and impersonation, but in life, Tanba took it to levels never seen before him. Tanba did not just disguise himself as a foe or impersonate them with simple shapeshifting, he used ancient, taboo magic that hailed from the Age of Gods to change his being and literally become them.

As a servant, Assassin need only look upon a target and hear their voice once to assume their complete identity, while also gaining the skills, powers, and/ or noble phantasm’s they have displayed despite not truly possessing them himself (though skills/powers/noble phantasm’s he hasn’t witnessed a target use will remain out of his grasp until he see’s them). Replicating the effects of noble phantasm’s beyond the anti-unit classification is also not possible (unless he is within his cultre sphere), though Assassin can still use them at anti-unit capacity, regardless of the noble phantasm’s actual classification. This Noble Phantasm’s ability to let Assassin assume different forms or identities extends far beyond human targets as well, giving it a wide variety of applications in truth.

Being 'killed’ while assuming the likness of someone else does not kill Assassin himself, but it will force him back to his normal appearence, and leave him in a severely injured state. It can be partially utilized without a chant, and is technically always active for Assassin in a passive-effect sense, but to activate its true power, Assassin must speak the phrase 'This crow has many faces, as the world will soon see; Writhe in fear, for I now walk the Seven Ways of Going’.

Tsuki no kage (Shadow of the Moon)  Anti-unit (self) B At one point crafted by the same deity responsible for Getsuruitō, this set of light armour was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and like Getsuruitō, it was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. From dusk till dawn, this armour will completely protect the wearer from projectile attacks, hostile magical attacks/effects (including those dealt by noble phantasm’s), curses, and from the effects of poison, with the arm and shin guards in particular resisting all manners of damage. However, weapon’s, magic’s, poisons, and beings of demonic nature can bypass these defenses with ease.

[odaclan]

Iga riots post-Honnouji

In Wikipedia there was a short passage saying that Nobukatsu wasn’t able to participate in the battle against the Akechi forces after Honnouji because there was a riot in Iga. He had difficulty taking care of the issue because many of his army had been taken by Nobutaka to be part of the Shikoku conquest, and so he was outnumbered.

The Wikipedia passage says “this is doubtful” due to the existence of a conflicting account, but it only addressed the part where his troops were taken by Nobutaka. It didn’t say the riots in Iga was doubtful or false. 

The story was also mentioned in this blog post. The blog contains a couple of citations to real documents, but this particular bit was simply narrated without source.

The story says that Nobukatsu was supposed to join his older brother, who had made a last-minute decision to stay in Kyoto unprepared, and bring reinforcements. However, Honnouji happened before he was able to move his army out. He brought his troops to Oumi province, but wasn’t able to trust that there are no more traitors, and so he camped in Suzuka Pass instead of entering Azuchi.

At that point, Akechi troops supposedly turned to Iga to stir up riots, and Nobukatsu ended up having to head out there to take care of that mess. 

So what’s the verdict, though?

The story about Iga actually has merit, because the Tamon’in Nikki did record that “on the 5th of the 6th month Gohonjo’s (Nobukatsu) troops entered Iga, pacified the province, and took hostages”.

Tamon’in Nikki has long been considered a highly reliable source, so at the very least it’s not entirely dubious.

The relevant bit from the Tamon’in Nikki transcript digitised online in the Japanese archives:

What happened in Iga before and after this is still something I can’t account for, though. If on the 5th everything is settled, it does not look like the situation is still ongoing in the days that follow, unless there were still stray rioters that needed to be rounded up in Iga.

[daeva-agas]

Yep, those games! It's even worse in SLBP because they revealed Sakuya and Nobu are responsible for the Mitsuba massacre, (with Sakuya doing it because he's the son of the Iga leader and Nobu because they refused to share the secret of the dragon tears). Surprisingly, Nobu was okay with the Iga until Sakuya betrayed him for you, and I was surprised because Nobu route avoided the "I hate ninjas" cliche, and I was like: Is this a legend or what? Because this wasn't the first time I've seen this

Oh wow, Nightshade had that too. I thought it would be safe-ish because it was "Hideyoshi era" (even if I don't particularly like the Hideyoshi portrayal), but yeah. That is a major Dealbreaker for me, so I guess Nightshade is not gonna be for me then. Even if it doesn't actually happen on-screen, I still don't like the premise.

Anyway, yeah, "Oda invasion of Iga" is a historical fact, so it's like... him doing that is not wrong per se. It's just the "why" that's kind of hairy.

SLBP actually has this before, it's just not in Nobu's route because it doesn't suit the "Unification" theme of his storyline. It's kind of just a thing that happened, so it was mentioned in Saizo's route instead.

That "Oda invaded Iga" thing makes the timeline really weird because like... it happens 10 years ago in-game, but Nobu doesn't look like he's older than 30, so...? Did he do that as a teenager, right after his father died? This don't make sense, and SLBP writers are obviously just writing whatever and there's no editor to keep the timelines straight.

Anyway, I guess the Sakuya thing is maybe because that Bansenshukai and record of Iga insiders defecting exist? Or it's just gameplay mechanic (so that each clan/faction has at least one ninja) and the writers being "whatever" again.

The Sanada has Saizo and Jinpachi, Takeda has Big Sasuke, Uesugi has Hotaru, Tokugawa has Hanzo, Oda has Sakuya, Date has Genya, and Toyotomi has Goemon (kind of)

Honestly, I don't know why SLBP is running with that stupid trope in the main routes. I hated the Sakuya main route and sequel because of it, and it ends with Saku serving Shingen. I prefer the events because he's still there in Kiyosu. Like... why can't you just keep it that way? They can just make Honnouji happen in the sequel or something, and then Sakuya can leave without having a big brouhaha about Nobu hating Iga for the bajillionth time.

Main RouteS plural, because if you played Shima route, there's this guy called Ban Naganobu who is actually supposed to be an Oda ninja in legends/folkelore, but he's written to be this kinda weird guy who is off on his own. Like, is the idea of Nobu having a ninja vassal that willingly serves him without any trickery involved so offensive to you or what?

WOW I DIDN'T INTEND TO RANT AGAIN

Anyway yeah, if you still have questions feel free to ask again (hopefully I will answer with less ranting next time)

[my2dhusband]

Nightshade — Análise

Nightshade: Onde sombras do passado entrelaçam destinos e revelam segredos ocultos no coração do Japão feudal, cada escolha entrelaça amor e dever em uma tapeçaria de intrigas e honra.

Historia Durante o Período Sengoku, as duas principais facções dos clãs ninja, Iga e Kōga, guerrearam entre si durante décadas. No ano de 1593, Nobunaga Oda iniciou a guerra Tenshō Iga, dizimando a maioria dos ninjas Iga no processo. Os poucos que sobreviveram foram absorvidos pelo clã Kōga, apesar de suas rivalidades anteriores. Após 17 anos, o Período Sengoku finalmente chegou ao fim e o Japão…

[little-ninjai]

Info: Biggest Ninja Battle in History

[odaofiga]

Life and Death in Iga

This chapter of Ai’s history doubles as my entry for the Voltage Contest. Hopefully this fanfiction illustrates my absolute love for SLBP. Judges, grab a comfy chair and enjoy!

Genre: Angst Characters: Momochi Sandayu, Saizo Word Count: 9550 (no, that’s not a typo) A/N: This is the first backstory entry for my SLBP OC Aina/Ai, detailing her childhood in Iga and how and why she left.I relied on scant canon references, vague historical information, and my own imagination to pull this together so please feel free to speak up out if you notice any inconsistencies. Sorry no tags this round to insure it is #’d properly for the contest.

This is exceptionally long so most of it will be hidden under a cut. Feedback is greatly appreciated, as always!

------

Somewhere deep in Iga province, a soft cry of pain sounded in the night. It echoed away almost at once, aided by the howling wind and rain. But even as silence fell, the deepest shadows of the forest stirred. Heavy-lidded eyes opened in the darkness and stared out toward the source of the sound, waiting.

A few moments passed and it sounded again; an anguished, breathy howl. It was louder this time, but ragged and strained as if every sound was being forced through clenched teeth. Another followed, and another. Gradually even the storm was contested by a rhythmic, peaking cries. The odd curse punctuated the sounds, distinctly feminine despite the vile language she used. Then, amidst the caterwaul, came the sudden sharp burst of a infant’s first scream.

As if cued by the sound, a figure emerged from the night and crossed the clearing with all the lethality of a wolf on the hunt. A dark and desolate house lay care-worn ahead, its broken eaves brushed by moonlight. It looked by all accounts vacant. Only the lingering whine of pain from within offered evidence to the contrary. Through the door, Sandayu slipped as soundless as a spirit and took account of what lay within.

The interior was as meager and wanting for repair as the out, with only a single, rapidly placed set of bedding strewn over the dusty floor. And laid off-center across its folds, as if she had collapsed there in haste, lay a haggard, quavering woman he recognized well. Forehead beaded with sweat and gasping desperately for breath, she was in no fit state to recognize him in return. Or even notice that a presence had entered the room.

Sumi was a shadow of the great woman she had once been. Formerly the daughter to a prominent name, her prestige had been broken by the weight of the mission she’d failed to complete. And any chance to reclaim it lost to the consequential seed that plagued her tonight. Whether by a fluke of nature or some inherent strength, the spawn had survived all of her attempts to dispatch it. It had grown to term and robbed Sumi of her sanity along the way.

The woman squirmed, still in the throes of pain and half exposed. She was oblivious to the threat that stood feet away and continued to waste her energy in cursing the offending father’s name. The wails of the abandoned newborn between her legs rose in turn, but rather than quell the new mother, they seemed to enrage her further. Her hateful slurs turned spurning the child itself. She clawed convulsively at the empty air around her hips and her feet launched toward the tiny creature between. It was clear that if exhaustion and pain hadn’t prevented her, her hands would have closed around the infant’s throat and silenced it then and there.

But, whether through luck or a crueler fate, Sandayu got there first. With a hand closed around the chubby, vernix-covered leg, he pulled the child out of her reach. And in the darkness of his own kneeling shadow, the tiny girl opened her eyes for the first time. They were bright and colorless, betraying her foreign blood at a single glance. But as the child’s bleary eyes lingered on the looming figure above, her pitious wails seemed to falter. Sandayu looked back with a cruel smile.

With a last shrewd look at the floundering mother feet away, Sandayu made up his mind. Slicing a blade cleanly through the tethering cord, he turned and vanished without a sound. It would take many long moments before Sumi would realized the newborn’s cries had faded from the room as well. Tucked in the crook of his arm, in a feathered length of cloth, the child’s shallow sobs were spirited away into the night.

--------

For awhile, rumors persisted that she was Sandayu’s own child. After all, he’d appeared with the newborn in his arms and offered no explanation for it. He handed her off to a lactating mother and only rarely looked in on the pair, but he did permit them houseroom in the fortress itself. It was a protection usually reserved for the jonin families alone. And more peculiar still, Sandayu had gone to the trouble of choosing the child’s name himself.

But then, the cruelty behind the child’s chosen name raised questions of its own...

He named her Aina.

It sounded innocent enough to the ears. A good common name to fool trust into any that heard it. And with 愛 (Ai- / love), the sound so often whispered between lover's lips as its prelude, how could it not? The first syllable alone warmed the heart. ...Only in its written form was the cruelty behind the full word revealed. For it wasn't 菜 (vegetables) that crafted the second character of her name as was so commonly the case, but 無 (without).

愛無...

Unloved. It was more a description than a name. And while emotional attachment was considered more of a hindrance than a blessing in Iga, to blatantly name a child ‘without love’ was a savagery no mother would have considered. Little did anyone know, the name Aina was an echo of the same disparaging remarks her own mother had spat at her during childbirth. It was an origin Sandayu make sure to relate to her of once she’d learned to write. The name itself would become a permanent reminder that she was unwanted, even by her own mother.

Village interest in the child quickly waned once it became clear her red hair and persistent grey eyes were not of Iga. Though the truth was never made clear in so many words, she was shunned and ridiculed for her unexplained origins nonetheless. In the isolation that inevitably followed, Sandayu ensured he was the only glimpse of kindness the child received. How easy it was to manipulate someone so young...when even the soft jingle of the bells in his hair or a game of peek-a-boo played behind his black mask was enough to make her happy. His smile may have been hollow and his touch cold, but he offered a companionship beyond the hostility of her peers and she loved him for it. It was a love he turned skillfully to veneration, loyalty, and absolute obedience. With a blindly devoted youth so eager to please, Sandayu wasted no time in molding his infant charge into a weapon he could use.

Aina was pulled to stand before she’d found her feet. She was taught to mimic hand seals before she’d truly mastered speech. And in place of youthful toys, she was given blunt blades to occupy her time. By the age of four, she had been handed her first edged kunai and, by the age of 5, she’d been made to use it. Death began as a game. Small, playful challenges set by her mentor that fell birds from the trees and mice in their holes. And it was under his instruction that Aina found her first human opponent in the form of her own wet nurse.

The woman hadn’t been particularly kind to the child, certainly no more so than anyone else. But her nursing duties had brought a sort of comfort by their maternal nature alone. Whether it was this slight fondness that he’d wanted to strip from Aina or if she had simply been the easiest target he could offer, Aina didn’t questioned him when he set her the task.

It’s hard to say why it had been so easy. Perhaps the sight of the youngster with her toy blades had been to commonplace to raise her suspicions, or maybe her plaintive request for a hug was simply too natural for the nurse to ignore. Either way, the woman paid a heavy price for her complacency when Aina’s ‘toy’ blade pierced her throat.

The five year old child stood there, awash in the warm blood of her wet nurse. She may not have quite understood the sudden stillness in the body before her or the shock of emotion in the woman’s eyes, but she knew she’d done as she’d been told. Sandayu stepped from the darkness once the deed had been done and she felt a familiar thrill at his emergence. The way that he looked at her made her feel alive. And as he whispered those words, she felt a fierce surge of pride, a sense of purpose, and a powerful longing to hear that rare show of approval voiced again.

“...see how easy that was?”

-------

{ One year Later }

There was a stranger in town.

Aina had learned to recognize everyone in Momochi village at a young age; by name, by sight, even at a distance by gait if need be. Anyone not among those was an intruder, an enemy, and were to be dealt with accordingly. Such statutes had been drilled into all of the children as inevitabilities, Aina included. And she had seen her fair share of ‘strangers’ cut down in the name of village security.

But the villagers weren’t treating this woman as an enemy. On the contrary, everyone seemed to know her at a glance and their reactions were far from their normal ones. Fear, reverence, uncertainty; these were reactions Aina had only ever seen garnered by Sandayu himself, though the whispers and mutterings that followed in her wake had certainly never plagued him. This woman, with her dark hair and persistent scowl, was allowed to march right through the village center toward the fortress itself. And stranger still, Sandayu was out to meet her at the gates.

Six year old Aina crept as close as she dared. She still couldn’t make out the words shared between them, she was too far away, but the tone of their conversation was hard to miss. Anger and accusations colored the woman’s language from the first word, her handsome features transformed in a show of fury. Though despite her ire, Aina noticed the woman kept a careful distance nonetheless. Still, she looked nothing short of manic and certainly suicidal as she raged before the master. But to Aina’s great surprise, he didn’t strike her down for it. Standing as still as ice and with a smile just as cold, Sandayu took her fury in his stride.

Then, as if prompted, the woman’s sharp glare turned suddenly toward her; a single red-headed child among the prevalent silvers and blacks. The level of malice in that single look made Aina grip her kunai. Soon Sandayu’s eyes swivelled onto her as well. And while they were as cold as ever, there was definitely a gleam of amusement in his calculating stare. Whatever the low words that followed seemed to pull the woman’s attention just as quickly away. In only a few minutes more, the woman’s rage seemed to quell and she stalked from the village just as dauntless as she’d come.

Aina longed to watch her go, but the weight of eyes upon her own back drew her attention away. There was a storm of furtive whispers and shaking heads in the village crowd, and for some inexplicable reason, it all seemed to be focused on her. Normally stern looks were now outright barbarous.

Before she could feel more than a moments disquiet at this odd turn of events, a movement caught her eye. Sandayu, retreating from the fortress gate, was flicking his finger covertly at his side. A subtle signal calling her to follow. She obliged without a moment's thought and fell in behind the master as she had done so many times before. The jingling of his bells brought a renewed ease as they passed through the inner halls the fortress. He waiting until they were alone to speak, and he did so without breaking stride or sparring her a glance.

“Say to me, child, do you know whom that woman was?” He asked.

“...No, Sensei.”

He gave a soft “hmm” and they turned a corner. When he spoke again it was on a seemingly unrelated topic.

“Name for me, the Iga clans.”

This was often how lessons would go; a verbal roundabout before knowledge was earned.

“Momochi, Hattori, and Fujibayashi,” she answered, studiously.

“And whereto do you heed?”

“To Momochi clan. To you, Sensei,” she obliged again. Another satisfied “Hmm” met her words and was followed by a rarely heard chuckle.

“Yet thou doesn't know your own elders...” he said offhand. Though the words sounded like an admonition, it was laced with amusement. Unsure of what he wanted to hear or if he expected an response at all, Aina held her tongue.

They were nearing her quarters now. If they reached it without breaching the subject of the strange woman again, she was sure her curiosities would go unanswered. Still, she didn’t dare raise the question so bluntly herself. It was as they turned the corner on her familiar passage that he spoke again and the subject was reverted just as quickly.

“Her name is Sumi,” Sandayu offered, with no more inflection to the name than he had offered to any of his questions. “She is Momochi, and a minacious one. Slip thy guard, and she shall kill you. ...Never grant her the chance.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Sandayu gave her the briefest of sidelong looks as they approached her door.

“...Sumi is your mother.”

It was a mark to the strictness of his training that Aina’s steps did not falter at these words. Though her normally downcast eyes jumped up to his shoulder in surprise, he wore only his usual hollow smile. They had arrived at her quarters and with a calm hand, he ushered her inside. Convinced she had heard all she was going to hear, Aina was taken aback when the master followed her inside. Closing the door solidly behind, he sat her down for the longest talk they had ever had. She had been hopeful when he’d entered, but by the time Sandayu departed, her her bowed head had fallen as low as her station.

...Sandayu was not her father.

It was far from the gravest of the news he delivered, but it hit her harder than all the rest. The possibility had only ever been a fantasy at best, she had known that. And being the daughter of the Momochi name at all should have been a profound boon in her favor. But she had never expected the full reality of her parentage to be so far removed from either prestige.

Aina was the bastard daughter of a samurai. Some distant Lord in the Owari province by the name of Oda. He was a known enemy of Iga, an outsider, and with his blood in her veins, Aina bore that stigma as much as him. And while promising, her mother’s prestigious blood did nothing to bolster her station either, even within her own clan. Aina’s very creation was the result of her mother’s failed mission against the Oda so many years before. And she was marred with a death sentence for that alone. Her life in Momochi was a clemency granted by him. And if she was to earn a permanent trusted place within the village, she would have to amend her station through blood owed. The blood of her father to start.

According to Sandayu, this was the singular task for which she had been raised, and the reason there was no leniency in her training. If her proficiency lapsed, if she fell behind the curve of her peers, Aina would cease to be useful to the village and would lose more than her station in the fall. It was a grave warning that Sandayu delivered with his usual indifference.

Devoted to her master, Aina took his nonchalance as a vote of confidence in her abilities rather than a true lack of interest. And she strived to take his words with the same neutrality that they were offered. After all, she had more than held her own so far. Thanks to the master’s high expectations and harsher disciplines, she was a force to be reckoned with. She could hold her own against most of the opponents twice her age and could easily best those equal to it. And as Sandayu left with his usual rattle of bells, Aina rationalized that she had no reason to fear a loss of station.

A theory that remained true...until he showed up.

-------

{ One year Later }

Aina was bleeding.

And once again, she was pulling herself up off the floor. Feet beneath her, she remained kneeling and attempted to master her rapid pulse and quickened breath in the reprieve. As her free hand brushed her lip, it came away stained red with blood. Her eyes lingered on it as her tongue found the cut in her gums. The sharp pain that followed furrowed her brow before she could hide it. She was losing, badly. And to make matters worse, her failures were on full display for the man that mattered most. Forcing her face back into an apathetic mask, she looked toward the dais and found the grim eyes of Sandayu upon her.

“My, has thou lost so easily?”

“...No, Sensei,” she answered, voice steadier than she felt.

“No? On your feet then.”

His order fell with all the kindness of a whip, and she had no choice by to obey. Fighting the fatigue in her legs, Aina rose straight backed and tightened her grip on her short sword. In the moment it took her to rise, Sandayu’s gaze flickered to her opponent. The virulent gleam darkened his eyes told her he was no more satisfied by her opponent’s performance than with her own. Despite all the pain in her jaw and her many aching bruises, Aina hardened herself for another fight. She knew better than to a hope for rest so early in the session, regardless of how one sided the bout had been. And sure enough, the order fell.

“Again.”

Aina turned immediately toward her opponent, blade held reverse grip and ready across her chest. Her opponent was already in his stance as well. If any of her landed hits were causing him pain, he made no show of it. Katana erect and his red eyes cold, the ten year old Saizo looked as solid and battle-ready as he had four rounds before. Endeavoring to show as little wear, Aina launched herself forward. In the infinitesimal second that it took their blades to clash and part, she watched some semblance of indecision flashed in Saizo’s eyes. It was an emotion as rare in him as from the master himself, but she had seen this one before...

Aina had known a change was imminent the moment she saw him escorted through the fortress gates. Saizo walked in the master’s shadow, a position held only by his personal protégés. At the time, Aina alone had earned that spot and her rivalrous response to this new addition was only natural. But Sandayu quickly flamed that innocent contention into animosity. Despite the four year age gap between the pupils, he pitted them against each other as equals the moment they met. They clashed blades within the same hour under the master’s watchful eye and for the first time Aina found her own abilities brutally inadequate.

It was in the wake of this very one-sided bout that Sandayu had announced new stipulations. Access to food, living quarters, even medical supplies would henceforward be contingent upon the outcome of their weekly spars. And Aina had just lost the first fight.

Aina had had seven years to come to terms with Sandayu’s unconscionable heavy hand and had dipped her head in immediate acceptance. Saizo, on the other hand, had looked to her, conflicted and contrite. Unwilling to show any chagrin before the master, she turned her back on him in response. When only one could succeed, and the other starve, it was inevitable that they had never be more than callous rivals. Or rather, Aina never entertained the possibility of another option.

Sandayu had made it clear; sentiment was weakness. And the resurfacing of his sympathy now, from an opponent who was besting her so easily, was infuriating. A loss was hard enough to endure without the thought of his pity to sour it further. Her eyes ablaze, Aina parried the next strike and rolled under his pursuing blade with fresh resolve. She was intent on punishing him for his show of weakness.

The benefit of her shorter sword meant tight maneuvers were easier to make, and with a well-timed step, Aina was inside his guard. She got one good swipe across his lat before he got his blade down to block. He was taking retreating steps now, needing the distance against her close-quarter strikes. It was a dance they had shared many times before, and though she moved with all the speed she could muster, once again she was failing to keep up with his longer stride. His blade was soon falling full force through the gap that had opened in between. But rather than evade as she normally would have done, frustration and desperation encouraged a riskier course instead.

She planted her feet. Catching his descending blade with her own, she pushed forward and extended her free left hand. As planned, momentum carried Saizo’s obi right into her waiting grasp. She relished the brief moment genuine surprise on his face as she turned, using his own sash as leverage to pull him forward and off balance. It might have been the win that had always eluded her thus far, but as she twisted, her bruised knee gave out beneath her.

Her grip loosened, her sword slid, and the forceful strike that she had held so vehemently at bay, slammed brutally down on her unguarded collar. Aina heard the break before she felt it, a crack like a splintering tree that ripped sickeningly through chest. A scream of pain came so quickly, she didn’t realize it was her own until she bite her lip and it faded away.

Aina was on the floor again and couldn’t remember the second it had taken to fall. Self-awareness returned slowly. Her right arm was pins and needles of numbness, her weapon was rocking on the ground by her feet, and tears were streaming unbidden from her eyes. She was braced unsteadily between one knee and a trembling left hand. Consumed by the shock of the injury, it took a moment more for her to realize the warm, firm something on which her forehead was resting was Saizo’s upright leg. She didn’t fight the contact. And surprisingly, neither did he.

“Why do you hesitate, Saizo? Finish it.”

The voice barked unmercifully from behind her and Aina tensed, fully expecting Saizo’s bracing leg to vanish and another blow to fall. For though she was slumped on bended knee and unarmed, the round wasn’t technically lost until a shoulder or back hit the floor.

Saizo’s leg remained and a moment that seemed an eternity passed in tense silence. Then from somewhere above, she sensed her opponent’s heavy gaze leave her before he spoke.

“...She’s already lost.” His voice sounded as callous as the master’s, but still he didn’t move or push her away.

“Has she… How disappointing.”

As the slight jingle of Sandayu rising reached her ears, she felt the tension in the room rise with him. Dreading his own hand reaching out to level her, Aina forced herself to open her eyes and lifted her head. She didn’t look toward the master, or even up at Saizo’s face somewhere above. She felt too much shame to attempt either. Instead, she stared straight ahead into the dusty cloth covering Saizo’s knee and waited. Thankfully when Sandayu spoke again, he sounded no closer.

“...Leave.”

Saizo’s leg gave the slightest flinch in response, but Aina knew immediately that the command had not been meant for him. It was never the victor that was asked to depart. Lip between her teeth to hold her grimace back, Aina shifted her weight and prepared to stand. It was a far greater struggle to keep the pain from revealing itself in her response as she said, “...Yes, Sensei.”

Saizo turned his hand slightly before her eyes. It was a silent offer of help up off the floor that he had certainly never offered before. And though she felt the usual scoff of derision rise in her throat, there was a smallest temptation to take it as well. In the end, she ignored it out of pride. Sandayu’s eyes were still upon her and she refused to fall any further in her master’s eyes, whatever it cost her.

Hissing quietly through her nose, Aina found her feet unaided and with an obligatory bow, she walked from the room under her own power. Only the slight slope to her shoulders and the tremble in her back revealed the height of her pain.

-------

Like most young ninja, Aina received an animal familiar. Hers came in the form of a young myna; a small black bird with pale bill and a bright yellow eyes. Charmed by the birds melodic whistling cries, Aina had named her gifted companion Yoruuta, meaning ‘night song.’

But while most familiars were a constant companion for their shinobi, Aina’s myna had a singular purpose; to carry covert messages between the master and herself. It was a species known for intelligence and mimicry, making it a perfect choice to deliver complex messages on the fly. Though as hers was still young, goshikimai would have to suffice until he was properly trained. As her early responsibilities were so few, most messages entailed little more than a summons to meet anyway, usually with training or minor missions to follow. But in the weeks that followed Saizo’s arrival, the young bird began delivering something more than words.

Ousted from the fortress following their first bout, Aina had taken up shelter in an abandoned temple outside of the village. But what had been meant as a temporary refuge quickly became a permanent residence when her weekly results failed to improve. Sandayu’s stringent punishment for failure was not repealed, even for a day. Her survival was left completely to her own hands. In the wake of such severe treatment, her adoration of her master might have faltered. But Mooching had an uncharacteristic way of reaffirming her faith.

As she sat nursing her residual injuries in the weeks following Saizo’s arrival, the crested black bird had fluttered down without his usual grace. The reason for his bungling approach was immediately clear. While he usually delivered little more than a quick message in the form of colored rice, he now held a thin, thread-wrapped bundle of herb sprigs between his beak. A quick look told her they were all medicinal, all specifically purposed for the injuries she’d sustained, and all of the herbs were ones she had personally seen in the fortress’s private stores.

Sandayu had sent them to her...?

It seemed an almost absurd possibility considering his public demeanor. Not to mention, his complete lack of compassion in the last seven years. But at the same time, Sandayu alone knew of Yoruuta’s role as her messenger. He alone sent messages between them.

...and he alone had been there to raise her, when no one else had cared to. Maybe, just maybe… that meant he harbored some deeper affection for her than he could to express in so many words. Aina dared to hope.

In the time it took her broken collarbone to mend after her final devastating match, Saizo’s position as Sandayu’s pupil had been secured. She was not given another chance to regain her former position. Though she still received training and missions appropriate to her high level of skill, it was clear she had fallen permanently to number two. But despite his earlier threat, Sandayu had not struck her down for her failure. And the bundle that arrived the night following that bone-shattering bout seemed to confirm her feeble hope as reality. Along with the usual herbs, horsetail, nettle and oat had been added to the mix.

They were all potent remedies for bone repair.

-------

{ Two years later }

The sound of footfalls whispered through the trees like so many leaves in a breeze. So quiet even the birds failed to alight from their branches before the perpetrators had already passed. Three figures, light and lithe, darted through the slopes of Bano valley; the smallest in the lead with her two pursuers several meters behind. And though her breath came in hushed pants and her short hair was damp with sweat, she didn’t have the luxury of a respite.

Thwip. Thwip.

Shurikens splintered the bough where her hands had just been. Aina spared a glance back without breaking her stride but she found only dappled foliage behind. They were still too far back to present a defined target and, judging by their aim, she was fairly confident she offered little more of one to them, at least for the moment. Only their snide comments reached her clearly through the trees.

“Thieving wretch! Get back here!”

“She can’t run forever. She’ll pay, blood or peach.”

No, she couldn’t run forever and the distance between them was closing quickly. A mere nine years old to their twelve, her shorter legs were losing her her lead, and her margin of safety with it.

Thwip. Another blade landed dangerously close.

Turning to favor a more southerly route, Aina led her pursuers into the denser basin below. Here the shadows gathered as thick as oil in the canopy. Their thick cover would make their aim a far more difficult task. And, scattered in the thick foliage around her, the scurryings of the forest inhabitants offered a greater distraction than her own light steps. Here was her best chance.

A large flicker of movement drew her eye. A furry, banded creature was foraging in the bushes below. She reacted immediately, drawing and flinging a straight blade in a single motion. It impacted the soft earth behind the animal with a dramatic spray of soil. And as predicted, the tanuki was off like a shot. With a racket that belied its small size, the animal crashed headlong through the undergrowth ahead. This commotion in caused came in stark contrast to Aina’s silence. For the moment the blade had left her hand, she had froze.

In the shadow of an oak, Aina crouched as still as stone while her pursuers raced past, taking the bait of the tanuki’s noisy escape. Stray strands of hair flitted into her open eyes, her held breath burned in her chest, and the bite of a shuriken wound throbbed in her leg, but still she waited. Finally, when their quiet footfalls had faded into silence and the tempered sounds of birds returned, Aina allowed herself to relax and breath.

As her right hand swept the blood-colored bangs from her face, her left brought up her hard-won prize, level with her eyes. The peach was blushing with over-ripeness and slightly bruised, but it was still whole. And it was all hers.

Smiling in her eagerness, Aina took her first bite right through the tart skin. The juice wash over her tongue and down her throat; wet, firm and impossibly sweet. Even her disciplined composure wavered at the succulence. Aina allowed her eyes to flutter closed in a brief moment of ecstasy.

Sweetness was such a rare taste in Iga. And with the aroma the fruit released at every bite, it was clear why. Even devoured, there was a telling odor that clung to her hand and lips long after it was gone. And she knew that if such scents could attract the flies, it could alert her enemies just as easily. It was a problem she would have to remedy.

Leaving the striped pit tauntingly on the branch in case her pursuers retraced their path, Aina slipped off her perch and moved off into the forest in haste. She didn’t go back the way she’d come or in the direction that she’d been pursued, but toward the small stream memory told her was only a few klicks away.

Even at a even pace, it wasn’t long before the babble of water over rocks could be heard ahead. However, despite the tempting sound, a tug at her senses slowed her pace long before she could reach it. There was a presence in the clearing ahead and her thoughts went immediately to the two boys she’d just led astray. Curling her hand carefully to prevent the wind spreading the tropical scent forward, Aina paused, straining her senses for any details she could gather on the clearing ahead.

The coppery scent of blood was on the air. The sound of erratically splashing water, the whispering scrape of metal on wood, and one low, controlled ventilation. One person lay ahead, a shinobi. And from the sound of it, they had either just drawn or sheathed a blade.

From shadow to shadow and up a wide, river pine, Aina crept. She emerged onto one of the trees sturdy, twisting arms, looked down and froze. She barely dared to draw breath. Her eyes trained on the single figure that crouched at the bank below. He had matured slightly since she’d last seen him last but there was no mistaking that shock of spiky, silver hair.

Saizo.

His back was angled slightly toward her and his red eyes were set firmly on the water splashing between his hands. The blood she’d smelt was there, being cleaningly washed away in the stream. If Saizo knew she was there, he gave no sign of it, but that hardly brought her any measure of comfort. It wouldn’t take long for her breath or her weighty gaze to alert him. IF he didn’t already know.

Aina’s hand ached with the temptation to draw the short sword tied laterally at her back. Anyone else would have taken it without thought, and she certainly had more reason to wish his demise than any of her peers. Sandayu himself might have applauded her for seizing the opportunity. But Aina found herself studying the subtle lines of his back instead. Despite the clear motive calling her to arms, her intrigue out-weighted her ill will.

Rumors were rampant that Saizo was already being tasked with crucial missions outside of Iga province, that a long term placement was soon to come. The thought left a slight bitterness on her tongue. That would have been her role had Saizo not caught the master’s eye. But for all the pain it caused her to admit it, Aina couldn’t deny that his proficiency with the blade far surpassed her own… and it was more than their age gap could excuse. She had never been able to land more than a flesh wounds worth in their many bouts. Saizo had a natural flair that had always eluded her. He wielded his katana with all the grace of a bird on the wing. Even if she were to ambush Saizo now, she would be hard-pressed to win without sustaining serious injury herself.

And…

The memory of his hand held out to her in aide so many years ago came fleetingly to mind. Aina harbored no delusions about his lethality, or the hostility that existed between them. But that tiny, insignificant kindness was a curiosity she still couldn’t explain. She cast the memory forcefully away. With the decision already half made to turn and leave, Aina looked down for a last look at her old adversary and found his distinctive red eyed were already on her.

In the time it took her hand to close around her hilt, he was gone. Adrenaline surged and Aina was already in motion. Short blade drawn and back to the trunk, she turned to meet the distinct weight that had landed on her bough. There crouched Saizo, balanced as easily as a bird on the slender limp, with a playful smile and shuttered eyes. The quiet chuckle that shook his shoulders seemed wildly out of place.

“Jumpy little thing, aren’t we?”

Though her short sword still hung between them, Saizo paid no attention to the sustained threat. His katana was still stealthed and his stance suggested a calm she could not share. While she locked her eyes on him, his curious gaze traveled over her body. His nostrils flared as he looked to her hand, narrowed at to the stain of blood over her wounded thigh and finally came back up to her stubbornly fierce expression. The mirth in his eyes had faded slightly, but it still wasn’t the callous look she had seen from him in battle. It was a searching look, almost...friendly.

“How long-” He started to speak but abruptly stopped, his eyes turning sharp.

She had heard it too. The soft flutter of incoming wings and a familiar whistling call. She recognized it at once as a myna bird, her myna bird. And Aina had a brief moment to wonder why Saizo seemed to have recognized it too. He made no show of surprise either when the feathery shadow landed lightly on a thin limb above and looked down at them with beady eyes. Obviously far too daring a feat for a wild specimen.

It was odd. In order to maintain anonymity, Yoruuta had been carefully trained to only approach when she was alone. And certainly not to interrupt a tense moment such as this. For him to overlook both stop measures...

“Must be important,” Saizo said, mirroring her own thoughts so closely she blinked in surprise. Saizo looked from Yoruuta to Aina, as expectant as the bird itself.

Resigning her held tension with a sigh and a slightly furrowed brow, she lifted her left hand, upturned, for the incoming message. The myna dropped lightly down onto her wrist at the signal and dropped a number of colored rice grains into her open palm. With the precise bobbing of his fiery beak, he rearrange them into the message as it was meant to be read. Her eyes still locked resolutely on the threat before her, Saizo found the message first. He peeked unabashed over the curl of her fingers as the bird worked.

Yorruta finished with a soft whistle and took flight from her arm. Aina pulled her arm in close and risked a glance away to read it herself. The brief flicker of confusion that had narrowed Saizo’s eyes appeared at once in her own.

MEET AT KAOCHIDANI

Aina lingered on it longer than she intended to, such was her surprise. In the last few years, she could count on one hand the variation of orders she had received. It was nearly always a summons to the fortress itself, with training or sparring to follow. Rarer still were time sensitive missions and tasks sent on the fly. But regardless of the message, the master had never left the secluded village on her account. Much less to such a distant destination as the Kaochidani valley. It was a bit...unsettling.

Turning her hand sideways to cast the grains to the ground below, Aina refocused her stare on Saizo and he starred right back. His eyes were no more malicious than before, but they had become fathomless with thought. No words passed between them, but the understanding was clear. Whatever might have come of this meeting, hostile or… otherwise… would have to wait. The village, the mission, and, most of all, the call of the master came before anything else.

Looking briefly between her stubbornly hostile grey eyes, Saizo offered the smallest jerk of his head. Though Aina took it as the promise of safety for her leave, she still slid her short sword away with extreme care, watching him closely for any indication of a broken promise. For a fleeting moment, they sat within arms distance of each other; unarmed and an odd uncertainty hanging in between. Then Aina turned into the heavy shadows and was gone.

Saizo sat starring after her in the gathering dusk.

-------

{ 5 miles Later }

Darkness had well and truly fallen by the time Aina reached the severe slopes of Kaochidani valley. The gloom wasn't strictly due to the late hour however. Menacing clouds had rolled in overhead and a humid wind blew with the promise of a storm to come.

The dense forest that Aina had clung to in her travel fell away at the valleys edge to meet sheer rock face. There was no vegetation to hinder the ominous roar of the surging Shorenji river below and it sounded a dire warning to any local’s ear. The summer had been particularly unkind to this hilly patch of the province. Excessive rains and crumbling sediments had swollen the waters well beyond their usual banks. The jagged rocks that normally peeked up through the calm current were now submerged, and all the more dangerous for it.

A single, narrow footbridge spanned the dividing gap. It was the only crossing in sight for this treacherous valley. And it was the only destination to which she could have been called. The first scattered drops of rain made the ground slick and Aina took extra care in every step on her perilous descent. She was so focused, she already had one foot on the weathered boards of the bridge before she caught sight of what lay ahead.

A solitary silhouette stood at its center, but it wasn’t the one she’d expected to find. And Aina found her hand moving to the hilt of her sword for the second time that day. It wasn’t Sandayu that awaited her at the bridge’s center, but Sumi.

As Aina struggled with the strangeness of this turn of events, her mother’s dark eyes found her. The look was scathing, but not unexpectant. Before Aina could do anything more than glare suspiciously back, her mother had turned unconcernedly away again. She stared pensively down into the valley below. Her nonchalants was such that Aina half considered the possibility that her presence was strictly coincidence before Sumi broke the silence with a leading sigh.

“How long do you intend to make me wait? ...Come here,” she called, sparring Aina another haughty glance.

Aina didn’t move. In her mother’s simple summons, she could hear the echo of Sandayu’s warning years before. “Slip thy guard, and she shall kill you…” It had been three years since those prophetic words had been delivered. And looking into the harsh lines of her mother’s profiled face, it was hard to see her as anything other than the lethal threat she’d been painted. Yet...

...it had to be said that nothing had come of that warning since. Despite a number of visits to the village after her first, Sumi had never sought an audience with her daughter, much less a conflict. She had avoided so much as eye contact with her in fact. The few encounters they had shared had been strictly in Sandayu’s company and largely uneventful. If she’d had any opinion on Aina then, whether motherly or murderous, she had kept it well hidden.

Aina raked the woman’s stance suspiciously but found nothing to warrant concern. She appeared relaxed, with no shadow of a weapon in sight. Alarm bells were screaming in Aina’s head, all of them saying this theory was better left untested. And yet in that faintest possibility that Sumi could want something more was a feeble ray of hope that held her in place.

Family may have been a trivial idea for Iga, but it still existed in its most minimal form. Or at least it did for every other children her age. Tailing the peers in her youth had shown her as much. They had a home to return to each night, where sound sleep could be found. Most of them had food provided, without the looming threat of being poisoned with every bite. And even the most indifferent parent was still a guardian first. Someone who cared. It was a small, but significant luxury that they took for granted. And contrary to anything she might say, it was one Aina had always envied.

Sandayu provided for her instruction, her diet and her bed, but all in their harshest forms. And everything had to be earned. It was hard to say that she had ever received any semblance of real affection from him beyond the bundles of herbs… which had never been confirmed. And curled up alone, battered and bruised most nights despite giving her very best, Aina had harbored the frailest dream. The dream of having a parent that genuinely cared. Of being loved.

Therefore it was against all her better judgement, that Aina chose to brave the gap between them. She took each step more carefully than the last and her hand never left the hilt of her sword. When she was no more than a couple yards away however, her instincts won out. She stopped. Striving to remain reticent, Aina waited. Her mother’s eyes were watching her now and she seemed to chose her words with the utmost care.

“I’ve been told you’re doing well,” Sumi finally said. There was a warmth to her words that Aina has never heard before. From anyone. “...How old are you now? Eight? Nine?”

“...I will be ten next season,” Aina answered, voice flat despite the flaring hope.

The creases by her mother’s eyes deepened at the sound of her daughter’s voice. Her gaze turned momentarily harsh as she studied the fine lines of her daughter’s face. There was a twinge of bitterness that barbed her next words.

“...You look just like your father.”

Aina felt sting like a blade to the chest. Despite the lack of insult in her mother’s tone, it certainly felt like one. She felt her face fall back into apathetic lines, hiding the hurt behind them.

“Why are you here, mother?” she asked, bitingly.

Sumi gave her a calculating look, then untucked one arm from around her chest. In her hand, a small, roll of parchment caught the light of the moon. It immediately drew Aina’s eyes.

“Sandayu has decided that you will take a greater role in the village operations. He thinks you’re ready.”

There was a forced flatness to Sumi’s tone, though Aina hardly noticed it when her words meant so much more. Sumi twisted the paper meaningfully between her forefinger and thumb. A new mission...

Aina had taken a half-step forward before sense pulled her back. Something didn’t feel right. Greater responsibility she could buy. It was what she’d been working toward, after all. And if Saizo was soon to be otherwise occupied, she was the clear choice to take up the mantle. But…

“Why isn’t this coming from the master? Why you?” Aina voiced the questions with every ounce of skepticism she felt. “And why Kaochidani?”

“The mission’s in Ise, and its where I’ve been stationed,” she answered simply, nodding briefly toward the southerly province ahead. “Due to the urgency of your task, the master,” she spat the title with particular venom, though it seemed unrelated to Aina herself, “...bade me deliver the message myself and escort you there.”

Something still felt...off. Even as Aina’s tried to rationalize her suspicions, Sumi heaved a faint sigh of sadness that drew her attentions away. “It’s so seldom that I’m allowed to see you. Thanks to Sandayu’s protection.”

There was an oddly passionate look in her mother’s eyes as she finally held out the mission script for her to take. Drawn in by the sincerity of her words, Aina reached out for the proffered paper.

At least she’d still had the sense to use her left hand.

As her fingers brushed the parchment, Sumi’s other hand was suddenly there. It seized painfully around Aina’s extended wrist. Jerked forward, Aina failed draw her sword in time. A flash of metal and the thin timbers pitched underfoot. Her feet left the ground and Aina’s fingers could find no purchase on her mother’s wrist. Sword forgotten, her other hand clawed empty air as the world turned on its head. And Aina was thrown forward into darkness.

Her mother’s hardened expression, moving rapidly away, told her this had been planned all along.

There was nothing to be done, no time to feel shame.

The bridge was gone. Any hope well out of reach.

All that remained was a blur of wind and stars.

Then sudden contact and pain and blackness swallowed even that.

-------

Aina woke in a storm of water and foam, of darkness and shimmering lights. There was a distant, tingling in her neck but it was the unendurable pressure in her chest that dominated her thoughts. The severe, immediate need to breath. She let go. She inhaled, and found the air rushing in to be cold and impossibly thick. Her body convulsed in protest and she tried again. Waves of water were flooding past her lips and into her lungs. She was drowning. She was dying!

The realization sent panic into Aina’s dulled mind. She fought to move, to live! But found only a tingling weightlessness in her arms. She felt incredibly weak against the heavy current that bombarded her body. Blurry silhouettes were rushing past and swirling blackness surrounded her on all sides. There was no clear direction in which to move and a dense, dark cloud was descending before her eyes with every second the passed.

Flashes of thought drifted in the depth. Of Sandayu and Iga, of spring and bundles of herbs. Of the peach and its sweetness, of Saizo and fluttering, black wings. Of warm summer rain… and her mother’s hollow words...

A sudden, blunt force hit her back and Aina’s chest compress. A blinding pain shattered along her neck where the dull ache had been. As instinct threw her head back in a soundless scream, Aina felt her face break into warm, life-saving air. It was brief relief. A glimpse of a cloudless, starry sky, a lung-full of heaven, and the water returned. But with the air came a clear, forceful resolve. She would not die here!

Clinging to her one breath for every second of life it was worth, Aina forced her eyes to open despite the sting of water and silt. She stared into the storm around her and found light. They were fragments of colors glistening in darkness and they seemed as far away as the stars themselves. But as Aina reached out feebling for them nonetheless, her fingers found purchase on stone. The current beat on her ruthlessly for her effort, but she clung on. Her other hand found grip and Aina emerged into open air. Her own violent coughs threatened to loose her grip and every small progress brought a searing pain.

finally, Aina collapsed on her side in the shallows with little memory of the arduous journey it had taken to crawl there. There was fresh air in her lungs and for the moment, that was all that mattered. She was alive.

As adrenaline began to wear off and her breathing slowed, the first indications became apparent that something was very wrong. She was shivering despite the warm night air. Her left arm still felt oddly numb. And the clammy sensation of blood was tickling over her skin. She had experienced enough  injuries to recognize the symptoms of a bad one.

She ran her more responsive right hand down her neck. Her fingers found an long, ominous tear in her clothes and beneath it… Aina gasped as crippling pain flared at her touch. The wound was deep, stretching from the left side of her neck down her back. She couldn’t tell how far, but her fingers came back with copious amounts of blood. If she didn’t do something to stop it soon, she would die, whether she’d escaped the river or not.

So, despite the wear of fatigue and the intense pain that every movement caused, she forced herself up. Aina removed her kosode and used the soiled remains to bandage the wound. It took a torturous amount of time. And even as she tied the final knot between teeth and her trembling right hand, she knew it had been poorly done. ...but it was the best she could manage on her own.

More exhausted than she could even remember being in her life, she wanted nothing more than to collapse on the spot. But the pounding rain on her back told her that would be a poor choice to make. Half naked, half drowned and covered in blood, she knew she wouldn’t last long so fatally exposed. Survival lessons echoed in her mind; shelter first, rest would follow.

Even as her battered body quivered in protest, Aina stumbled to her feet. It took far longer than it should have for her to calculate direction from the river’s flow and the few stars visible above. Her way finally set, Aina staggered up the steep grade and off into the forest beyond.

------

She lost track of her steps and the time in between. Between the pounding rain and her blurred vision, the forest became a surreal landscape of dreams and mist. When it appeared, the distant house looked more illusion than substance. Mildewed with broken eaves, probably rain-drenched and rotten, it was still shelter. It was salvation. The door was already ajar, as if inviting her in. Aina was so consumed by the promise of rest, her feet had carried her near enough to touch...before she heard the quiet jingle of bells. Scattered thoughts clicked briefly in recognition.

Sandayu.

Aina thought of the herb bundles and imagined deliverance at hand. But even as hope flared, Aina realized she’d overlooked the whisper of words from within the cottage walls. And it wasn’t his alone. The addition of that barbarous female voice froze the breath in her chest.

“...been allowed to live.”

That was Sumi’s hiss. She had no doubt.

“...yet, you ne’r made any assay before tonight.”

And Sandayu’s unmistakable jargon in response.

Aina lost a sense for their words as she tried to make puzzle of these impossibilities. Why was the master here? And with her? Of all people, of all the times… How could they be talking so casually together after… after… Her head and her heart was pounding. Sandayu’s provocative laughter helped her focus by the sheer danger it instilled.

“...Dumplings over flowers, imouto. Your weeds proven more lethal than most the village thorns.”

“AND YOU would have had her SERVE for that alone!”

Cruel laughter again. “Heavens, no. But even weeds serve their purpose.”

Fuzzy as her mind was, Aine couldn’t follow. They seemed to be talking in riddles. And the pounding bullets of rain on her head were doing nothing to help her think… until her mother’s next words left her in no doubt about whom they were speaking.

“Oda’s spawn has no place here, OR PURPOSE.”

“...The subtleties always did escape thou. Why waste a life when its death hath use? Oda could hast fallen to his own discarded seed.” Aina could hear the hollow smile in his voice even as the wall stood between. “...now an un-akined hand will have that task. How dreary…”

“And after?”

The fading humor was just as audible in his words as the smile. “E’en her death shouldst have further another's path.”

Aina backstepped.

What little blood she had left had run cold. She felt lifeless on her feet. Sandayu. Her master, her mentor, was speaking of her death with the same apathy that had graced their lessons together.

Aina turned away from the only shelter in sight. The lingering conversation faded as distance passed.

All the time, all the training. What had it been for? The herbs… the advice… his attentions. It all felt as elusive as a memory now.

Aina walked on. She stumbled more than once into mud and stood again. Her mind was on everything but her footsteps. Some deeper instinct told her she was being too loud. That she should try to control her rapid breathing and her sloshing thread. She should be quiet with threats so close behind. Sumi, and Sandayu.

It hurt more than the wound on her shoulder to lump the master in with the woman. The woman who had just tried to kill her. Their words were still so fresh in her mind. Tears mingled with rain on her cheeks, and she didn’t care. What did it matter? Let them hear, let them come. She had already died once tonight anyway.

Aina stopped. The last thought drowned out every other.

She had already died once tonight.

She looked back. She didn’t know how long she’d been walking in the daze of her thoughts. The abandoned house, with mentor and mother, was long out of sight. And the heavy rain left an impenetrable curtain in between. No one was pursuing her. ...why would they? They thought she had already died, a victim to the river. And Aina made up her mind.

Whoever had walked from the Shorenji river. Whatever spirit had stood outside that house and listened to those words. Whoever it was that would wake up tomorrow, if she saw tomorrow at all... It wasn’t Aina.

Aina had died here in Iga tonight.

(( To be continued….))