Chapter 23

AKIHITO SHIRAHOSHI

Akihito Shirahoshi felt his body ache as he made to open his eyes. The vision was blurry, the injuries from the battles last night had been extensive enough that he had lost consciousness halfway through the journey to the western fort, yet it didn't matter.

For they had won.

At great cost, though, of the initial hundred that had ridden out with him, he had lost twenty-three men last night, yet the number was much greater for their enemies. The Mahiro forces had been routed and had been wiped out from the Western side.

"My lord, you need to rest," came the voice of a servant as he made to sit up, yet he shook his head as he scanned the bandages wrapped around his whole body.

"No, I need to see Kato-san," he told the servant, who nodded.

"I will really your message, but my lord, the healer, said you need rest. You have lost too much blood," the servant said, and he waved him off as he repeated.

"Call Kato-san," he reiterated, and the servant rushed out of the room, leaving him alone with his futon, as he sat up and began to look around the wooden room.

The castle had changed little from what he could see, the room was as he remembered, but yet even as he lay there looking around the room his mind raced as he thought of their next move.

Last night, they had exhausted their most potent weapon in the form of Kirin san's special ability, but given that she was not a shinobi, she could not use it for long and would only be able to use it after a few days at least, which could easily become a week.

Yet her help had been instrumental in directing their forces last night as they had mounted their counterattack.

They had suffered losses but had taken down at least four of Mahiro's samurai, and that number could increase even more when he received word from Gin about his crusade on the Eastern side.

As he was lost in thought, the door to the room slid open as an old man walked in. Dressed in a fine black hakama, his head had no hair, yet despite his age, his face lacked any wrinkles, but he had a long scar running down diagonally across it, mishappening his nose.

This man was the oldest samurai in his lands, Shinohara Kato, and was one of the men who taught him how to wield.

"It is good to see you, Kato-sensei," he said as he tried to stand up and give the man a bow.

"Please, there is no need for that, my lord. Be seated," he said with a smile as he stopped him and sat down opposite to him, beckoning the servant to bring tea.

"When I saw you fall down last night, I had feared the worst, yet it seems you remain as resilient and stubborn as the day I met you, Akihito," he praised him with a smile as Akihito recalled their ungodly training sessions when he was learning to wield a blade from the man.

"It isn't so easy to kill me," he retorted as tea was served, and both of them took a small sip.

"I must say I was rather impressed by Shohei-kun yesterday. You have trained him to be rather formidable," he commended the man's other student, Tachiyama Shohei, the man who had saved them yesterday.

"Ahh, Shohei-kun has grown quite a bit over the years, though I haven't had much to teach him for years now," the old man replied with a smile, and both of them knew that was a lie.

"But I was more impressed with you, my lord. Defeating Watashi Masamune in single combat, even I wouldn't be confident enough to take on the Sword of East like that," he continued with a smile and Akihito shrugged.

"It had to be done, so I did it, though I will not hide my blade played quite a major part in the outcome of the battle," he said as he looked to the side at his katana, and the old man's gaze followed along as he scrutinized the bale before extending his hand and asking for it.

Akihito handed it to him, as he took it out of its sheath and examined it, his eyes lingering on the seal inscribed near its hilt.

"Impressive! I haven't seen such seal work since the fall of Uzushio," he commented surprising him and he nodded.

"I know that work was done by one of the few people who still hold that knowledge," he added.

"I believe you aren't talking about the woman and child you rescued," and he shook his head.

"No, this was someone from Konoha. I had the Senju Princess act as an intermediary for this whole process," he added, and the old man smirked as he handed it back.

"I still find it amusing that the infamous Senju Princess is quite enamored with you, someone so young. It kind of makes me jealous," the old man said lecherously making him roll his eyes.

"She is not enamored with me, we have a simple working relationship," he retorted and the old man's smile widened.

"Yes, a working relationship," he began and Akihito was beginning to get annoyed as he cut off the discussion and turned towards the main reason he had called the man.

"Has there been any word from Gin?" he questioned, and the old man nodded as he reached into his pocket and handed him a rolled up missive.

"This came a few hours, Gin and his forces were able to box in the enemy forces as per the plan, though they weren't as successful as you and one of the samurai was able to manage a somewhat successful retreat. But I believe even that is quite a commendable result," he added and Akihito agreed with him.

"Indeed, this way, the power balance has now shifted," he began as he looked over the missive for any other details, and it seemed Lord Chiba's forces had attacked Lord Saegusa's, hence hampering his ability to aid and coordinate with Mahiro forces.

"Hayama Mahiro's forces have been routed, and we have his son. I can confidently say that we have won the first phase of the war, the old lord is smart enough to see that, and I believe soon letters would arrive for you suing for peace," the old man began as he sipped his tea, giving his assessment.

"But the question is, what do you plan to do, my lord?" the old man questioned.

"Any peace we establish would be a farce," he replied resolutely.

"Lord Mahiro may have begun this war, but it will be I who shall end this," he said, and the old man nodded.

"So, war it is," he questioned, and Akihito nodded.

"War it is. Have the men make preparations. It is time we launch an attack of our own," Akihito declared his intentions.

0000

KATSUGAWA MIYUKI

Katsugawa Miyuki watched as Shizune-san cared for the red-headed Kirin-san, who had become pale and frail. She had seen firsthand as the war efforts were directed from the castle, with missives being sent minute after minute as she used her kekkei genkai to monitor enemy and ally movements.

She had first thought of Kirin-san to be a simple servant, yet last night, she realized that things weren't as simple as they may seem. She had understood that her lord husband was not just a simple lord; just over the few weeks of their marriage, she had met the Senju Princess, who seemed quite familiar with him, and now she had come face to face with a kekkei genkai rumored to be extinct.

"Will she be fine?" she questioned the Shizune-san, who nodded as she got up.

"Yes, thankfully, it's nothing more than exhaustion, she will be fine," she answered as relief bubbled through her.

Both of them then left the room and stood on the balcony of the floor and looked out at the war preparation going on all over the castle as men drilled and armed themselves, preparing themselves for the battle.

"Is Kirin-san a shinobi?" she questioned, and Shizune-san shook her head.

"No, she is not. Though I believe you must have reasoned out from her unique hair color that she is not an average person," Shizune-san answered, and she nodded.

"Yes, those red hair. I remember reading about them in my youth and that last name. I should have recognized it as well," she answered.

"Uzumaki, the red-haired devils of Uzushio," she muttered the name, and Shzune-san nodded.

"Indeed, Kirin-san is an Uzumaki but is a civilian. She is not trained in the ninja arts but was blessed with two Kekkei genkai, making her very valuable and special," Shizune-san.

"But weren't the Uzumakis hunted out and elected after the war, and doesn't Lady Tsunade have an Uzumaki ancestry as well?" she questioned, and Shizune-san nodded, as she replied in a somber tone.

"True, Lady Tsunade's grandmother Lady Mito was an Uzumaki, and it was herself and I who rescued Kirin-san and her daughter from Kusagakurea t the orders of Lord Akihito, it was actually the first time we met him," she answered surprising him.

"Really?" she questioned, and the kunoichi nodded.

"Indeed, it was quite a surprise," Shizune-san chuckled as she continued.

"We were called by the young lord, we were expecting a nonsensical mission as we would often get, and I had thought that I would have to hold back Lady Tsunade from killing the young lord but when we first saw just who had commissioned the mission it took us by surprise," she replied, and she frowned.

"But how did he learn of her?" and Shizune-san didn't rush to answer as she turned to face her.

"That is a secret we still don't know the answer to, that how did a ten-year-old boy know of happenings miles across," she reiterated, surprising him, that even they didn't know the answer even all these years later.

And then, before they could continue, Nakiri-san rushed towards them, her face pale and ashen as she called out to her.

"Princess," she called out, surprising her as she turned to face the brown-haired woman.

"What happened, Nakiri-san?" she questioned. A strange sensation of unease rippled through her as she saw the woman's eyes soften in sadness as she continued.

"My lady, a missive arrived from one of the Fourth Prince's men in the capital," she began as she felt still, her feet rooted to the ground as the older woman put forward a letter.

"The daimyo-sama passed away in the morning!"

0000

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