It was night. A deep dark night, but something was wrong. While the stars shone quietly on the horizon, suddenly the night was disturbed. A scream was piercing through the night, and then the sound of a hundred hooves trampling over the earth. It came nearer.... Through the grass, at the top of a lot of riders with torches, the leader rode, shouting in English:"Are you ready guys?!!".

Having folded his hands, and not being affected by the speed he rode, on the horse sat the reverential leader of a squad of the great Date clan, he was the ruler of. Called the Dokuganryū, meaning One-Eyed Dragon, he was a young, mighty man who wore a patch over his right eye. He had brown hair lying beneath his massive helmet. And his armor, Azure, like Date's soul itself was.

There were 3 swords to his right and 3 swords to his left. He had an fighting style of wielding 6 swords at once, making him unbelievably strong. Yes, this man was not just anyone...he was strong. "Put the guns on!", he shouted to his own small army. "YEAAH!!", they shouted back, in admiration to their leader. He had proven them, proven that he was worthy of being called "the strongest", so they followed him.

Finally looking back at them, he screamed again:"Okay! Go crazy and have fun!", and so, dashing through the grass, they rode towards their battle. "The party's about to begin!" Agreeing shouts and upraised torches and flags followed as the army moved. "Here we go!"

Swords clashing, blood being spilled, he rode over the top of a hill, the horse rearing up, the warrior cried out:

"Date Masamune, Head of Ooshuu, charging in!"

Full of confidence and mischief he lead them on to their enemy. Jumping of his horse and drawing all 6 swords at once with an battlesome grin...he attacked.

It was day in an big, japanese castle. High, as the building was, it was also a fortress. Massive dark roofes piled up, becoming smaller and smaller the higher it got. And at the top, the master of the castle was. It seemed like a calm day for the guards, when suddenly, someone pounded at the door. And they had to be very strong, because the door bent and cried under it's harsh treatment.

Puzzled, the guards looked at the door and took a few steps back, holding their spears in front of them. But it was too late...at the 3rd pound, the door suddenly exploded, throwing the guards off their feet, and into the castle rode...a young man with two crimson spears as weapons, jūmonji-yari, burning with a fierce flame at each end, he was holding his 2 weapons over his head.

He seemed to have short brown hair, but at the back one could see the long hair that was tied up, going over bis back. He was wearing a crimson armor, resembling more a jacket, that was open, allowing his naked chest to come into view,and his soul was crimson, like the flames he wielded. "A castle gate like this can't stop my spears!". Riding in full speed, he passed numerous guards, then took a flying leap off the horse with a battle cry "Conquest of heaven!" he landed with two feet on the ground, showing the force he had.

"The last spear! Sanada Yukimura!" Now his spears flashed up with their flames and he held one in front of his, announcing his enemies:"If you are promising and challenge me, I shall be your opponent!". In a blink of an eye he was surrounded by at least 30 guards, every single one of them holding their weapons in his direction. Taking one of his spears, he swirled it around, then, jumped and attacked with all his might. "Please watch me, Oyakata-sama! (*meaning Master)" "I will plant your flag in the capital!".

In front of the castle, that was being more and more destroyed by the powerful attacks of just one man, Sanada Yukimura, his master waited with his army, Takeda Shingen. The man was old, wearing a massive helmet with two minatory horns.

Having beaten the guards, he had made the way clear for his master and the troops, that now stepped into the castle. Turning his back to his troops and master, he shouted:"Behold the power of Takeda!"

Wielding 6 swords, 3 per hand between his fingers, the Azure warrior cut down his opponents with formidable attacks.

With his two spears, the Crimson warrior almost raised a fire storm, winning his battle.

There was a rising trend of the lower overcoming the higher, called "Gekokujou". Open hostilities, started by generals swept over the entire nation, and the power structure of the Warring States Era, called Sengoku, was rapidly changing.

It was nightfall, and thr troops of Takeda Shingen had gathered and stood still in their formation. Encircled by them, in the middle stood their master and the crimson warrior. They were waiting for the ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. Takeda spoke:"How are things, Sasuke?" and at this moment he appeared behind them, kneeling down and reporting. "Just as you thought."

"Hm..", the master said appreciative. "Yukimura yo.."

"Hah!",the warrior answered.

"..take a seperate troop and attack from the rear." Surprised at his masters desicion, he asked upset:"What?!"

"Master, with respect, it is the Takeda way to attack head-on with full force", he said histrionicly, "-even if the enemy outnumbers us three to-"

"FOOL!", Takeda shouted and punched his subordinate, who fell to the ground. "Gwah!"

"War is not waged with frontal attacks alone! If we only use one tactic, it will lead to our downfall, Yukimura."

"B-But", Yukimura stood up again, "you and Kenshin are rivals." He stepped to his leader. "If we perform a surprise attack, it will tarnish your reputation!"

*BAMMM*, "Guaah!" , another punch, that blew Yukimura away.

"Precisely because he is my rival!"

Under pain, he kneeled.

"To rephrase, this is a feint. All you need to do is defeat his soldiers and generals and evict Kenshin."

"Master!"

"I will call it the Woodpecker Strategy. If we fail, history may judge it foolish and censure us, SO-!", he turned to Yukimura.

"-You and I must succeed!!!" he said with a mighty voice.

Emotionally Sanada answered: "Master! I failed you by missing how much thought you had put into this!", he came up to his master again.

"I will succeed in this mission even at the cost of my life!"

"Hm, I'm counting on you Yukimura."

"Master!", he said theatralicly.

"Yukimura!"

"Master!!"

"Yukimura!!"

"Master!!!"

While they were exchanging names emotionally, Sasuke just continued to kneel, saying "My, my.."
Then the crimson warrior departed with one troop, taking his 2 spears in his hands.

After he was gone, Sasuke asked:"Are you sure, Master? Shouldn't you have told Sanada-danna (*meaning master Sanada) the real reasoning behind the strategy ?"

"He will succeed even without being told. He must, or it will be the end of him."

At the enemy's camp, their leader Kenshin was practicing with his sword, when he suddenly stopped and put his sword back into his scabbard. "So you've returned, Kasuga." At the entrance stood a blond woman, looking like a ninja, answering him "Yes, sir." and blushing, before coming up in front of her Master and kneeling down, head towards the ground.
With a clear voice, she spoke:"As you predicted, Kenshin-sama, Ooshuu's One-Eyed Dragon is approaching to take us from the rear."

"I see. I was afraid they might use the momentum from crushing their enemies in the far north to come here, but. As I thought.."

"And...", the woman attached.

"What is it?"

Still blushing, she looked away: "Well..a division of Takeda's forces are coming round and are headed here, to Mount Saijo."

Suprised at this, Kenshin looked at her.

She continued:"I'm afraid they plan on performing a surprise attack under cover of darkness.", then when she looked up, she was surprised at her Master, who was smiling lightly.

"Such a clever act for the Tiger of Kai.", Kenshin said and stepped to her and kneeled down to be at the same height as her. "Now I can fight to my heart's content.". He held one hand at the cheeck of the more and more blushing Kunoichi (*female Ninja). "Good work, my beautiful sword." Then he stood up again and shouted to his troops:"Everyone, prepare to move out! Follow me with faith in your hearts!!! Our target is the Tiger of Kai alone!!!"

Stepping forward and drawing his sword, he called a battlecry: "Heaven's will is on our side! We have the blessing of Bishamonten!"
Aggreingly, his troops roared.

(*Bishamonten is the god of war, Kenshin believed in. In fact, many of his followers and others believed him to be the avatar of Bishamonten, and called Kenshin god of war.)

Through the woods, flags and torches were seen moving in amazing speed. The One-Eyed Dragon was moving with his troops.

"Lord Masamune!", a man was calling for his master.

"Ah, what's up, Kojurou?"

The tactican answered:"We should stop our forces and send an advance party to Mount Saijo!"

"Huh?"

"It's uneasy. It's like they're waiting for us."

"Hah! Isn't that perfect! It wouldn't be unusual for them to be that cocky."

"But! Then it wouldn't be a surprise attack!"

"No problem!", Masamune answered in English. "Let's go Kojurou!" and he rode further forward. Extending his hand after his Master, the tactican didn't look very happy, but soon a smile was on his face, thinking:Yareyare(My-my), that's expected of our leader, huh?

Soon, arrived at Kenshin's former camp, the blue Lord said:"Looks like we made it just after he left to face off with old man Takeda."

"Or it could be a trap.", said Kojurou, advancing with his horse beside his leader.

Suddenly they heard war cries, and then a red troop came out of the other side of the wood. At the head of the troop was Yukimura, catching sight of the other blue troop, thinking: That's not Uesugi Kenshin!

Immediately he called out to the troops to halt:"All forces, halt!"Drawing his two spears from his back he shouted:"Stop!". Then, leaping off his horse with an acrobatic jump, he landed a bit away from the foreign troops and looked at them carefully.

A quarter-moon headdress and one eye..."Could he be Ooshuu's One-Eyed Dragon?!". The red troops whispered in awe:"It's Date Masamune!" The Lord spoken off grinned and exchanged looks with his tactican at the recognition.

In battle-mode the crimson warrior said:"I am Sanada Genjurou Yukimura! Date Masamune,Head of Ooshuu, I presume! Why are you here?!"

Grinning he answered:"Red one."

"Red...how rude!"

"You're just Takeda's pawn, right?", Date said and jumped off his horse and laid a hand on one of his swords.

"I'm going to Kawanaka Island after Uesugi."

The young crimson warrior was surprised, then the azure one said with a high-spirited look, sharpning his eyes:

"Run away, or stop me here. Either way, Date's going to win."

Angered Yukimura asked:"I don't see why you're so sure you'll win!"

"It means being cool isn't all the One-Eyed Dragon is good for." "You see?", he added cocky in English.

Then Sanada held his weapon ready before him and answered ignited by these words:"I will not allow you to interfere with the battle between my master and Kenshin!"

"Perfect. Kojirou! Don't let anyone interfere."

"Understood!"

In a bold movement, he drew his sword and pointed it at Sanada, shouting:"Head of Ooshuu, Date Masamune!"

The red one answered:"Sanada Yukimura. I will fight you with full force!"

The crimson warrior shouted:"Now, a fair fight!"

The azure warrior answered:"Charging in!"