It is the age of the civil wars. The land is divided by powerful warlords, who constantly fight each other. Any internal power struggle is an invitation for your neighbors to attack. So it is decided that the firstborn child, regardless of gender, would become the head of the family. The result of this was the birth of the Princess Generals.

Disclaimer: I own nothing about Ambition of Oda Nobuna or Kamen Rider. The only thing I own here is my OC.

Tenth Slice: Intangible Assets

It was early in the afternoon when Motoharu woke up from his nap. Once he got up from his bed and placed his glasses on, he saw Goemon waiting for him. "Did you sleep well?"

"I've already rested earlier," replied the small ninja. "I spoke with the others at the castle and have a situation report for you."

"I'm going to guess that it's pretty bad."

She nodded once. "It won't be long until all of the Imagawa vassals come to attack Kiyosu."

He figured that much since earlier in the morning, they heard that the vassals had begun attacking fortresses in Owari. "Any word from Nobuna-sama?"

"Since returning from Nagara River, she went straight to her room. Nobody has seen her come… out." Goemon's head perked up as a figure came by the entrance of the house.

"Goemon, can you please prepare some tea for everyone?" The small ninja simply got up and left for the kitchen.

"How are you doing, Sensei?" It was Nobusumi at the door and accompanying the young boy was Saitou Dousan.

"I've rested up now so that's good." Motoharu turned to the elder man. "I guess you want that game of shogi now?"

Dousan snorted once as he and the boy entered the home. "There are more important things to consider than a game right now. Answer me this, young man: can the Imagawa be defeated?"

"It's a key event in the Warring States period. It's only after winning this battle that Oda truly becomes a conqueror. But as she is right now…" The young Japanese man sighed. "I don't get it. I really thought I had earned her trust! I thought she would have had faith in me to complete the job!"

"You said it yourself earlier. 'All the people she relied on leave her and die.' Even though that armour of yours is beyond this world, that fear still dominates her mindset. She has experienced that heartbreak many times and the thought that you may be the next one to fall must be too much for her to handle. I ask that you forgive her."

Motoharu took a moment to take Dousan's words in while seeing the tray of tea placed on the floor by Goemon. "So there are severe trust issues that haunt her, huh?"

"During Father's dying days, she and the rest of the clan brought in a number of monks to help cure him with their prayers and methods," began Nobusumi. "When he later died, she killed the monks. The experience left her hating liars and hypocrites. It was also the day that she started disbelieving in God and Buddha."

'That type of behaviour must have really angered a lot of people in her family to the point of using the younger sibling in the first place as an option for clan head,' thought Motoharu to himself.

"Sensei, I know that you can help my sister overcome her problems. Can you please help her?"

The young Japanese man took a sip of his tea. "I think I have an idea. I just need to verify something outside the capital and if my information is correct, this will turn our fortunes around and possibly restore Nobuna-sama to that visionary warlord I met on that day."

"Is this your future knowledge speaking?" asked Dousan.

"More or less. If events remain the same, then the decisive battle will be exactly what Nobuna-sama needs to restore herself."

"Then let me help." This time, it was Inuchiyo at his door. Considering that she was his next door neighbour, he shouldn't be surprised to see her around the area.

"Me too!" piped up Nobusumi.

"We will follow you, Sasaki. Even if it's into the jaws of the devil himself," said Goemon in a solemn tone.

"In that case, let's get our team organized so we can depart quickly," ordered Motoharu.

Elsewhere, Matsudaira Motoyasu watched the explosions go off in the distance at where the next target was located. A few moments later, her loyal shinobi Hattori Hanzo appeared at her side.

"I've burned all their provisions and gunpowder."

"Okay! Let's go kick them around!"

With the order given, the men of Motoyasu marched forward to cut down any who stood in their path.

"So where are we going?" asked Inuchiyo as she walked through the woods with Motoharu.

"We're going to Okehazama. That is where the main Imagawa army is resting according to history," replied the Toei Employee.

"We can't launch an assault of our own," warned Goemon from above a tree branch.

"We're not going to do something like that. We just locate the camp and then Nobuna-sama will go in for the finish." Motoharu cracked a little grin. "You should know me better than that, Goemon."

Still, Inuchiyo looked a bit bothered. "Will she believe your report?"

"I'm certain she will." As they reached a certain point in their trip, Goemon landed on the ground right in front of her master.

"Okehazama Mountain is right there," pointed out the small ninja to a large mountain in the distance.

"A mountain…?" It didn't make sense to Motoharu as he recalled Oda Nobunaga launching a sneak attack while the Imagawa army rested. There had to have been some sort of unnoticed area of access on a level accessible by horses and foot soldiers. "That area isn't all just mountain, is it?"

"Nope! There's a flat part of Okehazama, not just the mountain," replied one of Nobusumi's female bodyguards.

A grin came to Motoharu's face upon hearing that. 'And there's the ticket!'

At the Imagawa camp, the female daimyo helped herself to some grapes while lounging back and relaxing in the sun. "Once Matsudaira's taken Marune, they can take the lead to Kiyosu."

"But our force has suffered heavy casualties," replied the kneeling Hattori Hanzo.

"Ohohoho…!" Imagawa gave a dangerous smile after finishing her little laugh. "You lie. Motoyasu's a crafty one. She would never fight like that."

"…"

"Matsudaira's force is to proceed onwards. Understood?"

"Understood." With Imagawa's mind made up, he vanished out of her sight to deliver the orders to Motoyasu.

The daimyo reached for the small sake saucer, sitting next to her miniature treasure box. "The Mikawa country samurai can be the ones to take all the damage. We will enter the capital elegantly and unscathed. That is how a noble fights."

Just outside the external walls of the camp and hidden in a nearby forest, Sasaki Motoharu nodded to himself as he saw the Imagawa clan symbol with his own eyes. "No doubt about it. That's the Imagawa camp."

"This place has no name but we locals call it Okehazama," replied the same female bodyguard who told him that crucial info earlier.

"A sneak attack from here will do it then. Just like in the history books." Motoharu paused for a moment, remembering some details of the battle. "Nobusumi, I'm counting on you to stall the army and lower their guard. Use song, dance and lots of sake so that when Nobuna-sama comes and launches the sneak attack from here, they won't have a chance to fend off the assault."

"Just leave it to me, Sensei! I'll seduce Yoshimoto!"

Motoharu's eye twitched at the boy's choice of words. The female bodyguards brought by his pupil reacting in a clingy and jealous manner did not help his mood either.

"No fair, Master Nobusumi!"

"Don't cheat on us! Take care of us after the job's done too, okay?"

While Nobusumi laughed heartily, Motoharu just sighed to himself and wondered how a kid that age could be so comfortable with women and be successful with them. Well, that charisma of his is a good intangible asset though. If the kid just applied his charm to every single female daimyo out there, uniting Japan would be a piece of cake.

As Nobusumi's group got to work, the others began making their trip back to Kiyosu. If they moved swiftly and if Nobuna accepted the report, the sneak attack could happen in the evening.

A few seconds after they had passed by a large section of trees, Goemon shoved her master aside in the nick of time just as shuriken embedded themselves in the spot he had previously been occupying. "Imagawa ninjas!"

In an instant, everybody was on alert and had their weapons ready (in Motoharu's case, the Sengoku Driver was on his waist) while they saw several shinobi phase in on tree branches above them. "So you found Yoshimoto's camp. Impressive," said the man who seemed to be the lead ninja with the only portions of his head visible being his eyes, the surrounding skin, and the forehead and black hair.

Two shinobi dropped from their positions above and rushed Motoharu but Inuchiyo and Goemon went into action. Inuchiyo's skills with her yari were more than enough to block the kunai blows and then counter with a hard hit to the stomach, sending him flying back. As for Goemon, her naturally smaller body made her a harder target to hit and she positioned herself perfectly to land a fatal blow with her tanto.

"Sasaki, we'll hold them off," said Goemon once she landed on her feet.

"Just get to the princess!" added Inuchiyo. "That information has to be delivered by you!"

He could understand where Inuchiyo was coming from. Despite the recent sourness, he was certain that Nobuna would still be willing to hear what he had to say. And in a sense, if the report came from someone else, she wouldn't be truly spurred into action.

But first things first. Motoharu grabbed his trusty Blood Orange Lockseed and secured it into his buckle while Goemon blocked a few more shuriken heading his way. "Henshin!"

BLOOD ORANGE!

LOCK ON!

The Cutting Blade did its thing and the fruit from Helheim Forest fell on Motoharu to form his armour.

BLOOD ORANGE ARMS! JA NO MICHI ON STAGE!

"Sasaki, what are you doing?!" asked the alarmed female ninja.

Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim grabbed his two Bujin Rider Lockseeds before unlocking them. "I need to be in this form for protection and to give me a little extra foot speed. Plus, I'm leaving you with some extra help to fend off these ninjas. Double, Kiva… you're up!"

CYCLONE!

JOKER!

"Yosha! Kivat ikuze!"

At once, Bujin Double and Bujin Kiva appeared in their default forms behind Goemon and Inuchiyo.

"I'll be going on ahead. As for my only orders to all of you: stay alive!" With that said, Bujin Gaim began to run deeper into the woods. No time to get out that machine of his as it was pretty dangerous to fly at high speeds in a forest this dense.

"You heard him!" shouted some of the men from the Kawanami Group. "Let's do this!"

As Bujin Gaim got more distance, he felt something in the air shift. On reaction, he whipped out the Daidaimaru and knocked away the shuriken thrown at him with his sword. 'Where did that come from?'

"Excellent defense." Upon hearing the compliment, Bujin Gaim turned to the side where the ninja, the same lead ninja he had spotted earlier, stood straight on the tree bark. "I, Hattori Hanzo, never let my prey escape."

Shit, this wasn't any ordinary ninja. It was freaking Hanzo! History portrayed him as displaying many supernatural abilities, just like what he had seen in front of him right now. "Hanzo… as in Motoyasu's ninja?"

In Hanzo's hands was a kusarigama, a sickle attached to a metal chain. "No enemy has ever seen me and lived."

'Can I outrun him?' His speed in this form didn't seem to be too shabby but considering how Hanzo had caught up easily from earlier, that may not work out. He'll have to try his luck in a direct fight. Gripping his sword, he turned to face Hanzo. "Guess I'll have to try and be the first."

The ninja attacked first, the sickle shooting straight for Bujin Gaim's waist and bouncing off the Sengoku Driver. 'So he's trying to aim for the buckle? At least now I know that he has some knowledge about the belt.' Thank goodness that the Driver was made out of tough material and that the design made it difficult to dislodge Lockseeds from an outside angle.

The Rider began his counterattack but as his sword came down, all it hit was some wood that had been swapped in at the last second by Hanzo. 'All hail the Ninja Log,' thought Motoharu in a sour tone. 'Where is he going to come from next?'

The answer came in the form of a blow to the back of the neck, at the small gap between his helmet and the back of his armour and then followed by many others in Bujin Gaim's blind spots. No matter what Motoharu did, he couldn't keep up with Hanzo's speed and kept getting struck in areas not as well protected by his Arms. Only on a few occasions, he managed to guard the kusarigama strike with his sword but Hanzo left no opening for a counter attack. Swift and merciless strikes to keep him off balance… he had expected this much from that man.

The gap in ability was ridiculously obvious. Hanzo had grown up in the Iga province, home of the Iga ninja school and had likely been training ever since he could walk. He's gone on plenty of missions to further refine and hone his abilities so that when he served his master, they would have an absurdly sharp weapon by their side. The Rider physical enhancements could only do so much for Motoharu. There was no way he could win a fight with Hanzo if he had plenty of space to move around quickly. Even if Motoharu used his Blood Orange Charge function to destroy as much of the surrounding area as he could, that would just use up his energy and leave him more vulnerable to Hanzo's strikes.

And Hanzo's victory conditions didn't necessarily lie in defeating the Rider. Since his usual human assassination techniques would not be effective on one wearing Rider armour, he could simply go for a prolonged battle and keep Bujin Gaim occupied. As long as Nobuna didn't get that information by the time the Imagawa vassals made it to the capital, then Imagawa would win.

Motoharu would need something else in order to get out of this fight. He could try using his flying machine to escape but considering how well Hanzo had his eye on him, that Lockseed would probably be knocked away from him before he could summon the vehicle. He was fighting a losing battle as well. So all he could do was convince the ninja that letting him go would be in his best interests which would be tied in with Motoyasu's well-being. 'Now I have it!'

"Imagawa Yoshimoto will never let Motoyasu have Mikawa. One day, she will sacrifice Motoyasu for her own ambitions." It seemed that he was talking to himself when he knew Hanzo could hear him quite clearly. "This is the best opportunity for Motoyasu to have her independence."

"So you would have my Lord rebel?" asked the echoing voice of Hanzo throughout the forest.

"She won't have to. Nobuna-sama will defeat Imagawa and be the victor of the battle at Okehazama. This is the outcome written in history."

"If Oda attacks Mikawa after her victory, then we gain nothing," countered the hidden ninja.

"You're skilled with information gathering. After all, you knew that my belt is tied with my armour and tried to target it in our little fight earlier. With that in mind, you know that Oda Nobuna will recognize Motoyasu's abilities and treat her better than Imagawa. If you have seen the bonds between her and her Generals and her soldiers, then having Motoyasu ally with Oda will be in your master's best interests."

There was a long pause before Hanzo chuckled. "Heh… as I expected. You are the key. Just know this… if the alliance does not come to pass, I will kill you someday."

With that, Motoharu could no longer feel Hanzo's presence in the forest. 'Phew… that was a scary encounter. Now to get to Kiyosu!'

"Washidzu and Marune have both fallen. Our forces have been wiped out," reported the female scout to the other Oda retainers in the main chamber.

"We have to surrender!" shouted one of the male retainers.

"And surrender the Princess to the enemy?" sharply reprimanded Niwa. "No retainer should speak those words. Zero points."

"Stupid woman…"

"And you're a man whining like a little girl!" growled Katsuie. Before the argument could escalate, they heard footsteps from outside and turned their heads to see Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim at the entrance. He seemed quite a bit out of breath.

"Nobuna-sama… is she still in… her room?" They were all too surprised to see him but at least Niwa recovered from it quickly.

"Yes, she's still there."

Without wasting a moment, he headed straight to her chamber where she had been playing around with a piano. The sudden commotion caused her to look behind. "Saru! Where have you been all day?"

LOCK OFF!

The Lockseed detached from the belt and the armour vanished, leaving an exhausted Motoharu about to collapse. In a second, she moved over to catch him and help him down to catch his breath. "I've found Yoshimoto's camp. They're at the base of Okehazama Mountain on the east side. She has about 5,000 men there. Right now, they're resting and completely cut off from the rest of the forces. Nobusumi's group is stalling them right now."

Nobuna took a moment to digest this information. "What type of future do you see?"

"That's up to you, Nobuna-sama. You choose what to do and I'll keep my mouth shut and follow you." This should help in repairing the damaged trust. "It's the least I can do to make up for going on my own earlier to save Dousan."

"Saru…"

"Nobuna-sama, I never really understood the extent of your trust issues until now. Nobusumi told me a few things. About how the trust you put in the monks was shattered when your Father died and how it made you a disbeliever of God and Buddha. Frankly, I'm not much of a religious person myself. So it's fine if you don't want to believe in them but what you should do is put your faith in the people around you. If they confidently declare that they will complete a job or a task, let them go about it and only step in if they ask for a little extra support or assistance. That's how a superior should act in regards to their subordinates."

"Believe in Inuchiyo? Riku… Machiyo…" Her golden eyes locked straight on to Motoharu's face. "And you…"

"Nobuna-sama, won't you believe in me? Even if there is no God or Buddha… there is Kamen Rider."

There was a brief moment of silence before something shifted in Nobuna. Gone was the moping girl from most of today and instead, replaced with the warlord he had met when he first arrived in the Warring States era. "So Okehazama, huh?"

Motoharu nodded while he had a small smile on his face, glad to see her back.

"Dearu ka."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well, this came out a bit later than expected due to my Super Heroine Chronicle story starting to take off in terms of reader response and how fun it is to work a new angle into it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter.