Here we are with chapter 12! You guys know the deal by now. Sit back and enjoy the chapter. Reviews and feedback are appreciated.

Chapter 12: A Ninja's Path

Each step the ninja took was as silent as the night. Carefully eyeing his target from behind the red banner, Ryuto slowly drew closer and closer. As soon as he walked out from behind the banner, he completely disappeared into thin air. Shingen, who was calmly cooling himself off with his fan, slowly closed his eyes.

"You're pretty good. Not many can creep up this close to me without me noticing," Shingen said. His guards were about to question his comment, but then they felt their vision blurring. They both fell down , their armor clanging as they hit the cold hard ground. Shingen saw a thin but noticeable cut across their necks, as blood began to pool out around them. Without even looking, Shingen knew that Ryuto was standing behind his seat with his back turned to him. The air around them was silent but tense as neither man made a single movement. Without any warning, Ryuto made the first move. Swiping his blade behind him, he aimed for the older man's neck only to be stopped just before it hit. Shingen raised his iron fan to stop the attack without even turning from his seat. Using his other hand, Ryuto aimed his blade to the back to Shingen's head. Before he could attack, a sudden gust of wind blew towards him. The intensity of the winds proved to much, as he was blown all the way back, his back hitting the wall. Opening his eyes, the ninja saw the older man slowly rising from his seat and turning around to face him.

"Sorry, but I can't afford to die before I achieve my goals," Shingen stated brandishing his fan. Glaring at his target, Ryuto slowly took a stance with his gauntlets pointed at the man. He started sprinting towards the man at full speed, his figure barely able to be seen as he became one with the wind. As if predicting his move before he even made it, Shingen had already raised his fan before the ninja moved towards him. Swiping his fan forward at seemingly nothing, Ryuto thought the man attacked randomly only to be proven wrong when he felt something slamming into his side. The unexpected force blew Ryuto back to his original position. His side and left arm still numb from the attack, Ryuto carefully studied the old man, who had a confident smile on his face.

"(What was that? There was no way he could have hit me from that distance... yet the way he waved his fan matched the attack's direction...)" Ryuto thought before preparing to attack once more. This time Ryuto moved from side to side, leaving dark red blurs with each move. Shingen raised his fan again, this time Ryuto carefully watching as he continued moving in an unpredictable pattern. Swiping his fan again, Ryuto caught a glimpse of light energy materializing from his fan. The ninja's eyes widened when he realized the object was a larger version of the man's fan created from his Musou. This time, the fan came at him directly from the center. With him having been able to realize nature of the man's attack, Ryuto was easily able to block the fan with his gauntlets. Despite blocking the attack, the ninja was surprised by the sudden force pushing down on him. The old man proved to be stronger than he expected, as the ninja struggled to hold back the Musou fan, the ground beneath him cracking in the process. Grunting, the ninja used all of his force to knock the fan upwards, catching Shingen off guard and temporarily throwing off his balance.

Using that chance, Ryuto dashed around to the man's side and swung his blade to the old man's neck. Regaining his composure at the last minute, Shingen was able to block the attack and powered his fan with his Musou. With the added power, he swiped his fan at the ninja, hitting his gauntlet and knocking him up into the air. After being thrown into the air, Ryuto saw his chance and fired three arrows to the man's blind spot behind him. Anticipating the attack, Shingen stomped his foot into the ground, causing the earth around him to raise, forming a barrier behind him. The arrows struck the earthen wall and became stuck in them before they could hit Shingen. Landing behind him, Ryuto carefully looked at the new barrier that was formed, as it completely obscured his vision of the Takeda lord.

"Tell me, have you heard of the phrase Furin Kazan? It's something I'm rather fond of. It's a quote by Sun Tzu that I have incorporated into the way I lead my men in battle. It also turns out that the way I fight personally also reflects this teaching. Time for a lesson, ninja. First be as immovable as the mountain," Shingen's voice echoed from behind the wall. Ignoring the man's words, Ryuto dashed forward as he charged his crimson red Musou into his blades. Using both blades, he cross slashed the wall, cleaving it into four parts instantly. His eyes widened when saw no sign of the Takeda lord behind the now destroyed wall. Suddenly sensing a presence behind him, he turned around to be greeted by the sight of Shingen's Musou fan coming towards him.

"Second lesson! Be as silent as the forest!"

Crossing his arms, Ryuto blocked the attack, but the sudden force sent him skidding back several feet away. Putting his arms down, he was surprised to see Shingen already in front of him, his arm ready to swing his fan.

"Be as swift as the wind!" Shingen announced as he swung his fan forward. Instead of hitting Ryuto, the fan instead produced another powerful gust of wind, blowing the ninja into the air. Regaining his balance while in the air, Ryuto fired six arrows down towards Shingen. Unfazed Shingen jumped upwards, cracking the ground from the force of his jump. Flames forming around his fan, Shingen smacked away the arrows, causing flames and sparks to fly from the impact. He was then above Ryuto, who saw the man was already in position to attack with flame empowered fan.

"Lastly, be as fierce as fire!" Shingen exclaimed, bringing his fan down on the ninja. The impact created a pillar of fire that catapulted Ryuto down towards the ground, creating a large shockwave and causing flames to disperse around the area as the ninja was blown into a crater. Groaning in pain, Ryuto struggled to get up. He had several burns on his arms and part of his armor was scorched and ripped. Looking up, he saw Shingen descending down to his spot. Sliding back, he narrowly avoided the old man, who crashed down onto the crater where he just was, completely shattering the ground below him even further.

"Not bad, old man... you're a lot tougher than I expected. I guess that Tiger of Kai title of your's is well earned," Ryuto complimented in a cold tone, as he rubbed his bruises and burns.

"Heh, when you get as old and famous as I am, you're life is constantly in danger. Believe me, you are not the first ninja to have come for my life," Shingen said, his Musou flowing through his fan again. The two stared each other down, their Musou empowering thier own weapons, crimson red through Ryuto's gauntlets, and a larger clear fan materializing from Shingen's fan. The two dashed towards each other and began a fierce clash with their weapons flying towards each other. Ryuto kept launching attack after attack from different angles, leaving a crimson red streak each time he moved. Shingen rapidly met each attack with his fan however, due to the ninja's speed, he did not stay in one location long enough for Shingen to use his full force to push the ninja away. The two kept moving at an extremely fast pace, with neither combatant being able to get the upper hand on the other. Sparks continued to fly as the clash between the two intensified even further. One of Ryuto's attacks then aimed straight for Shingen's face. Just as the older man moved his arm to block, he felt a sudden pain in his chest, causing his arm to twitch and slow down. Although he was still able to deflect the attack, the delay in his reaction allowed Ryuto to continue his attack. The blade of his gauntlet made a loud screeching sound as it scraped against the side of Shingen's mask. Blowing the ninja back with a gust of wind, he was able to prevent another attack. Tightly clutching his chest, Shingen's breathing began to hasten.

"(This is bad... I knew I didn't have much time left, but at this rate)" Shingen thought, as he felt another wave of discomfort pass through his chest. Ryuto was able to sense something change from within Shingen. Seeing his chance, the ninja began running towards the weakened man. As he was running, he felt something rolling by his feet and instinctively jumped at the last second. His instincts would be proven right when multiple explosions were set off beneath him. Looking over to his side, he saw a spear being hurled towards him. Hitting back the spear, it landed beside Katsuyori, who had thrown it. Landing, Ryuto saw Masayuki, who had just arrived in the camp. Suddenly countless Takeda soldiers ran into the camp, completely surrounding the ninja.

"Father! Are you alright?" Katsuyori asked worriedly as he rushed to the man's side.

"Ah, Katsuyori, Masayuki, your timing is as impeccable as ever," Shingen said, letting out a deep breath. The Takeda troops slowly approached the ninja, who saw no easy way to escape.

"I suggest you give up, ninja. There's no chance of you escaping here on your own," Masayuki stated, pointing his poleaxe at the ninja. Brandishing his blades, Ryuto prepared to fight against the horde that surrounded him. Fully accepting his fate, the ninja prepared to leap forward, but stopped when he sensed something coming. Many screams and panicked voices rang throughout the area causing everyone turned to the entrance of the camp. Everyone's eyes widened when several Takeda men were thrown through the entrance, skidding on their backs. Appearing after them was Ren, who was riding atop the Storm Runner. Cutting down several men along the way, Ren continued to ride forward.

Having his horse jump over several men, Ren aimed his spear straight towards Shingen. Shingen quickly blocked the attack from Ren with his fan. The two were caught in a blade lock until Ren quickly began overpowering the old man, slowly pushing him down. Sensing something from behind him, Ren let go of Shingen and swung his spear back, hitting Masayuki's axe. The two intently stared at each other as they continued to trade blows. Just as Masayuki began charging at him again, he saw Shingen and the others rushing at him from each direction. Charging flames into his blade, he released it all at once, pushing everyone back with the intensity of the heat. Using that chance, Ren rushed over to Ryuto. The ninja couldn't react as Ren grabbed Ryuto by the back of his shirt, pulling him onto Storm Runner. Securing his ally, Ren quickly raced out the camp the way he came. Due to Tatsu's speed, as well as everyone still recovering from his last attack, no one could stop him as he rushed outside.

"My lord, are you alright?" Masayuki asked, rushing to Shingen's side.

"Yes, yes. Don't worry. More importantly, who was that just now?" Shingen asked, intrigued.

"That was Ujiyasu Hōjō's son, Ren," Masayuki replied.

"Ah, I see. That's the one they call the dragon. Haha, I can see why Kenshin took a liking to him. No one else but Kenshin has ever had the audacity to ride into my camp alone like that," Shingen said, amused.

"Father, what should we do now? Should we pursue them?" Katsuyori asked to which Shingen just shook his head and waved his hand.

"No, forget it. You saw how fast that mount of his was right? I can tell you right now that there's not a single horse in our army that can catch up to that. Beside as tired as everyone is right now, there's little point. Let's return to Kai. Once our army has rested and replenished our supplies, we'll make our next move," Shingen ordered, as everyone nodded and quickly rushed to make their preparations. While they did so, Shingen slowly return to his seat, and sat down with a loud sigh.

"Ujiyasu is troublesome enough, and now his boy is going to prove to be trouble too... There's not much time left, I need to settle this soon. I must silence the Lion as well as another Dragon," Shingen whispered to himself, as he looked to the sky above.

(Suruga Forest, Suruga)

After riding away in silence for several minutes, the two eventually stopped at a lake to allow Tatsu to rest. Dismounting, Ren took a seat on the ground while his horse began to drink from the lake. Ryuto meanwhile leaned against a tree. The two stay in complete silence until Ren decided to speak up.

"So... you want to explain why made such a dangerous decision without orders?" Ren asked.

"I was never ordered to not go after Shingen. I finished my task and saw a chance to finish things," Ryuto replied coldly.

"You could've gotten yourself killed. I know you're strong, but even so you can't take risks like that by yourself," Ren said, frowning.

"I'm just a single ninja. My duty is to ensure victory for our forces. If I could've killed Shingen right then and there at the cost of my life, then I would've gladly done so," Ryuto replied.

"Why are you so insistent on your life being worth so little? Ninja or not, no one's life should just be tossed away like that," Ren said.

"Hm, Master says the same thing, but I can't accept that. It's just how I've always been. I don't see how I'm capable of doing anything else. My purpose is fulfill my missions. Whether or not I survive is of little consequence," Ryuto said with an emotionless look in his eyes.

"How you've always been? Does that mean that you were originally from somewhere else?" Ren asked. Ryuto's narrowed and he let out a sigh through his mask.

"You are my lord, so I suppose it's only right you know about me," Ryuto said, his voice sounding lonelier than usual. Ren turned around to face him, as Ryuto stared at the ground.

"I wasn't always part of the Fuma... I was originally from the Kyoto. There I was raised and trained to be a ninja from birth by a notorious yet secret group of ninja mercenaries called the Black Vipers. Ever since I was seven, I've been carrying out assassinations and eventually became proficient at it," Ryuto explained.

"Black Vipers?" Ren asked, having never heard of that name.

"They were considered the most powerful and dangerous group of ninjas that had tremendous influence and connections throughout the capital. Usually wealthy and powerful officials and lords would often hire them to handle assassinations and other missions like that to handle their enemies. They didn't care who hired them or for what purpose. All that mattered was money," Ryuto said, staring intently at the ground.

"I'm guessing they were hired quite often considering how much chaos the capital had been years," Ren said to which Ryuto nodded.

"Indeed. We were constantly hired to kill political opponents. One minute we were hired by one man then the next we had to kill someone who had just hired our services. As long we got paid, it didn't matter what happened. That was the way our leader ran things," Ryuto explained.

"He sounds pretty ruthless," Ren said, frowning.

"He was. He was even referred to as the Viper of Kyoto. In terms of strength, I'd say he's within the same realm as Master. He was a cold blooded man who only cared for money and power. Thanks to all of the powerful officials who had hired his services, the Black Vipers soon became a very influential force in the dealings in the capital. Soon we received a mission from the Shogun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga, who was beginning to regain great influence and strength for the Shogunate. Our mission was to kill the leaders and families of the Miyoshi clan, who Yoshiteru was in struggle for power against," Ryuto said.

"That's right, the Ashikaga and Miyoshi clans were in a power struggle for control of the government. So you were thrown into that battle too?" Ren asked. Ryuto nodded as he continued.

"By then I had already completely countless missions on my own and had gained the full trust of our leader. Knowing just how important this task was, he assigned me along with five other elites to handle this. If we were successful then the Black Vipers would've had the full trust of Ashikaga and we would've gained more power than ever. I didn't think much of it, I just simply thought it was another mission until..." Ryuto's eye's narrowed, as he appeared to struggle a bit.

"When we got there, the lords were already gone, but their families were still in the castle. I entered first to deal with it myself while the others stood guard. There I encountered a little girl who was still asleep,"

(Flashback)

While the young girl was sound asleep in her room, Ryuto slowly approached her, his blades brandished from his gauntlets. He suddenly stopped when the girl rolled over in her sleep, now facing him. She had a calm and peaceful face as she lightly snored. Just as Ryuto raised his hand, he noticed himself shaking.

"(W-What's going on with me? Why can't I bring myself to do this?)" Ryuto thought as he looked at the girls face. Her slow movements as she breathed in and out and the way her lips slowly moved in her sleep only continued to make the young ninja hesitate. Having only ever targeted older individuals, Ryuto had never had to deal with this new feeling. He tried to make his hand move, but whenever he did, he felt his gut getting tighter. After two minutes of struggling, he lowered his hand in defeat.

"(I-I can't do it... What's wrong with me?)" Ryuto pondered, looking at his shaking hands. Sighing he turned around, but noticed his allies coming in through the window. They were five men, each dressed in black and purple gi much like him.

"Ryuto, what's taking so long? The Miyoshi will be back any second now. We need to clear this place up and ambush them when they least expect it," one of them stated.

"I know... but I can't bring myself to do it..." Ryuto said in a low tone.

"You can't do it? The boss fully trusts you. Haven't you killed countless others? How is this any different?" another one asked. The then looked over at the sleeping girl and realized what was going on.

"Ah, I see. This is your first time dealing with children. I guess I can't blame you since you're so young. Fine, we'll deal with this ourselves," one of them said. He then pulled out a knife and slowly approached the child. Ryuto's eyes widened as he raised his knife, moonlight reflecting off the blade. His heart started beating faster, as he saw the knife nearing the child. His body moving on it's own, Ryuto moved forward. Just before the blade made contact with the girls flesh, it made a clinging sound as it hit Ryuto's blade. The ninja's eyes widened as he saw a fierce glare from his ally.

"Ryuto, what are you doing? Have you forgotten our mission?" he asked in a serious tone.

"I know our mission, but how can we just slaughter innocent children like this. Corrupt officials and lords are one thing, but can we not spare these children who have nothing to do with anything?" Ryuto asked, using all of his strength to keep the ninja's knife from reaching the oblivious girl.

"Our mission is absolute. Our lives are not our own. We simply do as we are told. That is the creed we live by. Have you forgotten all of that? If so, then we'll bring you back to the boss. He'll be sure to set you straight," another ninja said, unsheathing his sword. He rushed over to Ryuto. Kicking away the ninja with the knife, Ryuto blocked the sword that came for him.

"If you are going to get in our way then you are an obstacle to our mission," The ninja with the sword stated as he continued to slash at Ryuto. Making sure the girl was out of harms way, Ryuto went on the offensive. Kicking the ninja's sword into the air, it embedded itself into the roof. Ryuto cut across the ninja's neck with speed too fast for him to see. As he was about to rush towards Ryuto, he felt his neck splitting, as blood began pooling out. Unable to move his body, he fell to the ground. Seeing his allies death, the ninja with the knife lunged forward. Ryuto dodged his attack and quickly swiped his hand up. The ninja's vision darkened, as he fell onto his back, a visible cut seen in the center of his face from his chin to his forehead.

Looking to his side, the remaining three ninjas had pulled out their weapons and glared daggers at him. Two of them pulled out a chain sickle while the other unsheathed two knives from his back. Ryuto prepared to jump up as he saw two chains flying towards him. The ninja abruptly stopped however, once he realized that the girl was behind him, and would be hit if he dodged. Making up his mind, Ryuto aimed to cut the chains that came from both sides. His eyes widened when his blades failed to hit anything, as the chains suddenly changed direction. The cold hard chains wrapped around each of his arms, as the two ninjas moved to opposite sides of the room, pulling Ryuto's arms to his sides. They then simultaneously tossed their sickles at the ninja's neck with the aim to decapitate him. Unfazed, Ryuto lowered his head, as the blades passed over him. As they did so, he aimed his gauntlets at the two ninjas. Without even looking, he fired an arrow from each gauntlet. The one on the left was shot right in his forehead, killing him instantly. The other was able to move his body just in time to avoid the same fate, but the arrow still impaled his arm, forcing him to drop his chain. Seeing his comrades falling one after another, the ninja with the knives quickly dashed out the window with a panicked face.

"Hehe, I see why everyone is so afraid of you. That won't matter though once the boss hears about this," the ninja said slyly while clutching his bleeding arm. His wound was too serious, as he slumped on the ground. Ryuto closed his eyes, as he fired another arrow into the ninja's chest, immediately killing him. Afterwards, he rushed over to the window and saw the last ninja dashing through the trees outside. Carefully aiming his gauntlet, Ryuto focused on his moving target. Infusing his red Musou into thec crossbow, he fired Musou powered arrow out the window. With it's speed and power amplified many times over, the arrow soon struck the unsuspecting ninja in the back, causing him to fall from the tree to the hard ground below with a loud thud. With his last target eliminated, Ryuto looked around the room where four of his former allies lied defeated, covered in puddles of their own blood. Staring at his shaking hands, Ryuto frowned.

"What did I just do... Why did I do this?" Ryuto contemplated. He heard some rustling, as he turned around to see the little girl slowly waking up from her slumber. He then heard many heavy footsteps nearing the room.

"What's going here?!" A guard yelled out as he forcefully opened the door. He was followed by two others, each with their weapons unsheathed. Their eye's widened, as they saw corpses of the four assassins. Beside them, they saw the girl slowly getting up from her sleep.

"Mmmh, what's going on?" the little girl groggily asked, as she rubbed her eyes. The guards were speechless at the sight before them. One quickly ran off to inform the others while the remaining two looked around the room, but were unable to find anyone else. By then Ryuto was already several meters away from the castle. He hastily ran under the cover of the night. Behind him, he could hear the castle getting on high alert after discovering the others ninjas.

"I can't go back to Kyoto. Not after this... But where can I go?" Ryuto pondered as he continued to run aimlessly through the night.

(End Flashback)

"And that's how I eventually ended up in Kanto," Ryuto explained, his eyes closed as he finished recalling his story. Ren remained silent, as he Ryuto reopened his purple eyes to reveal a conflicted look.

"After that happened, the Miyoshi found out about our assassination attempt and the Black Vipers became an enemy of theirs. To make matters even worse, the Ashikaga believed we betrayed them, effectively making both sides to consider us an enemy. When this happened, the Black Vipers lost virtually all influence they had in the capital and were quickly hunted down by both forces. I hear they suffered heavy losses in the ensuing chaos and were forced to go into even deeper hiding. Now that the Oda control the capital, it is very likely they have been wiped out as a result of his total control," Ryuto said, his hands clutching his arms.

"It was because of my actions that so many ended up dying as a result. After that, I decided to fulfill my missions no matter the cost. I still don't know if the choice I made was the right one..." Ryuto said solemnly.

"That wasn't your fault!" Ren exclaimed in a serious tone, taking the ninja by surprise.

"You can't blame yourself for something like that. If they were constantly having dealings like that then sooner or later they would've met this fate," Ren explained.

"Maybe... but I was still the one who cut down my comrades because I couldn't go through with the mission," Ryuto replied.

"What happened then wasn't your fault. You made the right choice. Ninja or not, you are still a person with a heart. Anyone with sense would've hesitated had they been forced to do that. You don't have to do everything by yourself just because you feel like it's your duty. We're your allies and friends. Don't ever try to do something so dangerous by yourself, we'll always be there to help you out," Ren said.

"My lord..." Ryuto was shocked by his lord's reaction. Recomposing himself, he turned his back to him.

"I'll keep those words in mind," Ryuto said, his voice returning to his normal emotionless tone. Ren smiled and shook his head. He then felt something nudging his shoulder and saw it was Tatsu. Seeing his horse rested and ready, the two prepared to set off.

"No more rushing off on your own, understand? That's an order," Ren said, mounting Tatsu.

"Hm funny, considering you just charged into the Takeda camp by yourself. It's one thing for a ninja like me to do that, but a commander doing that is beyond foolish," Ryuto replied, getting behind his lord on the horse.

"Heh, maybe so. I guess we both need to keep an eye on each other then," Ren said before the two began riding off.

(Sunpu Manor, Suruga)

Ujiyasu let out a sigh as he looked at the sight before him. Hearing the sound of hooves approaching, he turned around to see Ren and Ryuto emerging from the forest.

"Oh, you're finally back. I see you picked up our runaway ninja too," Ujiyasu commented, as the two dismounted.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy but it looks like the Takeda are leaving, at least for now. Wait, what's going on here?" Ren asked, taking note of the castle. Hayakawa and the others appeared to be distributing items to the Imagawa soldiers, who were packing up. Looking around, he saw carts being loaded, and many soldiers who were departing.

"The Imagawa are disbanding," Ujiyasu said, smoking his pipe.

"What? Disbanding?" Ren asked.

"That's right. I guess you haven't heard the news yet," Yasutomo said, walking up to the three.

"News?" Ryuto asked, unsure of what the man was talking about.

"The Tokugawa captured Kakegawa Castle. After that, the rest of Tōtōmi fell quickly after," Ujiyasu explained.

"What? They captured it that quickly? Surely we would have heard of their attack much sooner," Ren said, shocked. Yasutomo shook his head.

"Not necessarily. The truth is... we've had to mobilize virtually all of the forces within our territory just to defend this castle. All of the others were barely left with several dozen men. I had hoped to be able to repel the Takeda much sooner, but in the end we were too late," Yasutomo said.

"What? This was the entirety of the Imagawa?" Ryuto asked, shocked as he looked around. Most of the men in the area belonged to the Hōjō while the Imagawa only numbered a few dozen.

"I knew things were dire, but this..." Ren said.

"Ever since Okehazama, the Imagawa have been less than a shell of our former strength. The losses we sustained in that battle, as well as the men we lost at Kakegawa and here today as well, have all served to cripple us even further. All of the others have either deserted or defected to the Takeda and Tokugawa. This is all we have left now," Yasutomo said, sighing at the sorry state that his clan had found itself in.

"With only this, defending just this castle from another attack is impossible, much less all of Suruga," Ryuto stated.

"Sadly it's true... the once great Imagawa is now officially finished. I knew putting all of our men here would be a great risk, but if we hadn't, the Takeda would've run through us effortlessly. There was no other option. I suppose this is better than being wiped out though," Yasutomo said.

"So, what's going to happen now?" Ren asked.

"We've decided to distribute money and food to all of the remaining men who have stayed. They can all go and find new lives now whether its to joining another clan or living a peaceful life," Yasutomo explained.

"I see... what about Lord Ujizane?" Ren asked to which Ujiyasu pointed at a carriage with the Imagawa lord inside.

"We'll be bringing him back to Kanto with us. We'll stick him in Izu, where he'll be able to live out his life in peace playing Kemari or whatever he wants," Ujiyasu said.

"Thank you so much again for taking care of him, Lord Ujyasu," Yasutomo bowed.

"Don't worry about it. This way, he won't be a target anymore. Besides you've taken care of him all this time, I should thank you for both Yoshimoto and my wife," Ujiyasu said gratefully.

"No, it's just a retainer's duty. Be sure to send my regards to Lady Suikeiin for me. I have not had the chance to see her in a long time now," Yasutomo said to which Ujiyasu nodded. The four of them looked over to see Hayakwa, Kai, Kotarō and Naotora walking towards them.

"Father, we've distributed all of the supplies. Everyone is getting ready to leave now," Hayakawa reported. Ujiyasu nodded at his daughter, as he looked over to see all of the Imagawa soldiers leaving in different directions. Kotarō walked over to Ryuto with his usual smirk.

"Causing trouble again, I see," Kotarō said, amused.

"Hmph, I just underestimated my enemy is all. I won't make that mistake next time," Ryuto said, turning his head away from his master.

"Going there in the first place was a mistake. Don't forget that you take orders from him now. Don't do anything that he doesn't tell you to do," Kotarō ordered. Ryuto stared intently at Ren, who was still talking to the others.

"He's an interesting one, thats for sure," Ryuto said to which Kotarō's smile got a little brighter.

"What are you two going to do now?" Ren asked, looking at Yasutomo and Naotora.

"U-Um, I was planning on going to join Lord Ieyasu actually," Naotora said nervously.

"What?! Really?!" Kai yelled out, scaring Naotora.

"Now that Tōtōmi has fallen, Lord Ieyasu controls Enshu. As the leader of the Ii and as a mother, I have to do what's best for my clan and family," Naotora said, new confidence flashing in her eyes.

"That's a good attitude as a leader. Take care, Lady Naotora," Ujiyasu said sincerely to which Naotora thanked.

"Please stay safe Lady Naotora. If you ever need anything, you can always come to us," Hayakawa said, grabbing her hand, as Kai grabbed the other one.

"That's right! We'll always be friends no matter what. Even if we stand on different sides of the battlefield, we'll always have each others backs," Kai said, flashing a smile to which Naotora nodded happily. Ren smiled at the sight before and said his goodbyes to her as well. She made one last bow to them and waved before running over to her men from the Ii clan. Mounting her horse, she flashed them one last smile before setting off with her men.

"What about you, Master Yasutomo? Are you going to join the Tokugawa too?" Ren asked the older man. Yasutomo appeared to be in deep thought before shaking his head.

"No. I don't intend on joining anyone. I've spent most of my life in service to the Imagawa. I'm not sure if serving anyone else really suits me. I think I'll take this chance to explore the land. I've never really the opportunity to travel around, so I suppose this is a good time to see what the rest of the land is like. I was thinking about going West first," Yasutomo said, rubbing his chin.

"I see... Well if you ever find yourself in Kanto, please come see us. You're always welcome there," Ren offered, as Ujiyasu and the others nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that sounds very nice. I'm sure I'll arrive there in time," Yasutomo said, strapping his spear to his back and mounting his horse. After adjusting his scarf, he prepared to set off. He stared a long time at Ren, who looked at him questioningly.

"It has been an honor fighting alongside you all. I promise we will meet again, Lord Ren. As well as all of you. Until then, farewell," Yasutomo said, his horse moving away from the castle slowly. As he moved further and further from the castle, the Imagawa general looked back at Ren and closed his eyes. Images of the younger boys battles played throughout his head and the words he said resonated throughout his mind. Looking up into the sky, which now held a warm orange glow as the sun set, Yasutomo recalled the words his lord spoke a while ago.

"You should follow your heart and do what you truly wish to do. A warrior of your ability and loyalty should not die along with this clan"

His mind then drifted back to what Masayuki had said to him before during the battle.

"No matter how great a spear you may be, without a worthy master to wield you, you are nothing more than a decoration"

Sighing, a sorrowful smile found it's way to Yasutomo's lips. Gently putting his hand over the Imagawa emblem on his scarf, Yasutomo slowly closed his eyes.

"Forgive me, my lord. I will have to have to delay your wish, at least for now. As much as my heart wishes to do that, I'm not worthy to stand by his side just yet. Until we meet again, Lord Ren" Yasutomo whispered as he continued along his path.

And there we go with another chapter! Now that the Imagawa are finished, what will happen next? Well if you played the game or know general history, then you can probably guess whats going to happen next. Well anyway, thanks again for reading and I will see you guys on the next chapter of Bonds of the Hōjō!