A hill of blades served as a memento to the fallen, half hidden away within Oshu's centre. It had grown so vast, too vast, in those… six years now. A cold wind blew around it, bringing storm clouds, hinting of the nearing winter. Saki barely flinched, watching the shadows and the creping darkness. Her stance slackened a bit before stiffening once more, thoughts running, clashing with plots and needs. Conquest of Oshu, Oda, Hideyoshi and now what Mitsunari had done… Lost soldiers, friends… all the losses showed in that field

War.

The shinobi sighed. Not even the most stalwart general could prevent fatalities. Not even all information gathering or planning could help if fate was set up against them. All they could do was fight and survive. And it was what they had done. In the last journey luck had favoured them. For now they were home, safe, resting and recovering. But already things were stirring outside the borders.

Katakura-dono barely left Date's side and the army lingered about, also waiting for him to return to the conscious world for longer than a few hours at a time. It was looking good on that part but they needed time and she was determined to give it to them. And it was easier to car for them if they were not spread out. Meanwhile the army was also replenishing, calling on the reserves. Katakura-dono had always showed the foresight of not taking all the soldiers away. There was always a little bit of hidden strength that remained behind, ready to come when called upon.

Ieayasu… had been the first one to take advantage of the situation.

So far Saki felt the situation was controlled.

Within they had no idea the borders were being attacked. And in the borders her shinobi, aided by the joint forces of the other clans that had, for some reason she had not yet been informed of, gathered under the Dragon clan's claws, fought and ensnared.

So far minimal wounds, no losses versus massive defeats and quite a few deaths on Tokugawa's side.

But with that kind of pressure she was fearful that Honda Tadakatsu would be called into action.

"Have you told him?" Nobuko said, stepping out of the shadows, walking towards the field.

Saki shook her head. It had been quite a while since her mother had contacted despite sending the forces to help Oshu's defence.

"I have had no chance to do so yet. Does Takeshi know?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"No one will talk until a decision has been reached." Nobuko assured her. "Even so if… well there is always Yadokari." Saki sighed. There was that. Within the clan there were kunoichi that either because they disliked combat and strife or had been too crippled by some accident of conflict to be able to go on missions that specialized on having and training the new generation. It was not something that was on her mind at the moment.

"What have you heard then?" Nobuko prodded carefully. There was no room to perform a real alliance at the moment, not while the One-Eyed Dragon was unaware.

"The turmoil is starting again. On one side is Tokugawa Ieaysu. On the other Ishida Mitsunari." Saki summarized and began to walk away.

"Where will Date Masamune be?" Her mother asked, following.

"His own side. This time… I…"

"You are not steady enough to do this at the moment." Nobuko said coldly. She could see the shadows under her clothes. What she gave to the others Saki was not allowing herself to have.

"I have to."

"Koneko…" Nobuko started but Saki was already gone. The older shinobi sighed.

There would be a time to drop the act but it was not looking good. Neither one of her men were in any condition to help. Slowly her claws rubbed over sore arms as she sighed, sitting down on the branch, overlooking the terrain, seeing the torchlight of Tokugawa's moving army.

The traps and ambushes deflected most of the scouting ventures and infiltration attempts despite the fact that they were supported by Oni-Hanzo's techniques and the Iga. The few stragglers were quickly eliminated by the patrols or the other traps placed just further ahead. It helped that her network had been left intact year after year and had grown large and steady enough that no spy could be easily denounced. They were too ingrained into the other's army. There was another danger there, that they started to believe they belonged to the other faction but in well trained spies the danger of that was usually minimal.

So she knew where to strengthen the defences to maximize the forces available to her every time they attempted to move into Oshu. When battle was forced, by the pressure or hurry on either side of the field, Saki walked into combat with her shinobi, not caring if the adversary were soldiers, cavalry or other ninja.

The conflicts had to be won.

Yadokari – Technique that allows an unborn child to be transferred without harm to another woman;