Wow, I was bombed by un-PM-able reviews. I'm not sure whether you guys in the mailbag below is just one multi-account person or an entire group, but your enthusiasm and questions are certainly welcome (as well as boosting up my review count!). Hopefully I can deflect your questions well enough to avoid spoilers! Hmm!
I honestly was surprised with how the latest FGO event went story-wise, fitting in so perfectly into my own even without prior notice... unlike HV-S01: RKR and HV-S02: QGF, which didn't age well with the new information we're getting from the game. Hopefully my rewrites will go well... Also, have any of you watched Heaven's Feel Part 3? Why can't I find it anywhere?
Here's some Bleach-flavoured mailbag!
Royal Freshness12345, Anon, FGOrider23: Hahaha! Do you like it?! I'm aiming for the 'gap moe' between her usual self and this one. Who knows if she's pregnant or not...?
UbonInim: Yes, the 'battle' was very intense! Otakemaru will be dealt with as a team, not just Shirō alone. Read on to find out what's going to happen to the Fūma!
Kulkulkan-chan, Godzinna, Hplilie: A lot of you requested crossover duels, so here we go! Unohana vs. Okita/Musashi, Kyōka Suigetsu + Hogyōku vs. the wives, Hirako Shinji vs. Iskandar... And, the winner is... No idea! I wanted to troll you all and declare all of them a tie, but I honestly don't want to think about this right now because I'm not working on any Bleach crossovers. Maybe in the future. Meanwhile, check out my beta Bleach work with The King of Despair! Yes, Beatrice is cute, but so are all the girls in Re:Zero.
JoJo kujo & Odinson: I like Fenrir, and was disgusted by how MCU portrayed him in Thor: Ragnarok. Some kaiju-like opponents will appear as soon as this story, in fact; I'm not going to say any more due to spoiler reason. Jörmungandr is awesome!
Eroprotag & Jk rwing: I think I've discussed this in a previous AN, but here goes again: Heroic Vessels are designed to defeat TYPEs and Beasts via attribute advantage, so opponents at that level of strength will give them a good fight. Win? Lose? Who cares? You can say the most favored one by Alaya will be the one who gets to star in their own home universe and reality (e.g. Shirō in the 5th HGW).
Hichigo: I think none of the people you mentioned would 'suffer' at all in hell! They'll make themselves right at home!
Sagisu-kun: You're looking at it the other way around. Shirō is part of Nobunaga's harem, with their respective harems not really interacting with each other apart from that slim overlap of the Venn diagram.
Forevermore: Not currently. You just have to enjoy the epilogues I put at the end of various stories! Check out my bio for some spin-offs as well.
xavier0jim: Too bad; I simply suggest you don't comment on shitty stories, then. Good stories (I hope this also accounts as one in your book!) have well-mannered writers & readers. What do you mean about '900 atm'?
Stratos263: I want to say something cool like, "Nobunaga makes her own luck!"... but you're right - she'll need some luck for sure.
"Ehehe…"
Since Nobunaga woke up earlier, she couldn't stop grinning and chuckling to herself.
Laying inside Muramasa's embrace, she squirmed shamefully like what Mitsuhide often did, one hand patting the flesh beneath her navel to enjoy the lingering warmth deep inside her womb, and the other playfully tracing the wall of taut muscles enclosing her surroundings. The place was dark – the lights in Enma-tei immediately dimmed when the magic sensor detected both occupants were exhausted and in need of sleep – but she could still make up the rough details of Muramasa's sleeping face.
Embarrassingly, it's the one expression she'd seen the rarest, because most of the time he woke up much earlier than her for his blacksmithing projects or to do morning breakfast. She used to be able to do that a few years ago when she's still under training, but after her father's passing, the mountainous paperwork and political wrangling she had to do sapped her sleeping time to a pittance. As a result, she became a late riser, with Nō occasionally stepping in to wake her up gently when her other retainers couldn't.
This time, perhaps due to her constant fainting and awakening and fainting and awakening, she'd actually rested more than usual. To be honest, the memories of each orgasm was now hazy, collated together into one cohesive pretty painting of pleasure.
Her own painting… No, theirs.
'No wonder they have a happy married relationship…' She presumed in her mind, rationalizing how a family with two wives stayed as much in harmony as his, in an era when mistresses were often nothing more than political tools or sexual outlets. 'I don't understand why Danzō refuses to formalize it, though…'
The excuse the experienced kunoichi used… Nobunaga didn't really understand, because Chiyome too was still in active duty. Saying 'no' because she wanted to distance her public persona with Muramasa, therefore, didn't really work – people who were powerful enough to threaten them would've figured out their relationship sooner or later.
Besides, who could resist being pampered like this every day? Nobunaga was seriously considering to retire as a Princess General and become a housewife full-time – no matter how unsuited her personality was to sitting at home all day…
…because, she just realized, sex just felt that good.
Why did she have to work so hard for people who didn't truly understand her, only to have her precious time with the man she loved cut away? It's better to take care of the simple things, and be rewarded at night with some… ahem, 'night raid', no? It should be an easier, more fulfilling life.
Unfortunately, 'Tenka Fubu' was something worth sacrificing… everything.
This was the one thought she didn't want Muramasa to hear, because there's no doubt he'd lock her up and make her into a safe doll rather than risk her doing suicidal things out in the open.
If necessary, she didn't mind repeating what happened to her in her previous life.
There, her only regret was her death eventually accomplished nothing. The retainers she thought inherited her 'Tenka Fubu' properly turned out to be nothing more than power-hungry, arrogant, and wrongly ambitious assholes. That's part of the reason why she allowed herself to lose control a few years ago and executed Tōkichirō when he showed his face and leered at Kohaku.
Disappointment. Nothing more than that.
She had met the timid Motoyasu once again after she defeated Yoshimoto, the bespectacled girl looking as nervously lively – strange as that description might sound – as always, just as she remembered the little girl being when enduring as a hostage in the Oda Clan. That said, Motoyasu resembled nothing like the Ieyasu she knew of before, so perhaps there's hope there. The fact she didn't immediately shoot at the tanuki-like girl instantly spoke volumes of the level of hope Nobunaga harboured in her of Motoyasu.
The air in the room was strangely cool, despite the two of them holing up under quite an expensive and thick futon. Perhaps the material themselves were specially treated to allow just the optimal circulation according to the situation? A sudden chilly, comfortable gust broke her thought off-tangent, pulling her back to the state she was before: when she was being grateful of her current situation, instead of filling herself with murderous thoughts.
"Mmhhh…"
She felt him stir; the tell-tale change in heartbeat and Conceptual Weight of someone waking up. Of course, this was just her own presumption, because she's severely lacking in experience in sleeping with men like him. No, there's no men like him – he's one of a kind to her, and a treasure she's intent to keep so long as her life in this reality continues. There's no telling if she'd get reincarnated again following the Buddhist practice people claimed she hated – wrongly, of course – because karma values were changing all the time.
What good did she do to deserve this second chance? Did the world really see her in such a positive light to grant her another shot at not just salvation, but also fulfilling her life-long dream? According to her own evaluation, she should be suffering in Naraka right now, instead of enjoying her first taste in losing her virginity in the most romantic and luxurious inn in Kyoto.
…now she's beginning to believe in the supernatural again. 'Hmph! What killjoy…'
"Morning, Kippōshi."
"Morning."
She could only smile her brightest at this seemingly-ordinary exchange, but in reality was one of her happiest moments in both lives.
- Chu.
A chaste kiss to her nose's tip was all it took to have her thoughts scrambled and her body bothered again, not helped when she felt his member rising and hardening again between her legs. He didn't even start groping her, for crying out loud!
She twitched when she expected more, but he held back and watched on instead, amused when she puckered her lips to no incoming French kiss. "M-Muu…!"
He chuckled, before ducking underneath the futon to place kisses on her collarbone and sternum, all deliberately avoiding the spots he'd pinpointed during their sex last night, making her upper body squirm ticklishly. "S-Shirō… Y-You tease…!"
"It's early in the morning, and you're demanding sex already? Have some thought to the good people around us who want to rest, Kippōshi," he mumbled into her stomach, licking her navel which elicited a cute giggle from the black-haired girl. "I'm certainly not going to defend you in front of them… not with the amount of mess you've made."
"I-It's your fault you m-made m-me this way!" She adorably protested, lightly stuttering to let out some soft moans when he lightly and playfully bit her taut flesh. Still, she lifted her hips to press her mounds closer to his body, stealthily hoping his movement would rub her clit to orgasm. Her body's gotten too sensitive it still felt tender now, and most of her protrusions were just as hard as last night, trembling and swollen red in anticipation.
Noticing the 'mess' he's talking about, she blushed deeply red, though fortunately managing to prevent her hair from flaming up and causing some damage. Indeed, around the room, there's a distinct scent of burnt tatami and wood… and that's not even including the tangy, sour, and heavy scent from her various fluids sprayed all over the place. There were places on her face where she could smell Muramasa's dried white seed, too.
Embarrassingly, she could nary remember every single action which caused every single stain and smell, so she had to swallow what he said at face value.
'Hopefully this inn has an automated cleaning system…' she thought shyly, eager to avoid explaining the details to the diminutive inn manager.
"Mnnh!"
Her legs twitched when he glided his way down, his tongue flicking at the flesh of her inner thighs. Having gotten an idea how he wanted to tease her this morning, she's not really expecting him to give her any real cunnilingus… as proven by his strong suckling at the areas just around her swollen and glistening mounds.
- Chupu.
"I-I-IIIIIIIIIYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Of course, that's the moment he chose to suckle strongly at her stiff clitoris, sending her mind to a frenzy for the umpteenth time.
Hazily, she could remember him saying, "We still have another night reserved. Let's go all out until we check out, shall we?"
Her pussy merely trembled in response, not knowing whether to be excited or scared.
"Ufufu… As expected of Himiko-chan, your place's sake 'tis good as always!" Boisterously giggling, Shuten-dōji elegantly placed her overly-large sake saucer on the table, showcasing her dexterity even though she's drunk quite a lot already. "Ne, ne, Himiko-chan… come sit on your grandmama's lap…"
"I humbly refuse your offer, Great Ancestor," the miko-like young girl politely bowed, before skilfully dodging the oni's encroaching hands. "You are as bad as Aniue when it comes to skinship."
"Mou! Don't be like that!" The black-haired petite woman laughed, downing another plateful of sake at once. The sizzling and alluring liquid dribbled down her lips to follow the contours of her slim body, enhancing her natural musk even further. "When are you going to graduate from being such… such a stuck-up! Ahaha!"
Himiko could only sigh.
Despite looking similar in age, Shuten-dōji still hadn't changed since the first time they met. Well, technically, Himiko's current lifespan was nothing more than a flash compared to the experiences she'd gone through, which was partially why she still respected this many-times-great-grandmother of hers. Yes, she's different from ancient texts describing her cruelty and horrid deeds, but that was in the past.
Right now, Himiko had to uphold the standards her predecessors set before her, to achieve a fully-united and powerful empire, standing tall and shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's great powers. This, this moment right here, where human and yōkai could sit together, relaxing and honestly chatting with each other, was the advantage Nihon had compared to the other nations who had abandoned their roots to chase ease of life through pragmatism and technology.
On cue, the sliding doors opened and the banquet was brought in.
The food and drink neared the amount for a full-sized party, yet there's only two petite girls sitting in the room – one prim and proper, the other lascivious and slovenly. That said, the maids knew these two's appetite better than most, and the days when this still was a hot gossip had long passed. Smooth and efficient, as the last platter was delivered, the room was left to themselves once again.
"Speaking of him…" Shuten-dōji spoke in-between bites, "…he sure made a mess for you to clean up, huh?"
Himiko exaggeratingly closed her eyes, mimicking a tired sigh, before saying, "I believe Aniue has the best intentions of the people around him at the end. I only hope he will exercise constrain for those like us, who can do nothing but watch from afar."
"Ufufu… That grandchild of mine sure is troubling… I wonder where he gets it from?" Shuten-dōji mused, scooping up perfectly-roasted beef bone marrow with a wooden spoon. "Mn! Certainly, his cooking skills didn't come from my side of the family. Do you have an idea, HImiko-chan?"
"You are not helping me create a regretful environment for him, Great Ancestor," Himiko protested. "We have to be strict to him so he doesn't think about women all the time."
Playing with the dried bone, pinching it to see it crack playfully under her fingers, the oni teased, "Oh, my… Is that jealousy I'm hearing?"
"Silence, Great Ancestor."
"Uyaaa… Scary…" The black-haired woman fanned her face with a palm, feigning fright. "It's not a sin to be truthful to your feelings, you know, no matter how taboo it is…"
"I shall kick you out right now."
"No! No! Wait until I finish this meal!" Shuten-dōji began to hasten her pace, scarfing down the seemingly endless courses of finely-curated food.
As Muramasa was enjoying his leisurely time with his lord at Enma-tei – an inn operated by Shuten-dōji's friend and comrade in the human-yōkai war of past – he couldn't attend to these two ladies' meal, and thus delegated the recipes and techniques to the palace cooks who were used to his ingenious ingredients and methods when he lived there in his childhood. Himiko was more than irritated at this for more reasons than one – in fact, so many not even Shuten-dōji's vivid imagination could list them all.
The Minamoto Clan's Sorcery Trait, inherently, wasn't really all that flashy. It's merely a perfected version of every magus family's Magic Crest – the ability to hand down techniques and powers without any dilution and regard of talent. What made it ridiculously powerful was the Noble Phantasms held within it – a phrase only the Heroic Vessels in the family knew its true meaning – and the fact there's no need for a physical grafting or compatibility test, and thus removed the risk of fatal rejection.
In fact, the only thing the clan members had to do to receive this Sorcery Trait – it didn't even have to be a single heir across one generation – was… strangely idealistically grit and determination. Almost like the person who determined this was also a foolish dreamer who loved playing hero.
For example, while the Noble Phantasm Tenkiame was inherited by Muramasa – among others – Himiko possessed the frighteningly powerful Authority Nega-Weapon instead, purely out of compatibility and personality traits. Her beloved but troubling older cousin was far more martial- and material-minded, mastering many bladed and esoteric combat arts, while she, the de jure Clan Head, specialized in wide-area destructive Magecraft and manipulation skills.
And those were very, very flashy.
In a way, their presence mirrored many generations across the Clan itself, starting from Yorimitsu's generation, which spoke of balance between the clan members and emphasizing [Unity] was the most important Origin to hold onto, no matter what friction existed among the members. The instant they revealed their division to the other clans, they'd be devoured whole – this lesson was drilled into every member's head since they were born, by virtue of displaying what the Taira and Fujiwara Clan did to them before Yorimitsu came to power.
To others, Yorimoto's subsequent near-genocide of both clans might look cruel – a typical move from a wannabe tyrant – but those in the know knew what they had endured just to fulfil their dream of unifying humans and yōkais. Shuten-dōji was the one remaining living witness available to the clan now, given Ibaraki-dōji's absence since the line between the Reverse Side and Outer World blurred.
Having finished her meal, the oni now chose to lay by her side lazily, popping open another new gourd and emanating a sweet, intoxicating aroma across the room. Himiko instinctively casted an air circulation Magecraft, making sure the smell didn't get to her but filled the room instead. The reason she didn't simply banish all the scent particles was due to their uses: it dulled the cognition and movement of any potential ambushers, creating a negative-effect zone around these two VIPs.
This time, Himiko was the one starting. "Aniue was too kind. It's almost better to kill them all and let me do the clean-up," she complained, now using a more casual tone after enjoying the exquisite course meal. "Why train to the point he can stab someone clean through without killing them? It doesn't make sense!"
"Aha… So it's that trick he pulled? Hmm… Interesting…"
Himiko narrowed her eyes. "You do know that technique- Wait, no, that doesn't matter! Why do you sound like you're approving?!"
Instead of answering straight away, Shuten-dōji sultrily crawled to where her descendant was sitting, to which Himiko immediately decided to bail and began to execute the Minamoto Clan's signature movement technique, Shukuchi. Unfortunately, in front of her was a master of it beyond her abilities, and she was subsequently caught in a sloppy bear hug.
"U-Ugh…! G-Great Ancestor, you s-stink!" Himiko reeled her head as far back as she could, trying her damnest to wiggle her way out of the small woman's grip. "L-Let me go! I-I'm the Empress, you hear?! T-This is treason! Guards! H-Help!"
"Ufufu… You know, I've always done this with Shirō, and he's reacting exactly like you are right now. You two are really close, you know that?" Rubbing their cheeks together and running her hands around Himiko's body, Shuten-dōji slurred, though the light in her eyes indicated she's still very much sober. "Stop complaining about what he did. He knew better – that's why he's not disturbing you in your work either, right?"
"U-Uuu… B-But our positions are different! Why can't he act like how I predict?!"
"Is he your puppet, or a precious family member to you? Ufufu, to me, Shirō is an excellent thoroughbred you must let sprint free to see his majesty," Shuten-dōji patiently explained. "Watch how he shapes the future in his own way. He's thinking of you all the time, you know? Said future will definitely match the puzzle shape you're shaping right now; believe it."
Even though she'd said all that, she too was surprised when her shikigami, Haku, reported crowds of Fūma shinobi and Uesugi troops being led along like cattle, all roughed-up and wounded but alive. Having witnessed the carnage and amount of blood sprayed all around in Okehazama by Muramasa and Danzō through it – while she kept an eye on Chiyome in case her 'father' ran rampage – the end was… underwhelming.
For her, who's used to gore and death, seeing everyone going home scot-free in a cheap happy ending didn't really sit well with her. Only after she digested that sight through a human's political point of view did all of that made sense. She's sure Himiko, too, had come to the same realization as her, but her immaturity meant she had to have these moments to vent off and cool down.
And since her older cousin wasn't here to take the brunt of it – being busy banging his own lord at Enma-tei – Shuten-dōji decided to come and play, having ensured Hanbei was well-taken care of in the Oda territory.
She had a thing for small girls. It's maybe an extension of her dislike of ridiculously large boobs, and also the desire to find camaraderie among others with a similar body shape. The difference was Shuten-dōji chose this form voluntarily to be able to have fun and live in the Outer World, while the people she cared about grew old and died, leaving her behind all alone.
Still, it was fun seeing the haughty self-proclaimed Bishamonten trudged back to her territory with her tail tucked between her legs.
That's the point: their value as human hostages. As long as the Oda held them within their territory, any reinforcement coming from either the Takeda or Hōjō would risk Uesugi Kenshin's life, and the instant her head was separated from her body, the alliance would blame each other on who was at fault, while the Oda would go scot-free having 'kept their end of the bargain', if it came down to that situation. Additionally, the shut-in Ujiyasu would never let such a valuable piece like the Fūma Clan go to waste, and that's not even considering what internal turmoil would rise from the shinobi clan's branch and associate families.
With their rifles pointed at every single hostage's head, the Oda Clan also symbolically held the existing tripartite at gunpoint. Yes, perhaps the tripartite's combined military strength far outstripped the Oda Clan's, but the resulting casualties would ensure this alliance would cease to exist, leaving Northern Honshu a free-for-all like the previous two decades. All any small force had to do was wait it out, pick the right sides, and they'd be halfway to a powerhouse in the next half decade – mirroring much of what the Oda Clan was going through today.
Anyway, now that Muramasa's actions had ensured the tripartite wouldn't engage the Oda forces for a good amount of time in the future, Shuten-dōji could focus on the smaller things, instead of worrying about her descendants fighting cutely with each other.
"There are rumours of his appearance in the Hōjō territory, so I think I'll go there next," the oni uttered out of nowhere, calming down with her skinship with this small girl in her arms. "Make sure you get along with Shirō, now."
"Him… Then, be careful, Great Ancestor."
"Hn."
The only person they're talking about – pretty much the one remaining individual who demanded her personal attention – was obviously Otakemaru and whatever plot he's hatching.
Several days earlier, she'd driven his avatar, Kashin Koji, away from Mino. Being the two of them were limited in their current forms, neither could spend the energy to track the other if they put their minds into hiding their presence. Also, she escaped from that duel not unharmed, and had to recuperate to make sure the risk was as low as possible.
He's already cornered. After all, two of his fellow Three Great Calamities were after him in some form or another. Shuten-dōji was obvious, but the other one's blood flowed strongly in Himiko – as well as Nobunaga's family, represented by his sister – and both of them were firm believers in the human-yōkai pact, unlike him. Additionally, Ujiyasu wasn't one's typical lord – the Hōjō Princess General wasn't someone whom he could possess and manipulate from the background as easily as Yoshitatsu.
"Really, what's that old-timer really want to achieve, anyway? The time's changed so much he shouldn't have anything left to fight for, right?" Himiko muttered at Shuten-dōji's receding back, right before the oni's Magecraft carried her away like a powder among the wind. "Great Ancestor, are you two… close? Do you know what's keeping him going?"
Shuten-dōji placed her index finger on her lips. "Sometimes, we yōkai just can't be understood by humans." Hopping lightly, she allowed her movement spell to take effect, but not before adding, "Sometimes, we simply want to destroy."
Since before they left the Oda territory in chains, Kōtarō had been frantically signalling to his crew so they could escape from this situation with the result they wanted.
Their initial mission had been a complete failure; there's no denying that. However, they still had an excuse to give to both their employer and current master: the Uesugi Clan and the Hōjō Clan, respectively. The former… well, they could just say, "Even Kenshin-sama lost! You can't expect more from us, can you?!" The latter, though…
No self-respecting shinobi would excuse their failures by, "We encountered a familiar face, and it compromised us."
To them, that was akin to the death row. Nihon's code of servitude, no matter the occupation, prioritized exactly that above all else. Did one have aspirations of becoming a better person? Then accomplish this difficult, self-destructive task to prove yourself to others.
And now… now, nothing he could came up with worked. And they're already halfway towards their 'home'… if it still existed.
There was little doubt Ujiyasu would've been watching their defeat through advanced long-range scrying a Princess General of her level usually had. Kōtarō rarely ever saw it, but he's certain she often did so with her court mages' assistance. A large-scale failure like this, more often than not, would result in the Fūma Clan's compound being razed to the ground as the province denounced their service and loyalty, slaughtering their members to the last child.
Their captivity in Oda territory had cut them off their information network, no doubt the work of… of an experienced kunoichi with deep insight into how their secretive method worked across Nihon.
Katō Danzō. A name they all knew well, and one they couldn't forget even if their lords ordered them to. In fact, anyone trying that would be assumed as someone insulting what made them shinobi in their first place.
Three: Fear is absolute. Cast away thine shame; avenge thine loss.
Two: The master is absolute. Thine life for his… always!
One: The parent is absolute. Their will be done, above all else.
Those who had the gall to order them attack Danzō would have their faces blown clean off by the Fūma instead. Who cared about loyalty? About subordination? Before all else, shinobis had themselves and each other to rely on, instead of a paying patron. Yes, the latter's presence allowed them to take root in one place, but so long as the core system remained intact, the plant could always be relocated elsewhere… someplace greener, where the land was peaceful, and the inhabitants kind.
If Ujiyasu truly did what Kōtarō feared she'd do, then she's no longer an appropriate master for them to serve. What attracted the Shodaime to the Hōjō Clan was the extreme importance Ujiyasu's predecessors placed on stability. Hence, they were known as the masters of defensive warfare, rarely taking aggressive manoeuvres to invade another land so long as theirs were safe. The then-vagabond Shodaime craved a place to call 'home', and his descendants followed suit.
In the years serving her, there was not a single decision Ujiyasu took Kōtarō wholeheartedly disagreed. There were times they were more passive than what he preferred to see and had heard of from the other Princess Generals, but there was always an undeniably sound logic and reason behind them. One of those was also her continued patronage of the Fūma Clan, despite the elders' insistence on hopping onto another budding shinobi clan's bandwagon.
Therefore, if Ujiyasu's resolve crumbled, then… he'd be very, very disappointed.
Still, that's some way away. They had to find a way out of this situation, now.
They were all chained to each other, notwithstanding the heavy shackles around their limbs. Kōtarō spent a good amount of time – days, in fact – analysing this new style of binding, since it looked incredibly slim and futuristic compared to the 'rustic' chains-and-weights look most forces preferred. Their wrists, however, were now braced with thin metal rings no thicker than their tanto's tang, and a similarly slim metal links connected their upper and lower limbs to one another, as well as their necks to each other, ensuring they wouldn't be able to even jog without a perfect coordination between the members.
It's a classic philosophy, but still worked brilliantly. No matter how well-drilled a group was, the simple fact of their differing physiques would initiate different forces even through identical movements. And because of their number, one anomaly would propagate and be exaggerated, resulting in the collapse of the entire formation.
This could only be properly designed by someone who knew how shinobi were trained to move as a group.
"Ah, Ma! Look! Prisoners!"
"Hey, don't point! That's rude!"
An older female voice chided a young male one, slightly below where Kōtarō was standing. He didn't even need to turn his neck to know these were nothing more than a female peasant and her son, likely working in the field they were being marched through.
They were forced to walk all the way to the Hōjō territory – a classic punishment enacted to any prisoners of war. It wasn't even the heavy burden of walking under the open weather without rest or shelter, but the shame enacted upon the group by the onlookers, regardless of their allegiances. Most would have their faces displayed proudly in front, indicating who's the leader of this failed operation.
Kōtarō had thick skin, but even he was feeling slightly bothered due to other things.
Usually, a march like this was guarded by regular soldiers who had no idea what tricks shinobis of their calibre could pull out. Regardless how accomplished a general was on the battlefield, they essentially occupied a completely different realm than them. Therefore, there were countless books written about how to take advantage of a regular person's attentiveness – in fact, the closer they looked, the lesser they saw.
But the one directly supervising them was their own mother.
Some of them couldn't help but got wistful watching her silhouette from all angles, so identical it was to the one they held dear in their memories. The others managed to prevent the expression from surfacing, but all of them felt the same way in their hearts…
…because there was hope due to the fact she's here.
[She must be under someone else's control!]
[Agreed. Her body's changed, too.]
[But why had that person not order her to kill us all back then?]
[Of course it's because she's still there, somewhere inside! That's obvious, fool!]
[Calm down. That's still a hypothesis. Let's focus on how to deal with her if that person decided to use her against us.]
[NO! What we should focus on is how to bring her back to our side!]
The conversation quieted down when Danzō turned slightly their way, all feigning obedience and ignorance. Some then exhaled a quiet sigh of relief when it's only because a covered-up kunoichi had arrived – likely a messenger, since her posture was foreign to the kunoichi group already guarding them – and relayed a few hushed words to the older woman. Once Danzō nodded appreciatively, the newcomer left, but not before giving Kōtarō a meaningful look.
The rest of the Fūma immediately chattered, speculating their leader already had a mole on the inside.
[No, don't get your hopes up. I do not know that person,] Kōtarō instantly admitted.
To the smattering of guards, the Fūma prisoners were simply shuffling around in nervousness and discomfort due to their condition. However, this was the communication method developed among every shinobi clan, with each one having their own quirks. The most dangerous thing right now, as always, was Danzō… because she knew this system very well, too.
But what about her conscience? Had her brainwashing lost her knowledge about the detailed things, merely keeping her martial and subterfuge skills? Was what she said and did to them in Okehazama nothing more than a false showing of lack of mercy, or truly what she was now?
[Hokage-sama! I'm curious about something!]
[Your chirpiness never changes even under this situation, huh.]
[No, listen to me! What kind of technique was it so we didn't die when we get stabbed? People die when they get killed, you know?!]
[Isn't that obvious? Or are you going to imply something?]
[…how she deliberately used that technique to avoid harming us while also following orders! Have you thought about that?]
[Yes, but it made even less sense. What did that redheaded want with us alive? There's no way of hiding that fact once we were captured. Or was he also taking orders from someone else- Hey, shut comms off!]
All of a sudden, Kōtarō's vision went dark. He didn't feel his consciousness leaving him, though, and the sensation of cloth across his eyes confirmed he just had been, in fact, just blindfolded.
"Are you done covering their eyes?" Danzō's voice sounded from someway to the side. "Their conversation has been too loud. I'm tired of hearing it."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" A nervous soldier, either unused to interacting with a kunoichi or a woman of her beauty, sharply replied. "W-Would you like us to double-blind them?"
"No need. That black cloth is sufficient."
Her words confirmed what Kōtarō had feared. She retained all of her skills and knowledge as a Fūma shinobi, but not the 'mother' side of her they knew of.
Their silent communication required a good working set of senses. Eyes, ears, skin, nose, taste… All 5 combined to produce a pseudo-6th sense, which relayed the complexities of emotions and nuances lost in codes and gestures. Just by removing one aspect completely destroyed the balance, requiring all of them to recalibrate once again, having used the time they spent marching towards the Hōjō territory to fine-tune this technique for this set of circumstances.
Additionally, she knew what they're talking about.
…did that shake her in some way? Hearing others saying things about her as if they'd known her for years?
The walk was nowhere as harsh on their well-trained bodies when compared to the already-panting soldiers around them, leading their minds to be hyperactive in running various thoughts and simulations. 'Perhaps that's too much of a good thing,' Kōtarō surmised calmly, having gotten used to Danzō cold demeanor towards them. 'Perhaps… we should start thinking of her as just another shinobi.'
But that's the one thing they didn't want to let go. The moment they admitted it would be the same as denying their past and who they were as both shinobis and people.
What Danzō loved about her new body was her newfound ability to cry.
Whether it actually produced tears from these new tear ducts didn't matter to her. So long as her voice pleased and was pleasurable for her lord and his wife, she'd cry until her throat broke again. The sadness her 'fathers' programmed her to cast aside or bury deep inside was now allowed to spill out, aided by an actual physical capability to support such emotional outburst. She had never been interested to become human long ago, but she sure was grateful she's the closest she'd ever been to achieving that right now.
Unfortunately, the moment she wanted to cry the most… she wasn't allowed to due to her self-imposed restriction.
She placed the wish of her lord above her former family. When that sentence was taken objectively, most shinobis wouldn't even bat an eye to it. After all, that was one of the philosophies they were trained in – so long as their relationship had been semi-formally severed, one shouldn't allow nostalgia and emotions to affect fulfilling their mission, entrusted to them by one's lord. Muramasa certainly didn't want to force her to do this, but the moment he finished explaining what he wanted to achieve, she had hardened her heart to do what's necessary.
It's a showcase of her lord's compassion, and how different he was to her previous ones, that he taught her a way to achieve a result beyond the optimum.
In the battlefield, 'defeat' almost always meant 'death'. Even if, for example, an important figure was taken in alive after suffering a loss, death usually followed suit either via execution or suicide. The latter could also come in various forms: voluntary to prevent themselves from being tortured; socially forced by their peers, followers, and superiors out of shame; staged by the captor to make a political statement, etc.
Danzō had truly seen it all, from every available perspective. Her inorganic body allowed her to be 'disassembled' to prevent anyone accessing the information stored in her. Her skill and emotional stability made her also the go-to executioner when the current generation was too young to handle the burden. Additionally… the façade she presented to these 'children' of hers were somewhat accurate, as she perhaps held the record of most Fūma kills in the clan's history, being the go-to exterminator when traitors roamed about.
Thus, it wasn't difficult to act like she did in Okehazama.
Her troubled face when her lord spoke was unforgivable, even though Muramasa wasn't the type of person who'd punish anyone wantonly for the slightest bit of hesitation. No; he's exactly the kind who'd try to find a third option even if it meant harm to himself. Which was also unforgivable for a shinobi to allow to happen to one's lord.
…which looped around endlessly, burdening her processing unit until her face overheated.
It's interesting for this phenomenon to happen now, and not when they were making love. She was briefed on the art of lovemaking as a kunoichi, but her combat prowess was too valuable to waste on bedroom duties, and as such she lacked real experience in this field. However, from what she gathered, a female body's natural response to these acts was to heat up in preparation for the incoming changes – i.e. becoming pregnant. Obviously, her past self was unable to achieve this feat, nor did she have a current interest in trying that out with her new body.
So, why?
Regardless, the ploy was a success.
…well, that also was a disappointment, seeing not even the 'children' she so lovingly cared for and taught failed to see through this multi-layered deception. Instead, they were naively plotting to 'free' her from the supposed-culprit taking her 'true self' hostage, who had also brainwashed her to become 'the enemy'.
'How cute.'
They're not wrong, because the childish emotion of 'love' – which her previous self lacked – was a legitimate reason she became this way. Overly simplistic, illogical, and irrational… all the attributes she's designed without, but now found couldn't live without, either.
Not just for his lord, Chiyome, or other members of her newfound family, too. Her old acquaintances, who'd perished in their mortality against her ageless appearance. Her former family in the Fūma Clan, whose loyalty and affection for her truly moved this old heart. Her opponents, whom she always sook to dispatch with maximum efficiency, had truly sympathetic motives which challenged her newfound sense of morals. The simple things in life, both from nature and people's hands, grew more enjoyable and addictive as things passed.
These things which made her weaker, as her 'fathers' spoke of in her early years.
The sensation of her heart crying when her blade plunged deep into Momochi's body, drawing unimportant amount and quality of blood, despite her best efforts of steeling a mask over her face. The pain her body physically felt as she wrapped Kōtarō's childhood present around his neck, and the surprising softness of his well-built neck when she tightened the choke. The lacerating cries of pain, frustration, and disbelief of the other Fūma shinobi as she tore through them when their imperfect Undying Chaos Brigade collapsed against her test.
And, most of all, her self-hatred when she realized the disappointment she instinctively experienced the moment she witnessed the difference in power and skill between them.
It was fortunate her lord found a ray of light for her to hold on to, or she would've self-destructed into a downwards spiral when forced to uphold her façade.
The skill to pierce a body without killing had origins in medicine and religion. It started from small incisions and piercings by the ancient people from various races, when they observed it's better to allow foreign substances and objects out of the victim's body than allow it to fester in fear of over-bloodletting. The pain and insignificant blood soon drew parallels to the 'suffering' their worshipped figures endured, and thus they mimicked these supposed pains onto their bodies to show their devotion.
There was a prosperous empire in the continent her lord called 'Mughal', whose holy men and women used this knowledge to dazzle followers into believing they're invulnerable. Who wasn't afraid of bladed weapons drawing blood and carving up their own bodies? Yet, here came these revered people who not only thrived after swords, pikes, needles, etc. plunged into their flesh, but also found it… somehow merely inconvenient? Surely, they must have divine blessings!
Even when her lord broke the trick down to her and explained how to replicate it down to the last detail, Danzō still found herself mesmerizing over humans' ingenuity to replicate yōkais' fearsome and unnatural toughness and healing capabilities. It was from these inexplicable living beings the founders of this technique drew their inspiration from, instead the 'divine providence' they claimed they were bestowed onto by some higher beings. It's more likely the latter didn't even have the articulation to explain their… [Divinity], and even less likely they wished the 'lower beings' to understand and replicate it.
Some of them were merciful and friendly. Others… not so much. Danzō herself had never met these great beings, but her lord spoke as if he had personal relationships with them.
She shouldn't ask. A shinobi's task was to fulfil one's lord's orders to the best of their capabilities. No matter how relaxed and unconventional Muramasa was, she kept reminding herself to know her place. It's not her right to question another new lover who caught his eye, nor was a seemingly self-contradictory actions and images he painted himself with.
'…they sure are noisy.'
Did they think this new her had forgotten all of those little tricks they used when they're children? They didn't even have the creativity to come up with a completely original one – instead, it's heavily laden with the usual Fūma notations with some personal flavouring. Yes, to the people around her, they were being completely obedient and silent, but to her, it's right back to two decades ago among their childhood chatters again.
'Oops… Mustn't smile, mustn't smile…' She stiffened her cheeks to betray nothing. Not even a nostalgic peep.
Right now, the ruse still wasn't complete. Only until they safely arrived at Hōjō territory… and more importantly, she had received the ransom Ujiyasu pledged she'd provide Nobunaga with, would she relax and watch their growth from afar.
However, right here and now, unfortunately, she had to stay distant.
'I wonder how Chiyome-sama is doing…'