Sengoku Basara meets Samurai Warriors: The rise of the Toyotomi

Chapter 14

A/N: Here comes chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Warriors or Sengoku Basara, only this story.

Chapter 14: Kagetora vs Kagekatsu part 1

Kai stared outside her window with a melancholic expression on her face. She still couldn't believe what Ujiyasu had told her about Masamune. At the same time, knowing Ujiyasu, she knew it was the truth. She had to ask Masamune about his version of the story, but would she be able to do it? Would she be able to handle the truth? What if she didn't like what she was going to hear?

She liked Masamune. And she had been seriously considering him as her future husband, but what Ujiyasu said about him broke her heart. She needed answers. But at the same time she wanted to remain oblivious.

"Damn it…", she mumbled.

Her door slid open and Hayakawa entered slowly. Kai turned at her, trying to put a fake smile on her face. Hayakawa's face made her drop the act. She seemed more upset than Kai felt. "What's the matter my lady?"

Hayakawa turned away and to Kai it was obvious that she was trying not to cry. "My lady…?", asked Kai, suddenly alert.

"I'm sorry Kai… I bring terrible news… I don't really know what my father told you, so I'm really sorry for telling you this as well…"

"What's going on?", asked Kai, as her heart skipped a beat.

Hayakawa took a deep breath. "The Uesugi split in two. Kenshin gave up and decided to allow Saburo to rule in his place and… Uesugi Kagekatsu didn't like that… They are fighting against each other and… You've seen both Kagekatsu and Saburo fight… We both know that Saburo doesn't stand a chance!"

Kai felt her heart drop to her stomach. Saburo was going to die at this rate. "What about lord Kenshin?! Shouldn't he help Saburo since he put him in this position?!"

Hayakawa shook her head. "I don't know what he is going to do… Father is locked up in his quarters and mom has gone to the temple to pray for Saburo. I… I don't know what to do Kai…"

Kai looked at her with a pained expression. She sighed. She needed to forget about Masamune for a little while. She needed to be here for her lady. "We can't lose hope yet. Saburo will do his best and no matter what he is still a Hojo. Don't underestimate him."

Hayakawa looked down, but nodded hesitantly. She held Kai's hand and Kai squeezed it to reassure her. The only problem was that Kai didn't believe her own words this time.

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Masamune was annoyed. Ujiyasu was definitely the reason Kai couldn't be herself around him. He didn't understand why the man didn't like him. He really wanted this to be his only current problem, but from what he heard the Toyotomi had turned their attention to the villages surrounding Oshu. It was his turn to fight. And if they surrounded them, he knew that no reinforcement could reach them.

Kojouro frowned as he looked at the map they had set up. "We will have to be prepared for every single attack they make on every village that is surrounding us, if we want to have a chance…" Even he considered the task impossible.

"Even if we managed to spy them, that would still be quite a troublesome task. And let's not forget that the monkey, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, is marching here to join his troops in battle. They are planning on eliminating us and then they will turn to the Hojo.", said Masamune, while leaning his head on his fist.

"It's the first time I'm hearing such pessimism from your voice…", said Kojouro.

Masamune sighed. It was weird, wasn't it? If things were looking a little better for them he would definitely say that they could manage to defend themselves. He also knew that if he spoke to Kojouro about Kai, he would get a far worse headache. And that was the last thing he needed. Masamune glared down annoyed with the whole situation. That wasn't him damn it!

He rose up and Kojouro stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Masamune was serious this time. "We are not giving up! Until the new issue with the Uesugi civil war gets settled, the Hojo will be more focused on that result. We have the time to do some serious damage to their troops attacking our villages until then."

Kojouro smirked. "That's more like you."

Masamune smirked back. "I guess I needed my Right-Eye to put me back in my shoes." Masamune turned towards his balcony and after he heard Kojouro exit, his smirk dropped. He was putting up an act for both himself and Kojouro. Deep down they both knew that, but at the same time, every time Masamune wanted to do something, he just had to believe hard enough to make it true.

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Shingen stared at the setting sun. The Tokugawa army had made a camp not very far from the Toyotomi camp and soon they would join each other. He could feel Yukimura's presence approaching him. "Yukimura…"

Yukimura sat next to him without looking at his lord. Shingen didn't look at him either. "I suppose you are still upset about everything that has occurred the past few weeks."

Yukimura took a deep breath. "Why?", he simply asked.

Shingen waited a moment before answering. "Why indeed? Too many whys… Why did I surrender? Why is Ieyasu with the Toyotomi while having the same goal as them? Why is Nobuyuki following Ieyasu? Why did you have you have to fight your brother?"

"… Because he is a stubborn fool!", shouted Yukimura. He was clenching his fists and he had his eyes tightly shut.

"A stubborn fool, who is actually on the right…", said Shingen.

Yukimura gasped. "Oyakata-sama, how can you say that?! Nobuyuki insulted you and-"

"Nobuyuki tried to stop this fight.", said Shingen cutting off Yukimura. "He wasn't happy with what he had to say, but he did the right thing. Of course he failed, since I'm an even more stubborn fool than him-"

"Oyakata-sama! Don't say that about yourself! You are-"

"An old stubborn fool.", said Shingen with a smile. "My era is almost over. It is time for your generation to take our place. You need to become independent Yukimura. You need to follow your own goals. Nobuyuki is doing exactly that. And I'm proud of him."

Yukimura's eyes widened. "Oyakata-sama! What are you saying?! My goal is your goal-"

"Then make it happen, Yukimura." Yukimura froze. "If I didn't do it, then you will. I truly believe that you will do great things on your own. You have to believe it yourself though." And with that Shingen left Yukimura alone to consider all the stuff they talked about.

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Ieyasu stared at the Toyotomi camp not very far from their position. Tomorrow morning they would reach them and they could join them. Ieyasu had missed the rest of the Toyotomi and he couldn't wait to meet with them. Shingen's words though made him frown despite everything.

"M-My lord?" It was Naotora. She had come to check on him.

Ieyasu forced himself to smile at the girl and he also felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm ok, Naotora…" The way he said that made it seem like he wasn't interested in talking with her, something that was actually untrue… Mitsunari would mock him if he saw him.

Naotora gasped in surprise to his tone. "Oh…. Ok! I'll let you be…"

"No! I didn't mean it like that…" Now he sounded too commanding. Mitsunari would roll his eyes and leave before he would have lost any more brain cells as he would have said. Ieyasu facepalmed. He shouldn't be thinking how Mitsunari would react to his stupidity.

"Naotora… It's not that I don't want to talk to you… It's just that I'm thinking about something… an old friend told me and it's kind of bothering me."

Naotora blinked at him surprised that he was actually talking to her about what was bothering him. "Oh… I see. Was what he told you an advice that you are not really okay with?"

Ieyasu offered her a tired smile. Naotora might be a little naïve at times, but she was by no means stupid. She knew that Shingen said something. "It was actually a statement. Something I didn't expect to hear…"

"Lord Shingen is a wise man.", said Naotora suddenly. Ieyasu stared at her surprised. "Still, if what he said isn't something you like, that doesn't mean you don't have the power to do things your way."

Ieyasu blinked and stared down. Naotora was right. He was probably overthinking stuff too much. He smiled at her hesitantly. "Thank you. I know you probably won't believe me, but you did make me feel better."

Naotora blushed and nodded at him slowly. They stared at each other for a moment. Ieyasu felt his own cheeks turning red as he stared at her eyes. They had both moved a little closer without realizing. Ieyasu was considering closing the distance between them until…

"My lord. I reported to lord Ishida." It was Hanzo. Ieyasu had sent him ahead of them to inform Mitsunari of their arrival.

Naotora turned crimson, excused herself quickly and left in a hurry. Ieyasu tried to say something, but realized that it was too late. He stared at Hanzo in disbelief. "Thanks… Hanzo."

Hanzo stared at him with his usual expression. "Forgive me, but I know that you wouldn't do it in the end and somehow things would end up more awkward for the both of you."

Ieyasu looked away. "You don't know that… And maybe it would happen but still…"

They stared at each other for a moment before Ieyasu sighed. "Alright. Let's go rest for tonight…"

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Yukimura stared at Naotora as she hurriedly reentered the camp with a completely red face. "I wonder what happened…", mumbled Sasuke that was sitting next to him.

Yukimura looked away, not bothering answering. Kunoichi approached them, holding two bowls with tonight's meal. She offered one to Yukimura, that hesitantly took it and held it close to him without taking a spoonful.

"You didn't bring me any…". Grumbled Sasuke.

"You can take it yourself!" Kunoichi stuck out her tongue in annoyance.

They bickered a little and Yukimura smile faintly at them. At least some things never changed. He then looked at his soup and frowned again. Wish he could say the same for his brother.

"Lord Yukimura…", said Kunoichi. "You should eat. It will make you feel better."

"Or you can give it to me…", mumbled Sasuke.

"Hmph! You can go take your own bowl!", groaned Kunoichi.

"I'm tired…", whined Sasuke.

"Stupid monkey! Shut it!", said Kunoichi in a fake authoritative tone.

Both her and Sasuke glanced at Yukimura. Yukimura noticed them and sighed. They were trying to make him feel better. "Guys, come on. You don't have to put on a show for my sake…"

Kunoichi sighed. "I don't like seeing you like this. It's not like you lord Yukimura-",

Suddenly she tensed and Sasuke did the same the both turned and looked behind them. Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just a dog trying to eavesdrop.", said Kunoichi while glaring towards some bushes.

Not long after, Hanzo made his appearance known. He simply stared at Kunoichi with disinterest. "You're not saying anything of interest, vixen…", he said simply. "Didn't expect you would use such words about someone…"

"Doesn't your boyfriend call you dog?", said Kunoichi with a smirk. It definitely annoyed Hanzo since now he was clearly glaring at her. "And I don't care if we were fooling around, you were still eavesdropping."

Hanzo didn't answer her. His next words were to Yukimura. "Your brother wants to talk to you…" He then disappeared.

Yukimura sighed, but rose up. Kunoichi looked at him worried. He smiled weakly at her. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." And with that he left to find the older Sanada.

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Yukimura found Nobuyuki sitting on a large rock not very far from the camp. It was close to where he had met Shingen earlier. He took a deep breath and approached the older Sanada slowly. He sat next to his brother but not as close as he would back then. They didn't exchange words for a while and just sat in a silence that should be uncomfortable but somehow wasn't.

Yukimura decided that he should be the one to break it. "This place reminds me of where we used to train as kids."

Nobuyuki smiled. "It does look like it."

Yukimura sighed. "Are you in for a sparring match?"

Nobuyuki closed his eyes and turned to look at his brother for the first time that night. "I am."

They both rose up and grabbed their weapons. They never went anywhere without them anyways. They got into position and they charged at each other. Both strikes were strong but neither had the intention to truly harm the other. This was simply training and nothing more.

No matter how many times they collided, no one seemed to be getting the upper hand. They stared at each other intensely. "You are holding back.", said Yukimura.

"Or you finally aren't.", said Nobuyuki as he pushed him away.

They stared at each other breathing heavily. "You are stronger Yukimura.", said Nobuyuki. "You just don't know it yet. You can easily take me down if you try. You are Shingen's successor."

Yukimura's eyes widened at that. "What….?"

"I am telling you what I truly believe. I believe in you and I know you are going to do great things in the future. Just believe in yourself and your own goals. Don't force Shingen's goals on you and you will do better than ever."

Nobuyuki left him and found Ina waiting for him not very far. She smiled softly at him and he smiled back.

Yukimura sighed. Both Shingen and his brother were telling him the same thing. "They are right you know.", said a woman's voice behind him.

He turned to stare at Kunoichi in surprise. She was smiling at him. "I might have eavesdropped both this and the other conversation you had with lord Shingen.", she said while looking away embarrassed. "But I do believe they are right, lord Yukimura. I believe in you." She said grinning at him.

He smiled back. "Thank you, Kunoichi."

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Mitsunari drank some sake while reviewing the plans Hanbei and Kanbei had given him. He was expecting Ieyasu and his army to arrive tomorrow morning and Hideyoshi with Nene had been spotted a five day's distance away from them.

The whole of the Toyotomi army would soon be together again and thus they would be unstoppable. The Uesugi would soon fall and the Date and the Hojo would follow. He drank some more and sighed. It all seemed so easy and honestly he just wanted to finish the whole conquest as soon as possible.

He felt the presence long before Yoshitsugu entered his tent. He had grown used to the other man's aura. "Gyobou…"

Yoshitsugu stared at him and then at the sake. "You should be resting. We have a long day tomorrow."

Mitsunari closed his eyes. "… I'm not tired yet. Besides, if I don't make sure that the plans will work I won't be able to sleep."

Yoshitsugu's gaze hardened. "Those plans were made by lord Hanbei and lord Kanbei. I doubt there is any fault in them, even though I personally can't stand lord Kanbei."

Mitsunari stared at him annoyed. "That still doesn't mean that I shouldn't check them."

Yoshiysugu sighed. "You need to relax once in a while. Maybe you should indeed ask lord Hideyoshi to arrange a marriage with that Hojo girl-"

Mitsunari's eyes snapped open and he glared at Yoshitsugu in a manner that would have other men run away. "You. Won't. Speak. Of. This. Again!"

Yoshitsugu looked at him amused but didn't comment anything else. "All I'm saying is that you should relax a little bit. We've practically won. The remaining armies are nothing on their own and they will probably surrender."

"Or they will be crushed.", said Mitsunari.

Yoshitsugu chuckled. "Or they will be crushed."

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Kagetora stared at the camp of his newfound enemies. After Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu said that they wouldn't stand with him as their leader, they had taken their men and they had made a small camp not very far from their original one.

Kenshin had helped him organize their remaining men- sadly not as many as the other army's. Aya was the one keeping him in a straight line and helping him command the army.

He was on edge most of the time and as the battle was approaching he was feeling even more anxious. He missed his family. His real family.

His father would have sighed and said that this whole thing was ridiculous and that he was too old to be taking part in such childish acts. His brothers would hype him about the upcoming battle and they would be ready to give it their all. So would Kai. She would also try to show how much better at fighting she was from the rest of them. His mother and his sisters would share his worries and Hayakawa particularly would be there with him to make him feel better. Kotaro would either laugh at him or try to infiltrate the enemy base.

All that would happen if he was Hojo Saburo. But now, he was Uesugi Kagetora. Kesnhin approached him as he was putting on his armor. "Don't be afraid. We will do our best. Kasuga will be watching you and protecting you."

Kasuga gave him a nod. Kagetora nodded back hesitantly. Kasuga was not Kotaro. She also still sported scars from the battle with the man's wolfs. He looked at his shaking hands and took some deep breaths to calm himself. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at Aya.

She smiled softly at him and squeezed his shoulder. "I will be by your side as well. I won't let him hurt you."

He nodded at her. Out of all the promises he had heard, hers was the most realistic one.

Minutes passed agonizingly slow as he moved to mount his horse. He stared at the men that were with him. Not even close to the numbers that Kagekatsu had with him. He took a few deep breaths before he stared straight ahead with determination. "We will be heading out! We will give it our best and justice and righteousness will prevail!"

The men let out a war cry. Kagetora smiled softly. He knew that his words meant that righteousness might be Kagekatsu winning, but he also knew that maybe that was the right thing. He needed to accept it. That no matter the result, this battle would decide the fate of the Uesugi army.

They charged and he saw the opposing army doing the same. Their leader was looking straight at him. Their eyes met. This was it.

End of Chapter 14

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone and sorry for the huge delay! I'm back and I'm finally free to write as much as I want. I presented my thesis in my University and I finally got my degree! I will try to update more frequently and I hope to finish this story soon so that I can finally start writing the third part. About this chapter; I wanted to give some closure with Yukimura and Nobuyuki and that's why we saw him this much in this chapter. I also wanted to show how close Mitsunari and Yoshitsugu are with the little interaction I portrayed. I was considering having the battle done in this chapter but decided against it and I will finish it in the next one. I am also planning on using some scenes from the Sengoku Basara manga in the following chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to update soon as well. Please review if you liked the chapter. Till next time!