Sengoku Basara meets Samurai Warriors: The rise of the Toyotomi

Chapter 13

A/N: I present you chapter 13

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

Chapter 13: The Uesugi split in two!

Kagetora kept staring at the door, feeling even more worried than he did minutes ago. Kenshin had locked himself in his quarters and had been in there thinking about the Uesugi's next move for hours. Only Aya would join him from time to time, but she would come out after a while saying that there was no decision made yet.

Ever since he heard that Shingen surrendered to the Toyotomi, Kenshin wouldn't talk to anyone other than Aya and would remain in his quarters.

"He is going to attack the Toyotomi.", said Kagekatsu.

Kanetsugu looked down thoughtful. "I don't think he will. But I don't believe that he will surrender either."

"Lord Kenshin would never surrender!", said Kasuga annoyed. She had been injured by Kotaro's wolves in their last battle and it was the first time Kagetora had seen the kunoichi that much covered. She was wearing a pink yukata and the few parts of her body that were visible, were covered in bandages. "Lord Kenshin will manage to overcome this situation-"

"My brother may be called the War God, but he is not a God.", said Aya suddenly with a very icy tone. "If Shingen surrendered, then he is considering doing the same. You see, it might be in our best interests."

"How could that be in our best interests, my lady? Surrendering to the enemy? That's admitting defeat.", said Kanetsugu.

"And at the same time, you are protecting your people.", said Kagetora much to everyone's surprise.

Aya smiled at him. "Kagetora is right. Surrendering is not the end of the world. You survive and everyone you love does. What we will actually do, though, remains to be seen. And I'll support my brother to the very end." And with that she entered Kenshin's room, once again.

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Mitsunari wanted to commit seppuku more than anything right now.

"Come on Mitsunari, she was cute! Not my type, but definitely beautiful.", said Kiyomasa.

"Not very curvy, in my opinion.", said Masanori as he ate some chicken. "I liked the woman with the red armor a bit better."

"Oh, shut up already, you idiots!" Mitsunari was losing it with those two. After they saw that he let the Hojo girl live and that he was conversing with her most of the time instead of fighting, they had bugged him too much about liking her and all that annoying crap those two would say.

"You definitely felt something, you can't fool me!", said Kiyomasa smirking.

Masanori nodded. "You've never hesitated before against any enemy, be it woman or child. Though you've never fought a child I think."

"You explained the issue yourself!", shouted Mitsunari. "She was a child and that caught me off guard!"

"She still is around your age, sir." That was Sakon that had been eating with them quietly so far.

Mitsunari turned at him with a furious look in his eyes."Saaaaakon!"

Sakon sweatdropped. "It was a simple observation, sir."

"Sakon is right. She is around our age and you definitely felt something for her. Wait till lady Nene hears about this.", said Kiyomasa.

Mitsunari paled. He turned at Kiyomasa with a blank expression. "Don't you even dare!" He wouldn't hear the end of this and with how crazy Nene could be with these things. She would possibly try to arrange a marriage with the girl.

"Oh, I'll definitely tell her when she finally joins us.", said Kiyomasa, knowing full well the effect that would have on Mitsunari.

"Can't wait for lady Nene's return! I miss her cooking.", said Masanori while taking another bite.

"No one will say anything to lady Nene! Are we clear?! Nothing is going on between me and the Hojo girl and that's final! Now, we have more important things to focus on! Ieyasu won and he is coming here to join us. The Uesugi will probably give up too and we need to plan our next course of action till lord Hideyoshi joins us."

"Yeah, yeah. We already know that. The Uesugi can do nothing against us.", said Masanori.

"We need to start planning our next battles too. The Date are a nuisance that Lord Hideyoshi himself wanted to deal with. Especially since they never answered the letters we sent them. And then there are the Hojo-", Mitsunari said and was immediately interrupted by Kiyomasa.

"And we're back to the Hojo again.", said Kiyomasa smirking.

Mitsunari was fuming in seconds. "I'm seriously considering taking your head, Kiyomasa!"

"Oh, come on Mitsunari! Relax for once. It's the first time ever a cute girl gets your attention and we are pretty excited about that. We really thought that you would die a virgin-"

"Enough!", Mitsunari pointed his sword at Kiyomasa. "If I hear anything else about the Hojo girl-"

"Oh, you liked the Hojo girl, Mitsunari?" That was Hanbei that had just entered the tent along with Kanbei.

Mitsunari facepalmed. "No, lord Hanbei! Those idiots are talking nonsense, that's all!"

"I see.", said Hanbei, while coughing a little. Kanbei stared at him after that. "I wanted to discuss with you about attacking the villages that surround Oshu. I think it's time we teach the One-Eyed Dragon a lesson. Don't you agree?"

Mitsunari raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for lord Hideyoshi to join us?"

"That might take more time than we can allow.", said Kanbei suddenly. "Ieyasu will soon join us along with the Takeda and we'll have to guard here until the Uesugi decide what they'll do. After that, Date will either have to surrender or face defeat and then only the Hojo will remain."

Mitsunari stared at Kanbei contemplating whether he should listen blindly to the mysterious man. In the end he nodded. "I'll leave the arrangements to you two."

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Sasuke felt weird about the whole situation. Nobuyuki and Yukimura had always been getting along and they really loved and cared for each other. Even when they fought, they never acted like the way they were now.

Nobuyuki was on his horse in the front without sparing even a glance at his younger brother. Yukimura was walking in the back, glaring at Nobuyuki. Kunoichi was glancing back and forth at the two brothers with worry in her eyes. Shingen was on his horse, by Sasuke's side, looking completely lost in thought. And Sasuke didn't know how to react. They had surrendered and that meant that they had to pledge their loyalty to the Toyotomi.

Ieyasu, alongside Naotora and Tadakatsu were at the front. Suddenly, Shingen marched towards them and Sasuke followed closely behind. Ieyasu nodded at Shingen. "Lord Shingen."

Shingen stared at him with a hard look. "What kind of man is Hideyoshi Toyotomi?"

Well, ambitious would be the first word anyone, including Sasuke, would consider about the Monkey.

Ieyasu smiled. "I was waiting for you to ask me that. Lord Hideyoshi and I first met when we were both serving under Oda Nobunaga. I didn't think much of him back then, but I was intrigued by his story. He was a peasant that assisted Nobunaga in many of his battles and Nobunaga granted him the name Hideyoshi Toyotomi and made him a lord. He took lady Nene, his childhood friend and love as his wife and both of them suddenly became two very important figures from being nobodies. Nobunaga had Hideyoshi take care of smaller provinces and villages and he was planning to send him against Mori Motonari before his downfall. After Nobunaga died, Hideyoshi decided to continue his work with a much clearer mind and without the hate that Nobunaga possessed. That means that he will focus on the bonds that are needed in order for this country to become great."

"I see.", said Shingen with a serious expression. Sasuke stared at him curiously. Shingen's eyes hardened. "About that last part. Did lord Hideyoshi tell you about this himself or is it what you believe he is focusing on just because that's your goal?"

Sasuke gaped at his lord and it was obvious that the question caught Ieyasu off guard as well. Naotora stared at them with a shocked expression. Ieyasu looked down. "He wants to unite the land… That means that he wants to create bonds."

Shingen sighed. "As I thought. I hope you are right Takechiyo. But don't be shocked if he is not the man you wish him to be." And with that, Shingen went to join Yukimura and Kunoichi and Sasuke followed him, knowing that Ieyasu was having doubts.

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Mitsunari sighed as he went outside to train. He met Magoichi and Ginchiyo in his usual training spot and he nodded at them. He could use a sparring partner and Ginchiyo was a good opponent.

Ginchiyo stared at him for a moment. "Something is bothering you."

"I'm considering our military advances. I'm wondering whether I'm missing something."

"Didn't Kanbei and Hanbei propose what we'll do next?", asked Magoichi. "They know what they're doing."

Mitsunari sighed. "I know they do and I trust lord Hanbei a lot, but…"

"You don't trust Kanbei that much.", said Magoichi. "It's understandable. The man gives me the creeps. Even Mori fears him and even though I love to see him uneasy, I can't blame him for feeling like that,"

"He is colder than Mori in my opinion.", said Ginchiyo. "I've known Motonari for a while, he is indeed an asshole, but he does all of the terrible things he does with a purpose; to make sure that the Mori family will survive. Kanbei… I don't know what his purpose is and I don't feel like he cares about anything at all."

"He cares about lord Hanbei.", said Mitsunari and the two women stared at him surprised.

"How can you tell?", asked Magoichi.

"He is always with him and lord Kanbei in general tries to avoid being with others and you can tell easily that he respects lord Hanbei's decisions. I mean lord Hanbei is a strong character and believes that his opinion and ideas are absolute and that is why it surprises me how well he receives lord Kanbei's feedback. And I've seen the opposite happen plenty of times too. These two complement each other perfectly and they care for each other, despite being completely different. That is why they are very valuable to lord Hideyoshi"

Magoichi smiled. "It's nice that you've grown up with them. You know what kind of men they are and whether they are trustworthy."

Mitsunari frowned. "I still don't trust lord Kanbei completely. He always was… a mystery to me. I really I am ashamed of not trusting one of lord Hideyoshi's most trusted advisors."

Ginchiyo sighed. "Don't worry about it. Everyone considers him shady. You know him longer than us and you still do and that says a lot about him."

Mitsunari looked down. "It doesn't matter. As long as he serves lord Hideyoshi, I don't care."

The women remained silent before Magoichi decided to break the silence and change the subject. "Weren't you two about to spar? Come on! I want to watch a good fight. Unless you're scared of us women."

Mitsunari raised an eyebrow. "Where did that last statement come from? I treat all of my opponents the same, no matter whether they are men or women."

"That Hojo girl then was an exception?", asked Magoichi while smirking. "I mean she was cute."

Mitsunari groaned. "I literally left the others because they kept bugging me about that. Don't do the same."

Magoichi shrugged. "Well, you did go easy on her. I've seen you fight. You slaughter anything that dares oppose you. Why was she an exception? She was an easy target."

Ginchiyo wasn't saying anything, but she looked quite amused. Mitsunari glared at Magoichi. The worst thing was that he didn't really have an answer as to why he spared that girl. Hojo Hayakawa. A foolish girl.

He couldn't really explain why he didn't attack her like he would anyone else. It wasn't because she was a woman. He never had that problem before. It was mainly because… She didn't belong on the battlefield. She was too childish and in a completely different world in his eyes. She needed to leave from these war stricken times.

"She wasn't a challenge and I had other stuff I was considering at the time.", he answered to Magoichi. Well he wasn't really lying now, was he?

Before Magoichi could reply and he was certain her answer would be as annoying as her questions, they heard the sound of someone training nearby. They all looked at the person that wasn't very far from them. It was Ranmaru. Mitsunari frowned. Ranmaru was also a child yet he didn't feel the same way as he felt with Hayakawa. And he knew that Gracia, the other child of the army, didn't give him that feeling either.

"Ranmaru.", said Ginchiyo.

The boy stared at them with a strong look in his eyes. "I would like to spar if anyone is available."

Ginchiyo smiled at him. "I shall entertain you then. Besides the King of Misfortune here has other things on his head."

Mitsunari mumbled a curse and allowed Ginchiyo to go spar with Ranmaru. He looked at Magoichi. "Why do you think I spared her?"

Magoichi chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe you're growing soft." He grunted. "Or you did like her." This time he growled. "Or, you just saw something in her."

Mitsunari looked away. "Whatever."

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"Can you please tell me why already?". Kai had been chasing Ujiyasu around the castle ever since they arrived back and she demanded explanations about his behavior when it came to Masamune.

Ujiyasu was heading to his room, trying to ignore the nuisance behind him. Suddenly Kai came right in front of him and crossed her arms. "You said that you were going to tell me when we get back, so explain yourself! What is so terrible about Masamune that you treat him this way?"

He tried to retreat, but Hayakawa, now fully bandaged up, and Kotaro were closing the way. "You did promise her, father."

Kotaro smirked and Ujiyasu sighed. "Alright. Come inside." Kai followed right behind him, but Hayakawa and Kotaro remained outside.

Hayakawa stared at Kotaro. "You already know why, right?"

Kotaro grinned at her. "Aren't you curious?"

Hayakawa sighed. "It's not my business. Besides, Kai might entrust me with this information later."

Kotaro chuckled. "I highly doubt it." And with that he disappeared, leaving Hayakawa alone.

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Kai sat down and stared at Ujiyasu expectantly. Her heart was beating rapidly and she knew that she wouldn't like what she would hear.

Ujiyasu took a drag from his pipe and stared at her. "Listen, Kai." He didn't call her boy and that alone terrified her. "You know how much I value my family and family bonds in general."

Kai nodded. Ujiyasu was like a father to all of his people. A grumpy old man yes, but a father nevertheless. "I do. And I value these bonds the same way, my lord."

He took another drug. "Well, the same can't be said for the One-Eyed Dragon."

Kai blinked at him. "What are you saying?"

"Date Masamune shot his own father, killed his younger brother and drove his own mother to exile. The reasons behind these actions were never made public, but whatever they were, nothing excuses eradicating your whole family one by one."

Kai felt her blood freeze. Why…. Why…? "He… He wouldn't"

Ujiyasu sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, his father was killed in a battle where he was captured by the enemy. Maybe his father begged him to kill him or something. Yet him killing his brother, even if he feared losing his right as the head of the family and at the age of fourteen nevertheless… It just doesn't sit right with me. I won't even comment about what he did to his mother. They say she is a harsh woman, but still."

Kai stared at him with disbelief. "That's all." he said. "Take your time to process all that and if you are still feeling the same about him, then I have nothing more to say about you two. Obviously, you need to hear his side of the story as well, but you need to know that everything I said are facts about the One-Eyed Dragon's early years. If he is a monster that is capable to do the same to the people that he claims he cares about, you'll be the one to find out."

Ujiyasu left her alone and Kai felt emptier than ever.

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Keiji was surprised with how fast the news traveled. Takeda Shingen, the great Tiger of Kai, had surrendered and from what Toyotomi's ninja said, Uesugi Kenshin the War God was considering doing the same.

Keiji stared at Hideyoshi who was laughing about something Nene told him. They had surely become powerful people. Yet Keiji didn't feel quite reassured by Hideyoshi and he couldn't really tell why. Hideyoshi smiled. "We need to meet up with the others and discuss about finishing the unification of the land."

"I can't wait to see my children.", said Nene giggling.

"Children?", questioned Keiji. He knew that Nene couldn't become a mother from rumors so…

"They're not my children biologically.", she said looking down. "But I still love them as such.", she smiled sadly at Keiji.

Keiji felt terrible for making her think like this. "Then they are your children even though you aren't bound by blood relations."

Nene smiled at him a little more. "They are, yes." Nene looked up in the sky and her sadness was evident in her eyes.

Hideyoshi approached him. "That's not the best subject to bring up, you know.", he whispered to him.

Keiji nodded. "I apologize. I didn't know she considers herself the mother of her people."

Hideyoshi chuckled. "She considers herself everyone's mother. And that's why everybody loves her."

Keiji felt his heart clench. That's right. Everyone loved Nene. And she loved Hideyoshi.

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The door to Kenshin's private chambers opened and everyone waiting outside gasped in surprise, except Aya, who simply drank some sake she had brought with her. Kenshin stared at everyone with a serious expression. "Lord Kenshin…", mumbled Kasuga.

"So… what do we do?", asked Kanetsugu.

Kenshin didn't acknowledge them. He turned to Aya who seemed indifferent to the whole situation and continued drinking sake. "I think it's the best decision."

Aya didn't even stare at him. "You already know that I disagree and why I do so, but I will support you no matter what and you also know that."

They all stared at Aya surprised. She knew all along what Kenshin had been considering and yet didn't say a word. "My lady…?", gasped Kanetsugu.

She tossed him a cup that hit him on the head without even looking at him. "Oops, my hand slipped.", she said completely indifferent once again. "Why don't you pay attention, my dear Kanetsugu?", she asked, while pouring more sake for herself.

Kenshin suddenly stared at Kagetora. The boy started sweating bullets. "My decision is… to not take part in any battle."

Kagetora blinked. "So you propose to surrender, right?"

Kenshin suddenly smiled with a pained expression. "No. I decided that I don't want to make any more decisions. I give up."

"What?!", shouted the three other men in the room along with Kasuga.

Kenshin looked away. "I officially now have a successor. I won't be the ruler of the Uesugi anymore."

"Not without the Tiger of Kai out there.", mumbled Aya, but Kagetora heard her clearly.

"So that means…", said Kagetora as realization hit him.

"You are making this decision now.", said Kenshin. "As my successor you will decide what we will do. I'm sorry, Kagetora. I will assist you in battle and everything else, but it's time I retire. The era of the old samurai is ending. I don't want to remain there alone…"

"Lord Kenshin!", shouted Kasuga. "You're not old! Besides if that's the case, lord Ujiyasu is still standing-"

"For how long, Kasuga?", he smiled bitterly at her. "And I've been ruling Echigo for much longer than I had wished. I'm not that old, yes, but I'm tired of this and the only person that could make me happy in battle has surrendered. I can only follow after him, but I won't make this decision for everyone else. Kagetora might choose to surrender as well, but his decision will be his own and not made because of selfish reasons. The real reason I'm doing this is because I'm selfish. Lord Ujiyasu would laugh at me."

"Lord Kenshin…" Kasuga felt tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Kagetora, what is your decision?", asked Kenshin.

Kagetora felt that everyone was staring at him and he started trembling. He thought about what Kenshin said and let out a breath. He knew what the right decision was, but he also knew that not everyone would like it. "I… I choose to surrender. We won't be able to defend Echigo forever and spring is approaching. The snow will melt and we will lose our advantage. So… We should surrender."

"Great, well said Kagetora.", said Kenshin. "So-"

"I refuse." Kagekatsu spoke suddenly, surprising them.

"What was that Kagekatsu?", asked Kenshin.

"I refuse to surrender. And I refuse to accept him as your successor. He is only a child and you're avoiding your responsibilities, my lord."

"He is my successor, Kagekatsu. Please-"

"He isn't." That was Kanetsugu. "He isn't related to you by blood. But Kagekatsu is and he is older than him. He should rule the Uesugi if you want to retire and maybe you should reconsider that last thing. We are warriors. We can't retire without achieving peace."

Kasuga jumped in front of Kagetora and Kenshin and pointed a kunai at the other two men. "Lord Kenshin is your leader and his decision should be absolute. Do you understand the implications of your words?"

Kagekatsu approached her. "Yes. We want to fight till the very end. And we won't accept him as the new Uesugi leader. I want him to fight for that title. If he wins, we will surrender, if he loses, I will be the new leader."

"I will support Kagekatsu.", said Kanetsugu.

"I will support Kagetora.", said Kenshin.

"Me too.", said Kasuga. "It's lord Kenshin's will after all."

Everyone then turned to the only person in the room that hadn't said a word. Aya was continuing drinking sake, seemingly oblivious to the conflict. "Mother, won't you take sides?", asked Kagekatsu.

"I thought it was obvious.", she said raising an eyebrow. "Kagetora is our new ruler and that is the one I will support."

Kagetora's eyes widened in shock. Aya was on his side? Also how did things escalate this way? He looked down and then sighed. His father wouldn't back down and that's what he would also do. Both as Hojo Saburo and as Uesugi Kagetora. He rose up and stared Kagekatsu in the eyes. "Bring it on."

End of Chapter 13

A/N: And it's done! This chapter will be the last one for now, because I'll be away for two months and I won't be focused on the story at all. I'll return on June, so the next chapter will be posted on late June or early to mid-July, depending on how much it will take for me to complete it. Anyway, about this chapter. Finally we know Masamune's backstory which is historically canon as well. And as for the Uesugi splitting in two, that happens in Samurai Warriors 4 after Kenshin's death, but I didn't want to randomly kill Kenshin XD. Yeah, I didn't like the reason he gives up much either, but I couldn't think of anything better. Thank you Star-Eyes Pendulum Dragon for always commenting. If you like the chapter, please review and tell me your opinion. Till next time!