Sengoku Basara meets Samurai Warriors: The rise of the Toyotomi

Chapter 15

A/N: I present you chapter 15. I suggest you read the final parts with the ost "Thin Ice" from samurai warriors 4.

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

Chapter 15: Kagetora vs Kagekatsu part 2

He didn't realize when he had moved so closed to the enemy. Kagekatsu had swung his weapon with extreme ferocity and he couldn't understand how he managed to block without being thrown away. He definitely felt like he was shaking after the collision stopped. Everything was moving in slow motion, but for some reason his fear had vanished. He steadied his step and charged again, only to be pushed back the same exact way.

Kasuga grabbed him and moved him away from the next blow that would probably kill him had it landed. When they stopped moving, he realized that he had coughed blood. Kasuga shook him by the shoulders and suddenly his attention snapped back at her. "Lord Kagetora! Focus please! He is too powerful and you were shaken a lot, you need to fall back until you can move properly!"

Kagetora nodded slowly and that movement made him dizzy. He noticed Kagekatsu's huge figure approaching them. Kasuga grabbed him again and suddenly Aya jumped in front of them. "Take cover and get your head straight, Kagetora. I will hold him back."

Kasuga took him and they hid behind a tree. Kagetora took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. Everything was blurry every time he focused his vision onto something for a few minutes. After a while he really started feeling better. Kasuga looked at him with a worried expression, but he nodded at her in a reassuring way. She nodded back, not fully convinced, but they both jumped back into the battlefield.

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Mitsunari stared at the Tokugawa army as they approached their camp. It would be minutes till they would eventually arrive. He allowed himself to stare a little bit on the other side, not very far from where their camp was. The Uesugi civil war had started.

"Are you worried?", asked Yoshitsugu Otani.

Mitsunari couldn't care less about the victor. No matter who it was they would eventually fall under the Toyotomi army. "Don't make me laugh, Gyobou. The result doesn't matter at all."

Yoshitsugu chuckled. "I expected that much from you. Now, let's see what Ieyasu brought along or rather who."

Mitsunari had read the report Ieyasu had sent and so did Yoshitsugu. They both knew that Takeda Shingen along with Sanada Yukimura had been recruited in their army after surrendering. And they were both equally curious about what kind of men they were. Ieyasu always spoke highly of lord Shingen and through the stories he had heard, Mitsunari was curious to meet the man. Of course he didn't expect him to be as great as lord Hideyoshi but he was still curious nevertheless. As for Sanada Yukimura, Ieyasu had said that he was a young and strong samurai with a very strong spirit. Judging from Sanada Nobuyuki, Mitsunari wasn't very surprised by the description. Sanada Nobuyuki was an honorable warrior with a fierce spirit. He was loyal to his wife and he was truly a gentle samurai.

"When is lord Hideyoshi going to be back again?", asked Masanori suddenly.

Mitsunari sighed annoyed. "In four days maximum. We've talked about this more than once."

"Yeah, but I didn't remember.", said Masanori while crossing his arms.

Yoshitsugu chuckled. "Lady Nene certainly is needed if you two are fighting like children."

Mitsunari chose to ignore him. Ieyasu was close. A sudden blue shining from the battlefield not very far from them got his attention.

Motochika, not very far from him, chuckled. "Looks like lady Aya has joined the battle for good."

Motonari Mori allowed himself to glance at the scene. An act that didn't go unnoticed by Yoshitsugu. "Very interesting.", he mumbled to himself.

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Aya was doing a great job of holding back her son, until Kanetsugu jumped at her, forcing her to use ice to block the hit. That gave Kagekatsu the opportunity to run away from her and attack Kenshin. The War God wasn't fighting very offensively against his opponents. After all, after all the chaos they would all be part of the Uesugi army.

Aya was also trying not to kill their men, but Kanetsugu knew that and he was attacking her fiercely, forcing her to use strong magic spells against him.

Kagetora didn't know which one of the two powerful warriors he should fight. He looked at Kasuga. "Can you help lady Aya? I will help lord Kenshin."

Kasuga looked at him reluctantly, but eventually nodded. They separated and ran to assist their allies.

Kanetsugu glared at Kasuga as she threw at him a couple kunai. Kagekatsu on the other hand easily deflected the hit he threw at him. "About time…", said the larger warrior.

Kagetora felt the shaking once again, but he placed his feet firmly on the ground. He had to fight seriously. He charged again.

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Ieyasu approached Mitsunari with his trademark smile. "Mitsunari, it's good to see you."

Mitsunari simply raised his eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "You took too long."

Ieyasu sweatdropped. "You do realize I had to confirm whether they wanted to surrender or not before I attacked, right?"

Mitsunari rolled his eyes. "Diplomacy almost never works, so you shouldn't go through it. If they decided to surrender afterwards, then you should do as you please."

Ieyasu sighed. Mitsunari never used diplomacy. He just attacked anyone that wouldn't pledge loyalty to the Toyotomi from the moment they were born. "I believe in the creation of bonds, Mitsunari. If I manage to form an alliance through diplomacy, I believe we create bonds much more easily."

"Don't you also believe that you have a form of a bond with an enemy?", asked Mitsunari.

Ieyasu sighed. "Yes… But that's a different thing. I want to create as many good bonds as I can."

"Whatever.", said Mitsunari simply. Ieyasu was too simple minded for his liking.

Ieyasu shook his head before he decided to introduce Mitsunari to Shingen. "Mitsunari, this is lord Shingen. Lord Shingen this is-"

"The King of Misfortune.", said Shingen. Shingen and Mitsunari stared strongly at each other.

"And you are the Tiger of Kai. Our titles are far more notorious than we think.", said Mitsunari.

Shingen chuckled. "Indeed they are. It is interesting for someone so young to already have made a name of himself. I'm very interested in meeting the rest of the Toyotomi army and of course, the monkey himself, lord Hideyoshi."

Mitsunari didn't seem amused but nodded. He stared at the back and noticed the young Sanada. Their eyes locked for a moment, but Mitsunari made no move to go meet the other man. Instead he turned to get to his tent. He had some arrangements to make concerning the Date clan.

Noise from the battle nearby got the newcomers' attention. Shingen stared with a serious expression. "A civil war. And amidst of chaos. Not very wise of Kenshin."

Mitsunari huffed in agreement and left to deal with his issues.

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Kagetora had been pushed multiple times by Kagekatsu but he didn't wat to give up. He couldn't. He had to fight. For the Uesugi people that put their trust in him. For himself, so that he could actually defend his right as Kesnin's successor. For Saburo, who had learned to always fight for what he believed in. And for his father, the Lion of Shagami. The one warrior he would always respect and admire more than anyone.

Kenshin was by his side, doing his best to protect him at all costs. Aya and Kasuga had started pushing Kanetsugu back, much to the man's frustration. Kagekatsu had a hard time fighting his uncle and he had been taken by surprise by the sudden burst of strength Kagetora was displaying.

For the first time since this battle started, Kagetora felt hope. He was actually deflecting the blows and Kenshin's support was a huge advantage. He could do it. He could guide the Uesugi through this difficult time. He only had to endure just a little more. He coughed up some more blood, but he ignored it and the pain he felt in his lungs after such powerful hits. He had to keep going. He had to win.

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Masamune was heading to one of the villages in the outskirts of Oshu. It was the one Itsuki lived in. There were reports of attacks from the Toyotomi.

They came across some of the soldiers of the Toyotomi not very far from the village. They had captured some of the villagers and they were ready to execute them. "No one may stand against us, the Toyotomi troop.", shouted the man that was about to deliver the finishing blow to the poor people.

Masamune's horse humped above them and the soldiers stopped and stared at him in surprise. "It's show time!", shouted Masamune, his trademark smirk on his face.

He jumped and took out his three swords and with all of his power he charged towards them. "Death Fang!", he yelled.

The men that he didn't manage to hit stared at him terrified. "It' him…", he heard them say.

Masamune smirked more. He was feeling more confident than he did a few hours ago. The Toyotomi hadn't sent anyone strong, but this way he could make the weaker soldier fear him and thus make them refuse to attack at Oshu. "Why so panicky?", he asked in an amused manner. "This is the Dragon's den, alright? The Lord of Oshu, Date Masamune has arrived!"

Masamune charged. It would be an easy and much needed victory.

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Kagekatsu was being driven into a corner. He needed to act fast. He knew that the only one he could actually defeat from his two opponents was Kagetora. So he had to somehow push Kenshin out of the way. He needed assistance for that.

He looked over at Kanetsugu who had been in a similar state as him and he decided to change things a little. He would force his opponents to join forces as well, but during this chaos he could actually achieve what he wanted. So he ran to Kanetsugu and his next attack was directed to his mother.

Aya avoided his attack with no difficulty. She seemed unbothered by the fact that her own son was attacking her.

Kenshin and Kagetora joined the two women as expected and now he could actually focus on achieving his goal. He didn't want to kill the boy. But he would have to injure him to the point where he wouldn't be able to be in charge.

And thus the fight continued in the same manner.

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Itsuki stared terrified at the men that were charging to her village. They were too many and with far superior equipment than the villagers possessed. "No one may stand against us the Toyotomi troop.", shouted the commander.

"Please stop!", screamed Itsuki. "We are a small village and we have no army of our own! There is no reason for the Toyotomi army to attack us!"

"We've received reports that this village stands with the Date army.", said the commander, actually acknowledging Itsuki.

Anoither big man destroyed a warehouse with a swing from his huge hammer, one very similar to Itsuki's. In this warehouse the villagers had stored their weapons. "See.", said the commander. "There are weapons in the warehouse. You have no excuse now! Attack!"

"No!", shouted Itsuki and attacked with her own hammer at the commander. The man blocked her attack and pushed her back. Itsuki was terrified.

Itsuki could only stare as the villagers tried to attack the powerful soldiers of the Toyotomi. Our village…, she thought defeated. Everywhere around her was fire. She felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Suddenly right in front of her a figure jumped. Her eyes widened as she saw the blue armor. The Blue samurai…, she thought hopefully.

"Let's make it cool.", said Masamune. "Let's make it cool."

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Kagekatsu was watching Kagetora carefully. He had been pleasantly surprised by the boy's passion. He was starting to think that maybe he had been wrong. Maybe the boy could do it.

But he couldn't back down now. He wouldn't kill him, he reminded to himself. He would only knock him out and then the battle would be over. And then maybe he would accept Kenshin's decision with a huge apology. Yup, that sounded liked the best plan for now.

It was his chance finally. He managed to deliver a strong blow that the boy barely deflected. Kagetora had been pushed back very harshly. He collapsed. Kagekatsu withdrew his weapon. Kenshin and Aya stopped fighting and both stared at Kagetora in shock.

Kagekatsu stared at the boy's unmoving body. He only knocked him down. So why did he feel that he did something far worse?

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Yukimura was confused with the King of Misfortune. The man seemed to despise everyone he dared to look at and yet he was considered as one of the most devoted Toyotomi soldiers, if not the most devoted. Yukimura couldn't get it.

"Are you sure this man has any respect for anything?", asked Kunoichi, mirroring his thoughts.

Nobuyuki chuckled. "As I told you before. He seems distant and I'll admit that he is more than just cruel to his opponents, but he is lord Hideyoshi's most loyal man. In a weird way, you are similar to him, Yukimura."

Yukimura blinked in surprise. "I… I don't really see it."

"Me neither.", said Kunoichi while crossing her arms. "Lord Yukimura is so full of life and then this man… He looks so gloomy."

Nobuyuki sighed. "He is difficult to get along with. I can confirm that much. But, he and lord Ieyasu have a good relationship and they consider each other friends."

Kunoichi pouted. "Ok… So, what is your relationship with him?", she asked genuinely.

Nobuyuki sighed. He kind of expected the question. "There is respect between us, I can assure you of that. But he is hard to get along at times. Even when I first met him, I felt that he was different. He always kept to himself and he avoided the others a lot. Lord Ieyasu forcefully befriended him and after that I started actually spending time with him. He is very smart and a good strategist, but… he is too bloodthirsty for my liking. If you insult lord Hideyoshi in front of him, death is certain."

"Is he in love with him or something?", asked Kunoichi while raising an eyebrow.

"He sees him as a father figure.", said Nobuyuki. "It's more like how you view lord Shingen, Yukimura. But in a much more obsessive way."

Yukimura blinked in surprise. He didn't expect that from his brother. "I guess then that I can get along with him."

Nobuyuki stared at him in thought. "I don't know. He isn't that patient."

Yukimura stared at his brother confused. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Kunoichi and Sasuke shared a look. They knew that Yukimura wasn't the brightest and if the other man was as difficult as Nobuyuki described him, he would probably get fed up with Yukimura if Yukimura was too slow with him.

"… Nothing.", said Nobuyuki.

They all stared at the Uesugi battlefield not very far from the camp. "It seems like it's finally over.", said Nobuyuki.

"I wonder… What did they achieve with this?", said Yukimura looking away.

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Kagekatsu leaned over Kagetora and felt cold sweat washing over him. The boy was breathing slowly. Aya was trying to heal him, but even she looked desperate. Kagetora turned weakly at him. He smiled and blood dripped from his mouth. Kagekatsu swallowed hard. He had injured him more than he wanted to. "Lord Kagekatsu…", said the boy weakly. "… I had fun…"

Kagekatsu didn't know what to say. "… I'm sorry… I didn't want it to end like this…"

"It was bound to happen… You are better suited to… be Kenshin's successor…" Talking was becoming hard for Kagetora.

"Hold on a little more!", shouted Aya as she applied another spell.

Kagetora smiled at her as well. "Thank you… lady Aya… for having my back. Kasuga… I thank you as well… Lord Kenshin… I apologize for failing you…"

"You didn't fail me! You are my true successor. I do believe that.", said Kenshin with a pained expression. Kasuga had started sobbing.

Kagekatsu held his hand. "He is right. You were the true successor, not me! It was stupid of me to say otherwise. My stupid pride got the better of me! I will grant your wish! We will surrender! There is no other choice! I was blinded by jealousy and refused to see it! So please live so that you can take over the Uesugi when you get better…"

"You were right…", said Kagetora. "I was never an Uesugi to begin with… I was not suited…"

"No! You are a Uesugi! You are Uesugi Kagetora!", shouted Kagekatsu.

Kagetora looked up into the sky. He imagined himself running with his siblings and having fun. Hayakawa was waiting for him and smiling brightly at him and at the top of the hill they were running to, was Ujiyasu with a smile on his lips. Kagetora felt tears in his eyes. "Do what is best for the Uesugi… Kagekatsu…" And with that he stopped breathing.

Aya stared at him in utter shock and Kagekatsu fell to his knees. The boy was dead. Kenshin stared at the scene with a pained expression. "Ujiyasu… You should be proud…"

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Hayakawa felt her hair moving to an unusual breeze. She stared out of her window as a feeling that something terrible had happened made its presence known. She felt Kotaro's presence behind her. She didn't turn around and started crying. "Is Saburo-"

"Uesugi Kagetora is dead. My wolves just told me.", said Kotaro with a monotonous voice. Hayakawa swore she almost felt sadness from him. She fell to her knees and started crying.

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Kagekatsu was devastated. He didn't want this. He had only meant to injure the boy. Not to kill him. And furthermore the boy had earned his respect with how he fought even at a disadvantage.

Aya came next to him. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Mother… I'm sorry…"

"Save it.", she said a bit harshly. "You are the new leader of the Uesugi. As your mother, I feel proud that you fought for what you believed. At the same time, Kagetora didn't deserve this." Aya turned at him with a serious expression. "Don't you dare defile his memory! You will surrender to the Toyotomi as you promised to him. That is the best and only thing we can do now."

Kagekatsu nodded. He would do it. He picked up his weapon and he turned to his soldiers. "Everyone! I, as your new leader apologize for this unnecessary bloodshed! I will follow Uesugi Kagetora's will and surrender. The Toyotomi will eventually prevail if we don't and then all of us will suffer a terrible fate!"

It was over. The civil war was for nothing. Kagekatsu felt like a fool. He took Kagetora's body. He deserved an honorable funeral.

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Keiji sighed. They were almost at the Toyotomi camp. He would see how Hideyoshi behaved to his followers and in the end he would judge whether he was a suitable leader.

Hideyoshi approached him with a friendly smile. "I can't wait to see what Mitsunari has achieved. Ieyasu managed to defeat the Takeda and from what my ninjas told me, the Uesugi have been drive into a corner. I'm almost done with this country, Keiji."

Keiji stared at his old friend curiously. "And after this country? What's next?"

Hideyoshi simply smiled and turned around to leave. "Who knows?"

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Mitsunari stared apathetically at the new Uesugi leader as he bowed before him. Next to him were the witch and a man with a weird hat. They were surrendering as expected and they were pledging their alliance to them. Mitsunari wanted to kill them for defying them for so long, but lord Hanbei and lord Kanbei insisted that it was more beneficial to have them join them. Mitsunari didn't care. The only thing that matters was that lord Hideyoshi's army was growing and soon the whole of Japan would fall into his hands.

End of Chapter 15

A/N: An emotional chapter this time. Sadly, Kagetora's death is a canon event in the games and if I remember correctly it's historically accurate as well. The parts with Masamune are taken by the sengoku basara manga and there are going to be more scenes from there. Next chapter, we will focus on Masamune and his resistance. There were also be scenes that will highlight how violent Mitsunari can be and of course the awaited reunion with lady Nene and lord Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi's talk with Keiji is obviously implying that Hideyoshi is planning on attack other countries as well, something he historically did (but failed). Thanks to Star-Eyes Pendulum Dragon for always commenting and thank you AhmadiU for your comment as well. This part will finish with Hideyoshi attacking Korea. The third part I'm planning is going to follow the Judgement End anime and there is going to be a fourth part which will be the conclusion. That's all, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see more comments. Till next time!