"Oh, that’s right! It was Kanbe’e Kuroda, wasn’t it!"

  Tanabe exclaimed, his eyes shining with a youthful, academic curiosity. Sakamoto watched those eyes for a moment before picking up the thread of the story.

  "Yes. Kanbe’e Kuroda. Often called the strongest 'Number Two' in history—a genius strategist feared by the three great unifiers: Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu. In a life defined by constant warfare, he remained undefeated. A man like that might just be capable of such a feat. In fact, he might be the only one... You see, even the most perfect crime always leaves a 'scar' where the evidence was cauterized."

  "Wait, if he was undefeated, why was he only 'Number Two'?"

  "Because Kanbe’e was too brilliant for his own good. His lord, Hideyoshi, eventually grew terrified of him, seeing a shadow of a threat in his sheer competence. Sensing the danger, Kanbe’e chose to retire early to Kyushu to ease Hideyoshi’s paranoia. But the story doesn't truly end there. After Hideyoshi’s death, during the legendary Battle of Sekigahara, Kanbe’e harbored a secret ambition: to crush whoever emerged victorious and seize the nation for himself. He calculated that after such a massive clash, the 'winner' wouldn't have the strength left to fend off a fresh army."

  "Are you serious?"

  "Dead serious. However, his own son, Nagamasa Kuroda, fought with such distinction for the Tokugawa side that the Battle of Sekigahara was decided in a mere half-day. At that moment, Kanbe’e had already pacified Kyushu with lightning speed and was marching toward the mainland with tens of thousands of troops. But because the victory was so swift and decisive, the winning army remained largely intact. Kanbe’e realized his window had slammed shut and retreated to Kyushu. It’s a bitter irony—he had to bury his final ambition because his own son was too successful."

  "Wow... I never knew that side of the story."

  "Now, what I’m about to tell you is my own personal theory, but..."

  Travel back approximately four hundred and fifty years...

  The year is 1578—the 6th year of the Tensho era.

  Atop Mount Azuchi, overlooking the vast expanse of Lake Biwa, a grotesque yet magnificent fortress was clawing its way toward the heavens. Massive wooden scaffolds cut through the autumn sky like jagged geometric teeth. The entire mountain groaned like a living beast, exhaling the rhythmic thud of hammers and the raw, guttural roars of laboring men.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  From the wide-open hall, the leaden, metallic glow of Lake Biwa stretched toward the horizon. A chilling wind swept across the water, stroking the freshly laid tatami mats as it whistled into the depths of the palace. The distant mountains were bleeding into a fiery crimson, but their beauty carried a cold omen of the 'winter' yet to come.

  On such an autumn afternoon—

  Deep within the shadows of the opulent, gold-leafed hall, a man sat in absolute silence. Clad in a simple black kosode, his presence was stark and inorganic against the surrounding splendor. Yet, he radiated an overwhelming pressure—an aura like a demon emerging from the deepest abyss.

  This was Nobunaga Oda.

  Staring out toward the frozen, ruthless waters of Lake Biwa, his eyes flickered with the silent, hellish flames of a man ready to incinerate anything that smelled of betrayal.

  At that time, the Oda army was besieged on all sides by the "Third Anti-Nobunaga Coalition." Before him stood the religious fervor of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji. To the west, the Mori clan provided naval support to his enemies. In Harima, Nagaharu Bessho had turned, and in Tanba, Hideharu Hatano held firm. To the east, the formidable Katsuyori Takeda confronted the Oda-Tokugawa alliance. Nobunaga was, quite literally, fighting the world.

  In the midst of this, Murashige Araki—the Lord of Settsu, stationed to support Hideyoshi Hashiba’s campaign—had suddenly withdrawn into Arioka Castle. He was on the verge of turning his back on Nobunaga.

  Murashige had been the linchpin, the front-line shield blocking communication between the Hongan-ji and the Mori. If he defected now, the damage would be catastrophic. For Nobunaga, it was a mortal threat; it could sever his vital lifeline to Kyoto.

  The report of Murashige’s suspected treason reached Nobunaga’s ears like a thunderclap.

  "Lord Araki is suspected of harboring rebellious intent!"

  Hearing the unthinkable, Nobunaga’s elbow slipped from his armrest. Before he could lose his balance, he lunged forward, standing with a violence that made the air tremble, his hand gripping the wood like a vice.

  "Absurd! Do not speak such nonsense!"

  "Sire! But the reports... they appear to be true!"

  Nobunaga had trusted Murashige deeply; the news was a jagged blade to his pride. He ordered his closest aides—Yukan Matsui, Mitsuhide Akechi (who shared a bond with Murashige), and his favored attendant Shigemoto Manmi—to bring Araki before him at once.

  "Enough! Bring Murashige to me! NOW!"

  His roar shook the gold-leafed walls of Azuchi. Nobunaga’s eyes were shot through with blood. His suspicion manifested as a physical weight, suffocating the room.

  Nobunaga showed no mercy to traitors. He could never forget the blood of his own younger brother, Nobukatsu, or the betrayal of the Omi hero, Nagamasa Azai.

  In 1556, when Nobunaga inherited the clan, his refined brother Nobukatsu led a revolt. Nobunaga won but spared him at their mother's plea. When Nobukatsu plotted a second time, Nobunaga lured him to Kiyosu Castle under the pretense of 'illness' and assassinated him with his own hands.

  Then, eight years ago, Nagamasa Azai—the man who had married Nobunaga’s sister, Oichi—succumbed to his father’s pressure and betrayed their alliance. Nobunaga, marching through Echizen, found himself trapped—a 'rat in a bag.' He survived only through sheer luck and desperate will, eventually returning to crush them both. At the following New Year’s feast, it is said Nobunaga displayed the skulls of the Azai and Asakura leaders, lacquered in gold leaf, for all to see.

  He was a man who pursued vengeance into the afterlife.

  If Murashige’s rebellion was real, the Oda army would once again find itself standing at the precipice of total annihilation.

  Produced and written by a Japanese author, rooted in authentic Japanese history. Translated with the assistance of Gemini (AI).