The rebellion of Murashige Araki sent shockwaves through the land. As his resistance against the Oda grew fierce, the impact reached Harima (modern-day Hyogo Prefecture), the very frontline of the Oda clan’s campaign to conquer the western Chugoku region.

  Communications from Azuchi had begun to sever.

  To the west, the Mori clan intensified their pressure; to the east, Araki bared his fangs.

  Harima, once the strategic heart of the Oda's advance, was now a solitary island in a sea of enemies.

  A thick fog of anxiety began to shroud the hearts of the local lords...

  Masamoto Kodera, the lord of Gochaku Castle and a local power, had pledged his loyalty to the Oda. However, with each passing day since Murashige’s betrayal, he felt the situation worsening.

  In this turbulent land was a man—a man who would eventually become a strategist capable of shaking the very foundations of the nation: Kuroda Kanbe'e. At this time, however, he used his lord’s surname and called himself Kodera Kanbe'e.

  It was Kanbe'e who had pushed aside the opposing views of his peers to convince Lord Masamoto to join the forces of Hideyoshi Hashiba.

  One day, Kanbe'e sat across from his lord.

  The flame of the paper lamp in the corner of the room flickered in a draft.

  Though the Kodera clan had once been a formidable power in Harima, the room was now filled only with the scent of mold and the suffocating weight of a hopeless despair. Outside, a cold rain—a harbinger of winter—beat mercilessly against the roof tiles.

  "Perhaps we should have sided with the Mori after all..." Masamoto muttered, his voice weak. "Maybe it’s not too late to join hands with the Mori and Araki. That might be the only way to ensure the safety of the Kodera house."

  Kanbe'e’s expression darkened. Here it begins again, he thought.

  Masamoto could not look Kanbe'e in the eye; his fingers drummed incessantly against his armrest.

  "It... it is not my fault. It is all Murashige’s doing..."

  Masamoto reached for his teacup, but his trembling hands caused the tea to spill. He didn't even bother to wipe it away, repeating the same words over and over like a hollow mantra.

  Kanbe'e loathed seeing his lord in such a state.

  Despite his frustration, he felt a lingering sense of duty inherited from his father’s generation. He searched for a shadow of the man Masamoto once was—the lord who had recognized Kanbe'e’s talent and promoted him in his youth.

  Masamoto continued:

  "To tell you the truth, Kanbe'e, I have received an invitation from Lord Murashige. He asks me to raise my banners alongside him... saying the Oda are finished. Tell me, Kanbe'e, shouldn't we return to the Mori's side?"

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  The moment those words left his lord’s mouth, Kanbe clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He swallowed the urge to scream at the man before him.

  In the back of his mind, the face of his son, Shojumaru, appeared.

  He remembered the boy’s brave smile as he was sent away to Nagahama. "Father, please return safely," he had said.

  If I lose my composure here—

  If my lord betrays the Oda for the Mori—

  That smile would be extinguished forever by Nobunaga’s blade.

  Kanbe'e had used every information network at his disposal to read the tides of the era. He was certain of one thing: no one but Oda Nobunaga could rule the land of Japan.

  In councils, even when fellow vassals screamed that they should side with the Mori, Kanbe'e insisted that the Kodera house must support the Oda, eventually forcing the policy through.

  Yet, Lord Masamoto remained indecisive, his resolve as wobbly as a newborn’s head.

  If his lord defected to the Mori, the Kodera house would become a spearpoint aimed directly at Hashiba Hideyoshi’s throat—much like Murashige Araki had become for the Oda.

  He had to avoid a defection at all costs. For his beloved family, and for the sake of the Kodera house itself.

  Most importantly, Kanbe'e had sent his legitimate son, Shojumaru, to Nagahama last year as a 'hostage'—a proof of loyalty to Hideyoshi. He could not, would not, do anything that put his child's life in such mortal peril.

  Driven by the need to resolve the crisis, he decided he had no choice but to attempt to persuade Murashige himself.

  Kanbe'e had a personal connection with Murashige Araki.

  When the Oda first began their invasion of Harima, Kanbe'e, as a local leader, had been among the first to align his views with Murashige. Even after becoming Oda vassals, the two shared a bond as newcomers within the Oda ranks.

  Because of their old friendship, Kanbe'e was among those who found Araki’s rebellion hard to believe. Perhaps it was a desire to see the truth with his own eyes, or perhaps it was the overconfidence of youth, but he felt that if anyone could talk Murashige down, it was him.

  "My Lord! What is there to hesitate about? This talk of Lord Araki harboring treasonous intent—I will go to Arioka myself and negotiate with him directly! I will make him see reason and ensure he offers an apology to Lord Oda. Believe in me, and wait for my return!"

  Masamoto could not simply dismiss the opinion of Kanbe'e, who had distinguished himself at a young age. However, the invitation to join the rebellion was still sitting there. Hearing Kanbe'e’s proposal, Masamoto at least made a show of contemplating it.

  Masamoto snapped his folding fan shut with an irritated click. His eyes seemed to look at Kanbe'e, but in truth, they were wandering, filled with fear of the Mori to the west and Araki to the north.

  "Listen, Kanbe'e. If Lord Araki reconsiders and continues to support Lord Oda, then I too will follow Nobunaga as before. But... if Murashige truly intends to turn his back... then I have my own thoughts on the matter. Regardless, go and find out what is truly in Murashige’s heart!"

  With this, Kanbe'e took on the role of negotiator, determined to protect his lord's house and rescue the Oda army from its predicament.

  Rumors spoke of Murashige’s sudden and terrifying change. The gentle face of the man Kanbe'e had once shared sake with clashed in his mind with the current image of a 'rebel.'

  And there was one more figure that haunted Kanbe'e’s thoughts: the Great Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Nobunaga Oda.

  Kanbe'e could never forget the piercing gaze he had encountered at Azuchi. If he failed to persuade Murashige, Harima—and the life of his son—would be swallowed by that fire-like wrath.

  After all, it was Kanbe'e who had originally brought Araki Murashige into the Oda fold. Now that Murashige had rebelled, Kanbe'e’s own position as the mediator had become precarious.

  For now, I must move forward. Kanbe'e spurred his horse, splashing through the mud as he raced toward the main camp where Hideyoshi waited.

  Freezing rain struck Kanbe'e’s cheeks as he galloped out of Gochaku Castle. Mud kicked up by his horse's hooves stained his favorite hakama, but Kanbe'e had no leisure to care for such things.

  Up ahead, the watch-fires of Hideyoshi’s camp were visible, flickering faintly through the misty rain. Those lights were the only guide Kanbe'e could trust in this Harima shrouded in darkness.

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