02x03 - Tokiyuki to San Taishô

[bunniefuu]

YEAR OF 1335

DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SUWA

Take this!

Not a chance!

Such incredible spirit!
It doesn't even feel like training.

Lord Tokiyuki. Do you recognize
anyone among them?

I've never seen any of them
at Suwa Grand Shrine.

They are all surviving retainers
of the Hojo clan.

We secretly took them in
whenever they fled to Shinano.

There are now over a hundred of them.

These men will serve as your personal army
in the coming great battle.

To keep your survival a secret,
we've kept you hidden.

None of them know what you look like.

When the time comes,
reveal your identity to them yourself.

Their spirits will soar beyond measure.

I would love to declare
that we've secured the victory, but…

I have nothing but respect for him.

He's always pestering me
as though he has nothing better to do.

Yet behind the scenes,
he's been preparing everything.

Now then.

There are several individuals
I should like to introduce to you.

These are the Three Great Generals
of the Suwa Sect,

the retainers who serve directly under me.

They shall join us in the battles to come.

The battles to come?

That provincial official is
preparing a full-scale invasion.

We've also received reports
that he's been acting differently.

Let us rescue our allies
throughout the land

while amassing our strength
for the great battle!

THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI

My trusted Three Great Generals!

I have a most astonishing
announcement for you!

This Chojumaru, who has been serving
at Suwa Grand Shrine since last year,

is actually Lord Tokiyuki Hojo,
heir to the Hojo clan!

I see.

That's it?

Surely you can do better than that!

I was looking forward
to seeing the shock on your faces!

Above all else, we are
your direct retainers, Lord Yorishige.

GREAT GENERAL OF THE RIGHT,
SUWA SECT YORINAO NEZU

If you have chosen to rally
behind the heir of the Hojo clan,

then we shall simply follow your lead.

That's how it is, Young Lord.

Please forgive me for having you pour
my sake without knowing who you were.

GREAT GENERAL OF THE LEFT,
SUWA SECT SHIGENOBU MOCHIZUKI

If we treat you any differently,
we'll only put you in more danger.

Until the day your identity is revealed,
you will remain Chojumaru.

We shall treat you just as we always have
in front of others.

Is that acceptable?

GREAT GENERAL OF THE CENTER,
SUWA SECT YUKIYASU UNNO

Myojin is pouting again.

Mochizuki, give him something sweet.

Lord Yorishige, here you are.

-It's delicious.
-Really?

They keep a respectful distance from me.

They're warriors loyal not to the Hojo,
but to Mr. Yorishige.

They devote their lives
to Suwa Myojin and for Shinano.

I could feel the bond they forged
through years of mutual trust.

PROVINCIAL OFFICIAL'S RESIDENCE

Mercy! Please… spare my wife!

The magistrate has been raising an army
for a rebellion! That's all I know.

Dear!

In winter, slaying is supreme.
Needless to say, slaying rebels.

You truly are an excellent teacher.

My archery has improved
quite a bit, don't you think?

Indeed.

We tortured these peasants
until they confessed,

yet many still oppose me in secret.

I have governed them
with such benevolence, though.

I have obtained an imperial command
from the emperor.

This time, we'll slaughter
every last one of those rebels!

His zeal and cruelty have intensified.

He returned a changed man
after fleeing back to Kyo.

And what of his skill with the bow?

He's improved, but it's still little more
than a noble's pastime.

Just because he can sh**t down
defenseless peasants

doesn't mean he'll be any use
on the b*ttlefield.

OFFICIAL

Yet he carries himself
with a strange confidence.

Could he truly intend to lead
from the front himself?

March, 1335. The flames of conflict
spread across northern Shinano.

In response, Emperor Godaigo issued
an imperial command

calling for a simultaneous as*ault
on pro-Hojo forces throughout the land.

Within northern Shinano,
Tokoiwa was positioned in the north,

Hoshina and Shinomiya in the center,
and Tomomitsu Inukai in the south.

With these three resistance forces
as their primary targets,

the allied armies of
the provincial official and the governor

launched a simultaneous offensive.

Four months remained
until Tokiyuki's uprising.

This would be the greatest
and final battle before the uprising.

The Three Great Generals are
already on their way,

each leading a small force of
elite warriors as secret reinforcements.

So which one are we joining?

None of them. The Elusive Warriors'
mission this time is… messenger duty.

Messenger duty?

You will ride from one b*ttlefield
to the next, carrying reports and orders.

This campaign spans multiple battlefields
over a vast area.

To ensure that every b*ttlefield
receives vital information,

we need messengers
who can never be captured.

We mustn't get caught.

What a difficult mission.

Our objective is the same as before:
to keep our allies' losses to a minimum.

Travel from one b*ttlefield to the next,

and take the opportunity to learn more
about my most trusted retainers.

Your first destination
is the southern part of northern Shinano.

There, Inukai and Unno await
at Fukashi Fort.

They will brief you on the plan.

SOUTHERN FRONT
FUCHU SHINANO, FUKASHI FORT

Mr. Messenger from Suwa Grand Shrine?

FUKASHI MAGISTRATE
TOMOMITSU INUKAI

Oh, so you're that kid
I've heard so much about.

What? People are talking about me?

Aye! They say there's a child
at Suwa Grand Shrine

who's the finest escape artist
in the land.

A naked little freak running all over
the b*ttlefield like he's in heat.

Exaggeration!

Nah, that's not much of an exaggeration

How is the battle going?

Mr. Yorishige told us not to overextend
ourselves, and to fall back if necessary.

The thing is…

Lord Unno's reinforcements are
few in number, yet unbelievably strong.

They haven't even let the Ogasawara army
get anywhere near this fort.

Mr. Unno… He's so cool.

What's he like?

He's the finest general in the Suwa Sect.

His exploits are beyond counting.
He is always composed and calm.

Even without his armor, he looks cool.

The shrine maidens who are
into older men adore him too.

He's kind to everyone, and so thoughtful.
That's what makes him even cooler.

But whenever I tell that to the grown-ups,
they just laugh.

Why?

They always say, "You still don't know
what truly makes him so cool."

Chojumaru.

Tell them this fort won't fall
any time soon.

Not as long as I, Yukiyasu Unno, am here!

So cool!

-The north gate has been breached!
-What?

Sadamune… He's impressive as ever.

The force we just drove back
was only a diversion.

They drew our attention south
while sending troops around to the north.

Mr. Unno! Um…

Chojumaru.

Have you ever slept with a woman?

Huh?

As if! We are only ten.
Well, someday we'll be like you, Mr. Unno.

-Neither have I.
-What?

I never have.

-I'm completely helpless around women.
-Wha…

Just having a woman speak to me
gets my heart racing.

-What?
-When I'm surrounded by shrine maidens,

I get so flustered
I feel like I'm on fire.

Why is he suddenly talking about this?

I channel every bit of that passion
into serving Suwa Myojin.

Every drop of blood that boils
for a woman,

I pour into my muscles
and my fighting spirit.

It boils, I channel it.

I channel it, I forge myself.
I hone myself, decade after decade.

A Kamakura warrior who remains a virgin
until the age of 30…

becomes a lord of carnage.

So cool!

UNLOCK THE SECRET
OF THE KAMAKURA WARRIORS

Many combat athletes abstain from romance
for a considerable time before a match.

We spoke with a professor at the Japan
Institute of Imaginary Sports Science.

He is an expert on how abstinence
affects athletic performance.

DEPARTMENT OF ABSTINENCE STUDIES
PROF. KOICHI OSAWA

One theory suggests that abstaining
from romance before competition

increases testosterone
and noradrenaline levels.

The rise in testosterone caused by
abstinence also increases noradrenaline.

Energy is conserved for battle

and transformed
into expl*sive primal strength.

If the kamakura warriors, who were
even more hot-blooded than people today,

spent a lifetime denying those desires
and devoted all that energy to battle…

they might become lords of carnage
beyond anything we can imagine.

He cut down ten men before
the pieces of paper even hit the ground.

I still don't really understand
the desire between men and women,

but I've always been told
it can't be suppressed.

Yet he's endured them for decades
through loyalty and faith.

And unlike a monk, he hasn't cast those
earthly desires aside or forgotten them.

He's kept them boiling inside him
all this time.

As expected of Mr. Yorishige's retainers.

Only loyalty of that caliber
could make such a thing possible.

Now then. We've driven them back
for the moment,

but this battle won't end that easily.

Shizuku, you're aware of the situation
at all three battlefields, correct?

Yes.

The northern b*ttlefield is Ichikawa
versus Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Tokoiwa.

The central b*ttlefield is
the provincial official

versus Mr. Nezu and the Hoshina’s party.

Here in the south, it's Sadamune
versus Mr. Unno and Mr. Inukai.

ICHIKAWA’S ARMY - TOKOIWA'S ARMY
MOCHIZUKI’S ARMY

Whichever side wins its battle
can reinforce the others.

That means if even one front falls,
the whole campaign could collapse.

So the three battlefields must stay
in contact and work together.

Exactly.

Of the three,
Sadamune's army is the strongest.

If things continue as they are, we can
keep them pinned here for ten days.

Ideally, Ichikawa's army in the north

and the provincial official's army
in the center…

-Let's call it off.
-Okay.

…can be driven into retreat
after suffering heavy losses.

Carry that message
to the northern and central fronts.

See how things stand there,
then act as the situation demands.

Understood, Mr. Unno.
We'll be on our way at once.

Wait! There are still enemies
near the fort.

You should wait until nightfall
before heading out.

If we wait until nightfall,
the information will arrive too late.

We have to get it to our allies
as quickly as possible.

Don't worry. We won't get caught.

Come on, everyone. Let's run!

All right.

Is that… Enemy messengers! k*ll them!

Keep going straight.

I'll circle around and draw them away.

Get him!

Damn brat!

Hasn't his riding improved a lot
over the past year?

I taught him how to flee on horseback.

Once he realized it'd help him escape,
he practiced with all his heart.

He's never looked more alive.

So that's the famed master of escape.
He's brimming with the will to survive.

We should learn from him!

The Elusive Samurai indeed.
He's been a good influence on us.

Now then…

I want to have female retainers
rallying around me like that!

CENTRAL FRONT
KAWANAKAJIMA

Mr. Messenger! It's been a while.
Has it really been a year?

Mr. Hoshina.
I'm so glad to see you're safe.

Here to help? Good lad, Kojiro!

Knock it off, you old geezers!
I'm here on messenger duty!

Mr. Hoshina, could you tell us
how the battle is progressing?

It's a stalemate wherever you look.

The b*ttlefield's
much larger than last time.

It's hard to predict where the provincial
official's army will strike next.

But at times like this, there's no one
more dependable than Mr. Nezu.

The provincial official's right flank

looks like a massive force
from the ground.

But from above, it's nothing more than
a thin line spread wide to intimidate us.

Charge through and scatter them.

Yes, sir.

The provincial official's left flank
is the real threat.

They're concealed in the forest,
waiting to cross the Sai River.

-Signal Shinomiya with drums and smoke.
-Yes, sir.

-Move out.
-Yes, sir!

He reads the b*ttlefield
through his hawks.

Surveying vast battlefields
is the Nezu clan's specialty.

Oh, right. Kojiro. You're a member
of the Nezu clan too.

Chojumaru.

How goes the southern front?

So the south can hold
for another ten days.

In that case, our greatest concern
remains the northern front.

Ichikawa commands a formidable force.

Even with Mochizuki reinforcing them,

Tokoiwa is still
the weakest of our allies.

EZ WIN

If the north falls before
we weaken the provincial official's army,

both forces will converge
on the central front.

TOKOIWA - MOCHIZUKI - ICHIKAWA

Ayako is Mr. Mochizuki's daughter.
She must be worried about her father too.

Understood.

I'll find out how much longer
the northern front can hold.

-What?
-Now?

You've already been riding for a full day.

Just give me a fresh horse.

I'm actually having fun
slipping past the enemy patrols.

-Right, everyone?
-You're the only one, My Lord.

YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, RIGHT?
DRAINED

Kojiro, Ayako, Fubuki. Come with me.

Yes!

Shizuku, Genba. Get some rest
while you analyze the battle.

Understood.

Never change, Mr. Messenger.

Huh?

Leaving already, Kojiro?

I'll be back!
You're as much of a pain as ever.

We'll line up plenty of ears and noses
to mark your way back.

No, thank you!

Kojiro.

From today on, cover your face
whenever you take the field.

Do your duty well.
For Lord Yorishige. For our Nezu clan.

Yes.

Something felt strange between those two.

I don't know all the details,

but it sounds like his family situation
is a little complicated.

What?

It's nothing to worry about.

No, I mean… that headband suits you.
Everyone goes through a phase like that.

Shut up!

We've entered Tokoiwa territory!
Let's hurry to Kitajo Fort!

NORTHERN FRONT
TOKOIWA'S STRONGHOLD KITAJO FORT

The fort.

Ayako!

Father.

I took a quick look around.
Ichikawa's army is virtually untouched.

MOCHIZUKI’S ARMY
TOKOIWA’S ARMY 170

ICHIKAWA’S ARMY 300

If Ichikawa's army joins forces
with the Provincial Official's army

in the center at full strength,
the balance will be shattered.

This can't be.

By tomorrow, our defeat will be certain!

-Let's go!
-Let's go!