I remember the previous night as I awake in my bedroll, not long after I gave that speech I made my way back to my tent and begun my slumber. I look around the room as I sit up and scrub my eyes softly, getting a few pieces of crust and wiping them on the ground of the tent. With the little bit of time we have before we leave to march again I walk out my tent looking around for soldiers already awake. I see one sitting against a tree stump I walk over to him and he jumps a little bit seeing me come over "Ahhh my lord how may I help you?" He says jumping away a bit before I even speak. "Your whetstone I need it, just need to borrow it for a hour I'll give it back, cant have my soldiers shorthanded." I smile a bit at him extending my hand opening my hand out having him hand it over and he nods along following the order as I sit next to him. I take the whetstone he gave me it's been used quite frequently but its better than nothing. I start pushing the whetstone against my katana making the dull parts sharpen, refurbishing this weapon. I hold it up and see the reflection of myself off the blade noticing my facial hair is more patchy than I'm used to. I quickly sheathe my katana and I look over at the young soldier handing him back is whetstone. "Stay safe out there soldier but also give them hell." I say leaving his side feeling more confident in my blade. I begin walking around the outpost, looking at the soldier and looking for Karu I haven't had a chance to speak with him about everything going on.
I see Karu in front of some troops ordering them and I slowly walk over to his sides and he looks and sees me approaching. "Lord Ishi what do I owe the pleasure, its been quite some time since we've spoken?" He asks and exclaims and I nod my head before speaking up. "Yeah it has been sometime with everything going on we haven't time to speak, I just wanted to ask do you think my father would approve of everything I've done so far I mean I still blame myself for what happened so I'm trying to control myself the best I can." I explain to him before I even finished he put his hand on my shoulder. "Your father would be proud of what your doing, that young man and his people have a bright future here with this clan gone. Knowing your father I'm sure he'd rather a death at your hand than his enemies. He didn't blame you in death why would he blame you afterwards. As for me any advice you need I'm here to help but I'm getting too old to be out here on the battlefield." He says raising my spirit reassuring me as I nod along and I inhale a bit. "Your right Karu, I appreciate the prep talk I do believe we have a march to continue. Let me check up on Waibo and Kyo, speaking of which I haven't talked to Kyo since before we left. See you around Karu." I explain to him my proceedings before the march and he nods. Over in the shadows of the tree lines I see two ninja's leaning against trees, I make my way over to them as they bicker with each other. I almost chuckle looking at them argue like siblings in law already.
"Listen Kyo all because my brother likes you doesn't mean your family yet, You will be put through the tests whether you like it or not." He says to her and she like shrugs it off staring at him with the most serious glare. "Tests, tests, and tests that's all you been going about these past two days, your brother is his own man he can be with whoever he wants, besides I already told you it isn't like that!" She says loudly puffing her cheeks clearly getting flustered and agitated already. I start to laugh loudly making them both jump back quickly drawing their kunai's. I wave my hands around and they put their weapons up as they realize its me, I start having tears come down my eyes as I finally speak. "Ahhh hahaha you guys are having this argument right before a large battle, you guy's bring hope back into my life hahaha shit my stomach hurts!!" I start coughing holding my stomach gasping for air. They both look at each other and join in on the laughter but much smaller than mine and I wipe my tears from laughing before clearing myself up to speak without chuckling. "Are you guys ready for this upcoming battle? Kyo your gonna standing with the troops covering them and Waibo your watching my back." I ask them and also tell them their positions and Kyo looks like she's about to burst and she stomps her feet. "What do you mean I'm going with the troops!" She shouts and stops getting into my face. "What's the matter with that this way I keep my promise to Fumikage and you get to know your new clan?" I explain scratching the back of my head. Waibo quickly interjects "She's right I'll take the troops and Kyo this mean you will be protecting Lord Ishi take this as a test though I doubt he will need protection." Waibo explains before leaping up into the trees without giving me a chance to argue.
Sometimes I think that ninja is too smart for his own good, on the other hand at least Kyo looks excited and I shrug my shoulder before sighing. "Kyo stay out of sight and just watch me, this is your first time so just aim for people who are aiming for my back." I say as I move away from the shadows of the forest. "Yes Lord Ishi I'll do my very best to protect you and then I'll brag to Fumikage haha!" She yells excitingly its actually a reassurance to see as this usually means that morale is soaring. I wave my hand hearing her cackle from a mile off and I head over to my horse dragging my hand across its mane ruffling it a bit and patting it on the side of its neck, pulling some hay from satchel feeding him. Before mounting my horse and galloping a few steps with him as we approach Karu who is also on horse back. "We are almost done with our preparations Milord." He says letting me know its almost time to lead the march. Kyo and Waibo are both hidden but no doubt I know they are both in the trees. Feels a little wrong since we're missing some of our key warriors like Fumikage and Onnajo. Kyokuna will probably never see a battlefield but that's why we're gonna use his smarts to a advantage. Without all of them I feel like I'm missing some blades, well at least I got something that has their spirit with me. I take the flintlock out the holster and look at it and then sheathes it back in as I look ahead. Karu places his hand on my shoulder nodding giving me the signal to charge ahead, I raise my katana and aim forward making my horse gallop and the soldiers follow in our steps.
We march on ahead not a single ambush in site, in fact there would never be a ambush because they don't have the numbers. Upon us climbing the top of the hill with our mount and troops we see a field littered with dead bodies, body parts separated from their owners. A few crows enjoying the feasts of battle, as they pluck a few eyes and some skin slowly tearing off a ear. These are signs of a recent battle even a idiot could tell that much. However what surprises me is that they are all wearing the same symbol and the same color armor, It would seem a internal struggle happened here. They were fighting a civil war of sort but I think I'm the one who caused it, half of these people wanted to flee with their lives intact and were forced to draw their blades on allies. A dirty tactic on my part but this is war, this has nothing to do with honor they decided to throw that away when they started oppressing Zexis and those poor villagers. By this understanding this means they lost about half of their forces and this means we are twice as big as them, all that's left to worry about is getting beyond the castle walls. I have two ninjas that can handle that and open it up from the inside that part shouldn't be a problem. Next we have to worry about taking the main floors which just come down to combat, and they don't even have a pagoda so it shouldn't be too bad. I gallop down the hill heading down the path of destruction laid out before us. In the distance we see a medium sized castle up on the mountain tops, the only way up is fighting up hill and they have troops stationed, I stroke my beard a bit chuckling. Clever bastard he's using the one and only entrance as a choke point. Sheer numbers wont win us this battle now, we need a strategy and quick.
I stop for a moment and begin to think of a way to win this with as few troops as possible and it occurs to me that we still have liquor from the feast somewhere and I still have this holster with the flintlock and gunpowder. I decide to look over to Karu and nod at him before talking "Karu I need you to have someone come and give me a gourd of liquor probably two the only way we getting past these forces on that hill without serious losses is to blow some debris onto them maybe crush a few." I say and I explain the reasoning for me needing the liquor. He nods immediately giving orders and they bring me two gourds of liquor I drop the small balls of gunpowder into the gourds and I carefully gallop up to the foot of the hill, quick drawing my flintlock. The enemy soldiers all aiming their bows at us, before the can even draw I quickly throw my gourds together before shooting one as its above them and shooting one causes a chain reaction of explosives causing large rocks and boulders of debris to come crashing down like a rollout. Crushing many of the soldiers down the path, As they roll down crushing everything I circle around running from the foot of the mountain as I turn around and look I see most of the troops crushed or knocked unconscious. I aim my katana forward sending my troops to attack after the debris clear up and finish rolling and my troops push through occupying the outpost. They begin to cut down the unconscious soldiers, not giving them a chance to launch a surprise attack.
We gain a foothold in the outpost, that was a good portion of their troops they stationed out here little by little they dwindling their numbers. We make our climb up the hill past the outpost we find ourselves in front of the castle walls. I happen to see a familiar face at the top of the ramparts and its a man who is far more ugly than the last time we met. He has almost no teeth and a crooked nose now and his eyes are misaligned, I give him one thing he recovered quite quickly. He lifts what's supposed to be his hand into the air, but its just a metal slot with a blade coming out of it, something equal to a odachi what immerse strength to wield it like that. He hasn't had much time to practice I'm sure he didn't expect me to come back so soon to finish the job. I feel a rush of blood go through my entire body, just the excitement of being able to humiliate my enemies. This feeling gives me such a thrill the dark side of battle is so entertaining to me. "It is time men, Let us scale the wall!" I wave my hand over to Zexis having him join my side. "Brother this honor is yours as much as it is mine we conquer this castle together and let this stamp in history show the world our friendship!!" I yell at the top of my lungs!!