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Volume 1 Chapter 6 Part 1

Chapter 6: Clash in Okehazama!

It was the morning after the night Yoshiharu had sworn loyalty to Nobuna when they were alone in her room.

Unexpectedly, Goemon had appeared before Yoshiharu in the Five Leaf Aralia tenements, bearing urgent news for him.

「I have returned from my mission of gathering intel at the Mino province. 」

Without changing her expression, she disinterestedly reported the news. But the contents of her report were most astonishing to Yoshiharu.

「The nobles of the Mino province decided to act against Saito Dosan and his alliance with Nobuna-dono. 」

「What?! 」

「Apparently, they are enraged at his proclamation of handing over the province to her. 」

「Goemon, don’t tell me…? 」

「Yes. Having been stirred by them, Saito Dosan’s son, Saito Yoshitatsu, has launched a revolt against his own father. 」

「Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?!. Say it all together, this is really important! What happened to Dosan? 」

「Dosan-dono was chased out from the main castle of the Mino province, Inabayama castle. 」

「…… Okay, seriously now, even if you stutter, I won’t laugh, so please say it all at once. 」
「As you wish. Ahem….Dosan-dono is currently gathering his army near Nagara river, and it
seems like he is preparing to attack Iyamayama castwle. 」

「Pff… 」

「….. 」

(Why can’t we advance our conversation when this is such an important matter!?)

Yoshiharu thought to himself, and then he apologized to Goemon with his hands clasped together .

「Sorry, Goemon-chan. That one was just a fart. I didn’t laugh. 」

「….Ekhem! Very well then. Saito Yoshitatsu’s side proceeded towards the Nagara river with
an army 10 times the swize of Dosan-dono’s, and the bwattle between fazer and sohn has awready started. 」

Goemon bit her tongue multiple times, but Yoshiharu didn’t even have the luxury to laugh at this this time.

「That’s too rash! Why didn’t he stay in his castle? Even if he’s the powerful Viper of Mino, it’s going to be a suicide if he faces off against his son with an army 10 times bigger than his own in an open battle! 」

「Indeed. But Dosan-dono had decided to die proudly on the battlefield. 」

「Why? 」

「Most probably because he might be afraid that if the situation turns into a siege, Nobuna-dono will send reinforcements to help him keep control of Mino. If she does that, then Imagawa Yoshimoto, who is maiking preparations to advance to the kapital right now, will attack Owari when it’s empty. 」

「Reinforcements from Nobuna? Would she even send him any? 」

「It’s true that Nobuna-dono has a difficult personality, but if she starts liking someone, she’ll do anything to help them till the end. 」

「So that ero-geezer wants to die in battle before Nobuna can realize what’s happening with this coup d’etat in Mino? As expected from a Viper of Mino , to have predicted things to such lengths is nothing short of amazing. 」

Yoshiharu sprang up from the floor and ran out of his house.

「Sagara-sama, where are you going?「

「I am going to report this to Nobuna! 」

「It’s best if you don’t. Act like you don’t know anything. If you tell her about it, Owabi pwovince will be destroyed. 」

「That’s Nobuna’s business! This isn’t news I can just sweep under the carpet! 」

「Oho? Sagara-sama, looks like you really grew closer to Owari’s princess in the short time I was away~~. 」

「That’s not true! 」

Yoshiharu replied unhappily while running to the main citadel of Kiyosu castle. Rushing all the way non-stop to Nobuna who was currently playing with Katsuie, Yoshiharu informed her about Dosan being surrounded by his son’s army at Nagara river and being driven into a corner. He reported it without hiding anything from her.

「M-Monkey?! How do you know of such a thing? 」

Katsuie asked that while getting tied up with a thread over herself, while Nobuna had a composed face.

「Is it true? 」
「Yeah. if it turns out to be a lie, you can behead me if you want. But listen to me, Nobuna. don’t send out reinforcements. If you do that, Owari will be in danger. 」

「Yes. Imagawa Yoshimoto of the Suruga province can start advancing towards the capital
any moment. How can I send out reinforcements to Mino at such a critical time? 」

「Ehhhh? So you are not going to be sending reinforcements? 」

「Aren’t you the one who said not to send out reinforcements? I am a very rational person. If you calculate the benefits of this action against its potential risks, then even you could understand it. After losing the position of the head of Mino, Viper of Mino became useless to me, so abandoning him is the best possible thing to do. 」

Nobuna said it as if nothing had happened at all.

(Wait a minute, something isn’t right here. Was she always such a heartless fellow?)

「What’s wrong with you? You don’t seem too happy. Do I have to shout out ‘To save Dosan, I don’t care about what happens to Owari!’ to satisfy you? 」

「I-I didn’t mean it that way! But at least feel a little anxious or sad about it… don’t you feel any of those emotions at all? 」
「*Sigh* A monkey is still a monkey after all. There is just one result :「Not to send
Reinforcements 」 , which was decided on from the start. If that’s the case, isn’t it useless to worry about something that’s not concerning me anymore and get swallowed by such emotions? 」

「It’s… it’s like you said. But….Dosan is going to be… 」

「You might not know this, but Dosan is very well aware of the risks that my help for him would entail. If Ireally send out reinforcements, I will be scolded by him, where being called a damn idiot would be the lightest of the insults thrown my way. 」

(Well, for far-thinking people like Dosan and Nobuna, this kind of result is obvious, but is it really a decision that can be made so simply?)

Katsuie, who had instantly recovered her form holding a spear after hearing the crisis of Dosan was at her wits end and was shouthing

「Eh? Eh? So there’s need for us to go out for battle? 」

And she put down her readied spear.

「Anyway, that’s it. This conversation ends here. 」

「But……「

「Shut up! No buts! I said that’s the end of the conversation! Don’t insist on taling about it anymore, you monkey face! 」

Yoshiharu then noticed something.

(Wait! on first glance, Nobuna’s face looks as cold as a Noh mask. But after carefully looking at it, her lips were stuck together tightly, almost as if she was biting into them… so she wasn’t
revealing her true feelings! It’s the same as the time when she declared to behead Nobusumi!)

She was forcing herself to abandon her feelings become just like a Demon Lord. Yoshiharu knew that if he said any more, it would only hurt Nobuna. He knew that now was the time to just shut his mouth and say

「I understand. 」

(After losing her own father, is she also going to lose Dosan who also understands her? Is there really nothing I can do to help them?)

Yoshiharu was vexed and was tightly scratching onto the Tatami mat below his feet. Katsuie then shouted at him:

「Oi Saru, don’t scratch it! This tatami is very expensive! 」

And she was going to beat Yoshiharu’s head with the handle of her spear, but at that moment Nobuna interjected with:

「Riku, Monkey, listen. Even if Viper of Mino will die, as long as we have the contract to take Mino over from him, we have the right and reason to go to war with the nobles of Mino. 」

Nobuna took out the contract of handing over Mino while frowning. She had neglected it until now, thinking that there might be embarrassing things written on it. Katsuie and Yoshiharu gathered at both of Nobuna’s sides and peered into the piece of paper in her hand.

「Don’t tell me that ero-geezer wrote something like ‘I am not handing over Mino to you after all~?’ 」

「No, it seems like just any normal official document. 」

「I-I am not really good at Kanji so I can’t understand what’s written on it…..Uwahhh, idiot. I’m such an idiot! But since Monkey can’t read them either I won’t mind it too much! 」
「So sorry to disappoint you Katsuie, but I can read them just fine. 」

「Uwahhhhh, is my brain worse than a monkey’s then? 」

While monkey and the idiot were doing a slapstick comedy routine on the sides, Nobuna, who started reading the contract with a sour look on her face, had her shoulders shiver slightly as she continued to read it.