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Volume 1 Chapter 6 Part 4

「What? 」

「Her face at that time…. she was so sad that it was unbearable! She showed that face again while reading the contract that you wrote! It was an expression that showed that she was just about to burst into tears at any moment! That expression of hers she showed at that time… I do not wish to see it ever again! 」

「Ugh… 」

「So geezer, you should definitely not die here! 」

Dosan laughed lightly, and slowly raised himself from the bench.

「…. Kid, after hearing what you said I feel even more that you can’t die right here. 」

「Hmmm? Why are you making this about me now? 」

「As expected, it’s the era of youngsters now. This battle, I had lost it completely. 」

「Good job, Sagara-sama. 」

Goemon praised Yoshiharu while she threw the rest of her smoke bombs around them.

That being said, they were still in the middle of the Nagara river battlefield.

After decimating Dosan’s army, Saito Yoshitatsu’s army had charged towards Dousan’s base from all directions. The enemy only had one purpose: to claim the general, Saitou Dousan’s head. Just the Kawanami group lead by Goemon can never hope to withstand such an army.

「Leader, if we don’t retreat we will be decimated! 」

「Uhhh, let’s go then. 」

「Damn, the mist has dispersed! 」

「Ohh, it’s already noon! 」

「Shut up, you monkey-faced brat! It’s all because of your long and lengthy sentences that the situation became like this! 」

「So now, any of the chances that we will get back to Owari safely are pretty much gone? Yeah, right! Just shut up yourself and start running, god damn it! 」

With Dosan’s raft as the head, the group started retreating from the battlefield. The ones in charge of the rearguard were Yoshiharu and Goemon. Yoshiharu held a bow for the first time in his life, and with a purpose of scaring the opponent off, started to shoot at the boats which were chasing them.

「Bo…Bows are actually this heavy? It’s tough, I can’t even pull the arrow back fast enough! 」

「Sagara-sama, sticking your body out like that is too dangerous. You will be shot at by the enemies’ awows. 」

They were escaping, and they were also being chased.

The enemy was Saito Yoshitatsu, Saito Dosan’s son. However, the two of them do not have any blood relations. Yoshitatsu is the son of the previous master of the Mino province, who was banished by Dosan when he took control of it.

At the time, when Dosan banished the previous daimyo and captured Mino, to shut up the nobles who were protesting non-stop he had to adopt his son and name him his own successor. And because Dosan’s 「Give Mino over to Owari’s Oda Nobuna 」stunt totally went against his previous statement, the nobles of Mino, who had long found the Viper untrustworthy began to name Yoshitatsu as the true daimyo of Mino and started the revolt.
Yoshitatsu hated that his own birth father was banished by Dosan, and without any hesitation or remorse he began to revolt alongside them as well. And since he had become the enemy of Viper, he thought that he had to finish him off no matter what.

Knowing how fearsome the Viper is, Yoshitatsu’s army gave it their all. With Owari’s financial power added to Dosan’s craftiness there was a real possibility that Mino might be conquered by them next. Because of this, there was definitely a need for them to not let the Viper, Saito Dosan, flee to Owari.

Yoshitatsu himself chased his adoptive father with all his might, now that he himself have joined the pursuit. Flaming arrows rained down on their rafts as Yoshitatsu’s army was doing its best to sink them to the bottom of the river.

The situation looked really hopeless for the Kawanami group. Even Yoshiharu couldn’t help but let out a groan out of his throat. The mist was all gone now, and lifting his head, all he could see was the bright sky above his head, as if someone has painted it there. Sucha breathtaking sight was impossible to see in the modern cities of the future.

The rafts had been hit with a few of the arrows, and with these adding onto their overall weight , the raft is starting to tremble and its speed has decreased, dropping almost to a halt, with the enemies getting ever closer to them.

「It’s no use, the enemies’ numbers are just too much! 」

「Sagara-sama, just a bit more and we will reach the territory of Owari. 」

「Even so, these people won’t just give up like that….! 」

He really thought it was all over, but then, from Owari’s side of the river, they heard the loud voice of a girl.

「Do not let Yoshitatsu’s army climb the hills! All troops, attack! 」

It was the voice of Nobuna who was leading the army. And, behind Nobuna, thousands of the Owari army’s soldiers were awaiting her command.

Aiming at the boats of Yoshitatsu’s army, Nobuna’s army’s archers rained down arrows upon them.

「Retreat, retreat! 」

Not expecting the Oda clan’s army to come out in full force, Saito Yoshitatsu shouted out the retreat order.

To cut down Dosan, Yoshitatsu’s army in pursuit had split its forces and had formed the shape of a snake. If at this time they clashed with the Oda army who was at the sides, the snakelike formation would definitely be eliminated entirely.

Yoshitatsu, expected to be the godson of Dosan, had his way in leading the armies and fighting wars. While serving Dosan, he had carved Dosan’s strategies deeply in his mind. As such, even his retreat was not delayed by a second.

Under his command, Yoshitatsu’s boats did a U-turn in the river and retreated in the direction of Mino. At Yoshiharu’s side, Goemon let out a weird 「Nya~uh」 sound, as if she relaxed suddenly.

「We got saved just in the nick of time. I have to admit, that is not a situation that I enjoy very much. 」

「Wait a minute, why is Nobuna here? Isn’t she supposed to be sleeping in Aoshuu castle? 」

(With this, won’t everything become meaningless?)

Yoshiharu thought and started to panic.

Even Shibata Katsuie was at Nobuna’s side. It’s true that without Katsuie’s might, the Owari army is nothing but useless people gathered together. But with this, isn’t Owari totally opened for Imagawa Yoshimoto’s attack?

Be that as it may though, it doesn’t change the fact that Dosan and Yoshiharu’s party was saved right at the last moment.
Under the cheers of the Kawanami group, Yoshiharu brought Dosan down from the raft and climbed the hill.

「This is your Japan’s number 1 beauty, Monkey? 」

Nobuna, came down from her horse and sitting down onto the bench without a word, while Katsuie was smiling at her side.

「Why are you here, Nobuna? And with full force of your army at that! Katsuie, don’t tell me you told her my whole plan? 」

「I…I had no other choice! After being asked non-stop by Nobuna-sama, I could only say it how it really was, right? 」

「Since there is no other way, then at least stop her! Just knock her unconscious again! 」

「Sto…Stop saying stupid things! Punching Nobuna-sama twice? There’s a limit to being rude, idiot! 」

「So in the end, even you came over from Aoshuu castle? 」

「No… there was no other way, right? How could I let Nobuna-sama come here alone? 」

「You slow witted idiot, at least think of what happens later!! 」

「What are you saying? I have no reason to be called an idiot by a monkey like you! Actually, if we didn’t come here, Dosan and you would have died here, wouldn’t you? 」

「That’s two separate issues! 」

「It isn’t two separate issues, ok? If you die, would you be here chattering nonstop? 」

「A fellow like you will start chattering by herself with just your breasts! 」

「Wh…What did you say!? 」

Nobuna glared at Katsuie and Yoshiharu quarreling without a word, and said「Too noisy! 」 unhappily, causing them both to stop in an instant.

「If we didn’t come in full force, Yoshitatsu would have started to come ashore to chase you guys. With me and Katsuie in the lead, and a resolve to finish it off, this was the best way for forcing Yoshitatsu to retreat. 」

「B…But…! 」

Nobuna’s palm flew straight towards Yoshiharu. Without any warning, Yoshiharu was hit by a full force of her slap.

「Damn Monkey, in the end isn’t this the result of you being reckless!? Who told you there is no other way to save the Viper of Mino other than sending in a suicide squad!? 」