Summer grasses grow,
leaving but the dreams of the
long-gone warriors.
The dream of unifying Japan was held by many lords of the warring states.
Shingen Takeda.
Kenshin Uesugi.
Nobunaga Oda.
And finally, one man had attained that dream...
Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
Japan had been unified,
and a time of peace appeared to be at hand.
However,
Hideyoshi's death cast the land back into a maelstrom.
With Ieyasu Tokugawa growing more influential by the day,
Mitsunari Ishida tried to prevent his rise to power.
In order to settle their score once and for all,
the two marched their armies to Sekigahara.
Kanetsugu Naoe, who'd shared a vow of righteousness with Mitsunari,
tried to lead the Uesugi army into battle against Tokugawa.
But the invasion of Masamune Date, who had allied himself with Ieyasu,
meant that Naoe could not get to Sekigahara.
As for the Battle of Sekigahara...
While Mitsunari's Western Army had the upper hand in the early going,
gradually, the tides turned.
In the end, Mitsunari was defeated by Ieyasu,
losing his life.
Episode 5
The Destination of Life
Mitsunari? He lost?
We should retreat.
I'll handle the rearguard.
Please hurry!
Very well.
Mitsunari...
Once Mitsunari was defeated at Sekigahara
and Nobuyuki stripped Ueda Castle of its arms,
Yukimura found himself imprisoned.
Lord Yukimura,
look at all the chestnuts I gathered out back.
They look delicious.
When we were kids, we used to roast them, remember?
They'd burst all of a sudden, so I burned my forehead that one time...
Uh...
Oh, some sticky rice would go nicely with them!
It'll really warm you up!
Yeah.
Then I'll make some—
Make some for Tsukimaru.
Can you eat all this?
Don't concern yourself with me anymore.
Tokugawa surely won't keep me alive.
But...
You're free now.
Live as you please.
No!
I'll never leave your side!
I'm your ninja, after all!
But soon, I'll be gone.
No!
If you're going to die, then I'll die with—
You cannot!
You cannot die.
Live on.
Live your life...
For yourself this time.
Understood?
No!
Lastly, what shall we do with Yukimura Sanada?
He has to die! What else?
Because of him, we suffered so many losses!
He is not to be underestimated!
If I may...
I've heard that the battle at Ueda was started by you.
You fought a pointless battle and, as a result, didn't make it to Sekigahara on time.
Don't you think you are to blame for all of that?
Shut up, Tadakatsu!
Yukimura conspired with Mitsunari and hindered our advance!
Lord Hidetada ignored our repeated pleas to reconsider,
and ordered the siege of Ueda Castle.
Of course a warrior will fight back when attacked!
Furthermore, Yukimura didn't head to Sekigahara,
but stayed at Ueda instead.
How can we say for sure that he was allied with Mitsunari?
Lord Tadakatsu,
you're being pedantic.
Yukimura Sanada defeated Lord Hidetada's forces,
even though they outnumbered his tenfold.
He is too dangerous to be left alive.
Oh?
That's right!
Besides, we only lost because we had a traitor in our ranks!
Huh?
A traitor?
I mean Nobuyuki!
He conspired with his little brother!
How else could he have planned those ambushes?
What are you saying?
Did he not save your life again and again?
My lord...
Have mercy, if only as a reward for Nobuyuki's efforts.
Please!
We beg of you!
F-Father!
You mustn't be swayed by their words!
Nobuyuki, what do you think?
I...
I believe that even the death penalty would be understandable.
Very well.
My lord, lots of people left to join you.
I bet you're trying to run from that boy's scolding right now.
Things may be livelier on your end,
but I admit I'm a little sad here.
Is this...
Mitsunari...
Lord Mitsunari lost?
What will happen to the Toyotomi clan now?
It's all over!
Lady Kai!
What is it? You're being awfully noisy.
What should we do?
I hear Tokugawa could attack the castle as soon as tomorrow.
Calm down!
Not even the Tokugawa clan could attack Osaka Castle that easily.
But...
Lord Hideyori's here, too.
So relax.
Okay.
Kai, who had fought Yukimura's group at Odawara Castle,
was now at Osaka Castle, following the Toyotomi clan's suppression of the Hojo.
I knew you'd be here,
Lord Hideyori.
Hey, Kai.
What's the matter?
Hideyori Toyotomi
Following Hideyoshi's death,
Hideyori had become head of the Toyotomi clan.
The people in the castle are anxious.
If you reassured them, they'd feel better.
Anxious? Why?
Well, Mitsunari was defeated—
And the victorious Tokugawa might come for the Toyotomi clan next?
I wouldn't go that far...
Even the Tokugawa are but vassals of the Toyotomi clan.
Nothing has changed on that end.
Only the seasons change.
Seems the season of these flowers is coming to a close.
Wha?
That smile ought to be outlawed!
I shall now pronounce your sentence.
Yukimura Sanada...
You are hereby sentenced to relegation in Mt. Koya.
You are to stay rooted in Kudoyama.
"Mt. Koya relegation."
Mt. Koya Relegation
In other words, exile to Mt. Koya.
"Rooting" meant confinement to a home or other designated place,
Root
essentially under house arrest.
Confinement?
Not death?
Why?!
I fought the Tokugawa alongside Lord Mitsunari!
I don't believe for a second that Lord Ieyasu would keep me alive!
Brother...
Don't tell me you begged for my life!
I did not.
I...
I believe that even the death penalty would be understandable.
Very well.
Yukimura Sanada
is hereby sentenced to Mt. Koya relegation.
Seriously?
What?
Why, Father?
That man's too dangerous to be left alive—
Quiet!
Being late to a battle is a warrior's greatest shame!
Frankly, I'm amazed you have the gall to be here!
B-But...
Hidetada,
you are to stay under house arrest for a while, too.
What?
Father!
Understood?
Yes, sir!
Nobuyuki...
Inform Yukimura of his sentence yourself.
Yes, sir!
The only reason you escaped the death penalty
was because Lord Ieyasu is a benevolent man.
That can't be...
For my enemy to have mercy on me...
I have never felt so pathetic!
Are you telling me to live with this shame, Brother?
That's right.
If I were to shamelessly live on, I couldn't face Lord Mitsunari!
In that case, I shall take my own life—
You fool!
It's fine to consider living shameful.
However, you should also consider why you were kept alive.
Why I was kept alive?
Yes.
What it means for you to stay in this world.
Reconsider the meaning of your life.
From here on, Ueda and Numata are going to be part of my domain.
I shall protect the Sanada clan.
From now on, your duty is to live.
I won't forgive suicide!
To live on...
In due time, I'll tell you when to leave.
Until then, stay in one place.
There's no way I can live with this!
Live on.
Remember what you said before?
You told me to live on...
To live for myself.
So...
Please...
You must live on, too.
Let's build a castle here.
Yes, Brother!
It'll be the Sanada clan's new home.
So you were here.
I'm really glad Yukimura escaped execution.
Do you find me cold-hearted?
For saying the death penalty would be understandable?
I know how you really feel.
If you were swayed by love for your brother,
you would lose your standing among the Tokugawa clan.
You made that painful choice in order to protect the Sanada clan, right?
You told me before that you wanted
to become the Sanada clan's pillar...
One that would never crumble.
And you stuck to that all the way.
In truth, I wanted to risk it all
and plead for Yukimura's life.
But such spinelessness has no place
in the mission to create a peaceful world.
It's because I believed in Lord Ieyasu's ideals
that I chose to serve the Tokugawa clan.
Still, I might regret those words for the rest of my life!
I... I abandoned my own brother!
No...
Lord Nobuyuki!
Yukimura was only exiled?
This is pathetic!
How could I let such a minor wound lay me up?
If only I'd been there at the council,
I'd never have let this happen!
You know...
Hmm?
I'm a little relieved, honestly.
You mean about Yukimura?
Yeah.
That guy's just honest to a fault.
All he did was see his brand of justice through.
And I'm a bit envious of that.
Frankly, I did not expect you to spare Yukimura's life.
Why did you want to save him?
Well, he's my son-in-law's brother.
Nobuyuki is a fine young man.
I do not wish to see him sad.
No.
Perhaps what I really wanted
was to fight Yukimura again.
When I fought him before,
for the first time in forever, I felt my blood boil.
The war isn't over yet.
In order to create a truly peaceful world,
we must bury the one built on samurai warfare.
You want to bury the world of the samurai?
Indeed.
It must be done in such a way that makes it clear to one and all.
And that
requires a sacrifice!
A man that is the very image of the samurai spirit.
His death will be the symbol that marks the Warring States Era's end.
Is that why you're keeping Yukimura alive?
All for the sake of creating a peaceful world.
Why?
Why must I suffer so?!
It's the Sanada...
It's all the Sanada clan's fault!
Curse Yukimura!
Curse Nobuyuki!
Then wipe them out.
Your despised foes...
And those you resent with everything you are...
I can rid you of all of them.
Brother, Sister...
This is goodbye.
Live on, Yukimura.
Understand?
Please take care of this cherry tree.
I shall be on my way, then.
Yukimura...
Lord Yukimura!
Let me come with you!
I'll follow you!
Please take me with you!
Lord Yukimura!
No.
But why?
We always have, and always will be, your servants!
That's right!
Lord Yukimura!
Listen up, men.
From here on,
my brother, Nobuyuki, will be Ueda's lord.
These are my final orders.
You are all to remain in Ueda
and protect the Sanada clan, under my brother.
Understood?
But...
Understood?
Y-Yes, sir!
I wish you all good health.
I'll follow you anywhere.
I'm your ninja, after all.
Take care of Yukimura.
Yukimura!
Soon after, Ieyasu Tokugawa received
the title of shogun.
He's pretty good, that Ieyasu...
Sengoku Musou High School
5th Period
Munch, munch.
Today, Sister packed me lunch again.
I wonder what's in it!
Nobuyuki
It's love!
Sister, you got the wrong bag!
Class 3-A
What's for lunch today?
To Be Continued
Next Episode
The story takes place in Aizu and Kudoyama.
Nobuyuki goes to face the Uesugi clan,
who are considered hostile.
And Yukimura, who has lost his way of life.
The wheel of fate turns for the brothers once more.
Episode Six The Caged Heart
Next time: "The Caged Heart."