"The nation is fallen, yet mountains and rivers still exist.
In spring, in the city, trees and grasses thrive."
Did Hideyoshi's dream of a united nation die along with him?
What does fate have in store?
A peaceful world at last?
Or even more warfare?
Following the Battle of Sekigahara,
the Uesugi clan, which had sided with the defeated Mitsunari,
was handed a harsh punishment by the Tokugawa clan,
including a change of domain and a reduced income.
Their chief retainer, Kanetsugu,
was initially prepared to go to war.
But following Nobuyuki's impassioned pleas,
he decided to accept the sentence,
in order to protect the Uesugi clan.
Meanwhile, Yukimura was exiled to Kudoyama and,
having lost his purpose in life,
was idling away his days.
He even refused to accept a memento of Mitsunari
that Nene had come to give him.
But his meeting with Suzu, a girl from the village,
gave Yukimura some peace of mind.
And when she fell ill,
he disobeyed his orders to stay confined to his home,
and descended the mountain in order to take her to a doctor.
As a result,
Yukimura was placed under even stricter supervision.
Episode 7
The Crimson Blade
Kudoyama
Yukimura Sanada's days of exile at Kudoyama showed no signs of ending.
For breaking the rules and descending the mountain,
he was placed under stricter security,
and no longer allowed to even set foot outside the premises.
Hey, Miss, can't Lord Yukimura come outside?
We've yet to thank him for saving her life.
It's all our fault.
Oh, don't worry about it.
Lord Yukimura...
Where are you going, Tsukimaru?
Tsukimaru!
Ina!
While I'm glad the girl is all right,
that was quite reckless of you both.
Lord Yukimura doesn't regret his actions.
But if he makes a scene again, things might get much worse.
Wait, do you mean...
He could be struck with a harsher punishment.
Oh, no...
When we achieve a lasting peace, I'm sure Yukimura will get pardoned.
So I want him to hold out until that day comes.
Please take care of him.
You are my only hope!
Ina...
Oh, right.
I brought some things for both of you!
They'll help you deal with all the inconveniences here.
Thank you so much!
That's the Ina I know and love!
Until next time, Ina!
Now, then...
How am I supposed to take all of this back?!
Osaka Castle
Meanwhile, Nobuyuki Sanada,
as Ieyasu Tokugawa's messenger,
made his way to Osaka Castle, to meet Hideyori Toyotomi.
I'm here to report that the other day,
after Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa gave up his post as shogun,
the Imperial Court appointed his son, Lord Hidetada,
as the second Tokugawa shogun.
H-How could this be? What about Lord Hideyori?!
How formal...
Why don't you relax a little?
I'm afraid I cannot.
That's fine.
Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong here.
The appointment of the second Tokugawa shogun
means that they refuse to return the country
to the Toyotomi clan, yes?
Anything else?
Yes.
Lord Ieyasu wishes to arrange a meeting with you
to discuss future governance.
A meeting?
He insists.
I won't go to Edo.
You do not need to.
As per the imperial proclamation, Lord Ieyasu will be heading to Kyoto.
Therefore, he'd like to see you at Nijo Castle.
He wishes to summon Lord Hideyori, as an aside to his trip to the capital?!
Learn your place!
Settle down.
Lord Hideyori...
I cannot give you an immediate reply.
I cannot decide political matters such as these on my own.
Kai,
prepare a room for Lord Nobuyuki.
Yes, sir.
Oh, right.
I wonder how Yukimura's doing.
That stuff gets on my nerves, you know?
What do you mean?
I'm amazed Lord Tokugawa can devise such nasty things.
Just listening to it annoys me.
Is Lord Hideyori always like that?
Like what?
I'm not sure how to put it.
You mean acting all high and mighty?
It's a total mystery what goes through his mind.
That's what makes him such a heartthrob!
That isn't what I meant.
Oh, I know that...
He's a man of many faces.
He has the dignified face of a leader,
the affable face of a friend,
and a mysterious face that bewitches people.
There's no telling which one's the real him...
But one thing's for sure: he isn't a fickle man.
There's no need to go to Nijo Castle, Lord Hideyori!
It was Lord Hideyoshi that ended the period of strife,
but the Tokugawa clan dare look down on us, the Toyotomi?
We can't let the Tokugawa clan have their way anymore!
They must be taught a lesson!
Now is the time for the Toyotomi clan to demonstrate their might!
Then, basically, you're saying...
You're prepared to go to war?
Well?
Edo
The townspeople all had smiles on their faces.
Oh?
Is this what you'd call a world full of smiles, too?
What are you getting at?
I feel betrayed.
All along, this was Ieyasu's plan.
He wanted to pass Lord Hideyoshi's creation off as his own.
Get to the point.
And then, there's the second Tokugawa shogun thing.
Basically, he declared to the world
that the Toyotomi clan can get lost,
and that Tokugawa rule will continue.
Just call a spade a spade! The Tokugawa clan are thieves!
I cannot let that slide.
Takatora?
Did you just call the Tokugawa clan thieves?
Eavesdropping, are we?
And what of it?
I have to say...
Your recent, obvious support for the Toyotomi clan is getting on my nerves.
I hope you aren't planning to betray the Tokugawa clan.
"Betray the Tokugawa clan"?
We've always been the Toyotomi clan's vassals.
Then you refuse to serve the Tokugawa clan?
The Tokugawa clan are also supposed to be Toyotomi vassals!
Unlike you, we don't switch allegiances at the drop of a hat.
If it's a fight you want, bring it on!
That's enough!
Put away your weapons.
Lord Tadakatsu...
As long as this ends now, I'll keep it to myself.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
Please wait! You mustn't!
We've been ordered to not let anyone see him!
Yukimura Sanada...
Lord Naomasa Ii...
Who?
Lord Yukimura!
Stay out of this.
You're...
Stand down.
But...
Yukimura,
take up your spear.
A fleeting time of quiet is not Lord Ieyasu's desire.
It's a long-lasting world of peace.
In order to realize that dream, warriors such as you must be done away with.
That said, I respect you as a warrior.
I shall let you go out in a blaze of glory.
Take up your spear, Yukimura!
I shall never take up arms again.
So you're willing to die on your backside?
I'm afraid I cannot die, either.
You say you want to live, despite being disgraced?
You're out of your mind.
It's fine to consider living shameful.
However, you should also consider why you were kept alive.
No matter how shameful my life may be,
I cannot afford to die.
Because it's the promise I made to my brother.
Nobuyuki?
He said your execution would be understandable, you know.
Even so, he told me to live on.
To consider what it means to live... What it means for me to stay in this world.
Until I find that answer,
I cannot die.
Well, I can't leave you alive!
You're a threat to the Tokugawa clan's world.
I'm in confinement. What could I possibly do?
You're alive!
That alone makes you dangerous.
Take up your spear, Yukimura!
I decided to never hold a spear again.
So be it.
Die, Yukimura!
Lord Yukimura!
Are you injured?
The wind is carrying a strange scent...
The village!
What?
Wh-What's going on?
A fire? How?
What's happening to the village?
Yukimura!
This way, everyone!
Who goes there?
Kotaro Fuma...
Tsukimaru, get everyone to safety!
I have to protect the villagers!
Run away, everyone!
Lord Yukimura!
Hurry!
Hurry up and escape!
Miss!
Sink into the depths of chaos.
Lord Yukimura!
Yukimura!
Take up your spear, Yukimura!
You are a samurai warrior!
Lord Yukimura!
I have people I must protect.
That is the meaning of my life!
Lord Naomasa...
Get on my back, Suzu!
Lord Naomasa!
Never mind me!
Yukimura,
fight me next...
I won't fall for the same trick twice!
Futile!
Wake up.
You...
War is upon us.
What are you talking about?
Lord Naomasa...
All my life, I've been fighting to protect something.
In Ueda, it was my people.
This time, it was the village.
Therefore, I cannot stay here anymore.
Then, in order to protect it, you'll leave?
This village is precious to me, so I must.
For I cannot live as anything but a warrior.
Lord Yukimura...
As you are now, I want you to hold on to it.
Lord Mitsunari...
I shall never forget the vow of righteousness I shared with you!
Sengoku Musou High School
7th Period
Here's your order!
And here's your change.
It's one million yen!
A smile's zero yen!
Here you go.
Is that even edible?!
Ninja Burgers
Chaos.
To Be Continued
Next Episode
The next departure is for the bridge that leads to the place where one belongs.
They won't come to a standstill anymore.
They'll only believe in themselves, pressing ever onward.
Next time: "The Path of No Return."
Episode Eight The Path of No Return