Kanbe’e watched the ceremony for his son Nagamasa’s Genpuku from a slight distance. The "bonds of family"—a concept he had clung to in despair while chained in the dungeon—had finally borne fruit. Yet, Kanbe’e’s mind refused to allow him to linger in the warmth of this happy moment.

  "Lord Hideyoshi. Your face is betraying an 'ambition for the realm' that you can no longer hide..."

  Amidst the height of the festivities, Kanbe’e spoke privately to Hideyoshi, who sat beside him. Though Hideyoshi’s eyes were smiling, his gaze was not on Nagamasa; he was staring far off into the distance, toward the lands of Shikoku.

  Hideyoshi’s lips curled into a smirk as he set down his sake cup.

  "Shall we take the air, Kanbe’e?"

  The two slipped away from the crowd and ascended the watchtower on the north side of the castle. From below, the boisterous laughter of the vassals drifted up on the wind.

  "Kanbe’e, you surely see it too... Lord Nobunaga is beginning to harbor a deep loathing for Motochika Chosokabe ."

  The drunkenness vanished from Hideyoshi’s voice, replaced by the sharp resonance of an ambitious man.

  "Motochika has risen from a local lord to the brink of conquering all of Shikoku. He swears loyalty to Lord Nobunaga, yet behind the scenes, he refuses to surrender a single inch of his territory. Lord Nobunaga spat out that he is an 'unmanageable man.'"

  "Indeed. And that is exactly why Mr. Mitsuhide Akechi is so desperately trying to mediate between them," Kanbe’e responded flatly. To Mitsuhide, the alliance with the Chosokabe was his diplomatic stronghold within the Oda clan.

  "Mr. Mitsuhide is trying to bring Shikoku under his own influence, using the fact that Motochika’s wife is a relative of his own vassal, Toshimitsu Saito. Lord Hideyoshi... surely you aren't..."

  Hideyoshi struck the railing hard. Within the Oda clan, Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi—neither of whom were hereditary elders—were constantly conscious of each other, locked in a race for promotion.

  "Of course! I’ve thought this for a long time: I, who was entrusted with the pacification of the West by Lord Nobunaga, cannot simply stand by and let Shikoku be handed to Akechi on a silver platter! Therefore, Kanbe’e, I want to move Yasunaga Miyoshi of Awa(A part of Shikoku)."

  Yasunaga Miyoshi. He was a heavyweight of the Miyoshi clan that once dominated the capital region—a bitter enemy who had resisted Nobunaga until the very end. He had fled to Awa and was now waiting for a chance at a comeback.

  "Yasunaga harbors a grudge against the Chosokabe for stealing his lands. I have already sent a secret messenger. I will have Yasunaga surrender to the Oda and send my nephew,Hidetsugu, to be his adopted son. By doing so, the 'reclamation of Miyoshi’s old lands' in Shikoku becomes a war for the Hashiba family. Lord Nobunaga will surely favor the Miyoshi—who have become family—over the stubborn Chosokabe."

  Kanbe’e nodded deeply. Hideyoshi’s intuition was always correct. However, as a strategist, Kanbe’e decided to mix a "deadly poison" into the plan.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Lord Hideyoshi, that alone is not enough. To instantly rip Lord Nobunaga’s heart away from Mr. Mitsuhide, we need a visible display of 'Utmost Sincerity' . We must have Mr. Yasunaga present that great masterpiece: the 'Mikazuki' (Crescent Moon)."

  The Mikazuki tea jar. Kanbe’e knew that Nobunaga coveted this world-renowned masterpiece.

  "Mr. Yasunaga, offering the masterpiece and bowing his head... versus Mr. Mitsuhide, trying to persuade Lord Nobunaga with mere logic. It is clearer than fire which one the Lord will prefer. We shall let Mr. Mitsuhide taste a humiliation so deep he cannot offer a single drop of an excuse."

  Hideyoshi took Kanbe’e’s hand and gripped it firmly.

  Yasunaga Miyoshi had hesitated until the end to part with the Mikazuki, but for the sake of his "clan’s restoration," he ultimately had no choice but to agree.

  A few days later, in the Great Hall of Azuchi Castle.

  Before a tense-looking Mitsuhide Akechi, Yasunaga Miyoshi stepped forward, led by Hideyoshi.

  "My Lord. Yasunaga Miyoshi wishes to apologize for his past disloyalty and present this family treasure to you."

  Yasunaga respectfully presented the masterpiece Mikazuki.

  Nobunaga took the tea jar, held it up to the light from the window, and laughed aloud.

  "Magnificent! Yasunaga, you kept such a prize hidden? This is indeed a treasure worthy of the Oda’s reign!"

  Mitsuhide, his face pale, opened his mouth to speak.

  "My Lord, wait! If you favor Mr. Yasunaga here, the promise made to Mr. Motochika Chosokabe will be rendered void (annulled)!"

  "Silence, Mitsuhide!"

  Nobunaga’s roar echoed through the hall.

  "The Chosokabe is nothing more than a country bumpkin with ambition. He is difficult to handle and cannot even present a single treasure like this. From now on, I entrust Shikoku to the Miyoshi and Hideyoshi. Mitsuhide, you are to say no more!"

  The blood drained from Mitsuhide’s body. In that moment, the diplomatic routes he had built over years, and his pride as the "Shikoku deputy" of the Oda clan, were blown away like dust by a single tea vessel and an old soldier prepared by Hideyoshi.

  Hideyoshi left with a triumphant smile, showing no remorse. Mitsuhide watched his back with a gaze filled with murderous intent.

  But Mitsuhide did not notice that there was a man watching the scene from the shadows with cold, piercing eyes.

  Following this, Nobunaga’s Shikoku policy transformed with terrifying speed, exactly according to the map drawn by Hideyoshi. The "Shikoku Subjugation" with Yasunaga Miyoshi as the guide was officially decided, and the friendship with Motochika Chosokabe was unilaterally discarded like a scrap of paper. Nobunaga ignored the years of diplomatic effort Mitsuhide had accumulated and approved military action led by the Hashiba clan in support of the Miyoshi.

  For Mitsuhide, this was not just a loss of credit. It was treatment tantamount to being declared "incompetent" by his lord and losing his place within the Oda clan. The arrow fired by Kanbe’e—the Mikazuki—stimulated Nobunaga’s greed while simultaneously rotting the very foundation of Mitsuhide’s loyalty.

  That night, Kanbe’e stood alone on the castle watchtower.

  From his robe, he took out the rosary (Kontatsu) that was a memento of Fuji.

  "Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum... (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come...)"

  The quiet prayer dissolved into the veil of night.

  Kanbe’e was certain of Mitsuhide’s despair.

  (Mitsuhide... your anger will soon become a blade against the Lord. I shall ride the wind of Lord Hideyoshi’s ambition and make use of your murderous intent...)

  To Kanbe’e, Nagamasa’s Genpuku was "the light"—a future to be protected. And to protect that future, he would become any kind of demon necessary.

  "Nagamasa... I will not let you smell this scent of blood. Your father will take it all to hell."

  The dawn sky was slowly stained with a blood-red hue. It was a light celebrating Nagamasa’s brilliant start, but at the same time, it was the beacon announcing the beginning of the greatest "Rebellion" in Japanese history, set to arrive in a few short months.

  Kanbe’e’s fingertip slowly made the sign of the cross one last time.

  Produced and written by a Japanese author, rooted in authentic Japanese history. Translated with the assistance of Gemini (AI).