The Hashiba camp, where Kanbe’e arrived, was enveloped in a feverish heat that defied the deep hours of the night. Rain-soaked war banners snapped violently in the wind, and the bonfires lit everywhere dyed the dark night in shades of gold. Unlike the stagnant air of Gochaku Castle, here pulsed a clear and resolute will—the will to fight and to emerge victorious.

  Deep within the command tent, in the corner where Hideyoshi sat, numerous maps were spread out, marked with raw, fresh strokes of the brush. Behind him, his trademark "Sennari Hyotan" (Thousand Gourds) standard hung proudly, though dampened by the humidity. The atmosphere was one of boundless cheerfulness laced with a sharp, prickling tension—the unmistakable aura of Hideyoshi Hashiba.

  Watching Hideyoshi’s profile illuminated by the bonfires, Kanbe’e suddenly recalled Gifu Castle from three years ago.

  In the third year of Tensho (1575), Kanbe’e had an audience with Nobunaga Oda as an envoy for his lord,Masamoto Kodera. It was Hideyoshi Hashiba who had served as the intermediary for that meeting.

  Kanbe’e remembered it vividly even now—the sensation like a bolt of lightning. While he himself was an intellectual, cold-blooded strategist, Hideyoshi possessed a style that allowed him to dive into the hearts of others, turning even enemies into allies. In that man, Kanbe’e felt the "qualities of a ruler of the realm" that he himself lacked.

  Later, when Hideyoshi entered the region after being entrusted with the conquest of Harima by Nobunaga, Kanbe’e generously offered his own stronghold, Himeji Castle, as Hideyoshi’s headquarters.

  "Lord Hideyoshi, I beg your forgiveness for my lateness to the night council. I was in deep discussion with my lord, Masamoto Kodera, until just moments ago. I did not realize how much time had passed; it was a grave oversight."

  As soon as Hideyoshi saw Kanbe’e’s mud-stained figure, he removed his own haori coat and draped it over Kanbe’e’s shoulders.

  "Oh! Well met, Kanbe’e! I’ve been waiting for you! I figured you were probably sharing a cup with Lady Teru and busy making a child! Gahahaha!"

  He jumped past formality and etiquette to get close to one's heart. This forceful, overwhelming warmth. It had been the same when they first met at Gifu Castle. Beside the sharp, blade-like presence of Nobunaga, this man alone laughed like the sun and hailed the newcomer Kanbe’e as his "brother."

  Kanbe’e felt the weight of the sword at his hip. The famed blade, Heshikiri Hasebe. It was a masterpiece bestowed upon him directly by Nobunaga Oda three years ago at Gifu Castle, in high praise of his strategy for the Harima conquest.

  Yet, at the moment of bestowal, what had pierced Kanbe’e’s entire being was not joy, but a freezing shiver of dread. Nobunaga had seen into the abyss of intellect dwelling behind Kanbe’e’s eyes. He had "feared" the talent that threatened to surpass even his own.

  The blood-soaked origin of this blade—used to execute a tea master by "pressing through" the very cupboard he hid under—was a silent sentence passed by Nobunaga.

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  —Should you stray but a single step, this Hasebe will sever your life, no matter where you hide.

  Kanbe’e had understood this instantly. Since that day, the weight of this sword had been nothing less than Nobunaga’s own blade resting against his throat.

  Steeling himself, Kanbe’e spoke.

  "Lord Hideyoshi, I speak with all due respect! If we turn Araki into an enemy now, our Harima forces will face certain annihilation!"

  Realizing the urgency of the matter, Hideyoshi’s face, which had been relaxed like a monkey’s, returned to a serious expression.

  "Aye, I know, I know... To tell you the truth, I was just thinking the same thing myself."

  Kanbe’e continued.

  "If that happens, we will have Bessho in front, Araki behind, and the Murakami Navy of the Mori surging from the southern seas. Our army will be completely trapped, like a rat in a bag. However, Murashige Araki of Settsu is a man I have known deeply since olden times. If I go to him directly and persuade him, there is more than enough room for him to reconsider! Please, allow this Kanbe’e to go to Arioka! For the era of the Oda, I am prepared to stake my life! I have already convinced my lord, Masamoto Kodera!"

  Hideyoshi witnessed Kanbe’e’s resolve and closed his eyes for a moment. After a short silence, his face returned to its usual energetic expression as he answered.

  "Very well! Kanbe’e, I have truly received your resolve. Listen, you must persuade Murashige Araki at all costs. You’re the only one I can count on. But don't do anything reckless. You’ve got to come back alive, you hear? Do what must be done. I’ll be praying for you!"

  Hideyoshi’s words were always warm, carrying a poignant resonance of friendship beyond his orders as a lord. His scale was different from the local lords of Harima, who moved only by profit and loss. As Kanbe’e bowed to withdraw and turned his back, Hideyoshi called out to him.

  "Wait, Kanbe’e!"

  Hideyoshi stepped closer and, with casual yet deep affection, gave the scabbard of the Hasebe at Kanbe’e’s hip a firm pat.

  "Don't forget, Kanbe’e. The sharpness of that blade is the same as your intellect. That soul you received from our Great Lord Nobunaga will surely protect you. In my stead, let this blade fight by your side!"

  Hideyoshi knew. He knew that Kanbe’e had carried this sword as a "death sentence" from Nobunaga, enduring that terror in solitude. That was why Hideyoshi chose to overwrite that curse, transforming it into a "light" to save him.

  Kanbe’e bowed his head deeply. His spine, stiff from the cold rain, regained the heat of a warrior through Hideyoshi’s words. No longer a strategist cowering in Nobunaga’s shadow, but a strategist supporting Hideyoshi’s light. He reaffirmed that for this man, he would wield this blade and offer all his intellect without regret. Hideyoshi struck Kanbe’e’s shoulder once, hard enough to hurt.

  "Listen, Kanbe’e, this is not a gamble. It is a promise that I will protect the place you are to return to. Now, go!"

  In Hideyoshi’s eyes burned the anguish of sending a friend to his death, but it was eclipsed by a quiet flame of absolute trust. Kanbe’e remained silent, but he tightened his fist as if savoring the touch of the Hasebe in his hand. The cold rain lashed his face, but strangely, he felt no chill. The certainty that this man was guarding his back filled Kanbe’e’s entire being with a scorching heat.

  "Understood! I am deeply honored by your command!"

  In Kanbe’e’s eyes dwelt a certain "resolve." No matter what awaited him, as long as he carried the Hasebe, he was not alone. Kanbe’e bowed deeply and leapt into the dark of the night.

  And so, his journey to Arioka Castle was decided. Neither Hideyoshi nor Kanbe’e himself could have known then that this would be the entrance to nearly a year of "hell." Hideyoshi alone stood in the cold rain for a long time, listening to the fading sound of retreating hooves.

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