Scouting was not his place. That was the work of the ninja. They called him the Sword of a Thousand Suns for a different reason, and because of that, he waited for the reports from the ninja under his command.

Hand gripping his katana sheath, Ujiwara rubbed at its smooth surface with his thumb as he waited patiently in the open street, a contingent of twenty samurai and forty bowmen accompanying him and his ninja.

He turned when the ninja came into view. As it was now, there were hundreds of them scouting and reporting back as mounted samurai patrolled the streets and the outlying countryside past the city wall. He had keen-eyed bowmen stationed atop the highest buildings in Yukai City.

She would not get out.

No. He had sensed her moving. Could almost see her, for her Legendary aura rippling like water in a puddle before his feet.

The ninja came to him.

“What is it?” he asked, curtly.

“My lord, we have her,” the ninja said, bowing with both hands clasped together as he said the word. “She is in the sewers with a small group of ninja heading for the southern wall.”

“Good work,” Ujiwara said.

“Shall we lay in ambush for her?”

“Do not attack her directly.” Even through his covered faced, Ujiwara could tell the ninja was perplexed, so he added, “She is the White Feather. They do not call her this name for no reason. Surely you must know?” But he didn’t wait for a response. “Her skill with a blade is beyond any of you. So, you need but to keep her from escaping. I will be the one to confront her. Do you understand?”

The ninja nodded.

“Good!”

Ujiwara, the Sword of a Thousand Suns, smiled with satisfaction as he anticipated crossing blades with the most skilled of the Mikuma Imperials.

He had wanted this for some time. He looked into the sky, sensing her unique aura. The first time he had sensed it was when he had accompanied Hukama-sama on a trip to Yukai City. The daimyō she served he had known very little about at the time—cared nothing for, in fact. But her, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of. He couldn’t stop thinking of her, her aura—powerful and unique, like a food he couldn’t wait to eat.

She was powerful, he had known that much. And yet, she stood apart from her lord daimyō, hands clasped in front of her, somber, submissive. Ever the good servant, that much had been obvious.

She was a Legend that outclassed her lord in the blade in every single way.

And yet she was in love with him.

Yes, Ujiwara could see it. She had glanced at him furtively from within his retinue and it was obvious to him.

Now, he laughed out loud, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement, to the perplexity of the ninja and samurai surrounding him.

“Let us meet them!”

The ninja scurried away, but the samurai hastened to action. Ujiwara stroked the smooth surface of his katana sheath some more in anticipation of the duel to come.