“My lord.”

Kage Saika bowed deeply to the man before her. He continued to stare out the window, not bothering to turn around at the sound of her voice. Kuroda Mitsuhide. One of the most ruthless daimyo this side of Yashima. A man who commited horrific acts on the battlefield with glee, and had a reputation for maiming and torturing even his own men if they displeased him. Rumours of his acts of defilement both on and off the battlefield traveled far. It was the reason she found herself in his employ in the first place. A reputation like Kuroda’s traveled fast.

“What is it?”

“I have news.” He showed no sign of movement. “Regarding the Yashiro.”

He turned to face her. She knew that would do it.

“Well I don’t have all day. Speak.”

“Yes, my lord. We have received word that Yashiro plans to marry his daughter to the son of Itami Akihito in exchange for their long-term friendship and support.”

Mitsuhide snorted. “A smart decision, yes, and not one I didn’t see coming. It won’t be long until the other clans hear of this, I suppose.”

The Yashiro were a small clan with a large history, but until now had been rather harmless. Ryobe was showing his first signs of growing ambition, of strengthening his clan against those that surrounded him. With support and larger numbers, they could become a force to be reckoned with. Very few clans remained that could prove their familial ties to the emperor, but the Yashiro were one of them. Even in this day and age, that stood for something.

“We can’t allow them to get any stronger,” Mitsuhide continued, as though reading Saika’s thoughts. “He’s been a thorn in my side for far too long now. Policing my trade through to the capital, raiding our farming villages, stealing our supplies, killing our women. I won’t stand for it any longer. They think just because they’re the long distant cousins of the emperor and that they sit on prized lands outside the capital that they can just say and do whatever they want?! Times are changing! It’s not about what 300 year old dead emperor you’re related to anymore, it’s about power! It’s about strength!”

Saika stood by quietly as Mitsuhide worked himself up.

“Look at the Wada! A man after my own heart! He worked his way up from nothing, what was he, some snake seller or something, I don’t know, the point is the man defeated his enemies and took control for himself and it’s the essence of what makes a man that matters, Saika, are you listening to me? The essence. Not who your family was a few hundred years ago.”

Saika didn’t have the heart to remind him that the Kuroda could also trace their lineage to a family that served the emperor many generations ago, and was the entire reason they possessed the expansive lands they now resided on.

“And don’t even get my started on that useless shogun! Why, not even the smaller clans listen to him anymore, doesn’t even have enough money to wipe his ass with a dry leaf. What’s he gonna do, politely plead us to death? Bah, someone should just kill him and be done with it. This country needs real strength. Real power.”

May the gods above and below help them all if Mitsuhide ever came to rule over all of Yashima.

“About the Yashiro, my lord.” Saika tried to steer Mistuhide back to the topic at hand. If she let him continue his tirade he would go on all night, and she had better things to do. “What would you like me to do?”

“What? Oh, no. No. Not just you this time, my dear. Us. I think it’s time we take the battle to them. We’ve been far too patient and far too forgiving of their transgressions. It’s time to make this problem go away.”

Ever since the Yashiro had kidnapped the heir of Bitou Noboru in an effort to make them break their alliance with the Kuroda, tensions between the clans had greatly risen. But while tensions were high, full scale war had thus far been avoided, both sides being too scared to be the first to initiate. It was a land at war, but with war a possibility on all fronts, the daimyo had to be careful in which battles they chose to fight. One wrong move could bring an entire clan and its legacy to its end, much like the unfortunate Saito.

“I want you to personally visit Bitou for me so he understands the importance of what’s happening. His assistance will be required, and very shortly. Tell him to gather whatever men he can spare. This is not a small skirmish or spring campaign. This is war. We’re going to wipe the Yashiro out. Every single last one of them. And those who help me, well, they will be greatly rewarded.”

The threat was unnecessary, but there. Provide warriors as per our alliance or face the consequences. If Bitou hadn’t broken their alliance for his own daughter and heir, Saika didn’t think he would do so now, but Mitsuhide wasn’t known for subtleties.

“I’ll also need you to gather what information you can about the Yashiro forces. I need to know where they are, what they’re doing, how many of them there are, who are their commanders. Everything.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“See if we can’t send a little wedding gift for Itami’s soon to be blushing bride. Nothing too fancy. But something lasting and full of impression.”

His grin could almost be considered feral.

“Of course, my lord.”

Saika knew very little of Ryobe’s daughter, but she still felt a little sad for her. It was an unfortunate situation, and Saika wasn’t fond of killing other women. But even that was the nature of war. People died so others could live. Good people died, bad people died, important people died, and often those simply caught in the crosshairs also died. Still, she had a job to do, and while she would be too busy to handle this one herself, she’d find someone to make sure it was done. Personally, Saika was excited to find out more about the Yashiro. She had yet to meet their leader, Ryobe, but she had heard a lot about his son, Sou. A young man who towered over his peers, they said, a giant in both stature and mind. A brilliant strategist, the mastermind behind many of his father’s plans, and also the muscle. Unlike other commanders he always lead his men directly into battle, finishing off staggering amounts of the enemy before the rest of his forces even caught up. Yes, Saika had been hoping to meet Sou for quite some time now. Finally she might get the chance.

Perhaps he was the one she was looking for.

“Is there anything else you would like taken care of before I leave?”

Mitsuhide had returned to the window. His mood had picked up at the thought of war. He was looking out over the land, smiling.

“No. Actually, yes. Some of the men have been reporting… abnormalities with Mihara Naoto and his wife.”

Naoto was one of Mitsuhide’s generals. Their family had been retainers of the Kuroda for generations.

“Abnormalities?”

“Yes, the kind you’re specialised in.”

Awkward silence filled the air as Mitsuhide seemed to just expect her to understand what he was trying to say.

“I’m sorry, I don’t-”

“Oh for the love of… they’re saying the wife could be a… bakeneko.” He whispered the last word like it was dirty and distasteful to his delicate senses.

Ah. Monsters. Yokai. The supernatural. That specialty.

“Do you need her taken care of?”

“Does she need to be taken care of?”

The real question he was asking was, if we have her killed will something even worse befall me? For a man that was in his element killing and torturing people for both fun and profit, he was also highly superstitious and terrified of the supernatural.

“A bakeneko generally exists for revenge. She might kill a few people, cause a few disturbances, perhaps bring an entire family to ruin, but once she’s had her revenge she’ll leave by herself.”

“How can we tell who she’s after?”

“Has anyone died yet?”

“No.”

“How do you know there is a bakeneko?”

“The men said there is.”

Saika tried not to laugh.

“I’ll look into it, but I would say it’s just the tales of jealous men with too much time on their hands. Mihara’s wife is a beautiful woman after all, even in her old age.” Likely she had rejected the advances of one of her husband’s ‘friends’ and he had started the rumour himself for revenge.

“Good. Please do. It would be a pity to lose one of my best men right before I have need of his skills and expertise.”

It was highly unlikely he cared one way or another, but replacing such an experienced general right before going to war would be a hassle he didn’t need.

“Will that be all, my lord?”

Mitsuhide nodded and shooed her away with his hand. She bowed once more and left the room. Things were about to get a lot more exciting.