Chapter 5: Victory

The afternoon sky that had been so lit, had the clouds gathering one after the other, a huge amphitheatre like cloud covers the area. 

Droplets upon droplets, the wind blew, the tiny drops fell and the rice paddies bent South as the wind scattered through the area. In the Imagawa camp, Yoshimoto Imagawa raised the tent flap and looked outside.

“I think I will take a nap”

CRASH

Beside him a soldier raised a cup to the air. 

“Long live Imagawa-dono!”

He drooled and staggered crashing into other tents and comrades. 

Imagawa spat into the air and went back inside. 

…

Hashimaru and Lady Kaguya rose through the ever increasing thickness of the storm, the rain acting as a blanket. 

He gripped his horn and blew again.

„……..“

“Hashimaru-san?”

“Don't worry…”

He blew again

„........”

Come on, I know you are out there. 

They kept moving only because remaining still would have amounted to a greater risk for their safety. The horse neighed and changed direction.

BLINK

From afar a blue light was buzzing. He squinted his eyes and heard. 

“UZZAH!!!”

The wind brought a fog on the field and blew at them the horse wrestled it with all his might until all that remained in front of them was the camp of the Imagawa being attacked. Nobunaga himself rode ahead rushing into the encampment. 

Men half dressed ran helter-skelter in search of weapons just to find the edge of the sword. Katsuie led his men to a flanking charge with Koita. 

Right from the main road from Okehazama Shinsuke arrived with forty men in his following. 

“Shinsuke! Over here.” Shouted Hashimaru excitedly. 

Lady Kaguya said “happy you guys made it out alive.”

Shinsuke said “No worries.”

Nobunaga said “You two get over here we must get to Yoshimoto before he flees.”

Shinsuke swiftly dismounted and rushed. Hashimaru grabbed Kaguya and in one motion he kissed her in the midst of bending blades and the amphitheatre of clouds and on the horseback. 

Hashimaru jumped. His hand rested on his sword and he in one step reached Shinsuke. 

…

WITHIN THE CAMP. 

The two men slashed their way through the men that were in disarray. 

“This side is cleared!” A voice shouted. 

His boots stomped on the ground. 

“Kinoshita-senpai!”

“Hashimaru move it, we mustn't give them a respite.”

Hashimaru gulped.

Then…it's time for me to use it. The Great Katana, that lay in waiting for a thousand years. The Fūtonkamiken.

His hand grabbed the hilt, and white flames engulfed his hands, the ground beneath him cracked, the winds spiraled around and gathered in tight threads that pointed in a direction: beyond the tent, beyond the fireplace, beyond the storage house just after the crate on which a soldier was sleeping. The there's turned just a few feet back.

BOOM 

Hashimaru looked at the cloud. The bolt struck right where the vision ended. 

Endo and Kinoshita had his back and all around them soldiers converged. 

Hashimaru recoiled the sword and a wave of wind blew the Imagawa soldiers away. Right into the hunting grounds of the Oda army. 

….

He grabbed Endo and said, “Follow me, Yoshimoto is just ahead of us.”

Kinoshita gathered some men with him and followed them entering into tents and skating all the enemies in them. 

Their boots splashed the rain water into the last flicker of fire and finally they turned the angle and found the crate. Right on the other end Katsuie and his men skidded in the mud. 

Yoshimoto Imagawa exited the tent around him drunken soldiers acting as a broken shield. 

Hashimaru and his men charged and Katsuie and his men pressed. From the Katsuie army a man Hatari Koita thrusted a spear to his abdomen only for several men to act as shields.

Koita thrust again and Imagawa dodged the blow. 

Imagawa's head shook, “no! This can't be. I am the leader of Suruga province. You peasants…”

Hashimaru blew his Jinkai.

Waves rippled through the camps. From somewhere Nobunaga smiled. 

The wind came descending down from the heavens tearing open a breach for Mori Shinsuke. 

His blade cut a droplet of water and then a myriad of them as it kissed the neck of the invader. And with a single slash he decapitated the Daimiyo.

“UZZAH!!!!”

Katsuie gladly said “in the end victory really belongs to those who set out.”

…

Yoshimoto’s death was the final nail in Imagawa's coffin. The remaining armies turned their tails and were completely routed from the battlefield. 

The Imagawa forces that had conquered the Oda castles abandoned them and returned to Suruga.

The very presence of the man of the south brought about the end of this clan. 

When the evening had come the soldiers returned dragging their loots. They sang, drank, and danced. 

And when the people of the city were glad. Men and women ran towards them. They ran even the old ones hugging their sons and grandsons. The children their fathers and the wives their husbands.

Oda Nobunaga returned to Kiyosu castle with his samurai. He was acclaimed over and over again, the people shouted. 

“Long live Nobunaga-dono!!!”

“Thank you my lord!!!”

“Long live the Oda clan!!!”

Mori Shinsuke was tossed all over his eyes and scanned the crowd until he found her, he pushed through and hugged her tight.

Hashimaru smiled.

Mission accomplished.

At the entrance of Kiyosu castle knelt Sakumo Nobunori. 

“My lord,” he said. 

Nobunaga passed over him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No harsh feelings, it only meant that today victory belonged to them that set out.”

Sakumo gulped his eyes, grew bags, and his head fell to the ground in a full prostration.

…

THE DAY AFTER 

I was at the stables with the boy drinking some water. When Nobunaga and Kinoshita approached me, 

“Already leaving”.

I turned and bowed “my lord, yea. Some things came up in the south that need urgent attention, I hope one day I will be back though.”

Nobunaga said “Then I will be waiting.”

Nibunaga turned to go. 

Kinshita tightly wrapped his arms against his chest hiding the sandal in his yukata. He said. 

“Farewell Hashimaru, next time we see I may already be a Shogun?”

“Uh, you. Ahahah! Yea right.”

Hashimaru called for the horse and it came carrying another person with a monk cap, her eyes were a mix of black and blue. 

Hashimaru smiled “You sure you wanna come?”

Kaguya blushed, “yea.”

FLIP

Hashimaru tossed a coin of silver to the boy and claimed the horse. 

“Off we go!”

….

The horse galloped, leaving the city of Nagoya behind.

From the height of the castle Nobunaga and his retinue bowed at their departure. 

Thank you Hashimaru of the South.

THE END