YEAR OF 1335
DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SUWA
Take this!
Not a chance!
Such incredible spirit! It doesn't even feel like training.
Lord Tokiyuki. Do you recognize anyone among them?
I've never seen any of them at Suwa Grand Shrine.
They are all surviving retainers of the Hojo clan.
We secretly took them in whenever they fled to Shinano.
There are now over a hundred of them.
These men will serve as your personal army in the coming great battle.
To keep your survival a secret, we've kept you hidden.
None of them know what you look like.
When the time comes, reveal your identity to them yourself.
Their spirits will soar beyond measure.
I would love to declare that we've secured the victory, but…
I have nothing but respect for him.
He's always pestering me as though he has nothing better to do.
Yet behind the scenes, he's been preparing everything.
Now then.
There are several individuals I should like to introduce to you.
These are the Three Great Generals of the Suwa Sect,
the retainers who serve directly under me.
They shall join us in the battles to come.
The battles to come?
That provincial official is preparing a full-scale invasion.
We've also received reports that he's been acting differently.
Let us rescue our allies throughout the land
while amassing our strength for the great battle!
THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI
My trusted Three Great Generals!
I have a most astonishing announcement for you!
This Chojumaru, who has been serving at Suwa Grand Shrine since last year,
is actually Lord Tokiyuki Hojo, heir to the Hojo clan!
I see.
That's it?
Surely you can do better than that!
I was looking forward to seeing the shock on your faces!
Above all else, we are your direct retainers, Lord Yorishige.
GREAT GENERAL OF THE RIGHT, SUWA SECT YORINAO NEZU
If you have chosen to rally behind the heir of the Hojo clan,
then we shall simply follow your lead.
That's how it is, Young Lord.
Please forgive me for having you pour my sake without knowing who you were.
GREAT GENERAL OF THE LEFT, SUWA SECT SHIGENOBU MOCHIZUKI
If we treat you any differently, we'll only put you in more danger.
Until the day your identity is revealed, you will remain Chojumaru.
We shall treat you just as we always have in front of others.
Is that acceptable?
GREAT GENERAL OF THE CENTER, SUWA SECT YUKIYASU UNNO
Myojin is pouting again.
Mochizuki, give him something sweet.
Lord Yorishige, here you are.
-It's delicious. -Really?
They keep a respectful distance from me.
They're warriors loyal not to the Hojo, but to Mr. Yorishige.
They devote their lives to Suwa Myojin and for Shinano.
I could feel the bond they forged through years of mutual trust.
PROVINCIAL OFFICIAL'S RESIDENCE
Mercy! Please… spare my wife!
The magistrate has been raising an army for a rebellion! That's all I know.
Dear!
In winter, slaying is supreme. Needless to say, slaying rebels.
You truly are an excellent teacher.
My archery has improved quite a bit, don't you think?
Indeed.
We tortured these peasants until they confessed,
yet many still oppose me in secret.
I have governed them with such benevolence, though.
I have obtained an imperial command from the emperor.
This time, we'll slaughter every last one of those rebels!
His zeal and cruelty have intensified.
He returned a changed man after fleeing back to Kyo.
And what of his skill with the bow?
He's improved, but it's still little more than a noble's pastime.
Just because he can shoot down defenseless peasants
doesn't mean he'll be any use on the battlefield.
OFFICIAL
Yet he carries himself with a strange confidence.
Could he truly intend to lead from the front himself?
March, 1335. The flames of conflict spread across northern Shinano.
In response, Emperor Godaigo issued an imperial command
calling for a simultaneous assault on pro-Hojo forces throughout the land.
Within northern Shinano, Tokoiwa was positioned in the north,
Hoshina and Shinomiya in the center, and Tomomitsu Inukai in the south.
With these three resistance forces as their primary targets,
the allied armies of the provincial official and the governor
launched a simultaneous offensive.
Four months remained until Tokiyuki's uprising.
This would be the greatest and final battle before the uprising.
The Three Great Generals are already on their way,
each leading a small force of elite warriors as secret reinforcements.
So which one are we joining?
None of them. The Elusive Warriors' mission this time is… messenger duty.
Messenger duty?
You will ride from one battlefield to the next, carrying reports and orders.
This campaign spans multiple battlefields over a vast area.
To ensure that every battlefield receives vital information,
we need messengers who can never be captured.
We mustn't get caught.
What a difficult mission.
Our objective is the same as before: to keep our allies' losses to a minimum.
Travel from one battlefield to the next,
and take the opportunity to learn more about my most trusted retainers.
Your first destination is the southern part of northern Shinano.
There, Inukai and Unno await at Fukashi Fort.
They will brief you on the plan.
SOUTHERN FRONT FUCHU SHINANO, FUKASHI FORT
Mr. Messenger from Suwa Grand Shrine?
FUKASHI MAGISTRATE TOMOMITSU INUKAI
Oh, so you're that kid I've heard so much about.
What? People are talking about me?
Aye! They say there's a child at Suwa Grand Shrine
who's the finest escape artist in the land.
A naked little freak running all over the battlefield like he's in heat.
Exaggeration!
Nah, that's not much of an exaggeration
How is the battle going?
Mr. Yorishige told us not to overextend ourselves, and to fall back if necessary.
The thing is…
Lord Unno's reinforcements are few in number, yet unbelievably strong.
They haven't even let the Ogasawara army get anywhere near this fort.
Mr. Unno… He's so cool.
What's he like?
He's the finest general in the Suwa Sect.
His exploits are beyond counting. He is always composed and calm.
Even without his armor, he looks cool.
The shrine maidens who are into older men adore him too.
He's kind to everyone, and so thoughtful. That's what makes him even cooler.
But whenever I tell that to the grown-ups, they just laugh.
Why?
They always say, "You still don't know what truly makes him so cool."
Chojumaru.
Tell them this fort won't fall any time soon.
Not as long as I, Yukiyasu Unno, am here!
So cool!
-The north gate has been breached! -What?
Sadamune… He's impressive as ever.
The force we just drove back was only a diversion.
They drew our attention south while sending troops around to the north.
Mr. Unno! Um…
Chojumaru.
Have you ever slept with a woman?
Huh?
As if! We are only ten. Well, someday we'll be like you, Mr. Unno.
-Neither have I. -What?
I never have.
-I'm completely helpless around women. -Wha…
Just having a woman speak to me gets my heart racing.
-What? -When I'm surrounded by shrine maidens,
I get so flustered I feel like I'm on fire.
Why is he suddenly talking about this?
I channel every bit of that passion into serving Suwa Myojin.
Every drop of blood that boils for a woman,
I pour into my muscles and my fighting spirit.
It boils, I channel it.
I channel it, I forge myself. I hone myself, decade after decade.
A Kamakura warrior who remains a virgin until the age of 30…
becomes a lord of carnage.
So cool!
UNLOCK THE SECRET OF THE KAMAKURA WARRIORS
Many combat athletes abstain from romance for a considerable time before a match.
We spoke with a professor at the Japan Institute of Imaginary Sports Science.
He is an expert on how abstinence affects athletic performance.
DEPARTMENT OF ABSTINENCE STUDIES PROF. KOICHI OSAWA
One theory suggests that abstaining from romance before competition
increases testosterone and noradrenaline levels.
The rise in testosterone caused by abstinence also increases noradrenaline.
Energy is conserved for battle
and transformed into explosive primal strength.
If the kamakura warriors, who were even more hot-blooded than people today,
spent a lifetime denying those desires and devoted all that energy to battle…
they might become lords of carnage beyond anything we can imagine.
He cut down ten men before the pieces of paper even hit the ground.
I still don't really understand the desire between men and women,
but I've always been told it can't be suppressed.
Yet he's endured them for decades through loyalty and faith.
And unlike a monk, he hasn't cast those earthly desires aside or forgotten them.
He's kept them boiling inside him all this time.
As expected of Mr. Yorishige's retainers.
Only loyalty of that caliber could make such a thing possible.
Now then. We've driven them back for the moment,
but this battle won't end that easily.
Shizuku, you're aware of the situation at all three battlefields, correct?
Yes.
The northern battlefield is Ichikawa versus Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Tokoiwa.
The central battlefield is the provincial official
versus Mr. Nezu and the Hoshina’s party.
Here in the south, it's Sadamune versus Mr. Unno and Mr. Inukai.
ICHIKAWA’S ARMY - TOKOIWA'S ARMY MOCHIZUKI’S ARMY
Whichever side wins its battle can reinforce the others.
That means if even one front falls, the whole campaign could collapse.
So the three battlefields must stay in contact and work together.
Exactly.
Of the three, Sadamune's army is the strongest.
If things continue as they are, we can keep them pinned here for ten days.
Ideally, Ichikawa's army in the north
and the provincial official's army in the center…
-Let's call it off. -Okay.
…can be driven into retreat after suffering heavy losses.
Carry that message to the northern and central fronts.
See how things stand there, then act as the situation demands.
Understood, Mr. Unno. We'll be on our way at once.
Wait! There are still enemies near the fort.
You should wait until nightfall before heading out.
If we wait until nightfall, the information will arrive too late.
We have to get it to our allies as quickly as possible.
Don't worry. We won't get caught.
Come on, everyone. Let's run!
All right.
Is that… Enemy messengers! Kill them!
Keep going straight.
I'll circle around and draw them away.
Get him!
Damn brat!
Hasn't his riding improved a lot over the past year?
I taught him how to flee on horseback.
Once he realized it'd help him escape, he practiced with all his heart.
He's never looked more alive.
So that's the famed master of escape. He's brimming with the will to survive.
We should learn from him!
The Elusive Samurai indeed. He's been a good influence on us.
Now then…
I want to have female retainers rallying around me like that!
CENTRAL FRONT KAWANAKAJIMA
Mr. Messenger! It's been a while. Has it really been a year?
Mr. Hoshina. I'm so glad to see you're safe.
Here to help? Good lad, Kojiro!
Knock it off, you old geezers! I'm here on messenger duty!
Mr. Hoshina, could you tell us how the battle is progressing?
It's a stalemate wherever you look.
The battlefield's much larger than last time.
It's hard to predict where the provincial official's army will strike next.
But at times like this, there's no one more dependable than Mr. Nezu.
The provincial official's right flank
looks like a massive force from the ground.
But from above, it's nothing more than a thin line spread wide to intimidate us.
Charge through and scatter them.
Yes, sir.
The provincial official's left flank is the real threat.
They're concealed in the forest, waiting to cross the Sai River.
-Signal Shinomiya with drums and smoke. -Yes, sir.
-Move out. -Yes, sir!
He reads the battlefield through his hawks.
Surveying vast battlefields is the Nezu clan's specialty.
Oh, right. Kojiro. You're a member of the Nezu clan too.
Chojumaru.
How goes the southern front?
So the south can hold for another ten days.
In that case, our greatest concern remains the northern front.
Ichikawa commands a formidable force.
Even with Mochizuki reinforcing them,
Tokoiwa is still the weakest of our allies.
EZ WIN
If the north falls before we weaken the provincial official's army,
both forces will converge on the central front.
TOKOIWA - MOCHIZUKI - ICHIKAWA
Ayako is Mr. Mochizuki's daughter. She must be worried about her father too.
Understood.
I'll find out how much longer the northern front can hold.
-What? -Now?
You've already been riding for a full day.
Just give me a fresh horse.
I'm actually having fun slipping past the enemy patrols.
-Right, everyone? -You're the only one, My Lord.
YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, RIGHT? DRAINED
Kojiro, Ayako, Fubuki. Come with me.
Yes!
Shizuku, Genba. Get some rest while you analyze the battle.
Understood.
Never change, Mr. Messenger.
Huh?
Leaving already, Kojiro?
I'll be back! You're as much of a pain as ever.
We'll line up plenty of ears and noses to mark your way back.
No, thank you!
Kojiro.
From today on, cover your face whenever you take the field.
Do your duty well. For Lord Yorishige. For our Nezu clan.
Yes.
Something felt strange between those two.
I don't know all the details,
but it sounds like his family situation is a little complicated.
What?
It's nothing to worry about.
No, I mean… that headband suits you. Everyone goes through a phase like that.
Shut up!
We've entered Tokoiwa territory! Let's hurry to Kitajo Fort!
NORTHERN FRONT TOKOIWA'S STRONGHOLD KITAJO FORT
The fort.
Ayako!
Father.
I took a quick look around. Ichikawa's army is virtually untouched.
MOCHIZUKI’S ARMY TOKOIWA’S ARMY 170
ICHIKAWA’S ARMY 300
If Ichikawa's army joins forces with the Provincial Official's army
in the center at full strength, the balance will be shattered.
This can't be.
By tomorrow, our defeat will be certain!
-Let's go! -Let's go!