Tokiyuki's uncle, Yasuie Hojo.
He is a man who will soon stir up a storm.
LET'S DO THIS
Uncle!
GOOD
I'm so relieved you're safe!
Lord Tokiyuki!
I'm the one who's overjoyed to see you safe!
-Splendid. -I'm surprised his own uncle
is still alive.
Indeed.
He is the younger brother of Lord Takatoki himself,
the man at the pinnacle of the shogunate.
He truly was at the very heart of it.
POWER
It was Lord Yasuie who arranged
for Lord Tokiyuki to be entrusted to my care
during the fall of Kamakura.
Come to think of it,
Uncle, how did you escape that chaos?
I simply passed myself off as one of Nitta's soldiers.
Wounded soldier! Let us through!
The pain…
NO PAIN
I escaped Kamakura by posing as one of the enemy's wounded soldiers.
NAILED IT
You've got some nerve, boss.
While your clan was dropping like flies,
you still ran away so shamelessly.
Naturally, they asked me to die with them.
Come, Lord Yasuie. Join us.
But this is what I told them.
JUST DIDN'T WANT TO DIE
"It's not that I cling to life.
I swear I'll reclaim the throne,
so that your deaths will not be in vain."
His forehead…
I can see something on his forehead.
Uncle,
your forehead says you just didn't want to die.
Oh, my!
Lord Tokiyuki, you're quite observant!
For the past two years, I've traveled throughout the Tōhoku region,
rallying the remaining Hojo loyalists.
Everywhere we fought, we lost and had to run.
You are our last hope.
Yorishige Suwa.
Have you made the preparations to ensure our victory?
Yes.
For the most part, everything is progressing smoothly.
However, I have foreseen a troubling future.
I'd like to discuss it with you over there.
Very well. Let us go!
LET'S DO THIS
Cut it out! Just go already!
He wears everything on his face.
The way he ran for it, you'd never think
he was a prominent figure of the shogunate.
My uncle has always done whatever it takes to survive.
He was always scheming out of self-interest,
obsessed with power and staying alive…
MAKE NICE WITH THE FIGUREHEAD KID AND CASH IN
…yet it all showed plainly on his face.
ALSO I'M BORED SO COME PLAY WITH ME
-Come play with me. -I loved how genuine he was.
He never hid behind the mask of a warrior.
THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI
Looks like all the players are finally coming together.
So the great battle is just around the corner.
That means things are only going to get more dangerous.
The brat's never boring to watch.
-Don't make me sound like I can't fight! -But is he really worth
risking my life for?
Unlike him,
I have no enemy to avenge, nor a clan to protect.
Getting off here is an option, but…
I'll think about it later.
Something's there.
Or am I imagining it?
Yorishige has Suwa Grand Shrine heavily guarded.
No one should be able to slip in that easily.
A thrown weapon?
Your instincts are impressive.
A tengu mask?
So, you're a shinobi after all.
Just as the reports described, the fox mask of Shinano, Genba Kazama.
Or perhaps his successor.
Either way, it makes no difference.
You'll be dead soon enough.
Wait! Wait! Calm down.
I'm completely unarmed!
Besides, who's this Genba, anyway?
It's just a fox mask for festivals.
Look. Take a closer look.
That was no technique. Just a parlor trick.
Save your tricks for the demons in the underworld.
There's a fight over there?
Calling for others to protect you?
At this rate, you'll never be able to protect your lord.
Genba Kazama.
Not as impressive as the rumors suggest.
-Genba! -That sound just now…
I need to speak with Yorishige.
This could be a very serious situation.
I've posted guards just as you asked.
No need to worry about an attack or anyone listening in.
Go on, Genba. Who attacked you?
My old man once told me about them.
A band of shinobi directly serving Ashikaga.
The Tengu.
With their lightning-fast martial skills and infiltration techniques,
they say there's no secret they can't uncover.
KYO - TWO YEARS EARLIER
On May 7, 1333, Takauji Ashikaga
wiped out the shogunate forces in Kyo.
THE FOLLOWING DAY, MAY 8, KŌZUKE PROVINCE
The following day, May 8, in Kōzuke province,
Takauji's ally, Yoshisada Nitta, was at a loss.
The plan was for Lord Takauji to capture Kyo
while I launched my attack on Kamakura.
YOSHISADA NITTA
But I have no idea what's happening in Kyo.
Yoshisada Nitta has yet to learn that Kyo has fallen.
At the time, it was impossible for news to travel
from Kyoto to Gunma in a single day.
If Lord Takauji has been defeated,
my small force cannot hope to defeat the shogunate.
Should I call off the uprising for now?
My lord!
Reinforcements! Around 2,000 strong!
They're our clansmen from Echigo!
How did they know to come?
I hadn't even told my own clan about the uprising yet.
A Tengu brought us word.
A Tengu?
A single Tengu traveled throughout Echigo in just one day,
spreading word that you were rising to attack Kamakura.
How strange indeed.
No matter.
2,000 men will be more than enough.
I hesitate no longer. We march on Kamakura!
Forward, men!
Aye!
Thus, Yoshisada Nitta took advantage
of the Kamakura shogunate's distraction with Takauji in Kyo
and succeeded in bringing down Kamakura.
TAIHEIKI, VOLUME TEN
This episode of the "Tengu's Message" is recorded in the Taiheiki,
a chronicle written by people of the time.
It is easy enough to dismiss it as fiction.
Yet Japan's first simultaneous coup in the east and west
was such an extraordinary feat that it almost defies explanation without a Tengu.
It suggests that people regarded it as a mystery even at the time.
They are said to travel about 240 miles in a single day.
Apparently, they played a major role in the intelligence war
that brought down the shogunate.
I have heard tales of the Tengu as well.
They say there is a long-established academy
known as the Ashikaga School,
with a division dedicated to training skilled shinobi.
According to historical records, the first person to employ shinobi
was Moronao of Ko, the Ashikaga steward.
Whatever the case, we need to call off the great battle.
Otherwise they'll find evidence of the rebellion,
uncover the brat's true identity,
and that'll be the end of everything.
We must protect Lord Tokiyuki.
Recently, I foresaw an ominous future.
If Lord Tokiyuki stays in Suwa, he is destined to die.
The wisest course would be for him to flee as far away as possible.
As Genba said,
our plans require major changes.
Shall we proceed with our plan, Lord Yasuie?
I'll take care of it.
Lord Tokiyuki.
Leave Shinano
and travel to Kyo with Lord Yasuie.
To Kyo?
The great battle is scheduled for next month.
LET'S DO THIS
I will be meeting with our allies in Kyo to plan the uprising.
KYO - SUWA
If you come with me,
we can completely evade the Tengu's pursuit in the meantime.
The enemy would never suspect
that two members of the Hojo main family would enter Kyo.
With so many people in Kyo,
it should be easy to disappear into the crowd.
HOJO
Besides, if you aspire to become the ruler,
I have always believed you should see Kyo for yourself.
Kyo is at the forefront of every aspect of culture.
It is home to extraordinary people, such as the Emperor,
Takauji, Nitta, Kusunoki, and many others,
though they are our enemies.
Kusunoki?
You should've had Kusunoki teach you the art of war.
Naturally, you must avoid running into any of them.
Even so, there is immeasurable value in experiencing the atmosphere of Kyo,
where so many brilliant minds gather.
I want to go to Kyo.
Then you should depart as early as tonight.
-Tonight? -That soon?
As a matter of fact, I had anticipated such a situation.
The Suwa Sect has already set our plans in motion using emergency codes.
What have you been eating these days?
Nozawana pickles.
Nozawana pickles?
That's troublesome.
They really make the rice disappear.
Better watch your waistline.
Indeed. If salted salmon is added as well, I won't be able to stop eating.
SADAMUNE IS GATHERING TROOPS
IF ICHIKAWA JOINS, THE SITUATION WILL BECOME DANGEROUS
But how do we get the young lord out of Shinano?
The Tengu are probably still watching Suwa Grand Shrine.
If they see a child leaving, they'll surely become suspicious.
As for that, we shall use the confusion caused by the mysterious intruder
to our advantage.
We will spirit him away while covering our tracks.
The only drawback is that there will be no time for farewells.
A fire!
Lord Yorishige's residence is burning!
Where did it start?
It seems one of the torches fell over!
Damn it! We put out more torches to guard against intruders,
and now it's come back to bite us.
Dispatch messengers to the nearby Suwa Sect Warriors.
We'll need more hands to stop the fire from spreading!
At once!
What's your assessment?
At this point, I can't tell whether it's simply an accidental fire,
or one staged to destroy documents proving the rebellion.
Keep your eyes on their movements.
Understood.
If this was intentional, their response was astonishingly swift.
Had that fox not sensed me…
-Are you still with me? -Yes!
We'll meet up with my retainers who set out separately.
They're farther ahead.
Kyo, too, is full of dangers.
It always pains me to send you away based on an uncertain future.
Yet I believe you will grow even more through this journey.
I long to see my child overcome danger and grow strong.
As your surrogate father,
I know that letting you go is also a form of love.
Go now!
Do not look back, Lord Tokiyuki!
Yorishige is following them.
Why are you coming too?
Well, I was worried about Lord Tokiyuki.
If the Tengu see you, our whole cover will be blown.
Hurry back!
Stop making that face.
Father, you're embarrassing yourself. Go home. Now.
-Go home! -Go home!
GO HOME GO HOME GO HOME
It was in June that Tokiyuki, filled with anticipation,
set out for Kyo.
That checkpoint belongs to either the imperial court or the Ashikaga clan.
The inspections look extremely strict.
Besides…
HOJO
Lord Yasuie might as well have Hojo written across his forehead.
He'll be recognized instantly.
Is there no other way?
The only alternative is to take the long way over the mountains.
But the slopes are too steep,
and even that would be difficult unless we leave the horses behind.
No. We're not about to throw away our horses and baggage
over the likes of them.
I have an idea,
but I'll need about half a day to get it ready.
There was a post town a little way back. Pass the time there.
So then, how about we grab something to eat?
No. I'd rather not waste our money here.
I hear Kyo can get expensive!
ALREADY IN SIGHTSEEING MODE
Exactly! They say Kyo has clothes and food we've never even seen before!
I want to spend the whole trip talking like I'm from Kyo.
Father only gave me a little spending money,
so we need to spend it wisely.
Oops, my apologies.
Must be torture for you poor folks to look at.
Genba.
Where did you get that much money?
I squeezed it out of Yorishige.
Spotting the enemy shinobi was no small feat.
I told him Suwa might've fallen without me.
That's true.
Thanks to you, the enemy never learned of our plans for the great battle,
and my lord escaped safely.
-That reward is well deserved! -What?
On that note,
could you lend me some money?
I ran out long ago.
Fubuki kept wasting his money on food at every post town we passed.
He practically finished off all the food we brought by himself.
Well, that's your own fault.
I'm stuffed.
There's nothing better than feasting while the poor look on in envy.
I do feel sorry for Fubuki now.
It may not be much, but let's bring him something to eat.
Forget that hopeless idiot.
By the way, where's he?
Over in that bamboo grove.
He said he's training to take his mind off being hungry.
I'm starving.
He only missed one meal, and look at those hungry eyes.
Looks like he's still got more to him than meets the eye.
Hey.
In return for the food, answer me something.
That Tengu told me my fighting style wasn't technique,
just a trick.
I never felt I could beat him.
It felt like there was some fundamental difference between us.
What do you think it was?
Well, Shinobi techniques aren't really my expertise.
But if I had to say,
you need to develop techniques with greater destructive power.
Otherwise, you don't project any real menace.
Menace?
Your specialty is using tricks to hold your enemies back.
But on a battlefield where everyone has accepted death,
tricks won't stop anyone.
If they can feel, "He could kill me if he wanted to,"
then they'll truly hold back.
If there's a difference between tricks and true technique, that's it.
I get it.
If I can create truly deadly tools, simply carrying them concealed
will make my bluff believable.
Precisely so.
By the way, are you sure Lord Yasuie's plan will work?
If he has "Hojo" written across his forehead,
there's no way it'll work.
I'm sure it'll work.
Let's go meet up with him.
He told us to cover ourselves in dirt first.
Genba, the fox mask will draw attention.
Take on a different face.
If we're talking about menace,
my uncle has it as well.
It doesn't matter that his true feelings show on his face.
He simply forces his way through with sheer menace.
HOJO PITIFUL
Have mercy!
If we can't make it to Kyo by tomorrow, we'll drop dead out here!
I've been promised work as a servant under Lord Kinmune Saionji!
These poor children lost their mother.
At last, I'll be able to give them a decent life!
This is the first decent job
a shabby country samurai like me has ever been offered!
I even borrowed money to buy this horse and these gifts!
I beg you! Please! Please!
Enough already.
-Get through! -That hurts!
You're so pitiful you're making me feel miserable.
Just don't drop dead around here. It'd be a nuisance.
Yes, sir! Thank you so very much!
WE DID IT
Well, that's about the gist of it.
I skipped meals for half a day, rolled around in the mountains,
and played the perfect pitiful samurai.
I GOT THIS…
Hiding your true identity behind a little temporary misery is nothing,
Lord Tokiyuki.
Because we are the mighty Hojo.
HOJO
It is said that Yasuie Hojo, the younger brother of the ruler,
infiltrated Kyo by posing as a country samurai
visiting the capital for the first time.
HUH?
He survived the bitter power struggles within the shogunate,
quietly slipped away when it fell,
DOESN'T HURT ONE BIT
…incited rebellions wherever he went…
LET'S DO THIS
…and even infiltrated Kyo to carry out an unprecedented plan.
-Let's do this. -He was one of the greatest schemers
of his age.
Perhaps Tokiyuki inherited his vitality
not from his frail, spiritless father, Takatoki,
but from this uncle instead.
The brat and the boss get more interesting
when they're in danger.
Menace, hey?
Maybe I'll invent something truly impressive myself.
Just so I can see the look on that Tengu fool's face.
Come, Lord Tokiyuki. Kyo is just ahead.
Whenever you need someone's pity, leave it to me!
EPISODE 20 (YEAR 1335): IRREPLACEABLE
Let's go!