Oda shrugged at the insults to his honour. "There are winners and losers, the living and the dead. You can make all the excuses you want about underhanded play, but the result will still remain the same. You knew I was an ambitious man, Miura-dono, but you were not aware just how ambitious. Why would I settle for one measly province when I can take it all? Your army will be mine, and your life will be mine."
"I had thought you to be an intelligent man," Gengyo said softly. "After seeing my battle with s.h.i.+ngen, you still dare to believe that you can fell me? You might have the numbers, but you lack the strength."
"Perhaps," n.o.bunaga agreed, though that terribly sure smile did not fade from his lips. "But it is not me who will be fighting you." He nodded to one of the men by his side. That man stepped forward with the presence of a ghost. His face was deathly pale, and when he peeled off his helmet, he revealed the eyes of a killer.
A sword left his scabbard, but it was not the katana that they were so used to seeing. It was smaller than that, and where the katana was curved, this weapon was straight. A ninjato… which meant that man in front of them was no samurai. "A ninja, is it?" Gengyo announced. The man did not respond, but Oda"s smile only widened.
"Ah, I"m so pleased you are who you are, Miura-dono. If it was a lesser man, I would not be able to explain all the trouble I"ve gone through. This man is no ordinary ninja. He is the deadliest a.s.sa.s.sin in all of his clan. He is not the type of man you can buy with coin. Land is what they deal in."
"And you invited such a man to duel him? An a.s.sa.s.sin skulks in the shadows. He has no place in front of a warrior with the eyes of a monk," Jikouji growled on behalf of his master.
Oda turned his head and shot the old man a look filled with murderous contempt, as though he could not believe that such a man had spoken up in his presence. He then continued, completely ignoring Jikouji��s comment. "Perhaps if there wasn"t an army backing me, you might have been able to best him in a duel, but that matters not. He will slow you down enough for my men to impale you. This is where you die, Miura Tadakata."
"There"s an irony in all this," Gengyo said with a smile, finally drawing his sword. "In another life, you too were betrayed, stabbed in the back by your own men, corned in a temple. It would seem that time retains some circular qualities, for this will be your grave once again."
"…What? You attempt to unsettle me with a mystic"s words?" Oda spat, his face falling into a disappointed frown.
"No, I need not unsettle you with words. I will separate you with steel," and then he lunged forward, his blade grasped with both hands, its sharp single edge flas.h.i.+ng toward Oda"s neck.
Oda reacted quick enough to flinch, but the blade was poised to slice him from shoulder to hip, and he had no way of defending against it. His sword caught against his scabbard as he drew it in a panic, and halfway out was when the strike landed.
Sparks flew as steel met steel and the edge of the blade chipped. Gengyo had not seen him move, but the ninja had stepped in front to catch the strike on his employer"s behalf. His eyes contained no emotion, and not a single shred of weakness could be sensed through his short blade.
Oda had the good sense to take a step back as a droplet of sweat drifted down his forehead, but not before he allowed himself a superior smile. He raised his arm high into the air then swung it forwards, and his men charged with it, storming up the steps.
Gengyo"s own men went forward to meet them as their Lord stood to face off against the ninja. There was an air about the man that made him difficult to read. The way he stood, there were no obvious weaknesses. With speed then, Gengyo decided, lunging forward as swiftly as he was able. A stabbing attack that aimed to run his sword through the ninja"s abdomen.
But that ninja stepped off to the side and brushed it away with contemptuous ease. He may not have said anything, but his eyes were entirely condescending. The ninja cast a side strike of his own. Gengyo caught it on his sword with a parry, but the weight of the blow made it difficult to cast off and counter. They locked weapons, both pus.h.i.+ng forth with all their strength, neither able to gain the upper hand, until the ninja twisted and caught him in the mouth with an elbow.
Blood welled up in Gengyo"s mouth. He could see his men looking to him, waiting for him to break through. They met the first wave of Oda soldiers, and cast them into the air, sending them back in b.l.o.o.d.y packages, but there were more to take their place.
"d.a.m.n it…" Gengyo cursed. For the first time since leaving Menryo-ji temple, he had met a wall. A ninja grandmaster, nonetheless. His weapon suddenly felt rather heavy in his hands. His movements felt clunky. This isn"t it. This can"t be all I have. In the midst of battle, he closed his eyes, and pictured himself in a forest of cherry blossom, with a quiet stream flowing nearby. He saw a balloon with the number 100 painted on it, rising up into the sky. With a loud pop, it burst apart, and a 99 balloon took its place. After the 99 there came the 98. With each balloon that popped, he felt more and more relaxed.
When he reopened his eyes, he was ready to truly battle.