The Almighty (Open)

[Sanada Yukimura]

Theme Song: The Almighty

Above the deserted but drenched streets of a small village in Japan, early in the morning, perched on the roof of a relatively in well shape temple, several shiisa statues still stood, dotting the temple like sentries... and one that was not a statue at all. Seated high above the street in the pouring rain, the intense flames surrounding Yukimura's entire body evaporating the rain and keeping him dry, he was doing important Takeda General stuff, because that's what Generals do.

Okay not really, he was spending some time by himself, as he sometimes did when he had some time off. He certainly wasn't up here to take in the amazing view of the small village and crop fields, as the heavy rain made it hard to make out anything at all, and the most he could see was the outlines of the occasional villager running for shelter in their hut from the rain.

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

Not far from Yukimura, a man of short stature was looking at the shiisa statues. But it does not seem like he was looking, for his eyes were covered by a black cloth. The man himself was clad with a black cloak and a straw hat was set on his head. The man's hair was brown, and the way he tied his hair was shabby. He seemed to be spaced out on something, but not long after, he noticed the glow emanating from Yukimura's body. He just smiled confidently, and moved away until he was out of reach.

Not long after, the cloaked man appeared behind Yukimura, still keeping his grin. Not long after, a voice emanated from the figure, saying, "General Sanada Yukimura, am I right? Are you here to take a criminal in?"

[Sanada Yukimura]

From beneath the hood of his black cloak, Yukimura's eyes would snap open, though he would make no sudden movements. Instead, he would slowly turn his head to look slightly behind him, the upper half of his face hidden in shadows, leaving just his lower face visible, as he would watch the cloaked figure standing behind him.

"... Not today. Today has been a simple day of spending some time for myself. And if I am? Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

It was a legitimate question, as Yukimura's six coin necklace was not visible beneath his cloak, and the only indication he was of the Takeda faction was the Mon of the Takeda he bore on the back of his cloak. With his dual jumonji-yari resting on his back, his hands hovered nearby them, ready to pull them free from his back and defend himself if necessary.

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

The cloaked figure just stood on the ground, not making any movement. A voice again emanated from the figure, "I have known you for some time I have served the Takeda, a man whose sense of justice was unsurpassed by any other general in the land, though you might have not known me, though we had brushed shoulders with each other for three, no, four years."

The cloaked figure then sat down, and his shortness was apparent that his sitting height was of little different with his standing height. "You might have known about the news, about a blacksmith who wanted to leave the service of the Takeda two years ago killed five soldiers who tried to stop him by force."

[Sanada Yukimura]

"... Yes, I heard of such an incident. After some investigation, it turned out those five Takeda soldiers were actually ex-Takeda soldiers, and had defected to the Miki faction for quite some time. That had just been an act to smear the Takeda name and prove to the Miki faction of their loyalty. Oyakata-sama would never try to stop anyone from leaving his faction, but would try to help as much as he could, and if that is what they truly wanted, he would let them leave."

A voice would speak up from above the cloaked figure, if he looked up, he would see The Young Tiger of Kai crouched on a beam ledge above him, a ways below the one Yukimura had been perched on previously. After lunging off the beam ledge he had been up on prior, he had free-fallen through the air towards his target, the beam ledge below, and as soon as his target was in sight, both his hands shot out and grabbed hold of the ledge, using the momentum to swing himself up and over the ledge, landing on top of it in a crouching position.

"... Did you come here seeking revenge on the Takeda, and plan to do so by attacking me, blacksmith?"

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

In spite of the show of force that Yukimura had shown, the cloaked figure still sat on his position, and from his back could be seen a bladed iron bow and a quiver of arrows slung behind him. But he drew neither of them as he continued speaking.

"Although I appreciate that that might be a ruse to smear your lord's reputation, but still you might have not known of the true cause why a then 16-year-old blacksmith like me decided to leave your service."

He then stood up, although still not drawing his bow.

"I am not here to fight against you, in fact, I have been searching for you to clear my name. If the act of the five soldiers were done by an enemy of your lord, indeed the problem about hidden enemies within your lord's bureaucracy does not stop there."

[Sanada Yukimura]

"You are right, I don't, and I won't claim to know, because that would be an insult to you. I won't ask, nor will I force you to tell me. If you wish to tell me, that is your decision and choice. And turncoats and spies have been prevalent in Oyakata-sama's faction for quite some time now. We have weeded out most, but there will always be those that slip under our watch. Sasuke can't be everywhere to tell me of every potential spy within our ranks, and neither can I. But if you have been searching for me to clear your name, why wait all this time? Surely there was an earlier time that you could've seek me out."

Slipping off from the beam ledge, Yukimura would land on the ground below with a resounding boom, a large, deep impact crater formed beneath his feet. Brushing off the dust from the crater, he would look down at the cloaked figure in front of him from beneath his own hooded cloak, a look of mild interest that was not visible on his face.

"And why specifically me? Surely you know I am the youngest General in Oyakata-sama's faction, and I do not hold as much pull as many of the other Generals. Even my own father would be a better choice to seek out to clear your name, blacksmith."

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

A quick reply was issued by the cloaked man. "Because you're the only person that I can approach. All of the others higher than you in status cannot be approached by everyone, not less than a person who was treated as a criminal like me. I am sought to be killed by a person that I thought having that bearing, because of the evil things that he had done in the name of the Takeda, that directly brought the name of the Takeda into criticism in Shinano. Although you might have proven that the five soldiers were actually spies, the warrant against me, Murai Ryunosuke, to arrest me dead or alive, was still in force, and was marked with the mon of the Takeda. And that warrant was made, as far as I can think, by the same man who ordered the five spies to apprehend me. As long as that man holds an important role in the Takeda, to issue edicts in the name of the Takeda in Shinano, would mean that your problem with the spies of the Miki faction would never end. I have spent these two years to gain enough strength to withstand any foe, and now I am here to have your aid to reclaim the honor of the blacksmith family of Murai and, as you have said it, to purge all Miki spies in Shinano."

[Sanada Yukimura]

"... This goes far deeper than I thought, to find out such a man whom is high-ranked is with them..."

Though it had been established Yukimura knew about the incident, he did not know about the higher-up that had instated the warrant against Ryunosuke, wanting the blacksmith dead or alive. It was to be expected though, he was made a General when he was 17, about 4 years ago, and many of the events within the Takeda faction, were on a need to know basis for him. He only needed to know when it was necessary.

"Again, I must ask, why me? I do not mean to come off as rude, but why should I aid you reclaim your family honor? To eliminate all the Miki spies within the Takeda faction is what I wish to accomplish, but aside from that, what would I possibly gain from aiding you with your mission?"

[Takeda Nobutoyo]

☼The rain didn't want to cease, didn't want to bestow a reprieve for Takeda Nobutoyo as he made his way through the village. He'd been away from Kofu for a couple of weeks sorting out some personal matters and now he was finally on his way home. He'd been traveling throughout the sordid night and had hoped to get some food & perhaps a drink in this quaint village before hitting the road once more, at least that was the current plan he'd had in mind. It resided in place until a deafening boom was heard and this piqued his interest for some unknown reason and he felt more away than he had in the past couple of days. ☼

☼  He broke into a light jog and headed towards where the sound had come from and when he reached it, he was surprised by what he saw. Sanada Yukimura, a famed Takeda general, and some other guy whom he did not know, were exchanging words that didn't really strike him as being friendly. He estimated the distance between them to be roughly 50 yards and proceeded to call out, to Yukimura. ☼

"Sanada Yukimura, what's going on here?"

☼ Though their ages were similar, Nobutoyo's tone was reminiscent of how an adult would talk to a child or something who was in the midst of doing something asinine. Nobutoyo couldn't tell if the two of them were friends, enemies, or acquaintances. ☼

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

The man issued a reply, "Remember that I came from a family of blacksmiths, General. When the prestige of the Murai family is restored, I would hand you a full set of battle armor that could withstand and effectively transmit what you have received from the gods themselves." He then paused and said, "Pardon me for being direct, but the person who was responsible for my arrest was one of the Danjochu of the Takeda and the person who ruled Takato Castle in Shinano where the Murai family worked: Hoshina Masatoshi. If you were shocked at this revelation, I understand. If you think he couldn't do such a thing, you could treat me as a criminal when we meet again, for I came here at your presence either to clear my name, or confirm that I am the enemy of the Takeda for what I have caused." After he said those words, he saw another man coming towards them. As the man came within 50 paces from him, the cloak shuddered, and then an explosion was generated at the location of the cloaked man, the dust on the ground generating sufficient smoke that the man could not be seen within it. When the dust dispelled, the leaves of the trees within the site rustled, and no man was found on the ground on where the man formerly stood, leaving a scroll on the blasted ground. The scroll, when unrolled, reveals the map that led to the former smithy of the Murai family in Shinano that was destroyed by the explosion.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"... It would be an honor to receive and wear armor crafted by a member of the Murai family. On my honor as a General of Oyakata-sama's army, I will lend you my aid to restore the name and prestige of the Murai family, which has been taken from you."

At Ryunosuke's revealing of whom it was that had indited the warrant of arrest on him, beneath his hood, Yukimura's eyes had flashed in shock. Though it was not visible, he was disturbed by the revelation, and though it was hard to believe, Yukimura did not think of Ryunosuke as a criminal. If anything, it made him more determined to help him and clear his name completely. Before he could speak however, he heard his full name called out, his mood quickly turning from disturbed to annoyed as he recognized the voice.

Though Nobutoyo was the nephew of Oyakata-sama, it annoyed Yukimura how condescending the man acted towards him, and he only tolerated it because of Lord Takeda. As Nobutoyo approached them, from the corner of his eye, Yukimura saw the cloak of Ryunosuke's shudder, followed by an explosion, as Yukimura raised both his arms in an X-shape in front of him to protect him from the blast, coughing as a cloud of smoke was generated. By the time the smoke had completely cleared, Yukimura saw Ryunosuke was gone, a scroll left in his place, the trees surrounding the area rustling gently. Picking the scroll up, he would quickly tuck it into the inner folds of his cloak before turning to Nobutoyo, his face still hidden from view.

"Just a conversation between a blacksmith that knew me from a few years ago. The better question though, is why are you so far from Kofu, Nobutoyo-san? This isn't exactly idle weather for you to travel in. You should find shelter as soon as possible."

As for Yukimura, unless he was stopped, he would turn and begin to make his way to a local village much further down the road, a rather large distance away than the village located nearby, but given his options, he'd rather spend as little time near Nobutoyo as he possible could.