The Sengoku Festival (An Oda Nobuna No Yabou fanfic)

Chapter 15

We did so and as she looked at us, she asked me, " How did this come to be?"

"We first met when we were coming back after a fight with bandits.." said Noble. "We came here and we then split paths."

"We then met back up with the Anno at Minakonai, when the Asato were marching here... we had been forced there due to their army and the Asato had ambushed the Bloody Handed here when he was doing a mission for their leader... we teamed up with General Takechi to take on the Asato and then we defeated them on their battle." said Joey.

"And then, after the battle, they both asked me to join me. I accepted and then we went and killed off the Asato before coming here... with Katsuie, however, being pretty beaten up..." I said.

She seemed to be thinking as her brows were furrowed and as she looked at me, she said, "Fifty points for it all.."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Joey.

"First off, 75 goes to defeating the Asato in the beginning, even if you had help. However, deduct 50 of that and add on 10 for inducting some rival mercenaries into your group... and then 15 for killing the Asato off and saving Katsuie..... you disappoint me, Bloody Handed..." said Nagahide as she looked at me.

I nodded as I closed my eyes as she then said, "Still... I am ever grateful that you have brought Riku back to us.."

I looked at her as she then said, "Well... I guess you cannot be completely at fault.. I cam imagine the losses from combat you took.."

"20 dead at the ambush... another 10 at the battle... I went from having 70 ashigaru with spears to 50... quite annoying..." I said before I shook my head. "But... that should all change soon enough, in theory..."

"What do you mean?" asked Nagahide.

"I'm going to ask your clan leader to accept me in as something... I think you said retainer once?"

She looked at me in surprise.

"Y-y-your wanting into our c-clan?" she asked.

"What's so wrong about that?" asked Noble as we all had a bad feeling in the pit of out stomach.

"N-nothing! I didn't actually think you would really dot hat, though, Bloody-handed One! You seemed so bent on being a lone Ronin for so long!" said Nagahide. She was fanning herself as she tried to not make direct eye-contact.

"But still," said Nagahide. "Getting into our clan won't be easy... and defeating a minor clan doesn't do much for us..."

"Then what do you need? We'll do it.." I said to her.

Nagahide put her fan down as she began to think before she said, "I don't know of anything the Oda need.. perhaps if we to go to our capital we might..."

"Okay, then let's go after Katsuie gets sufficiently healed up." I said.

"Rushing will only get you 40 points." said Nagahide.

I sighed as I leaned back and tried to think for a moment before Joey asked me, "Bloody-Handed, are we also going to get more men?"

I looked at them as then I remembered we only had 80 of us in total and as I thought about the dilemma, I then said, "Alright then, Noble and Joey, I got a mission for you."

"I need you, Joey, to take about 200 koku and got to Naramaki. Grab one of my sashimono's and you'll be pretty welcome there. Noble, grab another sashimono and 200 koku and then head out to Kurigawa, where I came from. Gather whatever volunteers you can from there and then head to Watamoto... we'll meet up there."

As both nodded and quickly left, I heard Nagahide give a small laugh as she said, "I dunno wether to deduct points or give you points for listening to your new commanders."

"Heh... I dunno either but it's good to have more heads in my group that can think... I'm not always the best on idea's so having a few more heads covers up for that..." I said before I got up.

"If you wish to talk more, find me in my camp... my tent will be easy to spot since it'll be the only one with guards around it." I said as I slowly began to walk away back to camp.

I watched as the last of the chestplates were painted back with the red hand symbol for the ashigaru and as I looked at the sashimonos I saw now freshly made, I began to wonder what to do next. Watamoto would be my next destination but I had to come up with a plan to go there besides collecting troops. It would have been nice to find a small job from Nagahide to do but I knew she had her limits as well and so as I looked down at the small map I had procured from the village, I began to look around the area I was in when I then heard footsteps and I looked up to see the Blue-Handed as he bowed and said, "I have a good report sir."

"We have just traded in many of the weapon's we've had for kabuto helmets and chestplate armor for the ashigaru and their training is coming along quite well. Also, I have a tip from a certain Oda General."

I looked at him as I asked him, "What is it?"

"She told us that perhaps we could find help in Watamoto."

I thought about this and wondered what she meant by this. What sort of help? Troops? Another member to join us?

I then rolled my head around my neck before I said, "Then once I think we are done here, I say we head for Watamoto to find this help and gather our men up."

The Blue-Handed nodded as then I said, "Tell me... any word how the General Katsuie is doing?"

He looked at me before he said, "She's slowly recovering... it may be sometime before we see her again, sir."

I nodded as I dismissed him then as I went to plan out our next march.

I planned for two days, gathering supplies and making sure Katsuie wouldn't die on us suddenly, before I gathered my men up and headed straight for Watamoto. The Oda general Nagahide had placed a small force here to help protect Katsuie while her remaining men went back to the Oda capital, likewise Takechi took his force and went back to the city of Minakonai. Accompanying me, 50 yari ashigaru, 20 yumi bow ashigaru, and then our 10 light cavalry, a force that was small but potent enough that bandits and smaller Ronin bands wouldn't mess with us if we even ran into them.

As we marched along, myself leading the group by foot with blades in their sheathes, bow on my back with my arrows, and a spear in my off hand, I then took something from my belt as I gave it another look over.

I had found the small, sheathed tanto knife blade in its black sheathe and at first, I had asked round to see if anyone had put it there but as I looked at it back then, I had assumed that perhaps Takechi had put it there. But as I looked over it now, I then noticed the yellow of the handle and then looked at the very faint flower that had been placed into the sheathed. I gave a small smile when I wondered if this meant that it would help me find the "Help" she suggested in Watamoto.

I then put it back in my armor as I kept up the march and as I looked back at my men, I watched as the Blue-Handed jog up to me as the Yellow-Handed soon rode alongside us.

"You think we can enter the Oda clan?" asked the Yellow-handed.

"I hope we can.. otherwise we may be picked off before even one of the major clans is defeated."