Ieyasu nodded and signaled for one of his guards to step forward and take the gun out of Niiya’s hands.
Honda said, “I don’t understand this. What is going on? What was that demonstration supposed to prove?”
“It proves, Honda-san,” Ieyasu said quietly, “that I was not the target for the first assassination attempt. It was not the case of the assassin missing me and hitting Nakamura-san by mistake. This man hit exactly whom he intended to hit, just as he would have killed you, if the ronin had not interfered.”
“Why would Yoshida-san want to kill Nakamura-san and me?” Honda said. “I don’t understand it.”
“Because Yoshida-san understood he could not become Shogun, at least right now, even if I died. With you gone and Nakamura-san gone, there would be no other rivals for the top spot in my government. Yoshida-san would be in a position of trust, a position that would allow him to gather power over the years. When it was my time to pass into another existence, he might be strong enough to depose my son Hidetada and become the next Shogun. Even if he couldn’t do that, he would have a secure and respected position in the government and would surely prosper from it in the years to come. It’s a time-honored tactic for the number-two man to try and become number one when the opportunity presents itself.”
Kaze looked at Ieyasu and thought, That’s exactly what Ieyasu did when Hideyoshi died.
Ieyasu turned to Kaze. “What is it you call yourself now?” he asked.
“Matsuyama Kaze.”
“Well, Matsuyama-san, I owe you a debt. I can only imagine what you must have suffered. But I will restore your name and family, and also restore to you the fief that once was your Lord’s. Okubo-san is administering it now, but that’s only because he was able to conquer it, not because it was awarded to him. I need men like you to help create a new Japan. Perhaps there will also be a place for you in my new government.”
Kaze bowed to show that he was grateful for Ieyasu’s offer. “I’m sorry, Ieyasu-sama,” Kaze said. “That’s not the reward I want.”
Okubo arrived with a small escort, galloping across the field to the edge of the woods where Ieyasu and his party were waiting. The sudden summons to meet with Ieyasu had come as a surprise to Okubo, and he had no idea why the new Shogun wanted to see him.
Despite his injured leg, Okubo was able to jump out of his saddle in smart fashion, limping forward to the Shogun and dropping to one knee. “You asked for me, Ieyasu-sama?” he asked.
“Good. Did you bring your weapon?” Ieyasu asked.
“Yes, Ieyasu-sama. My daito is strapped to my horse.”
“But no armor?”
Okubo struck his chest, to show he had no chain mail under his kimono. “None, Ieyasu-sama.”
“I know this was an unusual request,” Ieyasu said.
“I live to obey,” Okubo responded.
Ieyasu looked at the daimyo impassively, then said, “Take your weapon and go into those woods. In a short distance, you will find a meadow. In the meadow is an old acquaintance.”
Okubo looked up in surprise. “Could you tell me what this is about, Ieyasu-sama? Who is this acquaintance you mentioned?”
“All will be explained when you get to the meadow.”
Puzzled, Okubo got up and walked to his horse. He drew the long sword, the daito, from its scabbard. Holding the weapon at the ready, he started walking toward the woods, with his escort following.
“Have your samurai wait here,” Ieyasu ordered.
Okubo licked his lips, disquieted by the Shogun’s strange orders, but he motioned with his hand for his escort to wait. Okubo’s samurai looked at each other, perhaps thinking they should disobey the order and not allow their Lord to go unescorted into the woods. They had seen many examples of Okubo’s wrath at not being obeyed, however, and so the samurai stood around, looking alternately at the impassive Shogun and the back of their Lord, retreating into the woods.
Okubo made his way between the trees gingerly. His damaged leg was a hindrance, but he had worked hard at compensating for it through the use of the especially long daito, so he was confident that he was able to handle anyone, or anything, that was waiting for him.
In a few minutes, he found the meadow Ieyasu had mentioned, but found it empty. The sun was high in the sky, and it turned the grass of the meadow a soft golden-green. Okubo walked into the meadow a few feet, then stopped to look around.
“I’m here,” a voice said softly from behind him.
Okubo spun around and looked up. He saw a man sitting on a tree limb above his head. He was sitting in the lotus position, an unsheathed sword lying across his knees.
“You!” Okubo’s face changed from surprise to hate with the quickness of a summer storm. “I’ve waited a long time for this!”
“As have I,” Kaze said. “And this time your chamberlain isn’t here to try to bribe me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know?”
Okubo smiled. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“The night before the final match of Hideyoshi-sama’s sword tournament, the chamberlain of your clan visited me. He promised me that the valley between our two clans, the one your father was always fighting over, would be ceded to our clan if I let you win. It was a devil of an offer, because your chamberlain knew that an offer to enrich me would have no meaning, but an offer to help my clan would tear at my loyalties. Later my Lord came to wish me luck, and he saw I was troubled. When he heard your clan’s chamberlain visited me, he didn’t ask me the details, he just said to follow the path of honor.”
“Honor! You should have taken the offer. It’s the way of the world to take the path of advantage. You’re a bigger fool than I thought. No matter. I’ve been training for this moment for years. I expected to meet you under different circumstances, but I will defeat you this time. I’m astounded that Ieyasu-sama arranged this.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Ieyasu-sama has a little incentive for you if you’re the one who walks out of these woods alive.”
At Okubo’s puzzled face, Kaze continued. “Ieyasu-sama will give you my old Lord’s domains permanently if you are victorious. Currently you only manage them, until Ieyasu-sama decides what to do with them. If you live, he will make them part of your hereditary possessions. I heard him tell Honda-san that to placate him, when Honda-san raised a fuss about letting me have this confrontation with you as a reward.”
“Then I’ll have a double pleasure at killing you,” Okubo said. “My leg is a constant reminder of my hatred of you, and being able to permanently treat your clan the way I want will make things all the sweeter.”
Suddenly, Okubo stepped forward and took a vicious overhead cut at Kaze, sitting on the branch. Kaze rolled backward on the limb, grabbing his sword and flipping over in the air, landing on his feet with his sword at the ready as Okubo’s daito sliced completely through the limb he was sitting on.
Kaze moved forward to the attack, but Okubo’s daito was already in the aimed-at-the-eye position, the extreme length of the blade keeping Kaze at bay. Okubo retreated into the meadow, where he would have free room to maneuver his long sword. As he moved, Okubo talked.
“Have you visited your old home lately?” he asked. “As you know, I am renowned for my strictness as a leader. Your previous lord was such a weakling, he didn’t even have pots for boiling criminals in his domain. I’ve certainly fixed that, and in the few years I’ve been controlling your old home, I have used them frequently. In fact, your old clansmen have a new saying. They say the fires of their miserable life are hotter than the fires of hell. I hear they call me Oni Okubo, the Devil Okubo. That’s quite a compliment, don’t you think?”