Lords of Azuchi

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Lords of Azuchi was a virtual representation of one of Yasuke's genetic memories, relived through the Animus EGO.

Description

Yasuke visited the keep of Azuchi Castle after some time away.

Dialogue

In the Azuchi Castle, Yasuke visited the Training Grounds, where he overheard a pair of samurai talking about him.

• Samurai Spearman 1: That is Lord Nobunaga's samurai! Has he returned to reclaim Azuchi for the Oda clan?
• Samurai Spearman 2: Shh. Don't let any Akechi bastard hear you.

He went up the stairs, reaching the entrance to the main keep.

• Azuchi Gate Guard: Greetings, sir. Pass right through.

Yasuke entered the gate and went up the stairs.

• Yasuke: Something feels wrong. Did the glory of Azuchi die with Lord Nobunaga?

He overheard a samurai duelist scolding the ashigaru guards.

• Samurai Duelist: Lord Nagahide may be a patient man, but it does not mean you can test his limits!

He went past the residence and overheard more gossips from an archer and a shooter.

• Ashigaru Archer: The Demon of Owari is dead. Now this crest is not a blessing, but a curse.
• Ashigaru Shooter: What do you want to do, join the Akechi? That traitor Mitsuhide is doomed.
• Ashigaru Archer: Maybe I'll follow Lord Hideyoshi. They say he was once an ashigarum like us.

Reaching another gate, Yasuke heard more gossips from two guards.

• Ashigaru Spearman 1: This bathtub. It's so heavy.
• Ashigaru Spearman 2: Careful! Lord Nobunaga has had that one for a long time. It has seen many moons.

Yasuke went up the steps.

• Yasuke: Azuchi is not the same with Lord Nobunaga gone. But the Oda clan name still holds power.

He arrived at the gate to the tenshu, where he greeted Nagahide.

• Nagahide: Yasuke! It is an honor to have you back at Azuchi.
• Yasuke: Lord Nagahide. It has been too long.
• Nagahide: The children here will be beside themselves. They still play "Yasuke and the samurai." It is their favorite game.
• Yasuke: I hope I still win.
• Nagahide: You overcome hundreds daily, I assure you. But... you have no come this far to talk about children.
• Yasuke: I must find what is left of Lord Nobunaga's trusted allies. Like Lord Ieyasu. Or I thought perhaps Mori Ranmaru had come back to Azuchi after... after Honnoji.
• Nagahide: Yes, he is here. I will take you to him.

Nagahide led Yasuke into the tenshu. As he prepared to follow, Yasuke looked up at the damaged Oda clan banner, causing him to reminisce about his past again. In Autumn of 1581, Yasuke was brought to meet Nobunaga's closest retainer, Mori Ranmaru.

• Castle Guard: I present the samurai, Yasuke.

Ranmaru allowed the guard to leave and then signaled for Yasuke to follow him.

• Ranmaru: Of course. Yasuke. It is my honor to escort you to Lord Nobunaga.
• Yasuke: The honor is mine, Mori Ranmaru.
• Ranmaru: We will need to go up.

Yasuke followed Ranmaru up the stairs, where he saw a group of playing children.

• Akira: Take that!
• Child 1: Ugh, you got me!
• Akira: Aah!
• Child 2: Argh! Blast Nobutsuna and his teachings!
• Child 1: Ugh, I'm... dead.
• Akira: I am Yasuke!

Yasuke and Mori entered the tenshu, passing by a pair of servants.

• Servant 1: Get that heat going, but not too mucch. You know how Lord Nobunaga likes his bath water.
• Servant 2: A bathtub in the tenshu, of all places? Why not his own private residence?
• Servant 1: Whatever others do, our lord does otherwise. And whatever our lord orders, we obey.
• Ranmaru: Up here.

Yasuke and Ranmaru climbed up the stairs, passing by a pair of samurai on the second level.

• Samurai Duelist 1: What a day! My muscles can't wait for a nice, long rest.
• Samurai Duelist 2: And sake, don't forget about the sake.
• Samurai Duelist 1: Sake! Brewed from the invigorating waters of Lake Biwa.

Yasuke and Ramnaru reached a room with a large ink wash painting.

• Ranmaru: Note the elegant perfection.
• Yasuke: Hm.

They entered a room fill with more paintings and artifacts.

• Ranmaru: Lord Nobunaga spends time contemplating these paintings when he needs inspiration.
• Nagahide: Oh... These artifacts... This collection is so vast. So many treasures.

Yasuke followed Ranmaru to look at a teppo on display.

• Ranmaru: This teppo (firearm) almost took Lord Nobunaga's life. He decorated it to remind himself of the fleeting nature of existence.

They then went to look at a displayed set of armor and a wakizashi.

• Ranmaru: The mighty Oda clan wakizashi. Used to take many heads.
• Yasuke: Hmm.

After seeing enough of the paintings and artifacts, Ranmaru led him to the nearby door.

• Ranmaru: Enter the room when you are ready, Yasuke. Lord Nobunaga awaits.

Yasuke opened the door and entered, finding Nobunaga in the bath tub.

• Nobunaga: Ah, my newest samurai. Welcome to Azuchi, Yasuke.

Yasuke bowed as a greeting.

• Nobunaga: Rise, Yasuke. Tell me, why choose that name?

He stood up and answered.

• Yasuke: A child told me of a Yasuke remembered for his curage and integrity. The name is a reminder that I must live a life worthy of such rememberance.
• Nobunaga: A name that embodies your commitment to your life in this land. I like it. They say, Yasuke, that I am a generous man. I am not.

Nobunaga got out of the bath tub.

• Nobunaga: They say it because I reward valor and loyalty over birthright and clan ties.

The servants helped the lord get dressed in a robe.

• Nobunaga: That is why you are here.
• Yasuke: Thank you, my lord.
• Nobunaga: You also have something else my vassal and allies lack. Although you are not one of them, you know the ways of these Jesuits intimately.
• Yasuke: True, I have spent more time among them than I would have chosen.

Yasuke followed Nobunaga after he put on his outer kosode.

• Nobunaga: You implied your former master, Valignano, is cruel. But beyond that cruelty there is strength enough to command the loyalty of his people.

They arrived at the upper level of the tenshu, going out to the balcony to take an overlook of the castle and town.

• Yasuke: My belief is that he has succeeded where his predecessor failed. He did manage to get an audience with you, my lord.
• Nobunaga: Still, you hated Valignano, that much I could see. But why? Who are these people, really? Speak openly. Do they serve themselves or their god?
• Yasuke: Many are honest believers. Some are good men. But the cross pries open the door so that the sword may follow.
• Nobunaga: Interesting. And why worship a defeated man as a god? Tell me, what do you know about these priests they send?
• Yasuke: They ask us to kneel before their god. Yet, in truth, we kneel before them. That is no accident.
• Oda Nobunaga: You are right, Yasuke. I see it in them. We all want to expand. We all want control. But my purpose is not plunder. my armies bring war, yes. But it is so that peace may follow. There is much we will learn from each other, Yasuke. This is just the beginning.

After a day or so, Yasuke and Nobunaga joined Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu at the shooting range.

• Nobunaga: Ieyasu, let us see how my newest samurai handles a teppo.
• Yasuke: The Portuguese call it an arquebus.
• Ieyasu: Yes, and we learned from them. See the smooth barrel and hand crafted trigger? Made by craftsmen in Nagahama.
• Yasuke: An impressive copy.
• Nobunaga: More than a copy. We have improved it.

Nobunaga picked up a teppo, taking aim and then firing the weapon.

• Nobunaga: With a thousand such weapons at Nagashino, my ashigaru broke the Takeda cavalry charge. A great victory that also left me empty.

Nobunaga cleaned the barrel to prepare another shot.

• Nobunaga: Enemies or not, those noble warriors were cut down like harvest wheat.

He took aim and fired the gun again.

• Nobunaga: Volley after volley as the men and horses screamed in the rain.
• Yasuke: We must take every advantage to achieve your vision for this land.
• Nobunaga: Wise words. The future is certain. My victory will be wrought with black powder and gun smoke.
• Ieyasu: Take a shot, Yasuke. Show us what kind of marksman you are.

Yasuke accepted. He picked up a teppo and prepared to aim.

• Nobunaga: It kicks like a warhorse. Steady yourself, Yasuke.

He fired the shot and took down the first target.

• Nobunaga: Well done, samurai.

After reloading, Yasuke fired more shots to two more targets. Just then, they observed the nearby guard being taken down.

• Yasuke: What is wrong with him?
• Ieyasu: It's an ambush! Protect Lord Nobunaga!

A smoke bomb was thrown, and from it emerged a group of shinobi who attacked, while Nobunaga's ashigaru rushed forward to defend against the attackers. Yasuke and Nobunaga himself participated to defeat the ambushers. After a while, the shinobi were defeated and killed.

• Yasuke: Who were those shinobi?
• Ieyasu: No trace of which clan these may have come from, my lord. How can this happen in the very heart of Azuchi?
• Nobunaga: Ieyasu, summon my generals.
• Ieyasu: Yes, my lord.

Later that day, Nobunaga's generals gathered in the war room, awaiting their lord's arrival.

• Akechi Mitsuhide: Shinobi within our walls and still no sign of Hideyoshi.
• Ieyasu: While we drink and debate, he is securing our lord's victory, Mitsuhide.
• Mitsuhide: How dare you...

Just then, Nobunaga arrived with Yasuke into the room. The sitting generals bowed to Nobunaga as he got to his seat in the front. Meanwhile, Yasuke sat at Nobunaga's right side in between him and the generals.

• Mitsuhide: My Lord, we have serious affairs to address.
• Nobunaga: We do.
• Mitsuhide: But can we talk matters of strategy and war before this foreigner?
• Nobunaga: Yasuke is a loyal samurai of the Oda clan and an invaluable advisor.
• Mitsuhide: Advisor?
• Nobunaga: He has an outsider's perspective. We may benefit from his insights. I will hear no more about it.

Just then, Hashiba Hideyoshi arrived with a crate holding a head covered with cloth and presented it to Nobunaga.

• Oda Nobukatsu: (gasps)
• Ieyasu: Is that Bessho Nagaharu?
• Nobunaga: A traitor who has been a thorn in my side for years.
• Hideyoshi: We starved them out. In exchange for his followers' lives, he gave up his own. Harima is yours, Lord Nobunaga.

Nobunaga clapped for Hideyoshi's achievement.

• Nobunaga: Well done, Hideyoshi. Well done. That is strategy, Mitsuhide. You should be more strategic, like Hideyoshi. And humble, too, like Yasuke.

Nobunaga stood up to address his generals.

• Nobunaga: The Ikko ikki monks at Honganji lie defeated, and now Nagaharu's head is mine. This land will soon be unfified by my vision. What clans remain cannot stand against us. They will join us... or die.
• Ieyasu: There is still the Iga problem.
• Nobukatsu: No. They suffered heavy losses against my army. We showed them the power of the Oda clan.
• Ieyasu: They pushed us back and defeated your army. They use their victory over the Oda clan to rally support.
• Nobunaga: I would have let those hill peasants alone if my idiot son had not felt the need to prove himself! Now the task is half done, and the problem is worse than if you had done nothing at all!
• Ieyasu: Our spies say the assassins who attacked us may have been Igan.
• Nobunaga: I fear no assassins.
• Ieyasu: Our spies also say they rally behind a leader with a mysterious blade on his wrist.
• Hideyoshi: We should attack now before they can prepare. Full frontal assault.
• Mitsuhide: Attack now, yes. But maneuver cleverly so we approach where they do not expect.
• Ieyasu: No, we should show patience, to better understand our enemy's movements.
• Nobukatsu: Even now, the Igans will remain weakened. I think—
• Nobunaga: You have thought enough.

Nobunaga then turned to Yasuke.

• Nobunaga: Yasuke, what is your counsel on this Iga problem?
• Yasuke: Lord Mitsuhide is right. We should try to outflank our enemy and catch them by surprise.
• Mitsuhide: It is the best move.
• Nobunaga: While I consider our options, we drink. To Hideyoshi and his victory.

Later that evening, Yasuke join his lord at the tenshu balcony again.

• Nobunaga: I have made my choice. We ride for Iga tomorrow at dawn.
• Yasuke: It is war, then?
• Nobunaga: We will go the long way around and attack them where they won't expect us, as you advised.
• Yasuke: I did not expect you to heed my words.
• Nobunaga: Your words have the power to move armies, Yasuke. (laughs)
• Yasuke: I see.
• Nobunaga: Pack your things and get some rest. Tomorrow, we go to war.

As Nobunaga took his leave, Yasuke bid him farewell and took a final look at the castle surroundings before leaving himself. The next day, Yasuke was dressed in his samurai armor for the first time, with Nobutsuna watching by his side. Just then, Yasuke saw Lady Nene's arrival and went to meet her, greeting with a bow.

• Lady Nene: Farewell, Yasuke. Here.

Nene's servant presented a note with the word courage inscribed on it.

• Lady Nene: Courage, for the battles to come.
• Yasuke: I will keep this close. My thanks, Lady Nene.

Lady Nene bid him farewell and then left. As a servant presented Yasuke with his helmet, Lady Oichi arrived. Yasuke went to greet her with a bow as well.

• Lady Oichi: Keep yourself safe.
• Yasuke: You do the same.
• Lady Oichi: My brother wanted you to have something.

Oichi presented a horse clad in armor.

• Yasuke: I can't—

Before he could properly respond, Oichi took her leave.

• Yasuke: Many thanks, Lady Oichi.

Yasuke took in a moment before putting on the helmet and got onto his new horse. As Nobutsuna looked on, Yasuke rode out to the gates, where he exchanged glazes with his former master Valignano and Luís Fróis.

• Luís Fróis: Samurai...

Yasuke then rode out and joined Nobunaga and his generals Ieyasu, Mitsuhide, and Hideyoshi at the edge of the wall.

• Nobunaga: Yasuke. We must punish the peasants of Iga and remind them of their place in these lands.
• Yasuke: I am ready, my lord.
• Nobunaga: Good. Show me that same fire as you ride the enemy down.

Back in the present, Yasuke joined Nagahide inside the tenshu, where he looked at an urn holding Ranmaru's remains.

• Yasuke: (sighs) I thought he had made it out of Honnoji.
• Nagahide: He did. Once he had seen the others to safety, he returned. But the temple was already gone. He sat down on the steps and performed seppuku.
• Yasuke: Faithful Ranmaru. It tore him in half to leave. He would not have if Lord Nobunaga had not commanded him.
• Nagahide: Akechi Mitsuhide has much to answer for.
• Yasuke: He will be made to answer.
• Nagahide: What will you do now?
• Yasuke: Lord Ieyasu remains loyal.
• Nagahide: Last I heard, he had gone to Yamashiro.
• Yasuke: Then I will go to Yamashiro and convince him to join me. And you?
• Nagahide: There has been some trouble recently at my home in Wakasa. I will go and see what can be done.
• Yasuke: Some troubles are worse than others. Be careful, my friend.

Yasuke bid Nagahide farewell.

Outcome

Yasuke met with Nagahide at the Azuchi Castle keep, where he reminisced about talks with Nobunaga. He was given his own set of armor, a blessing amulet by Lady Nene, and a horse by Lady Oichi before joining Nobunaga for his upcoming war against Iga. In the present, he discovered Mori Ranmaru's fate and set out to meet with Ieyasu while Nagahide returned to Wakasa to deal with problems.