Secrets of the Blade

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Secrets of the Blade was a virtual representation of one of Fujibayashi Naoe's genetic memories, relived through the Animus EGO.

Description

Naoe investigates the kofun mentioned by Hattori Hanzō to seek answers about her mother.

Dialogue

Naoe traveled to Izumi Settsu and found a Kofun east of Sakai.

• Naoe: This place fits Hanzo's discription. Now to find the way inside.

She arrived at the entrance and found a opening, so small that only she would be able to enter.

• Naoe: This must be the way in.

Naoe entered through the opening.

• Naoe: Now to find what Hanzo spoke about. So cryptically.

She started to explore and found a chamber, filled with broken vases and leftover weapons.

• Naoe: What is this place?
  A battle. I wonder what happened.

She read a scroll left on the ground.

Old Kofun Scroll

Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.

• Naoe: This scroll is in bad shape. "Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent." The rest is too damaged to read.

Nearby, she found an opening that she needed to crawl to reach.

• Naoe: I wonder where this leads.

After crawling under to another room, Naoe continued down the stairs.

• Naoe: Who else knows about this place?

After a short while, she reached a chamber filled with water with a path opposite her. She made use of her grappling hook to get across.

• Naoe: Good thing I have my rope. Whoever was here didn't want to be found.

After passing through several rooms requiring her to swim and dive under water, and crawl through, she came a chamber absent of any weapons that she found earlier.

• Naoe: No signs of battle here. They must have missed this room.

Naoe continued onwards and reached another cavern of water.

• Naoe: There's something ahead.

Naoe used her grappling hook to get across and found a chest. She looted the chest and recovered a trinket. Afterwards, she continued and climbed up using the platforms and reached a room with explosive jars. She found a small opening and noticed a skeleton inside.

• Naoe: Could one of the bodies be... Let's not go there, Naoe.

Regardless, Naoe entered the opening and examine the skeleton.

• Naoe: (gasps) He wears a blade just like mine.

She found more skeletons as she continued.

• • Naoe: More bodies. Dead for years.
    A battle between ronin and shinobi. What were they fighting for?

She soon reached a door with an insignia similar to what she had gone through at the Mihata Kofun. Using her Hidden Blade, she opened the door and reached a chamber with pedestals and banners inside.

• Naoe: No one has been here for years.

She first examine the pedestals.

• Naoe: Three altars. Could this be where the boxes were kept?

She investigated the banners bearing the Chinese characters, virtues she learned before.

• Naoe: Valor. Wisdom. Benevolence. The same virtues Father used in lessons when I was young.

Naoe then looked to the small library to her left and found a book on the ground. She picked it up and found it was written in a foreign language.

• Naoe: Only wrote on a few pages... in an odd language. Hmm. Yasuke can try.

She left the library.

• Naoe: I need Yasuke to look at this book.

Naoe then looked to another room when she found an outfit left on display and recovered it.

• Naoe: This must have belonged to someone in the Kakushiba ikki.

Having seen and recovered what she needed, Naoe looked to leave the kofun.

• Naoe: Time to get out of here.

After getting out of the kofun, she found Yasuke waiting near the entrance.

• Naoe: You followed me?

Yasuke replied jokingly.

• Yasuke: Of course not! Pure coincidence.
• Naoe: I'm fine, you know.
• Yasuke: So, what did you find?
• Naoe: I was hoping you could help me with this. I can't read it.

Naoe showed Yasuke the book she had recovered. Yasuke then flipped on to read.

• Yasuke: Ah. Latin.
• Naoe: What does it say?
• Yasuke: It is a journal. Or, at least a part of one, if we judge it by the cover. Belonging to Alvaro Catarribera, a Spaniard. Hmm. He writes about a young assassin.
• Naoe: What? Read it.
• Yasuke: I will try to translate, but it is only a few pages. I would need more time for a precise reading -
• Naoe: Yasuke!
• Yasuke: All right, all right. "The time to expand the brotherhood has come... if we are to fulfil the mission from Emperor Go-Nara." Hmm. Tomorrow, Tsuyu and I leave for Iga... in search of a new ally. If rumors are true, a free spirit shinobi, Momochi Sandayu, fights daimyo oppression..."
• Naoe: A mission from the former emperor? Momochi Sandayu?
• Yasuke: There is more. "With luck, Tsuyu will build our brotherhood in Japan. Kakushiba ikki, they call it." One last page. Hmm... "Today I announced my departure to Tsuyu. I gave her the task of protecting the objects... to keep their secrets. The balance of Japan rests with her. We live in shadow to serve the light."
• Naoe: The objects. What do you think they are?
• Yasuke: I do not know. But judging by what this Catarribera wrote, their... their identity should remain a secret.
• Naoe: My parents... they died for this creed. Hanzo spoke the truth. "Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent." I found that tenet in the kofun.
• Yasuke: They were good people. Who fought for others. We will find what they have lost and honor what they stood for.

Yasuke continued reading the book.

• Yasuke: Hmm. There are notes establishing outposts in Tamba, Omi, Kii, and Yamato.
• Naoe: That's as good a start as any.

Outcome

Naoe explored the the tomb and learned more about her parent's past, as well as an important mission which the former Emperor tasked them with.