Matsunaga-jō was guarded well. It had huge walls of stone and a large moat surrounding it. It was situated at the bottom of the mountain, guarding a mountain pass that cut through several territories and exited in a forest close to Oda's lands. Its battlements were guarded by hundreds of warriors that patrolled constantly and a second wall encircled the inner palace, adding an extra barrier for invaders to get past.

However, it was a mountain that was surrounded by forest. If I could get an army into the forest without being spotted and then march them through the forest until they were near the edge, but not visible, that would mean that I could attack at any time and none of the soldiers at Matsunaga-jō would see it coming.

There was no way to accomplish this without splitting the army up, though, and taking different paths each time through the forest to avoid making a solid path. When the army met up, they would take the last, shorter part of the journey together and stop before anyone could see this. People were bound to notice, of course, but most of those who did were only peasants, and if we acted quickly enough those who did report back to Setsuga would be too late.

Sitting down on a tree stump, I began to lay out my plans in my mind. They had to be perfect or the generals wouldn't accept them. I could make them do it, but I didn't want to force them to do something they didn't want to do. A soldier who didn't want to fight was a soldier who was going to die when the battles came and I wasn't about to let that happen.

When I was done with my plan, I presented it to the other generals, who all agreed that, given the reasons for our attack, it would be a good plan.

Basically, at the end of two weeks, I would go up on the mountain with a small group of warriors and my zappās, or sappers. The warriors would go mainly as protection in case anyone tried to stop us. Once we found a good place, the zappās would use their excavation skills to cause an avalanche directed at and around the castle.

Once the avalance began, the army would march out of the woods, everyone with their own shield, and march past the castle and into the mountain pass without much of a fight. If the zappās miscalculated something then the avalanche could potentially crush the army. If all went well, the Matsunaga clan would be sealed in their castle until their own zappās could dig them out. By then, we would already be preparing to attack Oda.

Takeo grinned. "This is quite the plan, Daimyo Naoki. It could backfire on us and destroy us instead of them," he commented.

"In which case I really hope they think it was a natural disaster," I replied with a smile.

Ryo snorted and Takeo's grin widened. "So who will send?" one of the generals asked.

"I was thinking the two rōnin that Ryo-kun hired and some of our better samurai. And myself, of course."

Everyone as soon as I said it everyone began protesting. "You cannot go, Daimyo Naoki," Ryo said. "What if something were to happen to you?"

"If something goes wrong with the avalanche, would I not be safer up on the mountain where I couldn't be crushed?" I pointed out. "If I go up there, I can both protect the zappās and stay safer than if I were down on the ground. If I stay down here and something goes wrong then I'll be in the line of fire anyway."

They thought about that for a moment before nodding their agreement. "Two weeks then," Takeo said.

Everyone nodded and we got up, going off to our different responsibilities.

Ryo stood up in front of me before I left, blocking my way. "Daimyo Naoki, I think you should meet the rōnin I hired before you go off to fight with them, hai?"

"Hai, that is a good idea. I will go find them, then," I agreed. He nodded and stepped out of the way

***

The rōnin that Ryo had hired weren't quite what I expected, in that I hadn't thought I would know them. When I found them they were sitting on a fallen tree together, each sharpening their own katana. I recognized them instantly.

They looked identical in every way. They both had their long, black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. They had the same muscled but flexible build and deep tan. Their eyes were both deep brown, but one told of sadness endured, while the other told of sadness conquered.

"Michi-kun, Masaki-kun!" I exclaimed.

They looked up and both grinned. "Naoki-kun," Masaki replied with a grin. "We had wondered when you were going to find us."

"What are you two doing here? How did Ryo-kun even find you?" I asked, sitting down next to them.

Michi shrugged. "We heard you were in charge of the Hojo clan and we wanted to help. When we found out someone was hiring for the Hojo clanned we offered our services for a cheaper price so we'd be able to help out. It's nice to see you again."

"Hai," I agreed, remembering suddenly why I was even here. "I was actually coming to ask you both if you would like to help me with something..."

***

Someone found us a week later. She rode into the middle of the camp on a black stallion and dismounting, demanding to see me. Since there wasn't any reason not to, I went out to meet her, surprised to find that she was a ninja, and more than that, she was a ninja I actually knew about.

"Tatsu-san?" I asked, raising a brow. "Why are you here?"

"I bring news of the Iga clan. We were attacked by Oda and forced to retreat into the mountains. He was too strong for us and we had to come to a compromise with him. We can't help you fight him, but they sent me to give you what aid I can," she said, getting straight to the point.

Anger shot through me. "Oda attacked your clan?" I confirmed. She nodded, securing her horse to a branch and walking with me towards my tent.

Oda attacked the only people I have left to call family, I thought, anger burning through me like fire. He killed more people and it has to stop. I'm going to make him pay for every innocent life he has taken.

"You came about a week before we had planned to attack Matsunaga-jō," I told her. "But perhaps you can help."

After explaining the plan to her I waited while she thought about it. "I will help you defend the zappās," she said. "I do not think you will get attacked, but it is good to be sure, hai?"

"Hai," I agreed. "There are more preparations to make, so you should find a place to camp and get what you need done."

***

By the end of the second week all of the soldiers had finished fashioning their own shield and the zappās were confident that they could create an avalanche properly without hurting our troops.

We got together a group of twenty, ten zappās and ten samurai including myself, and headed around to start climbing the mountain. At first it was easy, but eventually the mountain got steeper and the rocks began to be more unstable, crumbling out from underneath me as I climbed.

Everyone else struggled more than me and Tatsu did, though, mostly because they weren't as used to climbing. Michi and Masaki were almost as fast as we were, but they weren't as balanced or comfortable on the rocks.

Sweat began to drip in my eyes as I climbed and when we finally reached a ledge large enough to stop on I was coated with sweat. My clothes were starting to get soaked too, and they were beginning to feel hot.

Tatsu sat down next to me and ran a hand through her long black hair. Her face was shiny with sweat and her chocolate brown eyes shone with a mix of excitement and happiness. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she looked down the mountain at the progress we'd made and then out at the forest that stretched out for miles with no end in sight. Her red lips parted slightly and she tilted her head back. The wind stirred, blowing her hair away from her face and making it billow out behind her.

When we started moving again I took the lead, climbing until I couldn't continue without a break. The zappās weren't as prepared for the climb as most of the other soldiers, so we had to slow down for them, but when we finally did make it to the top of the mountain I could tell that everyone felt a sense of achievement, even Tatsu, as reserved as she was.

The sun was already going down by the time we were done climbing and we got an amazing view of the sunset from the top of the mountain. Bands of red, blue, violet, orange, and softer yellows blended together, all of them interwoven with tendrils of gold that bled through the colors and melded them all together with the sun in the middle of it as it slowly sank below the horizon.

While the zappās starte their work, I watched the sunset, amazed by the beauty of something so normal. It had a peaceful quality to it, giving my heart a strange sense of stillness that I hadn't known since my parent's death. Sitting down, I rested my hands on my knees and watched the colors fade from the sky.

When the first stars came out, I realized that nature was most taken for granted, simply because it was considered normal. Landscapes were desolated during battles and people spent more time fighting than enjoying the simple pleasures in life, such as watching the sun go down or seeing the stars emerge from hiding. Even I took such things for granted, and even though I couldn't imagine life without such things to watch and enjoy, I didn't take the time to enjoy them.

Michi say down next to me and pointed to a star. "That's the north star," he said. "My parents used to tell me it would guide me home when I needed it most. Funny thing is, no matter how much I follow it, it never seems to take me there. Maybe I just don't need it yet."

Glancing at him, I could see that he missed them. He had gotten over it more quickly than Masaki, but he was still affected by their loss, and by the decision to leave the Asai clan to become rōnin.

"There aren't many places with a view like this," I said. "It makes me wish I could just stay up here and never leave."

Michi smiled. "I know what you mean. There are days when I just want to escape the world, but there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go. This place... This is untouched. It's special ground, because it hasn't been destroyed yet. One day that will change, but for now it's nice to have this memory."

I nodded, but we were interupped by a loud crash. The mountain began to shake as the avalanche started and I stood. "Time to see what kind of destruction we're causing."

u