Chapter 26: To See Isshiki Masataka

Kiyosu Castle – Oda Nobunaga

1561. Fall.

“Kinoshita Tōkichirō¹This is Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s birth name. He was mentioned a few times prior to this, but if you still don’t know, in history, he was the second unifier of Japan after Nobunaga. He was famous due to his background as a peasant who rose to become essentially the ruler of Japan. At this time, he’s still working under Nobunaga, though, steadily building up a career under him.-dono has arrived.”

“Did you call for me, my lord?”

I had to send a page to call for him to finally come here. Even then I still had to wait for a while.

“You’re late! I told you to hurry!”

“Forgive me, my lord!”

As soon as he entered the room, he immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head. With movements likened that of a real monkey.

“Come with me. We’re going to Okazaki Castle.”

“Yes—h-huh? Okazaki?”

“Yes. Okazaki.”

“But, isn’t Tokuhime-sama’s marriage still a way off?”

This stupid monkey. I’ve told him repeatedly since Okehazama how important it was to keep up with recent developments. Especially now when we needed as much information about Saitō and Imagawa as we could get.

Yet he didn’t even know why I wanted to go to Okazaki. Unfortunately, it had to be him who I’d have to bring with me this time, not anyone else.

“Monkey²Hideyoshi’s nickname was ‘Saru’, or ‘Monkey’. Legends said Nobunaga named him so because he was short and had a sunken face like that of a monkey. I’d leave it as ‘Saru’, but I feel like translating it drives the point better. Tell me what you think..”

“Yes, my lord?”

“There is a vassal clan called Isshiki clan in the Imagawa clan. Do you know them?”

“Yes, I do. If I remember correctly, the man who struck Hattori-dono was from that clan.”

“His son is now the head of that clan. And Mikawa’s Motoyasu is marrying his sister off to him.”

Monkey was lost in thoughts for a while, then he made a gesture as if he understood everything.

“His sister… so, Ohisa-sama? I heard she’s quite the talented woman, so I was sure that he’d marry her to you, my lord.”

“That was what I thought too, but he chose to marry her to Isshiki instead. What do you think of this?”

“I believe this new Isshiki clan’s head is no ordinary person.”

“Agreed. But, one other thing of note here is that he is still a retainer of Imagawa. Not only that, he seems to be a trusted figure among them. Does that not pique your interest, Monkey?”

“It does, but does this matter interest you that much, my lord?”

“Of course, it does. According to the report of the shinobi I sent, it appears that he, to pick up Hisahime, has chosen to take the sea route.”

“I see…”

Still didn’t get it. Well, this should make it more clear.

“I’m going to personally see him.”

“…Please don’t tell me the reason you called me here is…”

“Of all my retainers, you’re the one who obeys me the most. Come with me to Okazaki.”

For people to freeze in shock after hearing such sudden news, it was normal. This happened back when I announced my plan on Okehazama too. Monkey and everyone else was frozen in place when they heard it. But he was the one who regained his composure the quickest.

And that was the reason why I called him to come with me.

“But my lord, isn’t it dangerous for you to be away from Owari at such a time? If you want to see him, why not send someone?”

“You don’t understand, do you? Nothing is more unreliable than the account of others. To see what kind of man he is, it’s best for me to see him with my own eyes.”

“If you say so, my lord.”

No more objections?

Good. Time to head off to Okazaki.

“But, if you were to suddenly disappear, my lord, the other retainers would make a huge fuss.”

“I’ve already informed Kichō³Also known as Nōhime. She is Nobunaga’s wife, also Saitō Dōsan’s daughter., there is no need to worry. By the time they know of my absence, I’ll already be in Mikawa.”

I said that with a smile, but Monkey just stared at me, frozen. It can’t be helped.

“There’s no need to be so worried. I’ve arranged for helpers in each town along the way. We’ll change horses there and push through to Okazaki.”

“Y-yes…!”

Who knows if he’d given up to defy me or decided to go along with me sincerely, regardless, he seemed to have resolved himself to follow my orders.

Alright, time to go to Okazaki. Let’s see what kind of person this Isshiki Masataka was.