The building where the village guards brought Akira and his group stood slightly apart from the busy market.
It was a large wooden house with a wide courtyard and a simple bamboo fence. It did not look like a palace or fortress, yet it was clearly not the home of an ordinary villager either.
The guards stopped at the gate.
Their leader turned to Akira and the others.
"Wait here."
Hyuga crossed his arms over his chest.
"We walked all this way just to stand in front of a gate?" he muttered.
Daichi whispered from behind,
"I don't like this place."
Yuna calmly studied the building.
"A place like this usually belongs to someone who doesn't like drawing attention."
Hyuga glanced at her.
"A cautious lord?"
"Or an old man who wants to live quietly," Yuna replied.
The door of the house opened.
An elderly servant stepped out, bowed slightly to the guards, then gestured.
"Please come in."
Akira walked in first. The others followed carefully.
The interior of the house was simple but tidy. The wooden floors were polished clean. The scent of warm tea filled the air.
They were led into a spacious room covered with tatami mats.
The guard leader spoke briefly.
"Lord Tsurui will see you."
Then he left.
The sliding door closed.
Hyuga let out a long breath.
"Well," he said, "now we wait for someone whose face we've never even seen."
Daichi sat cross-legged uneasily.
"What if this is a trap?"
Yuna looked toward the window.
"If they wanted to capture us, they could have done it back on the road."
Hyuga nodded.
"True."
Several minutes passed.
Soft footsteps sounded in the hallway.
The door slid open.
An old man slowly entered.
His hair was completely white. His back slightly bent, yet his eyes were sharp like a sword that had never rusted.
He wore a simple kimono without any obvious family crest.
But the way the servants bowed to him revealed one thing,
This man was no ordinary person.
He walked to the center of the room and slowly sat down. For several seconds he simply looked at Akira. As if confirming something. Then he gave a faint smile.
"So you have finally arrived," he said calmly.
His gaze fixed directly on Akira.
"Akira Kageyori."
The room fell silent. He raised a hand slightly.
"I am Tsurui."
He paused for a moment.
"Tsurui Hojo."
Several of them stiffened immediately.
Hyuga exhaled quietly.
"Hojo."
The name hung heavily in the air.
Tsurui seemed to enjoy their reaction.
He calmly poured tea for himself.
"Yes. The same clan as the one that governs Kamakura."
He sipped his tea.
"But do not rush to conclusions."
Akira finally spoke.
"Why were you waiting for us?"
Tsurui smiled.
"Because I received a letter."
He pulled a small scroll from the sleeve of his kimono.
"From someone in Nara."
Hyuga leaned forward slightly.
"Daimyo Morizawa?"
Tsurui nodded.
"That man is rather… stubborn."
He opened the scroll and read part of it softly.
"Protect the young man named Akira Kageyori and his companions. They will travel toward Shiga. If possible, give them a safe place."
He rolled the letter closed.
"An interesting request."
Akira looked at him sharply.
"You could have refused."
Tsurui shrugged.
"I could."
He smiled faintly.
"But I did not."
Yuna watched him carefully.
"Why?"
Tsurui looked toward the window.
"There are many reasons."
He turned back to them.
"One of them… is that I am already too old to be afraid."
Hyuga chuckled.
"I like this old man."
Akira spoke quietly.
"You know who I am."
"Yes."
"You know what I've done."
Tsurui nodded.
"A little."
He tilted his head.
"And I also know that if the Shikken, Hōjō Yoshitoki, discovers that you are in my territory…"
He smiled lightly.
"…I could be in trouble."
Akira looked straight at him.
"That's why I don't want to endanger you."
Tsurui gave a short laugh.
"Young man."
He set his teacup down.
"Do you know something?"
"What?"
"The Nagahama Fortress that I command has stood long before many people in Kamakura were even born."
He leaned back slightly.
"When the great uprising happened several months ago…"
He looked at them one by one.
"The Jōkyū War."
The name made the room fall silent again.
Tsurui continued.
"Many fortresses joined the war."
He pointed to himself.
"But the soldiers of Nagahama… did not move."
Hyuga raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't participate?"
Tsurui shook his head.
"We refused."
Daichi was shocked.
"And Kamakura didn't punish you?"
Tsurui smiled.
"They still trust us."
He took another sip of tea.
"Trust is sometimes stronger than swords."
Akira remained silent for a moment.
Then he asked,
"So… what is your plan for us?"
Tsurui set down his cup.
"You cannot stay here."
Hyuga snorted softly.
"I was just starting to like this house."
Tsurui laughed.
"Relax."
He pointed west.
"On the shore of Lake Biwa there is a small village called Tamura."
He looked at Akira.
"You will live there."
Yuna asked,
"As what?"
"Ordinary villagers."
Hyuga whistled.
"Bandits turning into farmers."
Daichi immediately raised his hand.
"I don't know how to farm."
Yuna glanced at him.
"You don't even know how to catch fish."
Everyone laughed softly.
Tsurui spoke calmly,
"Blend in with the villagers. Help them. Do not attract attention."
He looked at Akira.
"As long as you stay in Tamura… you are under my protection."
Akira stared at him for a long moment.
"Why are you doing all this?"
Tsurui did not answer immediately.
He only said quietly,
"Sometimes history needs people brave enough to take risks."
Then he slowly stood.
"And I want to see how this story ends."
---
Several days later.
Tamura Village.
A small village on the shores of Lake Biwa.
The water of the lake shimmered wide like a calm sea.
Fishing boats drifted slowly across the surface.
Wooden houses stood neatly along the dirt road.
In that village, Akira and his group occupied a large house that had long been abandoned.
It once belonged to a wealthy merchant who had moved to the city.
Now the front yard was filled with wild grass.
Daichi stood at the doorway and sighed.
"A big house… finally we live like rich people."
Hyuga patted his shoulder.
"An empty house doesn't mean we're rich."
Yuna opened the door.
Dust scattered into the air.
"First we have to clean it."
Daichi immediately groaned.
"I'd rather rob another cart."
But a few days later,
The house had changed.
They repaired the fence.
Cleaned the yard.
Helped villagers carry lumber, repair boats, even harvest rice.
The people of Tamura began to know them as ordinary newcomers.
Akira often helped fishermen on the lake.
Hyuga could sometimes be seen at the market helping merchants carry sacks.
Yuna helped the village women weave cloth.
But every night they gathered in the large house.
One night Hyuga said,
"There's still one thing I don't understand."
Akira looked at him.
"What?"
"Why the Daimyo of Nara sent us to Hojo territory."
Daichi nodded.
"Exactly."
Yuna added quietly,
"And why Tsurui wants to protect us."
Akira stared at the small fire in the center of the room.
"I don't know either."
Hyuga leaned against the wall.
"It feels like we're pieces in someone else's game."
Akira replied softly,
"Maybe we are."
---
Meanwhile…
At the castle of Mount Ryogai.
Daimyo Ashikaga Takauji sat in the war hall.
An officer handed him a report.
"The investigation is finished."
Takauji opened the scroll.
His eyes scanned quickly.
"The attackers headed toward Shiga."
He looked at his adviser.
"Shiga."
The adviser spoke quietly.
"That is territory of the Hojo clan."
Takauji tapped the table hard.
"Hojo…"
He slowly shook his head.
"That makes no sense."
He stood.
"Shikken Hōjō Yoshitoki is the most respected man in Kamakura."
Another adviser spoke carefully,
"Precisely because of that."
Takauji turned.
"What do you mean?"
The adviser said softly,
"What if the Hojo are planning something?"
The room became silent.
"If they want to weaken the power of the Shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo… they would first need to weaken the major clans."
Takauji stared sharply at him.
"And you are saying my son's death is part of that?"
The adviser bowed his head.
"I am only presenting a possibility."
Takauji clenched his teeth.
"There is a larger game here."
He slammed his fist onto the table.
"And I will not be the next victim."
He stood and gave the order.
"Send troops to Shiga."
The officers exchanged glances.
"That is Hojo territory, my lord."
Takauji looked at them with red eyes.
"I don't care."
He clenched his fists.
"Whoever killed Hanzo… I will hunt them to the ends of the land."