Sun hammered Kaito's back. Dust. Every step heavy. Spear pressed hard on his shoulder. Rank 1. Ashigaru. Lowest rung. He felt the weight of disgrace. Murakami clan name, tarnished. His father, accused. Cowardice. Lies. Kaito saw his father's face, determined, unyielding. He wouldn't fail. He would clear that name.
"Keep up, Ashigaru!" Kenji barked. Patrol leader. Gruff. Scars. Rules. Kenji saw nothing but orders. "Daydreaming won't protect them."
Kaito nodded. Swept his gaze across the rice paddies. Shimmering green. Farmers toiled. Fragile lives. Beast terror. Typical patrol. But Kaito sensed it. Air felt wrong. Cicadas. Usually deafening. Now unnerving silence. A broken hum.
He froze. Movement. Deep shadow. Undergrowth. Gnarled oak. Not wind. "No, sir," Kaito mumbled, eyes locked. "Just... a feeling."
Kenji scoffed. "Feelings? Poets. Move on."
Kaito suppressed a sigh. Kept walking. But the alarm screamed. His grandfather's words echoed. True warriors see the unseen. Cicadas. Breeze. Warnings.
Then, a roar. Earth-shaking. Guttural. Not hog. Not dog. Raw power. Vibrating ground. Panic ripped through the village. Farmers screamed. Hats scattered. Kenji cursed. Drew his katana.
"Beast! To arms! Form ranks!" Kenji bellowed. Useless. Ashigaru froze. Faces pale.
World exploded. Colossal shape. Moving boulder. Smashed bamboo fence. Rock Hide Boar. Nightmare. Armored hide. Stone plates. Tusks. Lethal points. Small, red eyes. Burning fury. Snorting steam. Mindless destruction.
It charged. Living battering ram. Smashed a hut. Debris flew. Villagers scrambled. Children cried. Women wailed. Men shouted uselessly. Kenji tried to form a line. Spears trembled. Hopeless. This beast was for Bushi. Not them.
Kaito's mind cleared. Panic vanished. He saw. The beast's charge. Predictable. Straight line. Ponderous turns. Armor. Front impenetrable. Flanks? Weak. And the village. Crumbling wall. Overgrown slope. Loose stones. Logs. A trap. Audacious. Desperate.
"Follow me!" Kaito roared. His own voice. Not waiting for Kenji. He sprinted. Parallel to the beast. Towards the slope. "Don't just stand there! Get behind the old well! Herd it towards the slope!" he screamed. Pointing.
An elder, terror etched on his face, grabbed a pole. "Towards the slope! Like he says!" He prodded the boar's flank. It rumbled past. Another villager. Then another. Small shoves. Desperate nudges. Subtle. Enraged beast.
Kaito positioned himself near the slope. Drew his crude sword. Boar saw him. Small eyes fixed. Lowered its head. Tusks gleamed. Charged. Kaito held ground. Waited. Heart hammered. Timed it. Sidestepped. Last second. Boar thundered past. He slammed his spear butt against its flank. Irritation. Enough. Beast continued. Straight onto unstable ground.
Ground shuddered. Old wall. Gave way. Boar's powerful legs sank. Lost footing. Monstrous shriek. Surprise. Rage. It lumbered forward. Deeper into the trap. Slope collapsed. Rocks. Earth. Rotting logs. Tumbling. Buried its legs. Pinned. It thrashed. Bellowed. Caught.
Kenji and the other Ashigaru stared. Stunned. Elder. Villagers. Gasp of relief. Danger averted. Boar incapacitated.
"Finish it!" Kenji finally roared. Spell broken. Samurai. Brave villagers. Moved in. Finished the beast.
Aftermath grim. Huts damaged. Wall ruined. Lives saved. Villagers shaken. Unharmed. Kaito panted. Body ached. Adrenaline faded. He knew. Protocol broken. Acted alone. He braced himself. Kenji's fury.
"Boy!" Kenji stalked towards him. Face unreadable. Kaito steeled. "What in the Shogun's name were you thinking?!"
Elder stepped between them. "He was thinking of us, Kenji-san! Your men froze! He saw. He acted. Saved our village. Saved lives. He is a warrior!"
Hoofbeats. A samurai on horseback. Finer armor. Gokenin Moriko. Rank 5. Stern but fair. She rode in. Surveyed the scene. Trapped boar. Damaged village. Relieved faces.
Her gaze found Kaito. He met it. Refused to drop his eyes.
"What happened here?" Moriko's voice. Calm. Authoritative.
Kenji, flustered. Started to explain. Elder cut in. Voice ringing. Recounted Kaito's actions. Quick thinking. Lives saved. Spoke of Kaito's "unseen eye." "Warrior's heart."
Moriko listened. Dismounted. Examined the boar. Collapsed slope. Details Kaito used. Looked back at Kaito. Expression unreadable.
"Ashigaru Kaito," she stated. Quiet. Clear. "Your actions were unorthodox. They broke standard procedure." Kaito's heart sank. This was it.
Then. "But they were effective. Intelligent. Saved this village. Courage and quick thinking. Strategy. Hallmarks of a true protector." She turned to Kenji. "Your report will reflect his initiative."
Kenji bowed. "As you command, Gokenin-sama."
Moriko faced Kaito again. "By my authority, for valor and exceptional tactical insight, I grant you a provisional promotion." Kaito's breath hitched. "You are hereby promoted to Rank 2: Wakato. Report to Sunstone Pass garrison within the week. New assignment. Training."
Kaito stared. Speechless. Wakato. One step. Small. Forward. A crack. In his disgrace. He bowed deeply. Voice thick. "Thank you, Gokenin-sama. I will not fail."
Moriko remounted. Rode off. Villagers cheered. Wave of gratitude. Kaito stood. Dust settled. Cicadas returned. A song. Of hope. Path long. Arduous. Perilous. First step taken. Father's name. Family honor. Maybe. Just maybe. Sengoku. His journey. Begun.