Chapter 16 — If Our Nation Lacks, Others Do Not
Princess Koyuki Kazahana turned her face away, too embarrassed to watch her loyal retainer Asama Sandayū, who was practically groveling like a desperate parent.
Still, perhaps it was because Sandayū had already prepared the ground with his pleading words — or perhaps because the young Daimyō of the Land of Fields, Oda Nobunaga, stood there with a composure and sharpness so unlike the bloated, arrogant nobles she had seen before — but something in her heart stirred.
Her gaze, hesitant yet tinged with hope, drifted toward the silent young lord.
Time stretched thin between them.
The air seemed to hum with the weight of expectation.
Even Zōmajirō, ever stoic, found himself quietly curious — wondering what decision his master would make.
At last, Nobunaga rose from behind his mountain of documents, his expression calm, voice steady.
"Asama Sandayū, I understand your feelings very well.
I extend my deepest sympathy to Princess Koyuki — and to the late Daimyō of the Land of Snow."
With a soft smile and measured grace, Nobunaga walked around the table, his every motion deliberate and composed.
When he reached the kneeling Sandayū, he reached out to help him up — but the old retainer's arm was like stone.
Unyielding. Resolute.
That silent defiance told Nobunaga everything he needed to know.
And for Sandayū, hearing the young Daimyō's words — kind, formal, distant — made his heart sink.
He had heard such words too many times before.
From the Five Great Nations.
From Konoha.
From every so-called ally who once promised to stand with the Land of Snow.
They all began with sympathy — and ended with polite refusal.
How foolish he had been, thinking a boy barely past adolescence could be moved by pleas alone!
But just as he steeled himself to reveal the true bargaining chips he had kept hidden — conditions he had never offered even to Konoha —
A sudden force pulled him up from the floor.
Startled, Sandayū looked up in shock, realizing that the strength lifting him came from none other than Nobunaga himself.
A strength that left no room for resistance.
Could it be—?
The old man's eyes widened, a spark of renewed determination flickering within them.
"I am not rejecting you," Nobunaga said at last.
Sandayū froze. Hope began to return to his weary heart.
Nobunaga turned from him and stepped toward Princess Koyuki, his tone gentle but firm — the voice of a ruler speaking to an equal.
"As the Daimyō of the Land of Fields, my foremost duty is to my people.
I am sure you sought help from many others before coming here.
I cannot say why none agreed to aid you — but for my nation, to march across half the world to liberate yours…
I must first weigh the prosperity of my own land, and the happiness of my own citizens."
"It may sound cold, Princess — but that is the burden of a ruler.
And it is a truth you must also remember when you one day reclaim your throne."
His words were honest — even compassionate — yet resolute as iron.
Koyuki had prepared herself to be angry, to hear the same rejection that had haunted her for years.
But looking into Nobunaga's clear, unwavering eyes… she couldn't.
He wasn't sneering or pitying her — he was teaching her.
And for the first time, she saw in him what a true leader should be: not a dreamer or a tyrant, but a man who bore the weight of his people on his shoulders.
Her heart, which had been heavy for so long, fluttered.
The light returned to her eyes.
So this is what it means to be a real Daimyō.
For a fleeting moment, she envied the people of the Land of Fields.
How blessed they must be — to have such a ruler.
"Lord Nobunaga…" she whispered, almost reverently.
---
Seeing his princess calm — even moved — Sandayū's heart raced.
Though Nobunaga's words sounded like refusal, a man as seasoned as Sandayū could sense the difference.
This was not a door closing. This was negotiation.
He swallowed hard, then bowed deeply once more.
"Then, Lord Nobunaga," he said, voice trembling yet bold,
"please… allow my lady and your lordship to form an alliance through marriage!"
"If the future ruler of the Land of Snow were to share your blood,
our nations would be bound as brothers —
and your people would see this as a sign of divine unity between our lands!"
"Together, the Land of Fields and the Land of Snow could rise, side by side!"
It was an audacious proposal — one Sandayū would never have dared make to the Five Great Nations.
But this time was different.
And when he dared a glance at his princess, she did not protest.
Her face burned red, but she didn't say no.
That was enough.
---
For once, even Oda Nobunaga was caught off guard.
He blinked.
What happened to negotiation? To building leverage?
This old man had just jumped straight to selling his princess —
and somehow, everyone in the room was acting like this was normal.
He could feel Zōmajirō's glare burning into his side.
The poor man looked like he wanted to strangle Sandayū on the spot.
Nobunaga tilted his head, studying Koyuki.
Her eyes darted away, cheeks flushed, fingers fidgeting.
Charming, yes — but this wasn't the time for sentiment.
He smiled faintly.
"Let us first focus on restoring Princess Koyuki's homeland," he said smoothly.
"We can… revisit such matters once peace has returned."
It was a careful answer — neither promise nor rejection.
But the way he said Princess Koyuki — soft, deliberate — carried a subtle warmth that made the old retainer's eyes light up.
He said "after."
That means there will be an after!
Sandayū nearly wept with joy.
As for Koyuki… she bit her lip and lowered her head, her heart pounding too loudly for words.
---
When the pair were finally escorted out — under Zōmajirō's very dark expression — Nobunaga leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands lightly.
Two figures appeared in an instant, kneeling before him.
Kinoshita Jirō — leader of the wandering ninja under Nobunaga's banner —
and Arashi, heir to the local Fūma Clan, proud and dangerous.
They bowed low, awaiting orders.
The air thickened with command.
Nobunaga rested his chin on one hand, tapping the other against the table in a steady rhythm.
"Find the scattered remnants of the Blood Pond Clan — those who possess the red-eyed kekkei genkai."
"Track down the doctor known as Shinnō, the heretic who experimented with forbidden medical jutsu."
"Seek the false priest pursuing the Stone of Gelel."
"Locate the Leaf's former rogue ninja, Hiruko, and the traitor Mukade, now haunting the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind."
"And bring me the bounty hunter called Kakuzu from the underground exchange."
His tone was cold, decisive, surgical.
On the desk beside him lay another document — a proposal for special entertainment districts and gambling houses.
Oda Nobunaga allowed himself a small, almost dangerous smile.
"Yes… these are the pieces," he murmured.
"The pieces that will make the Land of Fields shake the world."
Jirō and Arashi bowed deeply, exchanging tense glances — rivals, yet bound by loyalty.
Their competition only made Nobunaga stronger.
And when they vanished into the shadows, a familiar serpentine chuckle echoed through the chamber.
From the darkness, Orochimaru emerged, his golden eyes gleaming with malice and amusement.
He had come to discuss something entirely different — the Moon Goddess transport project — and to report spies sent by rival villages.
But upon hearing Nobunaga's newest plan — to march on the Land of Snow — the corners of his lips curled into a wicked smile.
"Fufu… interesting. In that case, I'll send Kimimaro and Jūgo to assist you. Consider it… a professional curiosity.
Having steeled his resolve, Asama Sandayū laid out the same terms that even the great nations had only hinted at before — and in his mind, Oda Nobunaga was the perfect match for his lady, Princess Koyuki.
The most telling part, however, was that when he proposed it…
his princess didn't object.
That alone was all the encouragement he needed.
---
"Uh…"
For a moment, Oda Nobunaga — the man who could outmaneuver nobles twice his age — was at a loss for words.
Was this old man really a diplomat?
Where was the negotiation? The careful dance of leverage and rhetoric?
This… this was straight-up kneeling and throwing his trump card on the floor.
Even Nobunaga didn't see that coming.
Still, as he caught Zōmajirō's dark, dangerous glare from the side, he tilted his head and glanced at the blushing princess before him.
Koyuki's cheeks were flushed, her eyes darting downward, too flustered to speak.
---
Nobunaga sighed softly, his lips curving in faint amusement.
"Let us speak of such things after Princess Koyuki has reclaimed her homeland," he said at last.
A tactful refusal — yet the way he said Princess Koyuki carried just enough warmth to spark hope.
Even that subtle change in address — from the princess of Snow to our Princess Koyuki — was not lost on anyone present.
---
Asama Sandayū's heart leapt with joy.
He didn't dare press further.
He knew the art of retreating at the right moment — even if he'd just shamelessly offered up his princess.
For all his desperation, Sandayū was no fool; he understood that a seed of goodwill was far more valuable than forcing a promise now.
As for Princess Koyuki, though her face was burning, she didn't reject it either.
After all… for the sake of her homeland's future, could she really afford to cling to pride?
---
When Zōmajirō, face like thunder, finally escorted the hopeful pair away to their guest quarters, Nobunaga leaned back into his chair and clapped twice.
From the shadows, two figures emerged and knelt low before him.
Kinoshita Jirō, the charismatic leader of the wandering ninjas who had pledged themselves to Nobunaga,
and Arashi, the proud scion of the Fūma Clan, representing the local ninja of the Land of Fields.
Both knelt deeply, heads bowed.
Two rivals — equally loyal, equally dangerous.
When they raised their eyes, their gazes burned like fire — not just toward Nobunaga, but at each other.
The silent tension between them was almost tangible.
---
Nobunaga rested his chin on one hand, his other hand tapping softly against the table.
The sound — rhythmic, deliberate — seemed to carry weight, authority, inevitability.
"Listen well," he began, his voice low but clear.
"Seek out the scattered survivors of the Blood Pond Clan — those who still bear the red-eyed kekkei genkai."
"Find a doctor named Shinnō, a man delving into forbidden medical arts in pursuit of demonic power.
Track down the false priest chasing the Stone of Gelel."
"There is also a rogue from Konoha — Hiruko — and another, Mukade, haunting the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind."
"Finally, at the underground bounty exchange, bring to me the man known as Kakuzu."
The orders came one after another — quick, precise, and chillingly methodical.
As he spoke, Nobunaga's fingers brushed a separate scroll lying beside him —
a proposal outlining plans for special entertainment districts and regulated gambling houses within the Land of Fields.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"Yes," he murmured, almost to himself.
"With these pieces in place, the Land of Fields will shake the shinobi world to its core."
These names — these individuals — were not random.
Each was a crucial puzzle piece in Nobunaga's vision for domination.
With their combined power, the Land of Fields would soon stand among the great forces of the world — a rising nation among giants.
And as for the elite powerhouses who would define its future…
Nobunaga already had plans for them, too.
---
"Understood."
Both Kinoshita Jirō and Arashi pressed their foreheads to the floor, their voices firm with conviction.
When their eyes met again, sparks all but flew — each determined to outdo the other.
To Nobunaga, their rivalry was a blessing.
Ambition, when properly harnessed, was the fuel of progress.
He needed that hunger.
---
Moments after they vanished into the shadows, a soft, sinister laugh slithered through the room.
Orochimaru emerged, pale and smiling, from the darkness like a serpent materializing from smoke.
He had originally come to discuss his ongoing project — the Lunar Goddess Transport — and to warn Nobunaga of spies sent by rival villages.
But upon hearing the young Daimyō's next move — a campaign toward the Land of Snow — Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Heh… planning to ride the northern winds now, are you, Lord Nobunaga?"
"Very well. I'll send Kimimaro and Jūgo to accompany you. Consider it… a gesture of curiosity."
His grin widened, serpentine and knowing.
And as Orochimaru melted back into the shadows, Nobunaga's expression hardened into quiet resolve.
The board was set.
The pieces were moving.
And the world — whether it knew it or not — was already beginning to turn toward the Land of Fields.