Around that time, outside the walls of Arioka Castle, a different kind of "war" had begun.

  Murashige Araki was cunning. He did not merely hide Kanbe'e’s whereabouts; he spread a lethal dose of poison to the world in the form of a rumor.

  "Kanbe'e has abandoned Nobunaga and joined our cause."

  This falsehood rode the cold winter winds, spreading instantly from Harima to Kyoto. It was a ruthless stratagem designed to stoke Nobunaga’s paranoia, isolate the Kuroda clan, and bury Kanbe'e in darkness forever. It was a poetic, cruel irony—using a strategist’s own weapon of psychological warfare to rot his very roots.

  At the back gate of Arioka Castle, Murashige released Kanbe'e’s attendants as if they were discarded refuse.

  Matazaemon Kato, who guarded the gate, followed his lord Murashige’s orders and addressed them coldly.

  "Lord Kanbe'e Kodera is now of one heart and mind with my master. He has pledged to leave Oda and join our side. He even said he has no further need for useless servants like you. Now, return to Himeji and tell them that!"

  Released from their bonds and cast out into the wilderness, the three men—Zensuke Kuriyama, Tahe'e Mori, and Kurouemon Inoue—stood frozen.

  It was the giant, Tahe, who finally broke the silence.

  "The Lord... joined Araki...?"

  His voice trembled. The worst-case scenarios raced through his mind with terrifying speed. If their master had truly betrayed Nobunaga, then Teru, left in Himeji, and Shojumaru, held in Nagahama, would be executed immediately.

  "That’s... that must be a lie... But, the Lord's mind... it’s always been beyond our understanding..."

  "You fool! What are you saying!?"

  A roar like a raging fire echoed through the woods.

  Zensuke grabbed the collar of Tahe'e—who stood a full head taller than him—with such force it nearly tore his clothes. Zensuke’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring at Tahe'e like an enraged demon.

  "Do you really think the Lord is a man who would bend his principles for his own sake!? Who do you think recognized Lord Nobunaga’s talent above all others and exhausted himself to end this era of chaos!? Are you an idiot? You’ve watched the Lord’s back for all these years, yet you’re swayed by such cheap lies? Get a hold of yourself!!"

  Zensuke shoved Tahe'e hard into the snow.

  "The Lord has been captured... He wasn't killed, and he wasn't returned. That means he still has value to them. That man’s eyes—the guard—they were full of lies. If we leave this place, the Lord will be cast into true solitude. I won't let that happen! I will never let that happen!"

  Pushed into the snow, Tahe gasped and looked up. In Zensuke’s ragged breathing, there was a terrifying will to crush despair through sheer force.

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  "If we return to Himeji, we are cowards who abandoned our master. If we go to Lord Nobunaga, we’ll be beheaded as associates of a traitor. We have nowhere left to go. Therefore, the only place left for us to fight is here! It’s right here!"

  Kurouemon nodded silently in agreement.

  They cast aside their pride as samurai. They buried their prized swords deep in an anonymous forest. They stripped off their fine garments, donned coarse cotton rags stained with mud, and smeared dirt onto their faces.

  In the castle town of Arioka, they began their life in hiding, masquerading as lowly merchants and peasants. By night, they hid beneath cold floorboards; by day, they mingled with beggars to watch the castle’s movements.

  They set their sights on the man at the gate—Matazaemon Kato.

  He was a steadfast warrior, deeply trusted by Murashige and entrusted with key positions. Normally, he was the last person to grant a request from an enemy vassal.

  But Zensuke was certain. He had seen a slight flicker in Kato’s gaze when he told the lie—the anguish of a man who valued "Gi" (righteousness).

  One night, Zensuke appeared before Kato as he walked alone behind a tavern frequented by his retainers.

  A figure of a peasant crawled out from the darkness. Kato instinctively reached for his sword hilt. But he gasped at the sharpness of the man's gaze and the familiar aura of courage.

  "You are... the Kodera man...? You are still in a place like this? I told you, your master is one of us now. Leave at once."

  Kato’s voice was sharp with caution. Immediately, Zensuke barked back.

  "Do not lie! We have been with the Lord since we were born—we know his heart better than anyone! Do not dare to underestimate our loyalty!"

  Kato’s brow twitched. A moment of silence followed.

  Then, Zensuke collapsed where he stood, slamming his forehead against the ground at Kato’s feet. He didn't care that the stones cut his skin or that blood flowed from his brow; he rubbed his face into the frozen earth.

  "Mr. Kato...! My master’s life is in your hands... I beg of you... Please..."

  Zensuke’s voice trembled in the damp night air. He was weeping.

  A proud Kodera vassal, dressed in rags, sobbing and groveling in the mud before an enemy who had deceived him just days prior...

  Kato was stunned. Had he ever seen such loyalty, such profound devotion?

  "Somewhere at the bottom of this castle... the Lord is imprisoned. I beg you, hide this in his food... and deliver it. It is all we could scrounge together. We want no gold, no fame. Just... keep the Lord’s life tied to this world. That is all we ask... It is the request of a lifetime... I will give you my life in exchange... so please... help our Lord..."

  Sobbing, Zensuke held out a small bundle he had procured at the cost of his own well-being: a meager amount of rice porridge, dried meat, and a short note to encourage his master. Zensuke’s trembling hands were covered in grime and mud, skin cracked and bleeding from the cold.

  Tahe'e Mori and Kurouemon Inoue immediately fell to their knees as well. They were already crying.

  "We beg of you! We beg of you!"

  Ignoring all eyes, the three men continued to prostrate themselves, wailing and pleading over and over.

  Kato wavered. His loyalty to Murashige clashing with the "Samurai Soul" of the men clinging to his feet like children. Furthermore, he thought of his daughter, Fuji, who visited the dungeon... It all connected within him.

  "Only once. Next time, I cut you down."

  Kato took the bundle with a trembling hand. As he turned to leave, he spoke to Zensuke and the others.

  "My daughter occasionally tends to Lord Kodera’s needs. Do not worry."

  Zensuke and the others bowed deeply once more before vanishing. Kato was filled with wonder.

  (What kind of man is he, to make these three go so far... the man in that dungeon...?)

  Zensuke and his companions did not care if posterity despised them as "useless vassals." Their only goal was to keep their master alive. For that single purpose, they buried their pride in the mud and continued to look up at the black walls of Arioka.

  This "secret connection between warriors" became the thin but unbreakable spider’s silk that would pull Kanbe'e back from the abyss of death.

  Produced and written by a Japanese author, rooted in authentic Japanese history. Translated with the assistance of Gemini (AI).