The Trusted Confidant

On September 10, 1561, the fierce battle between Takeda and Uesugi rose to its peak. Kansuke's strategy was foreseen by Usami and Uesugi's troops led by Masatora attacks Takeda's main forces. Shingen loses his brother and a general and Takeda's troops were on the verge of destruction. While Shingen waited for another force of 12,000 to arrive for support, Kansuke decides to attack the enemy himself to protect Takeda's main forces.

In 1560, Kagetora advances onto Kanto defeating Hojo in order to restore the Kanto area. Around the same time, Yu and Harunobu's son Shiro celebrates the coming of age and assumes Suwa's surname. Warlords of Kanto gather around Kagetora to take his side which soon numbers to 100,000 forces. Usami fears Kagetora's arrogance. The troops led by Kagetora surrounds the impregnable Odawara Castle, the strategic point of the Hojo clan. Kagetora decides to take over as the head of the Uesugi Family, and changes his name to Masatora Uesugi.

Usami, a general of the Nagao family, sends Heizo to Suruga to see Toraoumaru, Yu's half brother who is also the bereaved child of the Suwa Family. Heizo and Toraoumaru, harboring resentment against the Takeda clan, infiltrate to Kai. Having heard that strange young monks are seen around Shingen, Kansuke is suspicious.

Yu passes away before Kansuke comes back from the battle. He remembers her last words urging him to marry and leave an heir. Kansuke leaves a note to Harunobu and goes on a trip to shake off his unsettling mind. Meanwhile in Echigo, unified by Kagetora, conflicts over the territory between the ruling families continue as a result of the long drawn out battles. Kagetora is disappointed with the quarrels among his retainers and suddenly disappears from Echigo.

After the first battle against Kagetora, Harunobu visits Yu in Suwa. Having heard that Kansuke might marry Ritsu, Yu has mixed feelings. Meanwhile, Kansuke embarks on the three-line alliance among Takeda, Imagawa and Hojo, while Kagetora heads for the capital, Kyoto. The year after, Harunobu, Yoshimoto, and Ujiyasu gather at Zentokuji Temple in Suruga to confirm their alliance.

After strengthening the tie with the Imagawa family by the marriage of Imagawa’s daughter and Harunobu’s son and heir Taro, Takeda’s troops finally advance on to Shinano defeating Murakami. A well thought-out strategy by Kansuke causes the feudal lords of Shinano to surrender to the Takeda clan without a battle one after another and Murakami instantly becomes isolated. Foreseeing a no-win situation, Murakami runs to Kagetora in Echigo. Kagetora makes up his mind to advance on to Shinano to restore order, having learned of Takeda’s villainous plot from Murakami.

Kansuke, prepared to kill Ogoto on behalf of Yu, loses his motivation, recognizing her innocence and beauty. Instead, he advises her to respect Yu’s son Shiro as the successor of the Takeda clan. On New Year’s Day in 1552, Oyamada, Takeda’s general, is killed by his concubine, Miru. She had long felt resentment toward the Takeda clan for her husband, Sasahara, was killed by them.

Harunobu saves Kansuke and goes back to Kai. During his absence, the Takeda clan was severely defeated by Murakami and Sanada, the very person who caused the defeat, is under fire from the retainers of the Takeda clan. For Sanada to wipe the disgrace and survive, he must succeed in capturing the impregnable Toishi Castle. Kansuke initiates Sanada a secret plan—to persuade Takanaga Tokita, Sanada's younger brother who presently serves under Murakami, to become a retainer of the Takeda clan.

Kansuke disguises as a gun trader and meets Kagetora. He offers Kagetora 10 guns, but he demands to provide 100 guns, saying he will take Kansuke as a hostage until he meets the demand. Although Kagetora is almost certain that Kansuke is the general of the Takeda clan, Kansuke has no intention of responding to Kagetora's demand and is pleased to become a hostage, taking the advantage to spy on the Nagao family. Kagetora takes him to Usami's castle, a neutral warlord in Echigo, whom Kagetora hopes to win him over to his side. Meanwhile, Harunobu advances on Murakami to capture Toishi Castle and suffers an unexpected crushing defeat.

Around the same time that Harunobu and Kansuke defeat the Ogasawara clan, Kagetora Nagao becomes the head of the Nagao family, succeeding his elder brother. Things finally calm down in Shinano. Kansuke goes on a trip to obtain guns, foreseeing that the new weapon is the key for future victories. Coming back to Kai, Kansuke tells Harunobu about his grand plan of seizing control of Echigo, Suruga, and then the whole country. Kansuke asks Harunobu to let him infiltrate Echigo to spy on their potential enemy.

In February 1548, Takeda’s troops advance on Shinano. The vanguard led by Itagaki and Amari battles against Murakami’s troops in Uedahara. Itagaki is ready for death and tells Kansuke to be a real military strategist and protect Harunobu. On the night, Amari defects to the enemy, as he promised with Yoshikiyo Murakami. Hearing this, Harunobu is outraged but Kansuke perceives that Amari is just pretending to be a traitor. As Kansuke infers, Amari tries to kill Murakami, but fails and is caught. Meanwhile, Itagaki’s troop is surrounded by Murakami’s army, having chased the enemy too far against Harunobu’s command. Although Takeda’s troops battle with all their force to save Itagaki, he dies on the battlefield.

Kasahara Kiyoshige, the warlord of Shiga Castle in Shinano, raises an army against the Takeda clan. Harunobu is irritated at being still unable to assume full control of Shinano. Takeda’s army advances on Shinano to capture the castle. Itagaki’s troop defeats the reinforcements sent by Kasahara’s ally. Although Kansuke proposes that Harunobu urge Kasahara to surrender, Harunobu commands his troops to behead the enemies and put the heads around the castle.

Kansuke is wounded by gunfire in the night assault at Kawagoe Castle. He is saved by Yukitaka Sanada and stays at a temple in Kozuke, Uesugi’s territory, while the wound heals. Sanada makes up his mind to serve under Harunobu, the enemy of the Uesugi clan, but he faces stiff opposition from his wife and retainers. Meanwhile, Yu gives birth to a long-awaited baby boy, who is named Shiro. While in Echigo, the Nagao family seizes power and Kagetora Nagao, a younger brother of the head of the family, emerges as a powerful leader. Having returned to Kai and met baby Shiro, Kansuke finds a new purpose in life—aiding the son of Yu and Harunobu.

Yu becomes pregnant with Harunobu’s child. Kansuke is pleased as if it were his own. Meanwhile, Sessai, a military strategist of the Imagawa clan, visits Harunobu. Sessai asks him to send Takeda’s troops to Suruga based on the Takeda-Imagawa alliance, in order to help the Imagawa regain the territory that the Hojo clan has been occupying. Harunobu is skeptical about Imagawa’s true intensions. Kansuke is sent to Suruga to reconcile the Imagawa with the Hojo.

In September 1543, Takeda’s army besieges Nagakubo Castle in Shinano. Harunobu decides to give Kansuke the position of Takeda’s military strategist, if he successfully captures the castle. With the help of the spy he has already sent into the enemy, Kansuke swiftly takes the castle. Meanwhile, Yu is in agony, torn apart between her affection and grudge toward Harunobu. Harunobu tells Kansuke to find out Yu’s true feelings.

Yu is brought to Kofu from Suwa and Harunobu declares that he will take Yu as his own concubine. The retainers bitterly oppose his idea. Only Kansuke sides with Harunobu, saying if a boy is born between the two and he becomes the head of the Suwa clan, Suwa’s people will swear loyalty the Takeda clan. Kansuke tries to persuade Yu but she rejects, saying she would rather kill herself than be a concubine of the man who caused death to her father. One of Harunobu’s retainers tries to compel Yu to commit suicide and Harunobu’s wife Sanjo flings harsh words at Yu.

Yorishige Suwa and Nene are sent to Kofu, Kai’s castle town, where the head of the Suwa clan is forced to kill himself. Kansuke goes to Suwa with Itagaki’s troops to make the remnants of the clan and the followers surrender. In the castle, Kansuke happens to find Yu. The princess has been refusing to follow her attendants’ persuasion to kill herself before she is insulted by the enemy. She yells out at Kansuke that she wants to be alive and see the world. Kansuke is instantly captivated by her noble beauty.

Takeda’s territory in Shinano has been invaded by the Uesugi clan. Yorishige Suwa, Harunobu’s brother by marriage who has been allied with Takeda, makes peace with the Uesugi clan without consulting the head of the Takeda family. To design a plan to recover the land, Kansuke is sent to the Suwa region, where he first sees Yu, a daughter of Yorishige Suwa. Meanwhile in Kai, Harunobu chooses “furinkazan,” a quote from a military treatise written in ancient China, for new banners of his clan.

Harunobu is now the leader of the Takeda clan. Kansuke has a masterless samurai attack Harunobu’s chief retainer Nobukata Itagaki and saves the retainer killing the samurai, for the purpose of becoming a retainer of Takeda. Itagaki sees through the plot but leaves Kansuke alive, remembering that Harunobu has once chosen to save Kansuke’s life. Hearing the incident from Itagaki, Harunobu calls up Kansuke in front of him and tells him to become his retainer, despite objections from other retainers.

Itagaki secretly works on persuading major Takeda retainers and the Imagawa clan to support Harunobu. Unaware of the conspiracy against him, Nobutora leaves Kai for Suruga invited by Yoshimoto Imagawa—the head of the Imagawa clan has chosen to side Harunobu and agreed to confine Nobutora in his domain forever. Kansuke, who has been in Suruga still masterless, is sent to bring Nobutora by order of Yoshimoto.

The army of the Takeda clan besieges the Unnokuchi castle. Kansuke gives advice to the warlord of the castle and help him defend the castle from the 8000-person army. Harunobu Takeda has come to the battlefield for his maiden battle but cannot participate in the battle being deployed in the rear. After one month of struggle, Takeda Nobutora decides to retreat since his troops are about to run out of provisions and it has started to snow. The warlord of the Unnokuchi castle and his warriors are delighted to see the Takeda army leave. Kansuke advises them to keep vigilant but they start drinking believing that they have won. After a while, Harunobu returns with his 300-person troop.

Fukushima seeks refuge with Takeda’s retainer who introduced Fukushima to the head of the Takeda family. Nobutora kills both of the two. The conflict between Nobutora and his son Harunobu becomes more bitter after this. Meanwhile, Kansuke goes to see Jukeini’s son Yoshimoto, who now is the new head of Imagawa. Despite his achievements in disposing of Fukushima, Kansuke is refused to become a retainer of the clan. Kansuke’s hope to take revenge on Takeda with the help of Imagawa also disappears, as they are now in alliance. Kansuke departs for Sagami, the domain ruled by the Hojo clan, to look for a warlord to serve.

Mitsu has been shot and killed by Nobutora. Kansuke keeps calm, but hearing Takeda’s retainers impose silence on the villagers about what happened, Kansuke attacks in fury at Nobukata Itagaki, one of Harunobu’s chief retainers. Though Kansuke is defeated, Itagaki gets impressed by his swordsmanship and tells Harunobu about the one-eyed man. Harunobu, who is also shocked by the cruel behavior of Nobutora, wants to see Kansuke. The two meet each other for the first time. Sensing Kansuke’s resentment against Nobutora, Harunobu persuades him to lay aside his grudge and hold ambition. Kansuke goes to Suruga on Itagaki’s order to spy into the Imagawa clan at internal strife. Kansuke informs Tadatane Ihara, his relative who is one of Imagawa’s main retainers, of the conspiracy against the clan leader. Ihara, however, tells Kansuke that the Imagawa leader as well as his brother has died mysteriously on the same day.

Kansuke returns home in Mikawa Domain after 15 years. He brings the decapitated head of the samurai of the Takeda army he killed to save Mitsu—he have planned to show it as a display of his prowess in order to be taken into the service of the Imagawa clan. Coming back, Kansuke finds that his adoptive father now has a natural son. The father who wants the son, not Kansuke, to succeed him steals the head and tenders it to one of the warlords under the Imagawa clan as the son’s achievement. Kansuke decides to rename himself Yamamoto Kansuke, the family name of his real parents, and leaves Mikawa for Suruga, where his was born. In Suruga, Kansuke happens to know his elder brother Sadahisa is involved in a conspiracy against the head of the Imagawa family. For knowing the secret, Kansuke is attacked by a group of assassins directed by Sadahisa. Kansuke has to leave home again.