Chapter 226: The Kunoichi Mochizuki Chiyome
At this time, there were still a few days left until the rice harvest, but the people in the village were already busy, working to protect their future.
With each samurai contributing their expertise, they divided the labor and led the farmers in their respective tasks.
For example, when Shirou was patrolling the village, he discovered a makeshift blacksmith shop. Being skilled in crafting various tools, he discussed it with his companions and took on the job of making equipment.
The poor mountain village was generally ignored, except for the officials who came to collect taxes every year. Traveling to the city market took half a day, so everything they could manage was self-sufficient. Although there wasn't much iron ore here, they usually only sharpened scissors and forged some farm tools.
However, in front of a capable blacksmith, there was still much that could be done, provided the tools were complete.
For instance, they could install wire to prevent climbing on the defensive walls, attach iron spikes to thin wooden strips to create the simplest arrows, and set up a few traps in concealed locations, which might achieve unexpected results.
Thus, for the past few days, the village was filled with the sound of "ping-pong" metal working during the day, with Yukino assisting him.
On the other side, a group of men gathered, letting out encouraging cries.
"Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!"
Four or five men were seen collectively carrying a large, roughly three-meter-long log, walking out of the woods. Trailing behind them was a tall, sturdy, blue-haired man carrying an equally thick log by himself, occasionally offering a few words of encouragement.
"Keep going! Keep going! Move it! Just a few dozen more steps to go."
Tawara Touta was leading this group of farmers, usually responsible for chopping firewood, to the back mountain of the village. They carried logs cut from the forest and intended to be dried for firewood. These logs were placed on the ground, ready to be used later to build a barrier to prevent cavalry from charging into the village.
Hōzōin Inshun trained the farmers here. They selected resilient bamboo, sharpened one end, and used them as bamboo spears. Although not a great weapon, they wouldn't break easily even if struck by a sword. When used against a fragile human body, as long as they didn't hit bone, and were thrust with sufficient force, the effect wouldn't be much worse than a blade.
"Hah! Yah!"
"That's it! Ten more times! Imagine a bandit standing in front of you and stab towards his body."
"Don't blink when you thrust! Aim at your target! Don't be nervous, keep your hand steady! Hitting the enemy is a victory. Even the Buddha has an angry form as a Vajra. You are fighting to protect your family! That is something to be proud of."
"Yes! Hah! Yah!"
The shouts of the young men in the village rang out from time to time. They were inevitably nervous, but they understood the seriousness of the situation. Their only choice was to let their bodies get used to the movement of thrusting, so they would stab before they could think.
Although Kojiro was taciturn, since he was eating the rice of this village, he silently took on the duty of patrolling and guarding. He was indeed well-suited for such work.
If he stood at the mountain gate, he could guarantee that no matter what kind of strong opponent came, he could hold them off until the battle was decided. As someone who didn't rely on magical power to fight and could still use his swordsmanship, he was the strongest presence here in terms of one-on-one combat.
Meanwhile, Souji and Nobu were at the well, playing happily with the village children.
Shirou, who had just finished his forging work, returned to the doorway. Watching the two girls and the children making noise, carefree, he felt that he must protect this village, if only for the sake of these children.
"Yes." Yukino put down the package containing her writing tools and happily joined the playful group with a smile.
"They're just kids after all," Shirou also smiled, seeing the girl's happy expression.
"Yo, Shirou, how are the preparations coming along?" Souji noticed him, ran over, and asked with a smile.
Shirou replied, "The preliminary preparations are complete. We just need to wait for the rice to be harvested before setting up the defense line."
"I see. Speaking of which, your demeanor in that kimono really reminds me a bit of my brother, Kinnami. When he was free, he often took me to play with the neighborhood kids," Souji said, looking at Shirou with a somewhat nostalgic smile.
Because he had been forging, Shirou had taken off the outer layer of his samurai clothing and was only wearing a casual kimono.
'Kinnami Keisuke... huh.' Shirou sighed inwardly but didn't ask. Instead, he countered:
"No, to be honest, I'm really not good with children. Letting them have their way will cause big problems. If I lecture them, they'll just find me annoying."
"That's true, but once you see a child needs help, you can never let go," Souji smiled and looked at Shirou with an understanding expression.
.
.
.
At this very moment, on the back mountain of the village, beyond the dense forest, cliffs, and mountain roads, high up where a stream flowed, a bonfire was burning. Bandits were seated on the ground, and women in kimonos were pouring sake for them. A drinking feast was underway here.
The black-haired, red-eyed girl, clad in a long robe, sat high upon a wooden chair draped with a tiger skin, holding a sake cup. Not far from her feet, three adult-sized skulls that had been scorched by fire hung from a wooden post.
These three heads belonged to the former three leaders of the bandits here. Since she brought two people, she killed three, ensuring the bandits still numbered forty, making this game fair.
The black-haired girl, the Sixth Heaven Demon King, looked down at the bandits seated below and declared:
"There is never justice in this world! War, earthquake, storm, fire, famine, plague—disasters never cease. Even without war, even if there were no bandits like us, disaster remains disaster, happening year after year.
This is the truth. In a world like this, let me teach you how to live a magnificent life!
I greatly value talent. No matter your background—whether you are a farmer, a thief, or a bandit—if you have talent, I will employ you. Even wanting to become like the Monkey is not impossible, if you have enough ability.
My ambition is vast. If your current knowledge and ability are insufficient, do not worry; just study hard every day. I will give you the opportunity to show your skills once you've learned. Whether it's strategy, diplomacy, military tactics, martial arts, or finance—anything goes. If you have enough ability, I will give you the corresponding status.
Natural disaster? Man-made calamity? Gods? Buddhas? Demons? You don't need to fear any of them. You just need to follow me and become a being that even the demons of Rashomon fear!"
"Ohh ohh! Bandit King!"
"Yes! Leader!"
"I'm fired up! I wouldn't lose to those samurai in a fight!"
"Let the samurai come! I'll kill them all! Let's take down the castle in the valley!"
Demon King Nobunaga pointed to the ninja girl on the side roof and continued:
"Look at this alluringly dressed girl! She is a ninja who holds a deep, bloody grudge against me, wishing she could kill me for revenge right now. She is only staying there because she can't defeat me. But she possesses enough talent, so I allow her to follow me.
My little ones, go hone your skills! Go become stronger! Starting as a low-level henchman is fine; strive hard to build up merits! If you have enough power to seize, even if you cut off my head, I will have no complaints."
"Oh oh oh!"
"Incredible! This leader is completely insane!"
"Amazing! Too amazing! I feel like if we follow the leader, we might truly become the strongest bandits here!"
The bandits were all enthusiastically encouraged! They raised their katanas and cheered.
After three rounds of cheering, the bandits' bodies began to change. Under the effect of the Holy Grail, the bandits, mirroring their inner desires, gained the symbolic features of 'Oni' (demons) who live by plunder and slaughter.
Although they were only spectral, irregular, twisted demon horns grew on their foreheads and sides of their heads.
"I feel like I've become stronger!"
"My strength has increased! Wahahaha!!" A bandit directly lifted a stone on the ground high into the air.
"Baka! Use your strength in the right place! I can do it seven times tonight!" A bandit picked up the wife he had stolen and walked towards the bamboo grove.
"Hahaha!"
"Celebrate! Eat to your heart's content! Drink! Embrace! Don't worry about anything! When you run out of supplies, just go and plunder!" Demon Person Nobunaga laughed, raising her sake cup.
"Yes! Understood! Thank you, Leader!"
"It's great to follow a leader like this." The bandits happily ate and drank.
In just over a day, Demon King Nobunaga had completely subdued this group of bandits. First, she killed the original three leaders to establish authority, then distributed the leaders' wealth, followed by threats and temptations, and finally, she gave them an ideal.
Even in later generations, she would be a top-tier leader.
'By slowly strengthening their bodies with the Holy Grail every day, even these bandits will become very strong. By then, that village will be vulnerable, and Shirou will be mine.'
Thinking this, Demon King Nobunaga, in high spirits, raised her cup and invited the ninja girl sitting on the high roof, "Hey~! Mochizuki, how about you come down and have a drink?"
"Tch... No need!" Mochizuki Chiyome, standing on the roof edge, bit her lip but was helpless. She just jumped off the roof and walked towards the forest.
"Hmm, what an uninteresting woman. It's a pity for that outfit of hers," Nobunaga regretfully put the raised sake cup to her mouth and drank it herself. She turned to her other helper and asked, "What do you think, Izo?"
"Well, Boss, let her be. Based on my experience, she will still do her job properly when it's time to kill," the man with the long, curly ponytail agreed with a gloomy smile.
This was a samurai man with a fluffy, messy ponytail, whose gray, curly hair obscured half of his face, and whose mouth held a wicked smile. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck.
"By the way, Boss, when are we going down the mountain? There are many samurai worth cutting down there, aren't there? I'm looking forward to seeing some exquisite swordsmanship! Hehehe!" the man said with a dark laugh.
"Well, endure it for a while longer. Tomorrow, you can start by dealing with the leaders of the nearby mountain bandits to tide you over. When the rice is ripe, that will be the time for the decisive battle," Demon King Nobunaga said, drinking sake.
In the mountain forest, a large tree was struck by over ten kunai, with various cuts and scratches, venting the anger of the black-haired girl who was panting, murmuring hoarsely, "Damn it! Bastard! Oda! I will definitely kill you! I will definitely kill you!"
Mochizuki Chiyome was a kunoichi who served the Takeda Shingen clan, the 'Tiger of Kai.' Due to her ancestor, Kōga Saburō, having borrowed the divine power of Ibuki Daimyōjin, she inherited a generational curse. A split spirit of Yamata no Orochi resided within her body.
Therefore, she was also appointed as the head priestess in the Takeda territory, responsible for training priestesses and female ninjas in dance, seduction, sabotage, assassination, scouting, and intelligence gathering.
Since the Mochizuki family had no male heirs, Takeda Shingen arranged for his nephew to marry into the Mochizuki family to take over the family business, making him her husband, Mochizuki Moritoki.
After Takeda Shingen's death, the new family head, eager to prove himself, initiated a war against Oda Nobunaga, which resulted in a devastating defeat, and her husband died in that battle.
Afterward, as a defeated party, she led her family to flee and sought refuge in the Sanada clan's territory. Not long after, the news of Oda Nobunaga's death arrived, and she lost her chance for revenge.
So when she heard the name Oda Nobunaga, she immediately rushed to fight, intending only to avenge her husband, but the difference in power was too great. Some of the advanced Kōga-ryū ninjutsu she possessed and the curse of Yamata no Orochi within her were greatly weakened upon arriving in this world. As for other hidden weapons or poison, they could not harm Oda Nobunaga, who possessed strange powers.
Faced with thousands of matchlock guns, she had no choice but to flee.
Just the day before yesterday, this powerful Demon King Oda Nobunaga came to her and asked her to swear allegiance. In exchange, she would be allowed to stay by her side, giving her a chance for revenge.
She was now enduring the anger and hatred in her heart, waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to personally kill Oda Nobunaga. Of course, attacking the village, whether it was this Demon King or the one called Nobu, who looked like a mischievous girl, made no difference.
Due to the strenuous exercise, even the black cloth wrapped around her head came loose, revealing her covered heterochromatic eyes: a golden vertical pupil, the proof of her possession by a fragment of the great god Yamata no Orochi, which contrasted sharply with her other deep blue sapphire eye.
Upon arriving in this world, the curse, whose influence had been weakened, was now revived under the influence of her hatred, bringing her not only the feeling of being coiled and the pain but also power.
Mochizuki Chiyome reached out to retrieve the kunai from the tree and turned to leave.
Just then, a harsh screeching sound from a bird of prey echoed through the forest, making the girl frown and stop.
She turned and flung something with force!
Boom!!!
With a loud crash, the large tree inside fell, startling the nocturnal birds in the forest, which flew away.
Crack! The man and woman who were in the middle of their activity were suddenly startled, and the bones inside their bodies let out a cry of fracture.
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL
Thank you as always for your support!
I wanted to announce that I posted a new Fanfiction!
Saving the World with Crossovers, starting with replacing Natsuki subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman
Kawata Osamu transmigrated and became a God.
Wonderful start, right? Unfortunately, this world is destined to be destroyed by the Abyss...
The only thing he can do is try to merge many worlds together thanks to the "Children of the World."
If he can show everyone their adventures and evoke enough emotion, the worlds will merge! Kawata Osamu decided to start by replacing Natsuki Subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman!
2nd Arc: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in Redo of Healer
3rd Arc: Shirogane Miyuki in Inuyasha
4th Arc: Kousaka Kyousuke in Overlord
I have already posted 264 Chapters of this Fanfiction!
Mostly because it's really really good, so I wanted to continue working on it XD
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting