After contemplating the teachings of Suntzumon, carefully considering his options and getting viciously bullied by his parents, Sutibu snaps out of his despair and continues his quest for glory. Sooner or later, an opportunity will present itself, and when it does he must be ready to seize it!
The peasants may have been bled dry and the ashigaru might despise him, but there are still important tasks to accomplish.
Honing one's skills...
Drilling the few troops that remain...
And of course, humiliating Chizaemon, who is now the laughing stock of the entire clan!
And thus, after months of productive work, an opportunity has come at last. A few shabby bandits should be an easy match for the combined forces of two hatamoto!
Gathering his men, Sutibu quickly marches for Sadaie's fief, eager to win some recognition.
At the same time, additional bold deeds become available at the castle. Fighting the sohei might be too risky, but the cornered assassin should make a fine target for Sutibu's katana.
The enemy is nothing but a bunch of ruffians, and they're outnumbered as well. Naturally, Sutibu orders his men to attack.
The cavalry quickly runs down the right formation, routing the poor wretches. At the same time, the main infantry unit clashes with the bandits and enter a bloody melee.
Both sides lose plenty of men, but the bandits naturally have to give. As they turn to flee, the cavalry comes back from mop-up duty and now blocks their path.
Glorious carnage follows, and of the right kind for a change.
Severed head surveying. Truly a distinguished moment of male bonding.
Takeaki manages to drive off the warrior monks and is rewarded for his effort.
His triumph, however, is short-lived...
And so is he! Seeing how Sadaie remained at his estate at the time of the murder, the culprit has to be Chizaemon. Didn't think that old cuck had it in him! He must be getting desperate now, as his ruined reputation has allowed his rivals to threaten his position as the Daimyo's favourite.
Sutibu enters Lord Mogami's castle and loudly proclaims his intention to defend the clan's honour, hopeful that the severed head of the cornered Date assassin will help boost his quite atrocious reputation.
Unlike other duelists, this one is surprisingly aggressive. Both fighters trade blows, injuring each other.
Nevertheless, he is no match for Sutibu's katana magic! A sideway slash injures the killer further, forcing him to stumble back. Desperate, the assassin launches a powerful charge attack, but Sutibu has seen it all before.
Using the secret technique of strafing, our hero confuses the enemy by dashing to the right, only to suddenly stop and brace for the incoming attack. With perfect timing, Sutibu delivers an upper leftward power attack, cutting right through the stunned opponent!
Recked. GG.
"Will need new kimono, lah!"
"Very little honor" sure beats "no honor" - now there's something to work with, at least.
On his way home, Sutibu encounters yet another challenger, eager to test his secret fighting technique.
"Who's superior now, cibai!"
Thanks to his victory over the bandit trash and the outcome of the duels, Sutibu can now finally recruit more men to his cause. For several seasons he does little else, growing his fighting force well past its original strength.
Eventually, Chizaemon strikes again, but this time he isn't quite as lucky!
This might just be doable after all.