Yashiro the Blind

Chiyome looked in the direction her fingertip pointed.

It happened to come into contact with a one-eyed creature.

She gasped, and in the blink of an eye, she sat up straight and shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, no, no need!"

"Oh."

Yashiro nodded, having anticipated this, and said nothing more.

About half a minute later, another gasp was heard beside her: "No no no no... No way..." Chiyo muttered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, her tone full of disbelief—it seemed that the slow-witted guy had finally realized what was going on.

Nineteen years ago, Yamamoto Kansuke was not yet surnamed Yamamoto, nor had he served in the Takeda clan. He was just an ordinary ronin who met an ordinary woman in a small village in Kai Province. Like dry wood meeting a raging fire, their love blossomed and they formed an ordinary marriage.

Soon after, the woman became pregnant, and the ronin gave up his ambitions and desires for fame and fortune, preparing himself to live an ordinary life in the village... until one day, an arrow soaked in malice was shot at him.

Although he didn't hear the details directly from Mankisai, Yashiro could deduce what had happened by considering the cause and effect:

The cruel lord shot and killed a woman who went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables on a whim. Then, still on a whim, he ordered his followers to cut open the dead woman's abdomen, take out the fetus, and gamble on its gender for amusement.

and then?

Perhaps it is possible that, by divine intervention and the protection of the gods, this child was not destined to die, and when he was forcibly removed from his mother's body, he still retained a faint trace of life.

Perhaps the cruel lord happened to witness this scene and thought of his own child. A trace of pity flashed through his demonic heart, and he did not kill the child on the spot. Instead, he threw him to his attendant and let him deal with him as he saw fit.

Perhaps the attendant couldn't bear to watch a young life perish, and coincidentally, a rising young doctor lived nearby, so he hurried as fast as he could and finally got the child to the doctor's residence before the child died...

Perhaps nineteen years ago, due to this series of unfortunate events, a life that should have lived died, and a life that should have perished struggled to survive. After that, perhaps some other changes occurred, some twists and turns were experienced, and the child eventually arrived in Yuanjiang, where he once again met kind people, allowing his life to continue—

until today.

Two lines that once diverged were able to intersect on the chessboard of fate.

Yamamoto Kansuke stared blankly at the scene before him. Perhaps because he only had one eye left, he felt that his vision had become incredibly narrow. This fierce eye, which could easily take in thousands of troops and strategies from ancient times to the present, could not even make out the appearance of a little girl.

“Mi…Zin…”

The sunlight of the past and the shadows of the present intertwined, and in the interplay of light and darkness, he seemed to see another similar figure, also with a carefree smile, holding his hand, or hugging him, or approaching him with that burning heat... It was a dream he hadn't seen for twenty years.

He suddenly bit his lip hard, and the sweet, metallic taste and the sharp pain rushed into his mind, instantly waking him up. The illusions of the past vanished, and before him stood the girl named Kokoro, who was holding onto Nagata Tokumoto's sleeve, chattering away like a cheerful lark.

Although the two had not seen each other for at least ten years, there was no trace of estrangement brought about by time on Xiaoqin's face. She was still smiling and sweetly calling out "Daddy," as if in that little mind, the separation of more than three thousand days was just a blink of an eye.

Nagata Tokumoto also had an undisguised smile on his face, but unlike Kotomi, he was still trying to hide it. While listening to the girl talk with nostalgia, he would occasionally glance at Yamamoto Kansuke with a troubled look. His expression was like that of someone who had just finished drinking a bowl of bitter soup with ten pounds of sugar, a mixture of all sorts of feelings, vividly illustrating the plasticity of the human face.

Suddenly, Xiaoqin seemed to notice something, turned her head and looked over as well.

Yamamoto Kansuke felt his heart skip a beat.

Ever since he heard this story from Chiyo and Nagata Tokumoto, and learned that his daughter, whom he thought was dead, might still be alive, he hasn't closed his eyes. Whenever he closes one eye, the village he once knew, that brief but warm time, and that woman with the sweet smile appear before his eyes...

With just one glance, Yamamoto Kansuke had a premonition that the girl named Kotomi was his and Mitsu's daughter.

But in that instant, he suddenly regretted not dressing up properly before going out. He should have put on the magnificent and splendid battle robe that his lord had bestowed upon him, as well as that precious great armor... No, in the end, no matter how well a lame, one-eyed, and fierce-looking old man dressed, he would probably only be avoided by people.

The thought of what was about to happen sent a shiver down his spine. His teeth chattered, and the scar on his face twitched like a menacing centipede. He wanted to look away, to avoid seeing the fear and disgust that was about to surface in the other man's eyes. He wanted to turn and run away at all costs, to cover his face with his hands, or to gouge out his remaining eye with his fingers…

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to do anything.

That fleeting glance felt both too short and too long.

Xiaoqin was only slightly taken aback.

Then she flashed a happy smile: "Hello—are you Dad's friend?"

There wasn't a trace of gloom in his eyes.

It was as clean as a mirror.

Unbeknownst to him, Yamamoto Kansuke's tightly clenched fist slowly loosened, blood trickling from his palm. A faint pain emanated from it, but he seemed oblivious, merely trying to smooth the scars on his face and make his expression as gentle as possible...

A few seconds later, he gave up on doing so and, entirely on instinct, laughed relaxedly: "Hello, little girl."

……

After a brief moment of liveliness, the room returned to its original quiet.

The crude chessboard and pieces were put away, and Yashiro moved back to make enough space for Yamamoto Kansuke to sit down.

At this moment, only the two of them were in the room. Xiaoqin pulled Nagata Tokumoto and said she wanted to introduce him to her new friends, Xiaochu and Longzi. For some reason, in Xiaoqin's mind, the big eagle was still ranked ahead of Longzi. It can only be said that someone probably needs to seriously reflect on his usual behavior. Chiyome had already disappeared long ago.

Yashiro could almost hear the lament in her heart: How could I possibly be in the same room as my boss?!

"I thought you would come with me."

That being said, it's not fair to blame Chiyo for being too timid. This strategist of the Takeda clan really didn't give off a good impression. Even though Yashiro couldn't see what he looked like, the aura he exuded reminded her of her homeroom teacher in her past life who would secretly peek out of the classroom window to observe the situation. That kind of intimidating presence was enough to make anyone shudder.

And she didn't even get a drink.

After a long silence, not knowing why the other person wanted to stay, Yashiro had no choice but to bite the bullet and start talking. Otherwise, if she kept holding back, she would think that the two of them were about to have an iaido duel.

"...Thank you."

Yamamoto Kansuke suddenly let out a long breath.

"Um...you're welcome?"

The completely nonsensical response left the girl even more confused.

“I mean… thank you for saving her life in Tōtōmi.” Once he started speaking, Yamamoto Kansuke's words seemed to flow more smoothly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve thanked anyone so sincerely, it feels a little strange… but in this matter, Kansuke must express his sincerest gratitude. If it weren’t for you… if it weren’t for you—”

When he said the last half of the sentence, he not only switched to a respectful address, but his voice also became slightly choked up.

Yashiro secretly grimaced; she couldn't stand this kind of atmosphere. Just as she was racking her brains for a way to interrupt, she suddenly heard a rustling sound. Yamamoto Kansuke crawled forward on his knees and, before the girl could react, forcefully grabbed her hand: "This kindness... Kansuke really doesn't know how to repay it, even if I'm shattered to pieces... even if I'm shattered to pieces! Waaah!"

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly burst into a childlike wail, tears streaming down her left hand as if they were free.

The girl's scalp was about to explode: "Just stay far away from me and don't force me to make a move!" For a moment, she forgot all about manners, status, and identity. If this old man didn't let go, she didn't care about his status as a military advisor or anything like that. She was ready to take him down with a single move.

She's not a woman unless she knocks the other person's nose crooked!

"Ah...haha, hahaha, sorry, it's my fault...waaaah!" Yamamoto Kansuke seemed to only then realize what had happened, hurriedly letting go and backing away, laughing awkwardly and apologizing. Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly couldn't control himself and burst into tears again.

Is this person crazy...?

Yashiro quietly grabbed her cane, ready to rush out the door at the slightest mishap.

Fortunately, after crying this time, the cripple finally returned to normal and distanced himself from her, taking the initiative to sit by the door, just out of reach of Yashiro's cane, whether intentionally or not.

She still spoke in a muffled voice with a heavy nasal tone, clearly having just cried. Fortunately, it was just the two of them present. If Chiyo hadn't left, she might have been resented by her boss and given a hard time—in this respect, she was quite prescient.

"...I'm sorry, I lost my composure." Perhaps feeling ashamed in retrospect, Yamamoto Kansuke spoke evasively and weakly, looking as if he wanted to disappear into the ground.

"It's okay, I don't mind." Yashiro forced a smile.

"Really?"

"It's fake, so don't worry about it."

"Ha...hahaha, I thought so too."

During the question-and-answer session, Yamamoto Kansuke slapped his thigh and laughed, "That's wonderful. It must be the Bodhisattva Hachiman's intervention that allowed that child to have the good fortune to meet such an interesting person as you... Mitsu once told me that she had a dream in which a Bodhisattva appeared, and then she got pregnant... Let's not talk about it anymore, or I'm afraid I'll start..."

He sniffed hard, managing not to repeat himself: "I can tell you don't really want to be with me, so let's get straight to the point—like I just said, if you hadn't come to my rescue, that child would probably be... would have been... ugh... ugh... ugh!"

With a sudden shout, Yamamoto Kansuke suppressed the impulse with sheer willpower, leaning forward with a fervent light flashing in his single eye.

"I will certainly repay this great kindness, but what I want to talk about today is not repaying the kindness, but... seeking talent."

"Seeking talent?" Yashiro was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Exactly!"

Yamamoto Kansuke nodded. “Heroes emerge from among the young. I observe that although you are young, you possess superb martial arts skills. It would be a pity to let them go to waste. A true man stands tall and upright… Although you are a woman, there is a saying that women are not inferior to men. In the past, there was Tomoe Gozen, whose courage was unmatched by ten thousand men. In this era, there is also the ‘female daimyo’ of the Imagawa family, who is wise and resourceful, and strategizes with great skill. This shows that women are not necessarily inferior to men. Since you were born in a chaotic world, you should make a name for yourself. How about taking this opportunity to rise up and display your talents under the banner of the Lord’s Four-fold Army?”

……

Chapter Sixty-Two: Three Paths and Three Things

"Lord Yamamoto, is this... an attempt to recruit me?"

It took a long time for Yashiro to recover from his surprise and ask somewhat uncertainly.

"That's right... Of course, this is just an idea of ​​mine. Whether you agree or not is entirely up to you. I have no intention of forcing you in the slightest."

Seemingly afraid that she might misunderstand, Yamamoto Kansuke explained again, adding, "If you, Miss Yashiro, are willing to agree, I have three more options for you... First, if you don't want to show your face and attract attention, you can join the Tōha Clan. With my guarantee, in as little as three to five years, or at most ten years, you can take over my current position and become the leader of the Tōha Clan, leading the ninja clans of Kai and Suwa. Even if it's not particularly glamorous, it will at least be considered a great success."

"And if you have no intention of hiding in the shadows, you can also become my retainer."

He rested his hands on his knees, his expression earnest, his tone sincere, and a glint of light in his single eye. "Although I, Kansuke, am not a particularly remarkable figure, I am fortunate to be a samurai with an annual salary of eight hundred kan thanks to the favor of my lord. If you are willing to join my ranks, I will offer you an annual salary of two hundred kan. What do you say?"

"This……"

"Don't rush, there's still a third way." Yamamoto Kansuke paused. "If you don't want to be a subject, I can find an opportunity to introduce you to our lord in person. But whether you can gain our lord's favor will depend on your own abilities."

He listed the three paths one by one, and the girl gently bit her lip, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

It wasn't because the conditions he offered were too harsh; quite the opposite, it was because the "pie" was simply too lucrative and tempting.

It should be noted that the Kai Takeda clan was not some unknown nouveau riche. In terms of lineage, they were genuine direct descendants of the Minamoto clan, with their genealogy tracing back all the way to Silla Saburo Yoshimitsu of the Seiwa Genji clan. They possessed two family treasures: the Hinomaru Banner and the Shield Without Armor, making them one of the most prestigious families of their time.

In terms of strength, it is the dominant force in the East. After the expansion of its territory by the two generations of Nobutora and Harunobu, it has now become a powerful force in the world that can stir up the winds and clouds. Especially for transmigrators with "foresight", they know how the Tiger of Kai chased Tokugawa Ieyasu all the way and almost stormed into Kyoto while eating hot pot and singing songs.

If they hadn't died suddenly along the way, it's hard to say whether the world would have ultimately fallen into the hands of the monkey and the tortoise.

But even setting aside these things that haven't happened yet, just looking at the present, Takeda Harunobu possesses the armor and weapons, and his army is invincible. There are many people who want to join the Takeda family but fail. Now, this pie has inexplicably fallen into her lap, so it's no wonder that Yashiro is surprised.

Only family members know their own affairs. What makes her so deserving of such high regard?

She had no foundation or support, and no reputation or achievements. If she had to say what her strengths were, it was that she was slightly better at fighting than others. If she were a man in this life, that would indeed be a good advantage. After all, the way of fighting in Japan's Warring States period was rather "retro." Most of the time, they did not use any siege equipment and relied entirely on manpower to climb the walls. In certain situations, a fierce general could indeed play an amazing role.

But she was born a woman—that being said, it wasn't really a problem. Of course, if a woman wanted to go to war, she would inevitably face certain preconceived notions and obstacles. But as Yamamoto Kansuke just said, history has seen many valiant female generals. The most famous one was Tomoe Gozen, who was skilled in archery and horsemanship. She killed many famous heroes with her great sword and became famous for all time, inspiring awe and admiration.

The real problem is that she is blind.

A blind man on the battlefield cannot see the flags, find the barracks, or see through the battle formations, let alone seize the opportunity to command the army.

Although Yashiro felt that with her keen hearing, she might actually be able to try being a blind general, she had never been on the battlefield and couldn't be too sure of herself. Besides, she knew that her hearing was good, but others didn't. What superior would dare to risk delaying the battle by employing a blind person as a subordinate, and what soldier would dare to easily charge into battle to their death on the orders of a blind man?

Putting yourself in her shoes, the girl herself probably wouldn't want to either... Do you want to die?

Because of this innate flaw, her career could be said to have ended before it even began. However, one day, this famous strategist from the Takeda family took the initiative to recruit her.

Of the three options offered, joining the Touha Clan was the most reasonable. Given the Takeda Clan's intelligence-gathering capabilities, since they had come to her door, they must have already thoroughly investigated her background. Iga and Touha were a perfect match, so there was nothing to discuss. As for the promise of making her succeed as the leader of Touha, that was just empty talk, something to be taken with a grain of salt.

Introducing her to Takeda Harunobu might sound impressive, but it was really just doing her a favor. Yamamoto Kansuke didn't have to pay much, and she didn't need to be grateful. What happened afterward—whether she became a member of the Takeda family as she wished, or whether she angered Takeda Harunobu and was killed—was none of Yamamoto Kansuke's business.

The second option, however, offered a substantial stipend of two hundred kan, no small sum. Converted to the later koku system, two hundred kan was equivalent to a territory of one thousand koku. In wartime, this could be scrapped together to form an army of nearly a thousand men—not the best, but not the worst either. Of course, the girl understood that Yamamoto Kansuke's so-called two hundred kan annual stipend was definitely in cash, not a package deal of villages and fields given to her; even extravagance wouldn't be this wasteful.

But the cash was enough to make her dizzy and disoriented.

I've never seen so much money in my entire life!

Needless to say, he was poor for fifteen years from childhood to adulthood. As for his previous life... he usually kept his money in the bank, so he never had the chance to see or touch thousands or tens of thousands of coins.

"Well……"

For a fleeting moment, Yashiro's hand holding the cane loosened and tightened repeatedly, her whole being in a state of turmoil.

The conditions offered by Yamamoto Kansuke were incredibly attractive. The Takeda clan itself was a prestigious name, and even if everything followed the historical trajectory, it wouldn't fall for nearly thirty years. With a full thirty years to spare, if a time traveler couldn't even make a slight effort, she might as well just buy a block of tofu and smash her head against it...

Or... should I agree?

A strange impulse urged her to agree immediately, but at the same time, another peculiar emotion influenced her, preventing the girl from making a decision. Even Yashiro herself couldn't quite explain what that feeling was; she only had a vague premonition that once she nodded in agreement here…

My future was thus decided.

What kind of future will that be?

The girl tried to imagine, but could only picture darkness. Perhaps everything would still follow its original trajectory, with Takeda Katsuyori defeated and killed by Oda's iron cavalry. Or perhaps, under the influence of her, this butterfly, Takeda Shingen might unify the country and plant the Four Symbols banner all the way across Kyushu and Hokkaido... But is this what she hoped for?

"Yamamoto-sama."

Unconsciously, the impulse in her heart had faded, and she called out softly.

"What's the matter?"

Yamamoto Kansuke responded.

"Regarding this question..." Yashiro hesitated slightly before saying, "Could you give me some time to think about it before giving an answer?"

"Of course... but I don't understand, do you feel that none of these three options suit your taste? Or do you think that the conditions I offered are too low?"

The girl shook her head and explained, "I have no complaints about the conditions you offered. On the contrary, the conditions are so generous that it's unbelievable, to the point that I'm worried about losing them."

"Then why do we need to think about it for a while longer?"

"Because I'm not thinking about 'now'."