Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Tiger’s Hunt
Echigo Province – Kasugayama Castle, Year 9 of Tenbun (1540 AD)
Winter had come again.
The mountain winds howled through the halls of Kasugayama Castle, carrying the weight of an unspoken war.
The letter from Takeda Harunobu had been sent.
And the answer had been given.
"I will not return."
It was a rejection.
A severing of ties that should never have been broken.
But the Tiger of Kai was not a man to be refused.
And deep down—
The boy who had once fought in his name knew this.
Takeda Harunobu would not let him go.
Not without a fight.
Three months passed.
Silence.
No letters.No messengers.No summons.
And yet—
The tension in the air thickened with each passing day.
The Takeda army had not moved, but neither had they faded.
Like a predator waiting in the grass.
Like a Tiger preparing to strike.
Then—
On the first night of spring, the news arrived.
"A Takeda force has crossed the border."
Uesugi Kenshin stood before the war council, his expression unreadable.
"How many?"
"A small detachment, no more than twenty men."
"Their purpose?"
The scout hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, he spoke:
"They are not raiding villages.""They are not attacking supply lines.""They have one goal."
"They are searching for someone."
The room fell silent.
And in that moment—
The boy who had left Kai felt the weight of fate settle upon his shoulders.
They were not here for Echigo.
They were here for him.
The Tiger of Kai had sent his hunters.
And soon—
He would come himself.
The war council waited.
All eyes were on Kenshin.
Would he allow the Takeda force to continue their search?
Would he send his own men to intercept them?
Or—
Would he give up the boy who had sought refuge under his banner?
Finally, Kenshin spoke.
"They seek a ghost of the past."
His voice was calm.
"But the past has already been buried."
"If the Tiger wishes to dig it up, let him come himself."
"We will not hand over what does not belong to him."
The boy breathed in slowly.
Kenshin's words were clear.
The Dragon of Echigo would not abandon him.
But that also meant—
Takeda Harunobu would not stop.
A confrontation was inevitable.
And when the time came—
He would have to face his past with his own hands.
[Fated Death: Progressing.]Takeda Harunobu has sent his forces into Echigo.Uesugi Kenshin has refused to hand you over.A battle is drawing near.
The Tiger is hunting.
And soon, you will have to stand your ground.