BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP!
Some time after Yukimura fended off the Mukuroshu invasion...
Yukimura: Ieyasu sent me a letter?
Jinpachi: Yes. Let me see what it says...
Jinpachi: Ah, I see. Lord Ieyasu wishes to have a mock battle between our armies.
Yukimura: A mock battle? Not a one-on-one?
Jinpachi: It would appear he was quite impressed by your victory against the Mukuroshu.
Jinpachi: He says a mock battle would be an excellent way to improve each other's skills and be beneficial to both armies.
Sasuke: In other words, the great commander Ieyasu believes we are a worthy opponent for him.
Sasuke: Sounds like fun to me! We should accept his offer at once, Lady Yukimura.
Yukimura: Oh, you KNOW I'm not turning this down!
The day of the mock battle
Ieyasu: Thank you for accepting my sudden request, Yukimura.
Yukimura: I've been waiting for this, Ieyasu. Let's all give it our best today!
Ieyasu: I'd not have it any other way.
Ieyasu: I look to you to oversee this match, Shingen.
Yukimura: The GENERAL'S gonna oversee it?!
Shingen: Indeed I am.
Yukimura: Well then, keep both those eyes open, General, 'cause I'm gonna drag Ieyasu up and down the battlefield!
Yukimura: There's no way me and my trusted vassals are ever gonna lose!
Shingen: Along those lines, Yuki, I should tell you that some people have a rather poor impression of you of late.
Shingen: They believe you're nothing more than a pretender who relies on her skilled vassals and reaps the benefits of their actions and hard work.
Yukimura's Group: WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!
Shingen: I did not believe those rumors, but I also cannot ignore them, so I came to ascertain the truth or falseness of them myself.
Shingen: I once explained to you that you needed to rely on your vassals more, but I fear you may have misunderstood my intention.
Yukimura: That's not what's happening, General! I swear it isn't!
Shingen: We shall see the truth of that today.
Shingen: Ieyasu's army is formidable, and you will not defeat him if you simply rely on others to do everything.
Shingen: If you grasp victory in this mock battle, I can put these fell rumors to bed.
Shingen: If you are to lose, however, I will have no choice but to recognize them as true and take your vassals from you.
Shingen: Perhaps being separated from them will allow you to reflect on yourself and your own powerlessness.
Jinpachi: Such a terrible fate for us all...
Jinpachi: I was only able to fight for Lady Yukimura! I have no desire to serve anyone else!
Yukimura: Don't worry about it, everybody. All we have to do is win!
Yukimura: We'll make General Shingen realize that what we have here is something special!
Yukimura: So I ask all of you to lend me your strength as you always have!
Jinpachi & Sasuke: Yes, Lady Yukimura!
Thus did the mock battle began. However...
Sasuke: Lord Ieyasu's army is even stronger than I had imagined...
As Shingen said, Ieyasu's soldiers surpassed Yukimura's army in both skill and strength, and her situation grew more dire by the moment.
Jinpachi: My strategy gave us a temporary reprieve, but it's still not enough to turn the tide of battle. If this keeps up...
Yukimura: I've got an idea, Jinpachi.
Yukimura: If I take down Ieyasu in a one-on-one fight, that counts as a win for us!
Sasuke: Milady, no! That's far too reckless!
Jinpachi: No. It's not. It's the only way we can win.
Jinpachi: Listen up, everyone! We're going to abandon our defenses and charge straight into the enemy stronghold!
Jinpachi: It's your duty to make sure Lady Yukimura makes it to Lord Ieyasu and claims victory!
Sasuke: So be it. If Lady Yukimura wishes to seize the moment, then I will see it done!
Yukimura: Thank you, everyone!
Yukimura: Your faith is giving me strength!
Yukimura: And today, my spear will bring us victory!
Sazanka: Lord Ieyasu, the enemy's army has abandoned their defenses and now charges headlong for our stronghold!
Ieyasu: So she plans to throw decorum to the wind and come straight for me in a final desperate gambit, does she? Clever.
Addis: Well, I ain't gonna let 'em lay a finger on ya! Let's go finish this, Sazanka!
Sazanka: With pleasure.
Sasuke: Out of the way! I seek only Lord Ieyasu!
Addis: You ain't gettin' past me.
Addis: Ninja arts? Pah. It'll take more than that.
Sasuke: He saw through my substitution? He's skilled indeed...
Sasuke: But I won't lose—I must open a path for Lady Yukimura! HAAAAH!
Sazanka: How is this happening? How can they possibly hold off both Addis and myself?!
Jinpachi: We'll take care of the enemy here, Lady Yukimura! Make for Lord Ieyasu!
Yukimura: It's all on you, everyone!
Addis: No! She's gonna reach Lord Ieyasu!
Ieyasu: Excellent work, Yukimura. I'd not expected you to make it this far.
Yukimura: I was only able to reach you because everyone believed in me.
Yukimura: And my spear will ring triumphant because it's filled with the trust of my companions! NOW COME GET SOOOOOME!
Ieyasu: So you DO have a hidden power that changes your appearance! Fascinating...
Ieyasu: Well, I wouldn't have it any other way. Let us face each other as two fellow commanders in a one-on-one battle!
Yukimura: GRAAAAAGH!
Ieyasu: HAAAAH!
Jinpachi's Group: Lady Yukimura!
Addis's Group: Lord Ieyasu!
Yukimura's Group: ......
Yukimura's Group: Urgh!
Shingen: Enough! Both blows landed.
Shingen: As both commanders have fallen, this mock battle is a draw.
Yukimura: Which means we didn't win, huh?
Shingen: But neither did you lose—and more to the point, you held your own against the elite forces of Ieyasu's troops.
Shingen: This is truly praiseworthy! No ordinary commander could possibly accomplish such a feat!
Yukimura: Then does that mean...?
Shingen: You demonstrated trust and unity between yourself and your vassals, and proved all the rumors unfounded.
Shingen: You also said your spear was filled with the trust of your companions, which you never would have said in the days when you charged in alone.
Shingen: You've grown, Yuki.
Yukimura: Th-thank you so much, General!
Shingen: And now, I have no qualms in entrusting my own vassals to you when I pass on.
Yukimura: When you PASS ON?! What are you talking about, General?!
Shingen: I've gotten quite old for a Wyrmclan leader, so it's natural to start thinking about what happens after I'm gone.
Yukimura: But I don't want to think about that...
Shingen: Ha ha! No need for the glum face. I'm still in the line of duty, after all, and have no intention of slipping off quietly without a fight.
Yukimura: Whew! That's good to hear.
Shingen: More importantly, let us speak of this mock battle! You did excellently out there, Yuki. Don't you agree, Ieyasu?
Ieyasu: Indeed, I was able to experience first-hand how powerful your army has become.
Ieyasu: You are a dependable Wyrmclan leader who will protect our land with me. Hinomoto is in excellent hands.
Shingen: It's quite the feat to get such praise from Ieyasu. As your mentor, I have much to be proud of.
Yukimura: Eh, I've still got plenty to learn.
Yukimura: And even if it won't be for a while, I've gotta work my butt off now that you've entrusted me with your vassals!
Yukimura: I'm gonna prove myself worthy of your name and use guts and grit to push myself past ALL of my limits!
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