Heart of a Ninja - A Tale by The Ninja Writer

Prologue
The year is 1577. Akechi Mitsuhide sat on his horse. Behind him, an army of samurai rode on similar animals. They clopped along a rough, rocky road. They had been riding like this for two days, just like Oda Nobunaga had told them too. Oda Nobunaga was their daimyo; a daimyo is a general, a warlord, a ruler. He controlled a lot of power in Japan. It looked as though Oda might win the war that was going on. His ruthless tactics made him a feared daimyo. Akechi stopped his horse; the army behind him did likewise. "We are here," Akechi said to himself. It was the middle of the day. The sun was burning high in the sky, and the heat beated down on them. The army was at a castle that belonged to the Hatano clan. This clan was not nearly as powerful as Oda's.

Seeing as there was an army at their doors, a messenger of the Hatano clan ran out to meet them.

"He-hello. Is there a reason you have come he-here?" A bead of sweat dripped down his face; this was probably a combination of the heat and his nervousness. His fear was obvious, as he was stuttering.

"Yes," Akechi said. "Bring your master and his brother to me. Now."

"You- you want Hatano Hideharu and-" the messenger started to say.

"Yes! I just said that!" Akechi shouted, annoyed. "Now bring them to me now or this army will tear down your walls!

"Of course," The messenger ran off. Minutes later, two people walked towards them - the daimyo and his brother.

"What do you want?" Hatano spat.

"You're coming with me back to Oda. Or we can attack your castle," Akechi said. Hatano sighed.

"Fine. I know when I'm beat," Akechi pulled out two lengths of rope from his horse's saddle. He tied Hatano's hands together and did the same with his brother. Akechi lifted them up onto his horse.

They all rode back to the castle where Oda resided. Akechi brought the two prisoners to him.

"Master, I have the prisoners you requested," said Akechi.

"Good," Oda said. He pulled out his katana - a blade that samurai often used.

"Master," Akechi said uncertainly, "what are you doing?" Without a word, Oda brought the blade down on the prisoners' necks. Akechi's mouth dropped open with shock.

"Thank you Akechi. You can leave now," Oda said. It was clear that he was not going to elaborate, so Akechi left.

Akechi walked out of the building. He leisurely walked along the road, making his way to his house. He kept a house outside of the castle; he liked the isolation. As he exited the castle's large doors, he was approached by a shady figure in black robes.

"Hey you. I know what you've done. You and Oda killed my master. He was my father! Well I'm not going to just take it. Right now, a group of Hatano's other retainers should be getting revenge right now. You'll see what it feels like to lose a loved one. By now, you're mother is dead," He ran off after that.

Akechi couldn't believe. He filled with rage and fury. More than he had ever imagined was possible. He started to chase down the man in black. He found him, and drew his katana. The man screamed as Akechi drove his blade through him.

"This was all Oda's fault," Akechi muttered. "I'm going to get revenge."