Chapter 116: Men's Sake

Though he wouldn't have considered it a benefit in his previous world, one of the things Nobu had learned about his cultivation method, the Breath Progression Technique, was that it helped keep his mind clear while drastically reducing the time it took foreign substances to filter out of his system.

Simply put, the higher his cultivation became, the greater resistance Nobu had against things like poisons, toxins, and foreign aura. It was what had allowed him to resist Suzune's initial seduction attempt, and, months prior, the reason he had awoken during Inami's assault.

Nobu's base had increased exponentially these past few months, so, the moment he heard his grandfather's question, a cheeky grin developed across his face as he replied, "Better than most."

Returning a rather fierce-looking smile of his own, Senichi waved his hand to produce a massive crimson and black gourd with the emblem of the Oda Clan embossed on the side. Before he could explain what it was, Senken beat him to the punch, shouting, "You hollow-hearted old fart! You lied to me...!"

With a fierce look that didn't lose out to his father's, Senken's golden eyes blazed like flames as he glared at the middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the room.

Snorting through his nose, Senichi flatly replied, "I hid it away to keep it safe. We both know what kind of man you used to be, Senken. You would have stumbled across it while drunk and consumed the entire bottle without a second thought. Don't blame me for performing a duty you would have neglected."

Though he looked like he wanted to punch Senichi in the face, Senken ultimately unclenched his fists after glaring at the man for the better part of a minute. Senken didn't want to admit it but his father was right. Back then, he had been an irredeemable drunk. The stress of seeing his eldest son in a catatonic state hadn't made things any easier, so, for a time, he sought comfort in a functionally endless supply of cheap liquor.

Clicking his tongue, Senken's expression gradually relaxed as he plopped onto his seat with a thud. Then, after shaking his head, he gestured towards Nobu, saying, "Come and take a seat with your grandfather and me. This sake is something special. I'll pour the first round."

"As you should..."

Handing over the massive gourd to his son, Senichi waited until Nobu had taken a seat before explaining, "The Oda Clan has a number of traditions. This is one of our oldest, a ritual that starts at birth and ends when one becomes an adult. Since the original name has been lost to time, we have taken to referring to it as Men's Sake..."

Resisting the urge to call the name retarded, Nobu just nodded his head as he accepted the saucer poured by his father. He noticed the contents were, somehow, even clearer than water. If not for the pungent aroma unique to sake, he would have thought it was a high-quality, highly distilled vodka.

"Hmmm...you don't seem particularly interested in our traditions..."

Noticing the disinterested look in Nobu's eyes, Senichi squinted his own while holding out his hand to have his cup filled. His gaze caused Nobu's mask of calm to waver, but, rather than pussyfooting around the issue, he answered, "It isn't the traditions of the Oda Clan I have no interest in. I find the traditions of Nian, in general, to be back-asswards. I have recently come to understand how things developed to this point, but, at the same time, I can't help feeling that the entire world is stagnating because of the decisions made by a few asshats with unreasonable power..."

Though he was well on his way to becoming one of those asshats, Nobu didn't care about ruling over the country, much less the world. He simply wanted the power to protect the things he wanted to protect. He was even thinking about supporting his brother or venturing to the capital to lend his support to the Imperial Family. The original Oda Nobunaga had marched his army upon the capital, but, instead of conquering it, he had gone to pay his respects to the declining Imperial Family.

While it was heavily debated by historians, most people believed that Oda Nobunaga never had the intention of ruling over Japan. His goal was to unify the nation's people and usher them into an era of progress rather than stagnation. Thus, even though he could have easily established himself as a dictator, he helped to centralize power for the Imperial Family while pressing them to enact policies that rewarded merit and competency rather than bloodline.

Similar to his historical predecessor, Nobu was of the mentality that a person's race and lineage were inconsequential. He had nothing against families stockpiling funds and resources for their successors, but, no matter how he looked at it, inheriting political power was complete and utter nonsense. Being born a Noble didn't automatically make you a great ruler...

Seeing Nobu's brows furrow into a pensive look, a slight grin developed across Senichi's face as he held up his cup and stated, "If you don't like it, become strong enough to bring about the changes you wish to see in the world. Others might call you selfish, but, in the end, who isn't? The only thing people truly care about in this world is their personal happiness. Those that argue that they wish to protect the happiness of others are simply lying to themselves. The only reason they act that way is because seeing others happy makes them happy. If it didn't, they wouldn't even bother..."

Throwing back his saucer, Senichi managed to down the contents of his cup in three inordinately large gulps. When he was finished, an even larger smile had appeared on his face as he exhaled a literal plume of steam before remarking, "I can't say much for its flavor but it has one hell of a kick to it."

Though Nobu had no idea what to make of Senichi's assessment, Senken's eyes began to glisten as he emptied the contents of his own saucer. As his father had pointed out, there was no discernible flavor to the crystal-clear liquid, but, the moment it flowed past his lips, it was like a fire had spread through his mouth before invading his throat and burning his insides. It was inarguably one of the strongest sakes he had ever tasted, and, even after exhaling a plume of steam, he could feel the fire lingering in his body like the feelings of anxiety that preceded a climactic battle.

"Not bad at all..."

Staring at the two gruff-looking individuals as if they had lost his mind, Nobu was tempted to set his saucer down when both men looked towards him with slight ridicule in their eyes. Senichi had even adopted a mocking sneer, so, after grinding his teeth for several seconds, Nobu followed their example by downing his saucer in a few large gulps.

With the liquid sliding smoothly down his throat, a feeling of incongruency washed over Nobu's body and mind as he lowered his empty saucer and incredulously remarked, "It tastes mellow..."

Bursting out laughing, Senichi and Senken smacked their knees and thighs while Nobu watched on with an increasingly cold expression on his face. If he hadn't seen Senken fill his cup from the same gourd, he would have thought they had pulled a prank on him.

Fortunately, just as Nobu was considering throwing his saucer at them, Senichi wiped away a tear from his eye before explaining, "This is no ordinary sake, brat. In fact, when it first starts out, it is basically just water. You see, whenever an heir to the Oda Clan is born, we fill a special gourd with water from a spring nourished by spiritual energy. The only additional ingredient is a single drop of blood from the newborn infant..."

Furrowing his brows, Nobu began to feel a little nauseous. Fortunately, Senichi wasn't done with his explanation, adding, "A formation inscribed on the interior of the gourd converts any liquid placed within into a very special kind of sake. What makes it special, you might ask? Well, you see, its flavor varies depending on the person who consumes it..."

Adopting a missive grin, Senichi waited for Senken to fill his saucer a second time before taking a much smaller sip and stating, "To those who support you wholeheartedly, the sake tastes like the flames of passion. To those who conspire against you, it's like drinking sake refined from dog shit. As for you...well, unless you are an extreme narcissist, it would taste like water. Since you described it as a mellow taste, I'm guessing you have a few self-esteem issues. We'll need to work on that..."

Though he was a little annoyed by Senichi's final remark, it didn't prevent Nobu from recognizing how valuable the sake was. If he periodically served it to his future retainers and servants, he could find out which of them harbored ill will towards him. It was basically a cheat item that allowed him to determine whether or not a person was loyal, so, seeing Senken and Senichi fill their saucers a third time, he couldn't prevent his brow from twitching.

Understanding his son's thoughts, a teasing smile developed across Senken's face as he gulped down a large mouthful of the fiery liquid before exhaling a sigh and stating, "Calm down, kid. I can tell what you're thinking just by looking into your eyes. Unfortunately for you, this sake will lose its effects a few hours after its first uncorking. Under normal circumstances, we would have cracked it open during your coming of age ceremony. You see, the convenient thing about this alcohol is that it is basically poison to anyone who wants to kill you. Anyone who gets ill or drops dead during the ceremony would have been expelled from the family or cremated without honors."

Resisting the urge to ask why they didn't prepare numerous batches of the cheat-like liquor, Nobu's tensions gradually relaxed as he asked, "I guess this means I'm not going to have a coming of age ceremony...?

Raising their brows, both Senken and Senichi stared at Nobu as if he was an idiot. This caused the latter's brow to twitch, but, instead of lashing out, he just closed his eyes and took an inhumanly long and deep breath. He had become somewhat addicted to the pleasant tingle that washed over his mind like icy water whenever he inhaled large quantities of oxygen. It made him feel relaxed, and, more importantly, helped him to calm down whenever he was feeling frustrated or annoyed.

Observing Nobu in silence, Senken, and Senichi waited until he had opened his eyes before the former explained, "Coming of age ceremonies take place at fourteen or immediately following a person's first battle. You're coming up on twenty in the next three months, and, if Hitomi's reports are accurate, you've already knocked up two different women. We could announce your return, but, unless we wanted to start a civil war, no one in their right mind would drink your Men's Sake..."

Nodding his head in affirmation, Senichi piggybacked Senken's words, adding, "The Oda Clan is more divided now than it has been in the past six hundred years. Since we never gave up on the notion that you would one day return, your father and I have been forced to take a stance on a number of contentious issues. Depending on the choices you make moving forward, the first and most important matter we'll need to resolve is unifying the family. A divided Oda Clan is a prime target for our enemies to exploit..."

Though he had absolutely no intention of becoming the Daimyo and governing the province on his own, Nobu had already made the decision to help unify Nian. It bothered him that he was walking a similar path to his predecessor, but, with a family on the way and countless dangers lurking in the shadows, he couldn't afford to abandon his status as a member of the Oda Clan. Thus, rather than immediately shoot down Senichi's proposal, his expression became uncharacteristically serious as he said, "I already have a plan..."

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(A/N: That sake really is a cheat item if used properly...)