Chapter 60: Prophecy

Just as Senken had formed his resolve, a feminine voice echoed throughout the vault, surprising everyone within as it mused, "How tragic...it's amazing how a single selfish decision can have such a drastic influence on the course of history..."

With his son currently tending his wife and child, it was Senichi who manifested a gigantic katana formed from a deep blue metal, exclaiming, "Who goes there!?" in a booming voice that caused a neatly stacked pile of gold to capsize from the baritone vibrations.

In response to Senichi's outburst, a golden crack appeared out of thin air as a phenomenal aura, unlike anything the room's occupants had ever felt, descended upon them. From within the crack, an indescribably beautiful woman with golden hair, glowing blue eyes, and pointed ears emerged, answering, "You may address me as Imina Ataraxy, Goddess of the Six Paths. I have come bearing a message. More specifically, a prophecy. Now, I would advise you to kneel..."

Without waiting for the people present to abide, Imina gestured with her hand, and, as a result, everyone present within the vault, sans Senken and Nana, was forced to bend a knee. Those that attempted to resist, Senichi included, found their knees impacting the ground with enough force to crack the marbled flooring.

"Very good. Now, listen closely. I dislike having to repeat myself, and I am far too busy to answer questions..."

Tapping the air with her right hand, Imina created a three-dimensional projection of Nobu from his previous life before proceeding to explain, "Due to a particular set of circumstances, the soul meant to dwell within your child has been delayed. The easiest way to explain this is that they are currently living in a tangential world, one with a similar yet decidedly different history to this one. Now, let's move on to the prophecy..."

Manifesting an antiquated scroll veiled in golden light, a smile developed across Imina's face as she opened it and read, "The Beasts of Calamity will soon awaken, heralding the beginning of the end. If Nian is to survive, it will need to be unified under a single, solitary, banner. Though only the future knows what form it will take, the first son of the Oda Clan has been chosen as one of the candidates to guide the people from the current era into the next. Whether or not this new era is one of peace and prosperity...well, that will ultimately depend on the people guiding him..."

Though the last part wasn't part of the prophecy, Imina decided to give Nobu a hand by mixing in a vague warning. Time didn't flow linearly from the perspective of the Gods so this event was actually taking place after her little text conversation with Nobu. His straightforward apology had influenced her to take a look into his previous life. When she learned he wasn't actually an Otaku, she even felt a little sorry for him, but, rather than admit she had made a rather severe mistake, Imina decided to pull a few strings to make sure he didn't experience any bad ends before he had a chance to grow.

To this end, a golden light shot from the ancient-looking scroll and into Nobu's infant body as she said, "Well now. That takes care of that. Since I said I wouldn't be answering questions, I trust there aren't any? Good. Take care of yourselves. That brat should return to his body before his twentieth birthday. Till then, do your best."

Finished with what she intended to say, Imina waved her hand towards the statuesque group of people before spontaneously collapsing into a golden mote of light that subsequently exploded outward in a vibrant pulse that restored their movements and healed their wounds. This included the sequelae suffered by Nana during her delivery, so, while the light had yet to fully return to her eyes, she appeared marginally more hopeful as she asked, "My baby...he's going to be okay...?"

While he couldn't even begin to describe how lost and confused he felt at the present moment, Senken immediately regained his senses when he heard his wife's question. At the same time, the resolution he had previously formed came back in full force as he gently squeezed her hand and answered, "I'll make sure of it..."

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Though she obviously left out the parts she wasn't aware of, Hitomi gave a general summary of the events leading up to and occurring after Nobu's birth. This included the agreement that allowed her to ascend to Mithril and retain the position of Matriarch to the present day. After that, she detailed everything Nobu had revealed to her, spinning it in such a way that guaranteed they would want to support him rather than impede him.

As the most senior member of the Yoshitsune Clan, it was Inami who followed Hitomi's explanation by asking, "Are you suggesting we shift our allegiances to Oda Nobunaga rather than the Oda Clan as a whole? What if he decides not to become the next Daimyo? Or, even worse, what if the path he chooses leads to the destruction of Nian rather than its salvation?"

Without flinching, even as ghostly purples flames began to manifest around Inami's tails, Hitomi answered, "That Goddess was able to violate the restriction prohibiting Gods from manifesting in this world without a Grand Ritual and a designated Altar. If we accept her words at face value, the destruction of Nian is the least of our concerns. If these Beasts of Calamity are the same as those who brought an end to the Age of Gods, the entire world will be endangered, not just our homely little Archipelago..."

Frowning in response to Hitomi's words, Inami's tails began to flicker and undulate as she rose to her feet and said, "I will meet-"

Before Inami could finish speaking, Hitomi's aura erupted outward as she coldly exclaimed, "You will not!"

Though Inami was inarguably the most powerful person in the entire Yoshitsune Clan, her authority was still lower than the Matriarch. She was also a Kitsune and the physical vessel of Inari Okami, so, until the Spring season had come to an end, Hitomi would never allow her to meet with Nobu.

Baring her teeth, a violent aura began to surge from Inami's body until every other Elder present promptly surrounded her. A few of them might not be particularly fond of Hitomi but she was still the acting Matriarch. Her word was law within the Yoshitsune Clan, so, if Inami attempted to force the issue, they would have no choice but to restrain and temporarily seal her.

Realizing she was out of line, Inami forcibly suppressed her bestial urges before lowering herself into a dogeza, inordinately large vulpine ears touching the ground as she said, "Forgive me. I let my emotions get the better of me...it won't happen again..."

Confident that Inami wouldn't actually attack her, Hitomi had remained seated despite her previous outburst. She also understood that Inami's interest in Nobu was unquestionably exacerbated by her contract with Inari Okami, so, rather than taking the matter to heart, she simply stated, "If he is still living among us, you may meet with Nobunaga-sama towards the end of Summer. As for everyone else, you will need to confer with Suzune-dono. I intend to place her in charge of watching over our Young Lord until his departure. I trust there are no complaints...?"

Though they were more than a little interested in meeting with the man implied to have the ability to unify and lead the entire nation, none of the Elders spoke out against Hitomi's decision. Rather, now that they knew why she had been allowed to remain Matriarch, most of the resentment they had built towards her rapidly faded away. After all, they were discussing matters related to the fate of Nian, their clan, and the world as a whole. Now wasn't exactly the time for infighting...

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After enjoying a delicious yet awkward meal, courtesy of Cho, Nobu looked around at the kunoichi present within his room before passing his gaze over the hungry-looking children that had recently come into his 'possession'. Cho had only brought enough food for him to eat, and, now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't actually thought about when the trio would eat or where they would be staying...

Deciding to shift the burden to Yui, Nobu eyed the stoic beauty as he asked, "What should I do with these three? I don't really have the time or patience to watch over a bunch of brats, but I don't want them to grow up in the same way as you girls...no offense..."

Appearing nervous the moment they heard their new Master's remarks, Sachiko, Nariko, and Midori immediately shifted their rounded eyes to Yui, varying degrees of fear visible in their gazes. Things had been going relatively well for them until now, but there was still a chance they would be forced to suffer should their Master suddenly lose interest in them.

Feeling uncharacteristically disconcerted by the trio's gazes, Yui resisted the urge to fidget around in her seat as she looked towards Kumiko, Cho, and Kazue before saying, "The three of you will take them as disciples. You don't have to confer all your skills to them, just enough to make them useful to our Lord. They will serve as his personal Maids and Attendants in the future."

Though she understood that Nobu wouldn't want the trio he saved to become standard kunoichi, it would cause all sorts of problems if they were allowed to benefit from his benevolence without cost or compensation. If they couldn't be of use to their Lord, they would either need to be disposed of or supplanted by people actually willing to work for the benefits they would receive.

Nodding in response to Yui's proposal, Kumiko pointed towards Sachiko, smiling as she said, "If my Lord wills it, I'll take this little one under my wing. She appears to be the calmest and most collected among the three. At the very least, I can prepare her to be a courier."

With Nobu, albeit reluctantly, nodding his head in response, Cho and Kazue each selected their new disciples in turn. Midori ended up being chosen by Cho, so, by process of elimination, Nariko would be learning the basics of medicine from Kazue.

Upon learning their fates, Sachiko and Nariko appeared greatly relieved. Midori, however, paled the moment she heard she would be apprenticing under Cho. Nobu noticed this, but, before he could ask, Kumiko chimed in to say, "Well then, now that everything has been decided. Why don't the six of us get to know each other over a meal?"

Raising his hand before the girls could motion to leave the room, Nobu's expression formed into a frown as he asked, "Is there something you're keeping from me? I don't mind you girls having a few secrets, but how am I supposed to trust you if you can't be straight with me?"

Smiling wryly in response to Nobu's words, Kumiko shifted her gaze towards Cho only to find the latter smiling radiantly as she said, "Please, don't mind me. I've already achieved my dream, so I've no qualms about the truth being exposed."

Frowning even deeper, Nobu asked, "What truth...?" in a stern tone of voice.

Though the atmosphere immediately became tense, Cho maintained a radiant smile on her face as she casually explained, "The life expectancy of a poison taster and chef is generally between 23~25 years. Midori is afraid that her lifespan will be reduced by studying under me, but I can-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold the fuck up. You're telling me you only have, what, six or seven years left to live? What kind of bullshit is that...!?"

Rather than diminishing in the slightest, Cho's smile became even more radiant as she pressed the tips of her fingers together and happily chimed, "My Lord is genuinely concerned about me. I just might be the happiest kunoichi in the world right now~."

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(A/N: Oof...)