Defeating Mitsuhide: Episode 5

Episode 5: The Eve of the Fire — Nōhime's Record

He often stared into the fire.
Every time the firewood crackled, he would frown and narrow his eyes.
Sometimes, he would speak to the fire as if asking it something.

“Fire is interesting. It burns, yet it illuminates. It illuminates, yet it deepens the shadows.”

I did not understand what he meant.
However, I would simply remain silent, pouring tea while watching his profile.

I. The Daughter of Political Strategy

I was born as the daughter of Saitō Dōsan of Mino.
My father was an oil merchant who rose to power, a man who believed only in his own strength.
The path of political strategy he chose—that was the marriage alliance with Oda Nobunaga of Owari.

The Nobunaga I saw at my new home was a little different from the rumors.
He was no “fool.” Rather, he had eyes that saw things others could not.

It was not cold. Nor was it hot.
Like the core of a raging flame, he was quiet, yet if you touched him, you would be burned—that was the kind of man he was.

I never thought I would love this man from the start.
I only wanted to understand him.

II. Days at Honnō-ji

Staying at Honnō-ji was not unusual.
When Nobunaga went to Kyoto, he sometimes brought me along.
On the surface, it was “accompanying him as a wife,” but in reality, I think he wanted me there as someone who “shared his memories.”

He was not alone. But he was lonely.

Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu—his retainers were all capable, but none could peer into his heart.
He knew better than anyone that if he showed his heart to his retainers, it would be taken as weakness.

That is why I kept my words to myself.
I did not question, I did not laugh, and I did not affirm.
I simply continued to be there.

“Nō... you never change.”

Sometimes, he would say that and smile.
I felt slightly saved by that smile.

III. The Footsteps of Mitsuhide

It was decided that a new tree would be planted in the garden of Honnō-ji.
It was not Nobunaga's order, but Mitsuhide's suggestion.

“From now on, the sunlight will grow stronger. I will create some shade so it does not disturb your reading, my lord.”

The tree planted with those words, now that I think about it, felt somewhat cold.
Nobunaga nodded, but he narrowed his eyes.

“Mitsuhide works hard.”

“Yes, he is a wise man.”

“Being too wise is sometimes a terminal illness.”

I did not immediately understand the meaning of those words.
However, it was a few days later that I realized it was fear.

IV. The Flames and Dreams of Iga

One night, Nobunaga came to my bedchamber.
It was a rare occurrence.

“Nō, I burned Iga.”

“I am aware.”

“I burned children and women, too... Mitsuhide's mother is also from Iga.”

“...”

“What I burned may not have been a village, but a 'place to return to.'”

At that moment, I realized for the first time that Nobunaga regretted “burning people.”
No, he did not regret it. He was simply trying to “record it.”

For Nobunaga, the world was always something to be “moved.”
But perhaps he had faintly realized that sometimes, that also meant “destroying” it.

V. The Final Tea

The final night at Honnō-ji.
I prepared tea for Nobunaga.

He sipped it as he always did.
And then, he said quietly,

“I want you, and only you, to remain.”

“I am not going anywhere.”

“No. Live, and record it... what I have done.”

I could not nod.
Because I felt somewhere that it was close to a “last will and testament.”

The night deepened, and the lamp flickered.
Watching his face, I thought:

Perhaps this man feared fire less than anyone, and perhaps he had wished to be consumed by it.

VI. The Morning Smoke

In the morning, there was no sound of birds.
The sky was heavy, and gray clouds were drifting by.

And then—the flames rose.

When smoke rose from a corner of Honnō-ji, I understood everything.
Nobunaga had chosen a burning path.

Who was the enemy? What was the reason? Such things no longer mattered.
He had entrusted his end to the “fire.”

I left the temple, turning my back on the garden engulfed in flames.
Without being noticed by anyone, without being called back by anyone, I vanished like a “shadow.”

VII. The Record of the Silent

I am still alive today.
I hide my name, change my appearance, and live quietly.
I saw Hideyoshi become the ruler of the realm. I also know that Mitsuhide became the “traitor” spoken of in history.

But I do not speak.
I feel that I am not permitted to record or speak of what Nobunaga truly desired.

But I will not forget.
The color of that fire, the scent of the tea, and—

“I want you, and only you, to remain.”

Those words alone still burn in my heart.