Agreement with Takeda Shingen

He bowed as he entered the room set for the young lord. "You requested for my presence, how may I serve?"

"Masanari, why are you asking me such a strange question? You already know why you're here. You and your fortune-telling tengu abilities." He smiled at the young lord and knelt on the ground. "I have already been informed by the Oniwabanshu in Takeda, that Shingen is dancing with glee at this chance to get his hands on Suruga."

"Those garden keepers of yours. It seems they know how to find out information faster than I get it. I wonder did they know, that he has agreed and that we'll be having a face to face meeting in a few weeks?" He nodded. "Yes. I was also aware of that as well. May I ask where do you plan to meet with him?"

"That hasn't been decided yet. That's why I summoned you here. I wish to hear from you the best place for us to meet." He looked at the young lord. "My lord, since, we're only temporarily staying in this castle, I suggest we go to the tiger den ourselves and meet him there face to face. It would also show that you care for alliances between people. Also, the knowledge of you and your bad blood with the Imagawa is well known for them holding your family hostage, and the secret alliance with Oda hasn't been revealed yet."

"I like your plan. Then that's what we'll do. We'll go to him, and formalize this alliance, to remove the Imagawa, and bring them under my banner. I have another question for you Masanari." He bowed. "My lord can ask anything he likes. "How did you know the Takeda Shingen would agree to this alliance in the first place?"

He smiled. "That was just in the wind, and I was able to see it, just as I see his attack in the future. I'll have things prepared for that moment."

"Good. Good. I want you to come with me, as my manservant. With your host of disguises, I'm sure you can pull that off without any trouble at all." He smiled at the young lord. "I'll be fine, if my lord wants me there I'll be there. When do we leave?"

"We leave in two days. Prepare for the trip, and I'll prepare a guard to escort us as well." He bowed at the young lord, turning and leaving the audience room. He looked out the windows of the castle as he made his way back down to his room.

"It seems your vision was correct again young Hattori." He nodded at the bowing Iga man, returning the bow. "Will you want your garden keepers alert of your arrival?" He nodded. "Yes. Send the message tonight, that we're moving. I want the Iga men, keeping an eye on all the escort guard, as I'm sure one of them is the spy we're looking for."

"Do you think that they'll figure out why we're heading to see the Takeda?" He nodded in thought, staring at his wardrobe of clothing. "Yes, they shouldn't take long to figure it out." He turned facing the shinobi. "Actually, I'm more interested in how the information gets out." He leaned on the balcony of the window staring outside the castle from his room. "You mean another network?" He shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head. "I don't think it is a network, but there has to be a trail that we can follow, where the message goes to and where from."

"A buyer of information?" He smiled at the shinobi. "That's what I am thinking at the moment. The spy sells the information to someone, who pays for it in coin." He turned to the shinobi. "Send word to the remaining Iga in the grounds, to keep an eye on all escorts, including the servants and bearers. One of them is the spy."

"You don't have any doubts about the Iga men?" He shook his head. "No, they seem very satisfied at the moment with my command."

"That's correct. The skill you've shown and taught so far is quite impressive, these men would die for you. I'm sure there are many more who'll want to join you in the future." He smiled. "You know the right words to say, but what I really like about you is your honesty and your willingness to share your thoughts. If I did a bad job, I expect you to tell me."

"That I will. I'll gather the men tonight, and you can pass the orders, you're their leader after all." He nodded. "Agree. Send the word for them to gather this night. The order to start tailing begins as soon as the names of the escorts are released." He looked back at the wardrobe again. "What should I as a manservant wear?"

"I think the standard Hakama and top should suffice young Hattori. Unless there'll be a formal event then you should also take the Montsuki as well." He nodded at the shinobi. "Good ideas. I'll take both, it should be enough, for the trip."

"What are you going to do when you met the tiger?" He smiled at the question, turning and looking at the shinobi. "I'm going to see his strength, and start planning how to remove him from his post, once he's finished cleaning up Suruga."

"Good plan, will you want your Iga men in the Takeda castle if something goes wrong?" He knelt on the ground and started to pour himself a cup of tea. "I think not. Nothing should be amiss here, but a hidden escort should be fine, we need to focus on finding the spy first."

"Understood young Hattori. By your leave, I'll send the call." He nodded at the shinobi, watching them leave his large room. "This place is quite empty. I think I need to add some things here, but this isn't really my room, nor is it home... Yet." He smiled as he finished the tea in his cup, stood up and left the room, walking outside of the castle. He walked around the busy city admiring the people in the streets, and servants busy running around from place to place.

He stopped walking. "Let's see how they move. The more I know, the better I can be." He tailed a group of manservants purchasing equipment and foodstuffs for their masters. He imitated their movements, copying their walk and how they looked at others. He smiled as a few passersby looked at him strangely. "Nothing to see here. Just me, learning how a manservant works."

He spent the entire rest of the day following them and learning their movements, and only stopped when he saw guards on the streets lighting the lanterns. "It's evening already. Time has passed so quickly." He stopped, turned, and walked back to the inn where he stayed in the past, walking up the stairs to the room that he had bought, and climbed out of the window. He stood there in silence, watching the city come to life at night.

"We've heard your call young Hattori, we've come." He turned and looked at the kneeling shinobi, masked, ready for their mission. "Welcome. We have another mission. There's an Imagawa spy in this city, informing the new head of the Imagawa clan the actions of the young lord. We need to find them. You'll be tailing those selected as escorts in two days' time. I want to know everything about them, and the identity of the spy before we arrive at Takeda castle."

"As the young Hattori asks, we shall obey." He smiled. "Also, inform the Oniwabanshu in Imagawa, that I want to follow the chain of information. How the information leaves here and arrives in their hands." He turned looking up at the cloudy sky, with a full moon shining behind it. "Finally, I want the Oniwabanshu in Takeda castle to know of our arrival, making sure only positive information is passed around. Nothing negative, for our plan to work in Imagawa, we must let the image of a sleeping tiger last a little more, and not assume, that we're aware of his future desires."

"Understood. Is there anything else that we need to be aware of?" He looked at them nodding. "Make sure you continue your training. I want you all to be the best Iga, master Iga of all the Iga. I give the best to you all, so I expect the best in return. Understood?"

"We understand young Hattori." He nodded at them. "Good, then you're dismissed to complete your tasks. He turned, looking back at the clouds watching them reveal the full moon behind them. "Tonight will be a big night. Lots of fun in the streets during a full moon. I wonder what I'll see?"

"Do you want to walk the streets, and visit a few places?" He looked at the unmasked shinobi that stood next to him. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I would like to see the taverns at night, and maybe try some of the seafood here. The food in the castle isn't to my liking."

"Too fancy for you?" He nodded, climbing back through his window. "Yes. I enjoy simple foods, I don't need a lot of color and taste, just something healthy for the body. Like on Kurama."

"You asked me before about the food you were given. I've found the herbs and ingredients that were used. I can take you to someone who can prepare it for you." He looked at the unmasked shinobi. "Let's go there first, but remember, we're out looking for someone."

"Don't worry, we'll find them soon, and when we do, you'll be the first to know." He stood at the door, turning he looked at the window sill, as an owl landed flapping its wings. "That one is from Iga. Probably your father young Hattori." He walked up to the owl and collected the small piece of parchment wrapped around its leg. "Keep an eye on it."

He heard the unmasked shinobi whistle, as the owl landed on their outstretched arm. "What does your father say?" He opened the scroll decoding the code inside. He looked up at the shinobi with a smile. "He got a report about what I did with the rescue. It seems he's very impressed and is giving me more Iga to command."

"You're going to bring glory to the Iga and Hanzo name, young Hattori." He smiled at the words as he threw the piece of parchment into the fireplace in the small room.

"How many more men is he sending you?" He looked up from the dancing flames. "He's sending me another sixty. I'll have a total of one hundred and twenty."

"This will improve the Oniwabanshu immensely." He nodded. "That's why I think he's sending them to me. Because he knows of the garden keepers that I'm growing."

"It makes sense. For a war to be won, information is key. When do they arrive?" He looked at the shinobi with a smile. "They're already in town."

"What do you mean?" He poured himself a cup of tea, drinking it. "My father is already in the city. The owl isn't tired at all and looks like it only flew for a short distance. See it isn't even hungry or thirsty."

"I'm impressed. My own son knows when his father is near." He stood bowing at the window as a masked shinobi entered through it. "Your son greets you father."

"Good son. I'm very impressed, and from what I can see, the Iga is in a good position with the young lord." He nodded at his father, pouring him a cup of tea. "Indeed father. Come drink, this tea is from Imagawa, we're planning to take back Tatsujo."

"Really, you've got a plan to get Tatsujo back?" He nodded as he poured himself another cup of tea. "I have father, and on top of it all, Takeda Shingen is going to do all the work for us."

"I'm very impressed. Also, I saw the Iga men that have been following you, are all improving, I can feel their strength flowing off them." He nodded. "I make sure that they continue to train, also I've been teaching them a few things the monks taught me."

"As long as it isn't their secrets." He nodded at his father. "No secret teachings have been revealed." He looked up at his father. "There must be a reason for you to personally come here."

"Indeed there's a reason. I've come here to tell you that your master test was going to be beginning soon, however it seems, this mission and plan you've created is going to be the test instead." He bowed at his father. "Thank you for your praise. There's one small problem with my plan."

"I can guess its to do with a tiger, once it has what it wants, it will want to bite the hand that feeds it." He nodded. "Exactly. I plan to remove him, via an accident after his use is complete."

"Will you let him attack your lord?" He nodded. "For this plan to work, he needs to attack. It's a battle that, we'll lose, but the war we'll win, and gain ownership of all of Suruga."

"Than you must prepare well. I'll let your mother know, that you're about to complete a mission, and won't be able to meet your wife, until after." He bowed at his father as he stood up, placed the covering over his face, and climbed out of the window. "Also. I don't mind you being called young Hanzo. If this plan of yours works, the name will be yours, and the Iga too."