Mysterious Bloodline

"I'm afraid I can't bring anyone with me… Letting me through is already difficult for the warriors." He shook his had and looked at his elderly mother. The timing for their trip was fortunate, since they were able to avoid the plague. Thinking of her health recently, she may not have been able to survive. Natsume frowned and started thinking of her options when she heard a smack.

"This is why you can't give me any grandchildren. All you know is how to make girls sad. Come here little lass, let grandma take a close look at you." Natsume didn't get a chance to respond when the lady took her hand and pulled her closer. She started to examine Natsume's palm as if reading her fortune. "Your hand markings are very unique my dear. There seems to be two sets of fate lines. It shows calamity that has passed and calamity that is coming. But the nature of the two are different. I also see a powerful line which shows that you can reverse your fate to great fortune."

Natsume gulped and wondered if the words were true. She thought of the things that have happened to her, but nothing stood out as a great calamity. However, she was aware of her past life, and the scenes before death were vague and shrouded, but it was not a peaceful death. However, the words were very vague and could be said to anyone. The skills of a master scammer in fortune telling were rooted in ambiguity and using the target's imagination.

"My dear, you have great pain in your heart. You cannot reach your goal until this pain is resolved. You must come to peace with the pain and become centered. When yin and yang are balanced, then you can reach enlightenment."

Unable to keep listening to this, the son stepped in and brought the elderly grandma back. Natsume noticed some strange things about the old lady at the very end of their exchange. Her hands were calloused from a lifetime of labor. However, this seemed to only be the recent set of callouses. Underneath were callouses of a swordsman.

"Actually sir, there is a way you can help me get in…"

…

The two had stepped away, toward the tree line, far away from wandering eyes. Natsume went straight to the point. "I am a shinobi. I can transform into your likeness. Give me the information I need to pass as you and any identification. This scroll contains 50,000 Ryo." Natsume took out a scroll and gestured it toward the man.

"Absolutely not! I shall not betray my daimyo for money!" He walked away and returned to his elderly mother. Natsume didn't do anything immediately and contemplated how far she would go. The man was a civilian and his mother was not simple. The words she said were sloshing around her head, being picked apart piece by piece.

When he returned to his mother's side, she smacked him on the head. "Help her."

"What? But mother…"

"You fool. She carries a fate of calamity and fortune going hand in hand. Anyone she has karma with will follow her fate as well. I have already meddled with her path." The old lady's eyes became clear for a moment as she reprimanded her son. She became dizzy afterwards and went back to her delirious look.

While Natsume contemplated sneaking in on her own, the man returned to her side. "Fine, I agree. But you must promise me your actions will not harm the people!" She was surprised and looked up to see his determination. Despite being a civilian, he had some sort of unique aura. She sensed the same from his mother, but it was already fading. She wondered if there was some ability passed down the family. The shinobi world was filled with mysterious and strange bloodlines. However, due to the constant warring, most perished.

"I cannot promise civilians won't be harmed, but I can promise that I won't be the one doing it." She thought of the family that was killed because of her and the wounds were reopened. However, she quickly stifled them and regained control of her emotions. She had considered just taking action, but realized that sort of domineering personality was exactly what caused Madara trouble in his future. She wanted to be somewhere between Madara and Hashirama's personalities. Not too forgiving, but not too cruel.

"That… that's good enough. My name is Takeda Shingen, here is my official paperwork and official seal. The prefecture I am in charge of is called Kai. It is a very important trade route for the Land of Earth. If you could please deliver these scrolls to my assistant." Natsume nodded while memorizing his visage. Then, she raised her hand and made a hand sign. Her body puffed with smoke, and she turned to look identical to Takeda. Fortunately, they were in cover, so no one saw her actions.

She took out the scroll to hand over to Takeda, but he refused. "Keep the money. Spend it in my prefecture if you want to pay me back." Natsume nodded and put it back.

"Thank your mother for me." A familiar but unfamiliar voice entered Takeda's ears. It is said that when confronted with someone that sounds and looks identical to you, you would not be able to recognize it. A chill went down his spine once Natsume vanished. She would not enter the border from this checkpoint as it would be too suspicious. Instead, she moved onto the next checkpoint.

After traveling for a while, she slowed down and joined up with a random group heading the same direction as her. They seemed to be a caravan of supplies. After walking with them for an hour, they finally reached the gate. It was much more developed of a border checkpoint than the previous area. However, they were not accepting anyone since the sun was setting. She decided to make camp with the caravan and rest for the night.