Of Arrows and Men (Ghost of Tsushima prequel)

17) Restless

【そわそわ】

The message about the newly appointed shogun spread fast across the island. Lacking official sources, the word of mouth among the people of Tsushima resembled mere rumors at first but proved to be true; at only two years of age, Prince Koreyasu was to set off to Kamakura to become the seventh shogun of the empire.

While this information might have been raising questions amid the commoners, the cause behind such practice would stay hidden from them for years to come.

Naturally, Lord Shimura had been aware of the internal struggles that befell the shogunate and was expecting the regents to act quickly upon the affair. With the emperor lacking any true decisive powers, the governing Hōjō clan informed the established jitōs of the upcoming changes in a letter that reached the castle in the heat of the summer.

What Shimura didn't expect, however, was to receive another message only a few moons later, ordering him to make an appearance at a rare assembly in the capital.

He couldn't think of a worse time to be summoned. Since the failed conquest of the Iki island, there was not a single time where his presence was needed this much.

The incidents that took place in Toyotama were more than unsettling, but he trusted his men with handling the situation during his absence. What he truly worried about was his nephew.

Jin wasn't dealing with things too well.

Shortly after describing the events in Omi and the fate of the young Nagao, they received a message from Fort Kaminodake, followed by another one from Fort Imai. Similar to Koyasan, both places have been raided overnight and many valuable lives were lost.

Although the attacks were much smaller in scale, a detailed investigation had to be made in order to understand the circumstances.

The only thing known so far was that the attacks occurred in the dead of the night. Warriors were slain in their sleep, without dignity, by men who simply disappeared into the darkness afterwards.

Not men.

Cowards.

If there was one thing he wouldn't tolerate, it was cowards without honor, without courage to look their opponents straight in the eye in a fair fight.

He spent half his life purging the island of bandits and thieves who kept terrorizing the people. He owed it to his ancestors to create an order in his lands, to foster traditions and secure a thriving future for the generations to come.

The thought brought him back to Jin. It has been seven years since his brother-in-law fell to a raider's blade. Above all, he owed it to his nephew to cleanse their home from traitors.

He wouldn't stop until the last of them were dead.

After the storm had passed, he ordered Yuriko to overlook the transport of the bodies from Omi to Fort Koyasan. Jin and Shimura themselves set out to the fort shortly after, having spent close to two days there in wait of Nagao's return.

A group of men were sent to follow after him, but they had yet to hear any reports about his location or progress. Shimura sent some of his most credible samurai to investigate the matters in Omi and the two forts as well, but as of now, all they could do was wait.

Patience was a skill he gained throughout the years as a jitō, but the same couldn't be said about his nephew.

For reasons unclear to him, Jin was falling victim to despair with every passing day.

He hasn't seen him this upset since his father's funeral.

Shimura knew that the young Nagao lady grew up in Omi alongside Jin, but perhaps there was something more going on between them than he was aware of.