(The scene opens on the Nohrian royals and Nyx in Mokushu)
Corrin: We've finally arrived...
Camilla: It's been so long since we were on land in Nestra... Boat travel is not my favorite method of transportation.
Nyx: I was almost convinced solid earth didn't exist after a few weeks on that ship...
Leo: We can't let ourselves be distracted. We have other places to be.
Xander: Hoshido awaits.
(Kotaro appears)
Kotaro: Welcome, soldiers of Nohr! We have been awaiting your arrival.
Corrin: Who might you be?
Kotaro: I am Kotaro, the daimyo of Mokushu. We Mokushujin are glad to ally with Nohr. We have always been on good terms with your kingdom, and we were destined to side with you when war inevitably broke out.
Leo: We appreciate the loyalty, I suppose.
Nyx: ...
Kotaro: I don't mean to rush you after such a long journey, but I'd like to show you the path you'll be using to enter Hoshido. This way, my good nobles.
(Kotaro leaves with all the royals but Leo, leaving him alone with Nyx)
Leo: You're acting strange. Quieter than usual.
Nyx: I'm always quiet.
Leo: Just tell me what's on your mind.
Nyx: ...Something about this man feels wrong. I can't quite describe it, but something is amiss.
Leo: Stay on your guard. If he turns against us, we need to be ready.
Nyx: Yes, milord.
(Nyx and Leo leave. The scene transitions to the passage into Hoshido)
Corrin: This is it?
Kotaro: Yes. It has long been used as a trade route, though no merchants have traveled through in many months since the war began. Hoshido is too afraid to reach out, it seems.
Camilla: Have you battled the Hoshidan army?
Kotaro: At some points, yes.
Azura: Did... Did you hear that? I hear footsteps.
Elise: But who could be down here?
Nyx: ...
(Saizo appears)
Saizo : Greetings, daimyo.
Kotaro: Hoshidan ninja. Tch. Pathetic.
Corrin: What's going on here?
Saizo : Where is she?
Kotaro: I know not what you mean.
Saizo : Enough with the secrets. Talk.
(Kaze appears)
Kaze : Saizo! Have you found her?!
Saizo : Kotaro, you know what you did.
Corrin: Daimyo, please explain what's happening.
Saizo : This man is the monster who murdered a former retainer of Hoshido years ago... Our father.
Nyx: I knew something was wrong...
Kotaro: ...
Saizo : Even now, he holds a Hoshidan soldier captive as a bargaining chip for surrender. Pathetic.
Kaze : Too afraid of us, it seems...
Corrin: Daimyo, is this true?
Kotaro: ...Hmph. You know, for a child, you're full of yourself.
Corrin: You killed that man and are currently holding a Hoshidan soldier hostage... You...
Kotaro: A true Nohrian royal would praise me for being so cunning. This is war. Lying and using people is par for the course.
Corrin: That is not how Nohr does things.
Kotaro: Tell that to your king! He told me to do anything necessary to win land for your kingdom!
Xander: I see... So, your tactics are a product of my father's influence. Pity. I won't allow this to go any further. I refuse to accept your methods.
Kotaro: He won't stand for this betrayal. He promised land for Mokushu, and none will get in the way of Mokushu's future glory—not even a Nohrian royal!
(Mokushujin soldiers arrive)
Camilla: Enemy soldiers... They were waiting here the whole time.
Elise: You were always planning on hurting us!
Nyx: Dastard...
Kotaro: I've heard how cunning the Nohrian royals are. I couldn't risk anything getting out... I'll just have to tell King Garon his darling children died fighting a Hoshidan ambush. If you had kept your mouths shut, you all could have lived. Such a shame, truly. Instead, you all will be sacrifices on the altar of my grand ambition!
(The battle begins. Saizo and Kaze act as green units and are level one Master Ninjas during this map. Shura appears at the start of the battle as a green unit)
Shura : Daimyo Kotaro... It's about time I found you. It's time to perish.
(Corrin talks to Shura)
Corrin: Who are you? You don't look like a Mokushujin soldier.
Shura: It's because I'm not. The name's Shura.
Corrin: What are you doing here? This is no place for townsfolk.
Shura : I'm not a regular villager. I'm a... I can fight. If you're against Mokushu, I'm with you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Corrin: We don't have much time to discuss this now... Can we talk after the battle ends?
Shura : Alright. Until then, I'm with you.
(If Saizo is defeated)
Saizo : I must not fall here... My liege needs me... For Lord Ryoma, I must retreat.
(If Kaze is defeated)
Kaze : I can't die now... My services to Hoshido are still required... I must retreat, but I trust you will end the battle.
(Initiating combat against Kotaro)
Kotaro: The new kingdom of Mokushu will be built on your graves! Not even King Garon can stop me now!
(Corrin initiates combat with Kotaro)
Corrin: You're wrong in thinking Nohr is a land of treachery.
Kotaro: Where have you been? It's always been this way. You stab and claw your way to the top. That's how the world works.
Corrin: At the expense of the regular people? I can't stand for that.
Kotaro: Your morality matters not. You are nothing to me, and I'll prove it by defeating you!
( Shura initiates combat with Kotaro)
Shura : So, you're the daimyo.
Kotaro: Who are you?
Shura : I am Shura of Kohga. You will pay for destroying my people!
Kotaro: Aw, so you came here to get revenge? That's precious. I've killed dozens of people like you. Don't bother. Like your pathetic kingdom, you don't stand a chance.
Shura : Killing you will be no bother at all. In fact, I'm looking for it. I'll rebuild Kohga once you've died too.
Kotaro: That's rich. I killed all your people, burned your villages to the ground. All your soldiers combined weren't enough to stop me. You think you alone can kill me? Ha!
Shura: We'll see how funny it is when you're begging for mercy. You took everything from me, so it's only fair that I repay the favor. For Kohga!
(Shura gets the kill)
Shura: Kohga... You will rise again soon...
( Kaze initiates combat with Kotaro)
Kaze : I never knew who killed my father... I merely knew he went off on a mission and never came back.
Kotaro: He was a pathetic creature. Surely you remember that.
Kaze : Your words do not bother me. The musings of a criminal mean nothing.
Kotaro: You've killed many as well for the glory of Hoshido. How is that any different from what I've done?
Kaze: ...
Kotaro: Say you're honorable all you want... It matters not. Prepare to perish.
Kaze : ...I'll bring you to an end for all the people you've killed!
( Saizo initiates combat with Kotaro)
Saizo: Kotaro of Mokushu... You will pay for your crimes.
Kotaro: I answer to no one. Who are you to suggest otherwise?
Saizo : I am Saizo the Fifth.
Kotaro: Saizo... That name sounds familiar. I believe I've murdered others of your pitiful lineage.
Saizo : My father was an honorable man.
Kotaro: Honorable? Don't make me laugh.
Saizo : Coward!
Kotaro: Isn't this a stroke of luck? To fell both father and son with the same blade... How poetic!
Saizo: Sorry to disappoint, but I'm about to rewrite your poem's ending.
Kotaro: If you're anything like your father you won't land a single blow!
(If Saizo gets the kill)
Saizo : How's that for not landing a single blow?
Kotaro: How could I lose?!
Saizo: A fitting end... Father... You have been avenged. May you rest in peace now.
(Kotaro is defeated)
Kotaro: No! My ambition... Mokushu's future...
(After the battle, Saizo and Kaze stand together)
Saizo : It's over... After all these years, Father's murder has been avenged.
Kaze: I only knew he had been killed in the line of duty while working in Mokushu... All this time... What a burden that knowledge must have been.
Saizo : That man killed our father and hid the truth from all... It took years of searching to uncover the truth that monster buried.
Kaze : Dishonorable scoundrel... There's no telling how many lives he took without punishment.
Saizo: Indeed...
(Corrin and Kagero appear)
Corrin: I found the dungeon they were keeping Kagero in.
Kagero: Saizo!
Saizo: Are you hurt? We must make haste and return to the capirtal right away.
Kagero : I am in your debt, Saizo... And... Lord Corrin...
Corrin: If you're worried about us resorting to violence, that is not the case. From here on out, Nohr is fighting for peace.
Saizo : It was pure coincidence that we crossed paths... Why didn't you take the lives of the soldiers you bested?
Corrin: Taking lives needlessly is not the Nohrian way. They were being manipulated just as we were.
Saizo : Hmph... I thank you for assisting us in this battle, but do not let our temporary truce fool you. When we next meet, it will be as enemies.
Kaze : We reside on opposite sides of the battlefield, after all.
Corrin: ...Very well. Return home now. Until we meet again.
( Kaze , Saizo , and Kagero leave as Shura appears)
Corrin: Ah, Shura! I wanted to talk to you about what you said earlier. What relation do you have to Kotaro?
Shura : Kotaro invaded a kingdom called Kohga many years ago and defeated it in a matter of days. All its people were slaughtered in a bloody war for 'the glory of Mokushu'. I was one of the few survivors who got away.
Corrin: You wanted to kill him for his genocide against your people...
Shura : Yes. There's no way to bring them back no matter what I try, but I can put their souls at rest and ease their suffering... With Kotaro's death, the freedom of Kohga is imminent.
Corrin: Do you want to stay here and establish your kingdom then?
Shura : ...I don't think so. I owe it to you for helping me take him down. I'll stay with you.
Corrin: Truly?
Shura : Yes. Besides, I'll need the dust to settle before I go into the restoration process.
Corrin: Well... We're glad to have you. Feel free to explore the army and talk to anyone. They won't bite.
Shura: Thank you.
(Shura leaves and Azura appears)
Corrin: It... It's twisted.
Azura: What is?
Corrin: In order to take down the king of treachery, we must follow his orders. Battle is the only place to gain enough experience to defeat him. And yet... It's the last thing I want.
Azura: You're fighting the people you're trying to protect to reach peace.
Corrin: Exactly. I don't know what to do about it. It's weird, and I don't know how to feel about it... Mercy won't always work. Despite our actions against unnecessary fighting, I cannot deny the heritage of Nohr was built in bloodshed and violence.
Azura: You're thinking of King Garon, Iago, and Hans, aren't you?
Corrin: Correct as always, Azura. No matter what I do, I can't change them. I'm not strong enough to take them down yet... The only way I can gain that experience is through the harsh reality of battle, but I'm killing the people I long to protect.
Azura: It makes you question the morality of all happening around us...
Corrin: Exactly. Is this really the right way to go? I want to change the corrupted kingdom from the inside, but there's so much I can't fix. I can't help the countless people that died to Kotaro, who was tainted by King Garon's ideologies. No matter how hard, I can't save everyone... It makes me feel hopeless. Is this even going to help? Does it matter at the end of the day?
Azura: Saving a single life matters. It may seem insignificant when looking at the hundreds of people lost in the past, but you did what you could to that person and their family. You've made a difference to them. A small difference is better than none at all. The same applies to Nohr. Some mercy is better than none.
Corrin: Thanks for talking to me, Azura... I hope you're ready for what's coming.
Azura: May King Garon rest in hell.
Corrin: Amen. For the glory of Nohr.
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The boat map that normally precedes this chapter is gone because I didn't think it was necessary so instead ~ time skip ~
-Digital