Late June, the 10th year of Tensho.

  Ieyasu Tokugawa had narrowly survived his perilous journey through Iga and returned to Hamamatsu. He had already begun mobilizing his forces toward Owari to strike Mitsuhide, but the news that reached him was the "Victory of Hideyoshi."

  "Hideyoshi... you’ve done it, haven’t you..."

  Ieyasu halted his advance and immediately shifted his focus. With Mitsuhide gone, he plunged into the "Tensho Jingo Conflict" to seize the vast power vacuum of the former Takeda territories—Shinano and Kai. He fought with the tenacity of a "beast" crawling through the mud to claim its land.

  Meanwhile, in the central provinces, a more sophisticated struggle for an invisible "power" had begun.

  Hideyoshi Hashiba, having secured victory at the Battle of Yamazaki, sought a "takeover" different from that of Ieyasu. This was a war to seize the "Great System" of the Oda clan itself. For Kanbe’e, this was the critical moment to elevate his lord, Hideyoshi, to the position of supreme ruler.

  Owari, Kiyosu Castle. The Oda clan, having lost its absolute "core" in Nobunaga, was attempting a reboot to prevent its collapse.

  The Kiyosu Conference. As modern records show, this meeting, which history would later name, was conducted as a remarkably administrative and rational procedure.

  Katsuie Shibata, Nagahide Niwa, Tsuneoki Ikeda, and Hideyoshi Hashiba.

  Four senior vassals sat knee-to-knee to divide their late lord’s territories and determine a successor. There were no roars of anger, no drawing of blades—nothing like the chaotic Sengoku era of old.

  While Hideyoshi’s achievement in slaying Mitsuhide was immense, the conference initially took the form of a collective reconciliation based on two points: "the installation of Sanboshi (Nobutada’s heir)" and "territorial reallocation."

  However, in essence, this was a "brake" designed to halt the runaway ambition of Hideyoshi.

  Kanbe’e Kuroda saw through this essence and envisioned a different future.

  "Everything is in place... Lord Hideyoshi..."

  As they left the gates of Kiyosu Castle after the meeting, Kanbe’e whispered lowly to Hideyoshi, who was atop his horse. His voice held no joy of victory, only the cold resonance of "continuing the process."

  "The Kiyosu Agreement is nothing more than ink on paper. What matters is this very moment, when they feel the relief of it being 'finished.' Now, we shall rewrite the very foundation of the Oda clan's 'mechanism.'"

  Kanbe’e’s actions were lightning-fast.

  The Kiyosu Agreement stipulated a "collective leadership system." However, Kanbe’e began his operation to burn out that very brake—the one meant to bind Hideyoshi—the very day after the meeting.

  First, Kanbe’e began the construction of a physical stronghold: Yamazaki Castle.

  In the reallocation of land settled at Kiyosu, Hideyoshi had secured the territory of Yamazaki. Kanbe’e swiftly built a fortress there that was more than a mere outpost; it was a massive "information hub."

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  "This is the gateway to Kyoto. A corridor for information connecting the West and the East. To place a castle here is synonymous with seizing the 'throat' of the Oda clan's lifeblood."

  Kanbe’e stood at the construction site himself, calculating every stone in the walls and every inch of the moats. Yamazaki Castle functioned as a demonstration of Hideyoshi’s power to the world, while simultaneously serving as a "gateway" to physically prevent Katsuie and Nobutaka from entering the capital.

  A letter of protest from Katsuie Shibata arrived only a few days after construction began.

  'The building of the castle at Yamazaki is a unilateral act violating the Kiyosu Agreement. Cease at once.'

  Hideyoshi smirked as he read it, but Kanbe’e threw the letter into the fire after a single glance.

  "Katsuie still believes his 'words' have power... How pathetic. The world is already moving not by words, but by the 'occupancy of reality'..."

  Kanbe’e’s "usurpation" did not end with the castle. Next, he targeted the highest-level authority of the system: the person of Sanboshi.

  In the Kiyosu Agreement, the young Sanboshi was to be placed at Gifu Castle under the guardianship of Nobutaka Oda (Nobunaga’s third son). This was the final defensive line for Katsuie and his allies to prevent Hideyoshi from monopolizing the boy.

  But Kanbe’e neutralized even this "law" through the power of information.

  Using "Ninja" covertly embedded around Gifu Castle, Kanbe’e spread a faint but lethal poison among Nobutaka’s vassals.

  "Mr. Nobutaka is using the young master Sanboshi as a shield to seize the Oda headship for himself."

  "The young master Sanboshi is being mistreated in Gifu..."

  These baseless rumors, accompanied by forged documents Kanbe’e prepared as "evidence," spread like wildfire among the neighboring lords.

  "Lord Hideyoshi. A 'Just Cause' is something one creates... Once the world believes Mr. Nobutaka is unlawfully detaining the young master, our 'extraction' becomes an act of justice."

  Winter, the 10th year of Tensho.

  Following Kanbe’e’s plan, Hideyoshi mobilized a massive army under the pretext of "paying respects" to Sanboshi. It was a blatant violation of the Kiyosu Agreement. However, due to the "Nobutaka’s Iniquity" propaganda orchestrated by Kanbe’e, the surrounding lords did not stop Hideyoshi; instead, they joined his ranks.

  Under Hideyoshi’s escort, Sanboshi was first moved from Gifu Castle to Azuchi Castle. However, using the "restoration of Azuchi" as a convenient pretext, Kanbe’e secretly pulled the strings to effectively tether the young heir's person to a strategic location near Yamazaki. He ensured that no one other than Hideyoshi could easily gain access, thereby isolating the boy within their own sphere of influence.

  At this moment, the administrative authority of the Oda clan's "legitimacy" passed entirely into Hideyoshi’s hands.

  By the time Katsuie and Nobutaka realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late.

  With Sanboshi installed at Yamazaki Castle, Hideyoshi was no longer just a senior vassal. He reigned as the "de facto dictator" acting for the Oda clan, standing atop the new order designed by Kanbe’e.

  Kanbe’e looked upon Sanboshi, who was laughing innocently in Hideyoshi’s arms, with eyes devoid of emotion. To him, the child was not the sacred bloodline of his late lord to be protected, but merely the most powerful "authority" for moving the pieces on the board of the realm.

  "Noble blood, too, can be either poison or medicine, depending on how it is used..."

  In the palm of his hand, the pride of three generations of the Oda clan was being repurposed into convenient parts to justify the reign of the Hashiba. In Kanbe’e’s mind—he who plotted the eradication of the Oda clan—there was no longer a single shred of hesitation.

  "This will drive them into a rage... And that is for the best. Rage only clouds one's judgment..."

  From the keep of Yamazaki Castle, Kanbe’e looked up at the northern sky. Lead-colored clouds were beginning to spread, soon to bring the winter.

  Using the "Peace of Kiyosu" as fuel, Kanbe’e was intentionally and precisely igniting a massive conflagration.

  When the snow falls, Katsuie of the North will be trapped in his cage.

  In the meantime, he would delete the remaining "bugs" one by one—.

  "Lord Hideyoshi... At last, it is time for the final touch."

  Kanbe’e’s cold whisper vanished into the dry autumn wind.

  Half a year since the Kiyosu Conference. Beneath the falling snow, the next great conflict—the Battle of Shizugatake—was about to let out its first cry.

  Produced and written by a Japanese author, rooted in authentic Japanese history. Translated with the assistance of Gemini (AI).