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Description
April 14, 1578

Responding to an attempt on his life, Oda Nobunaga sends a lone assassin to eliminate Uesugi Kenshin, the last of the warlords preventing him from the unification of Japan.

-What follows is based on true events.

* * *

The dwarf looked up toward the fourth tier of the pagoda castle. A shadow came to the balcony holding a lamp as it peered out over the terrace. Jinnai held his blowgun at the ready. He loaded an iron needle into the end and considered his target. It was still a bit far to make the shot. A moment later the shadow turned and vanished into the compound.

Jinnai scanned the courtyard. Sleepy flames flickered in stone lanterns. Pink cherry blossom petals tumbled across the lawn in the gentle breeze. All was quiet.

The dwarf darted across the grass, clinging to the shadows. When he reached the outer wall he paused to listen.

Still quiet.

Jinnai loosed the rope tied diagonally across his chest. Gripping the four-prong hook in his hand, he swung it in a loop and then pitched it up and over the balcony. He gave it a firm tug. It was secure.

It wasn’t as easy for him as other assassins. And climbing was particularly challenging. But he’d spent the last month preparing for this mission. Jinnai fastened a pair of spiked stirrups snug over his two-toed boots. Then he clamped the blowgun between his teeth. Just in case the sentry returned.

Jinnai tamped a foot to the base of the wall, and dug in with the spikes. Pulling himself along with the rope, he walked up the wall one step at a time. It wasn’t long before the dull shine of a lamp appeared overhead. Jinnai secured his foot-spikes and clung to the wall in case the sentry cut his rope. Instead, the man leaned out over the rail.

The dwarf sucked a breath in through his nose and then exhaled sharply through the blowgun. A hollow chirp whistled out. The dart buried itself in the sentry’s forehead, and then the man tipped over the balcony. He plummeted straight toward Jinnai. Snatching the rope, the dwarf kicked away from the wall. The wind rustled through his clothes as the sentry flew past. A second later the man hit the lawn below, squelching like a ripe tomato. Jinnai heaved a quiet sigh, and then resumed his climb.

When he neared the top, he peered over the lip of the balcony with caution. A clever man wishing to catch an infiltrator would wait in ambush. But the landing was clear. He mantled the ledge, removed the spiked stirrups, and pulled the rope up behind him. No evidence. It made the fall look like it could have been an accident.

The dwarf moved to the sliding door like a shadow. Pressed his ear to the rice paper. Footsteps creaked by on the other side, accompanied by the faint glow of a lantern.

Nightingale floorboards.

The loose planks were intended for intruders just like him. He wondered if that’s what had tripped up his father.

Jinnai waited as the steps got further away. His intel had it that there were five guards on this level. Three on patrol. Two with the warlord at all times. One was already gathering flies down in the courtyard. But he wasn’t eager to square off with the other four. When the footsteps faded he slid the door open. He eyed the wooden floor with suspicion. The slightest amount of pressure in the wrong place and it would sing.

Easing his heel down, he rolled his foot along its outside edge, distributing his weight smoothly as he stepped. Jinnai padded over the tattling floorboards without a sound. Gliding like a phantom in the direction the steps had gone.

The interior of the castle radiated opulence. Vellum scrolls covered in intricate brushwork hung from walls. Urns painted in vivid colors squatted in every corner. It was like nothing he’d ever seen.

The threatening orange glow of a rice lantern bobbed around the corner.

Jinnai shrank. Pulling in his shoulders, bending at the knees. He tousled his hair, teasing it down over his face. Then completed the look by untucking his child’s kimono, letting it drape loosely over his legs.

The sentry came into view. “Who goes there?” He raised his lamp and placed a hand on the hilt of his curved sword.

Jinnai’s voice was too deep to offer a reply. So instead he put a hand to his eye and gave pathetic sniffle.

“What are you doing out of bed?” The sentry paused, squinting at Jinnai. “Little master?”

The dwarf gulped in a breath. Positioned his tongue in the back of his throat. Constricted his diaphragm. Pointed a chubby finger behind the sentry. And then threw a man’s voice. “Guard.”

The sentry wheeled around, turning his back to Jinnai. Fool.

The dwarf leapt forward, pulling a short wooden cylinder from his robe. Jinnai smashed the tip of the foot-long staff into the base of the man’s neck, where it met his spine. Killing him without spilling a single drop of blood on the floor. The sentry’s legs went out and he collapsed back onto the dwarf. Pinning Jinnai to the wall.

Another set of feet were already squeaking down the hallway. Jinnai didn’t have time to hide the body. Especially not when it was weighing him down. The dwarf reached out and flared the pleated pants of the dead sentry, and then dislocated his shoulder. Scrunching his frame and withdrawing behind the body as far as he could.

“Toshiro.” A voice came. “What are you doing?” It was getting closer.

Jinnai felt in his pouch for a hollowed egg.

“Are you drunk again?” The voice asked.

Mustering all his strength into a single shove, the dwarf thrust the body away. When the guard came into view, Jinnai whipped the hollowed egg into his face. It exploded in a puff of crushed glass and powered hot pepper. The man tried to suck in a breath, but it caught in his throat. He stumbled back. Jinnai formed a tight fist that left his index knuckle protruding. Then he drove the point of his knuckle into the man’s liver. The guard dropped instantly. A thin rivulet of blood leaked from his mouth onto the floor.

Three down. There shouldn’t be any more on patrol.

Still, Jinnai had to hurry. The last two guards would be together. There was no point risking exposure. He pried at the loose floorboards and stuffed both bodies below as quietly as he could. When he was done, he replaced the planks bloody-side down. No evidence.

Jinnai pulled open his kimono and took a quick glance at the map he’d drawn on the inside. The warlord’s chamber should be just around the next turn. Sidling to the end of the corridor he listened with intent. No quiet conversation. No groans of shifting feet on wood. Not even the whisper of breath. Nothing.

He glanced around the corner. The warlord’s door was unguarded. That meant he was either visiting a geisha, or would be returning from his evening meal shortly. Either case left Jinnai little window to breach the room. The dwarf padded down the hall using the same creak-resistant technique he had before. When he arrived at the warlord’s quarters he shouldered up to the door and listened again. He couldn’t be too careful.

Satisfied, he slid the door open and eased inside. The room was lavish, filled with plush cushions and embroidered blankets. Everything was dyed in vibrant reds and blues. A masterfully painted dragon leered at him from a changing screen in the corner.

Jinnai crept toward the warlord’s privy. He would just hide against the wall until Lord Kenshin returned. The scent of incense coming from the lavatory masked the smell of excrement well enough. His wait wouldn’t be unpleasant.

But before he could make it inside something pulled at the back of his mind. Clamored wildly. Like the feeling that a venomous spider was descending a silk line… about to land on the back of his neck. Jinnai spun. The figure behind him was draped in shadow.

I never heard his approach.

That could have only meant one thing. Another assassin. The figure stepped forward, revealing an angry red scar over his right eye as he came into the light.

Jinnai nodded out of respect. He knew the man by reputation. “Danjo…” Renowned for his unparalleled talent for stealth and deception. The very assassin that had slaughtered the first team of men Oda sent to dispatch the warlord. A team from Jinnai’s own shinobi village. They had been led by his father.

This was most unexpected. Jinnai resisted the urge to grit his teeth.

Danjo walked casually around the bed chamber, closing off the room. “You’re more skilled than I gave you credit for. But you’re in over your head.” His eyes glinted as if he thought the turn of phrase was particularly clever.

Jinnai hazarded a glance toward the door. “Not going to call for aid?”

The man smirked, drawing his blade. “Don’t insult me. You are but half a shinobi.” Danjo’s tone was sharp. Clearly meant to make Jinnai lose his calm. But he’d had heard it all before. And he’d taken his vengeance on every bastard that ever threw a dwarf joke in his direction. “Do you need a stool to stand on before we begin?”

Jinnai shrugged. “If you think it will improve your odds.” He pulled out the short wooden cylinder, and flicked it violently. It telescoped into a spear as it snapped open to the full length. The dwarf rolled his shoulders lightly. Worked his head side to side, stretching his neck. He hoped his relaxed appearance would lure his opponent into a false sense of ease. Letting out a slow breath, he feigned a sigh and then thrust the spear point toward Danjo in a blur of razor metal.

The scarred assassin easily turned the attack with the flat of his sword. He looped back on Jinnai’s spear in an attempt to throw the dwarf off balance, and then lashed out with his blade. Jinnai dove away blindly. Toward the open hole in the lavatory floor… Barring his spear across the circular aperture, he grimaced and rolled back to his feet. Too close.

Danjo smiled. Then the scarred assassin casually reached a hand up to scratch his chin. But Jinnai saw the glint and deflected the small knife spinning toward his head. He’d never seen a throwing technique disguised so well.

So the rumors are true.

Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. If he didn’t beat Danjo soon, the others would be back. He’d have no chance then. More than that, Jinnai owed it to his father to kill this man.

Jinnai crouched into a low stance and pointed the tip of his spear at the scarred assassin. Slowly, carefully, he turned to the side. Slid his back hand down the length of his spear, concealing it behind his body. He reached into his pouch again. Found a hollowed egg.

Jinnai twisted, flourishing his spear as a distraction and hurled the egg at Danjo. But the assassin saw through his ruse. Catching the egg in a cupped hand Danjo spun and threw it back. Jinnai brought up the shaft of his spear to protect his face. The egg shattered over it. Glass dust and mashed pepper wisped into his face. He pulled his eyes shut and reeled back.

Before Jinnai could recover, Danjo pressed him to the wall with his blade. Using his size to pin the smaller man back. The dwarf was immobilized, straining to keep the curved sword away from his face. If he moved either hand from his spear to reach for another weapon, Danjo would press forward and cut him down.

But he hadn’t come all this way for nothing. Jinnai bit at the inside of his mouth nervously. The needle he kept inside his cheek as a last resort came loose. Rolling his tongue into a makeshift blowtube, Jinnai spat the dart deep into Danjo’s good eye.

The assassin faltered, but to his credit he did not cry out. That moment was all Jinnai needed. He whipped his spear around in a wide arc, on Danjo’s blind side. The blade caught the assassin under the ear, severing his carotid artery. A dark circle of crimson spread out across Danjo’s kimono, his life blood pumping from his neck in angry spurts.

The assassin pressed a hand to his neck, holding the wound closed. He raised the sword in his other hand. The blade stared down at Jinnai for the briefest of moments. Then it descended. And Danjo followed it, collapsing to the matted floor directly over the privy hole.

He was halfway in already, so Jinnai lifted his legs and buried the scarred assassin in the stinking cesspool below. A fitting demise for the man who’d slain his father. That’s when he heard something in the other room. A light rustling. It would be the warlord returning with his bodyguards. Jinnai looked around frantically. There was nowhere to hide in the lavatory. Nowhere but where Danjo was already hiding.

Collapsing his telescopic spear, Jinnai lowered himself through opening in the floor and stood under the overhang beneath. His feet sunk into the filth, but he remained still. If he avoided detection he could always reposition later. Still assassinate the warlord and complete his mission.

He heard confident footsteps as someone entered. Jinnai held his breath. Not for the smell, but to calm his nerves. To make it easier to hear over his pounding heart. He couldn’t afford to be spotted. It would guarantee his death, and his village didn’t deserve another failure.

The man approached the toilet and stooped over it for the practical purpose. It suddenly occurred to him, there was only one man who would use the warlord’s restroom. Jinnai smiled. A wicked idea running through his head.

He quietly extended his telescopic spear and took careful aim…

Description
April 14, 1578

Responding to an attempt on his life, Oda Nobunaga sends a lone assassin to eliminate Uesugi Kenshin, the last of the warlords preventing him from the unification of Japan.

-What follows is based on true events.

* * *

The dwarf looked up toward the fourth tier of the pagoda castle. A shadow came to the balcony holding a lamp as it peered out over the terrace. Jinnai held his blowgun at the ready. He loaded an iron needle into the end and considered his target. It was still a bit far to make the shot. A moment later the shadow turned and vanished into the compound.

Jinnai scanned the courtyard. Sleepy flames flickered in stone lanterns. Pink cherry blossom petals tumbled across the lawn in the gentle breeze. All was quiet.

The dwarf darted across the grass, clinging to the shadows. When he reached the outer wall he paused to listen.

Still quiet.

Jinnai loosed the rope tied diagonally across his chest. Gripping the four-prong hook in his hand, he swung it in a loop and then pitched it up and over the balcony. He gave it a firm tug. It was secure.

It wasn’t as easy for him as other assassins. And climbing was particularly challenging. But he’d spent the last month preparing for this mission. Jinnai fastened a pair of spiked stirrups snug over his two-toed boots. Then he clamped the blowgun between his teeth. Just in case the sentry returned.

Jinnai tamped a foot to the base of the wall, and dug in with the spikes. Pulling himself along with the rope, he walked up the wall one step at a time. It wasn’t long before the dull shine of a lamp appeared overhead. Jinnai secured his foot-spikes and clung to the wall in case the sentry cut his rope. Instead, the man leaned out over the rail.

The dwarf sucked a breath in through his nose and then exhaled sharply through the blowgun. A hollow chirp whistled out. The dart buried itself in the sentry’s forehead, and then the man tipped over the balcony. He plummeted straight toward Jinnai. Snatching the rope, the dwarf kicked away from the wall. The wind rustled through his clothes as the sentry flew past. A second later the man hit the lawn below, squelching like a ripe tomato. Jinnai heaved a quiet sigh, and then resumed his climb.

When he neared the top, he peered over the lip of the balcony with caution. A clever man wishing to catch an infiltrator would wait in ambush. But the landing was clear. He mantled the ledge, removed the spiked stirrups, and pulled the rope up behind him. No evidence. It made the fall look like it could have been an accident.

The dwarf moved to the sliding door like a shadow. Pressed his ear to the rice paper. Footsteps creaked by on the other side, accompanied by the faint glow of a lantern.

Nightingale floorboards.

The loose planks were intended for intruders just like him. He wondered if that’s what had tripped up his father.

Jinnai waited as the steps got further away. His intel had it that there were five guards on this level. Three on patrol. Two with the warlord at all times. One was already gathering flies down in the courtyard. But he wasn’t eager to square off with the other four. When the footsteps faded he slid the door open. He eyed the wooden floor with suspicion. The slightest amount of pressure in the wrong place and it would sing.

Easing his heel down, he rolled his foot along its outside edge, distributing his weight smoothly as he stepped. Jinnai padded over the tattling floorboards without a sound. Gliding like a phantom in the direction the steps had gone.

The interior of the castle radiated opulence. Vellum scrolls covered in intricate brushwork hung from walls. Urns painted in vivid colors squatted in every corner. It was like nothing he’d ever seen.

The threatening orange glow of a rice lantern bobbed around the corner.

Jinnai shrank. Pulling in his shoulders, bending at the knees. He tousled his hair, teasing it down over his face. Then completed the look by untucking his child’s kimono, letting it drape loosely over his legs.

The sentry came into view. “Who goes there?” He raised his lamp and placed a hand on the hilt of his curved sword.

Jinnai’s voice was too deep to offer a reply. So instead he put a hand to his eye and gave pathetic sniffle.

“What are you doing out of bed?” The sentry paused, squinting at Jinnai. “Little master?”

The dwarf gulped in a breath. Positioned his tongue in the back of his throat. Constricted his diaphragm. Pointed a chubby finger behind the sentry. And then threw a man’s voice. “Guard.”

The sentry wheeled around, turning his back to Jinnai. Fool.

The dwarf leapt forward, pulling a short wooden cylinder from his robe. Jinnai smashed the tip of the foot-long staff into the base of the man’s neck, where it met his spine. Killing him without spilling a single drop of blood on the floor. The sentry’s legs went out and he collapsed back onto the dwarf. Pinning Jinnai to the wall.

Another set of feet were already squeaking down the hallway. Jinnai didn’t have time to hide the body. Especially not when it was weighing him down. The dwarf reached out and flared the pleated pants of the dead sentry, and then dislocated his shoulder. Scrunching his frame and withdrawing behind the body as far as he could.

“Toshiro.” A voice came. “What are you doing?” It was getting closer.

Jinnai felt in his pouch for a hollowed egg.

“Are you drunk again?” The voice asked.

Mustering all his strength into a single shove, the dwarf thrust the body away. When the guard came into view, Jinnai whipped the hollowed egg into his face. It exploded in a puff of crushed glass and powered hot pepper. The man tried to suck in a breath, but it caught in his throat. He stumbled back. Jinnai formed a tight fist that left his index knuckle protruding. Then he drove the point of his knuckle into the man’s liver. The guard dropped instantly. A thin rivulet of blood leaked from his mouth onto the floor.

Three down. There shouldn’t be any more on patrol.

Still, Jinnai had to hurry. The last two guards would be together. There was no point risking exposure. He pried at the loose floorboards and stuffed both bodies below as quietly as he could. When he was done, he replaced the planks bloody-side down. No evidence.

Jinnai pulled open his kimono and took a quick glance at the map he’d drawn on the inside. The warlord’s chamber should be just around the next turn. Sidling to the end of the corridor he listened with intent. No quiet conversation. No groans of shifting feet on wood. Not even the whisper of breath. Nothing.

He glanced around the corner. The warlord’s door was unguarded. That meant he was either visiting a geisha, or would be returning from his evening meal shortly. Either case left Jinnai little window to breach the room. The dwarf padded down the hall using the same creak-resistant technique he had before. When he arrived at the warlord’s quarters he shouldered up to the door and listened again. He couldn’t be too careful.

Satisfied, he slid the door open and eased inside. The room was lavish, filled with plush cushions and embroidered blankets. Everything was dyed in vibrant reds and blues. A masterfully painted dragon leered at him from a changing screen in the corner.

Jinnai crept toward the warlord’s privy. He would just hide against the wall until Lord Kenshin returned. The scent of incense coming from the lavatory masked the smell of excrement well enough. His wait wouldn’t be unpleasant.

But before he could make it inside something pulled at the back of his mind. Clamored wildly. Like the feeling that a venomous spider was descending a silk line… about to land on the back of his neck. Jinnai spun. The figure behind him was draped in shadow.

I never heard his approach.

That could have only meant one thing. Another assassin. The figure stepped forward, revealing an angry red scar over his right eye as he came into the light.

Jinnai nodded out of respect. He knew the man by reputation. “Danjo…” Renowned for his unparalleled talent for stealth and deception. The very assassin that had slaughtered the first team of men Oda sent to dispatch the warlord. A team from Jinnai’s own shinobi village. They had been led by his father.

This was most unexpected. Jinnai resisted the urge to grit his teeth.

Danjo walked casually around the bed chamber, closing off the room. “You’re more skilled than I gave you credit for. But you’re in over your head.” His eyes glinted as if he thought the turn of phrase was particularly clever.

Jinnai hazarded a glance toward the door. “Not going to call for aid?”

The man smirked, drawing his blade. “Don’t insult me. You are but half a shinobi.” Danjo’s tone was sharp. Clearly meant to make Jinnai lose his calm. But he’d had heard it all before. And he’d taken his vengeance on every bastard that ever threw a dwarf joke in his direction. “Do you need a stool to stand on before we begin?”

Jinnai shrugged. “If you think it will improve your odds.” He pulled out the short wooden cylinder, and flicked it violently. It telescoped into a spear as it snapped open to the full length. The dwarf rolled his shoulders lightly. Worked his head side to side, stretching his neck. He hoped his relaxed appearance would lure his opponent into a false sense of ease. Letting out a slow breath, he feigned a sigh and then thrust the spear point toward Danjo in a blur of razor metal.

The scarred assassin easily turned the attack with the flat of his sword. He looped back on Jinnai’s spear in an attempt to throw the dwarf off balance, and then lashed out with his blade. Jinnai dove away blindly. Toward the open hole in the lavatory floor… Barring his spear across the circular aperture, he grimaced and rolled back to his feet. Too close.

Danjo smiled. Then the scarred assassin casually reached a hand up to scratch his chin. But Jinnai saw the glint and deflected the small knife spinning toward his head. He’d never seen a throwing technique disguised so well.

So the rumors are true.

Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. If he didn’t beat Danjo soon, the others would be back. He’d have no chance then. More than that, Jinnai owed it to his father to kill this man.

Jinnai crouched into a low stance and pointed the tip of his spear at the scarred assassin. Slowly, carefully, he turned to the side. Slid his back hand down the length of his spear, concealing it behind his body. He reached into his pouch again. Found a hollowed egg.

Jinnai twisted, flourishing his spear as a distraction and hurled the egg at Danjo. But the assassin saw through his ruse. Catching the egg in a cupped hand Danjo spun and threw it back. Jinnai brought up the shaft of his spear to protect his face. The egg shattered over it. Glass dust and mashed pepper wisped into his face. He pulled his eyes shut and reeled back.

Before Jinnai could recover, Danjo pressed him to the wall with his blade. Using his size to pin the smaller man back. The dwarf was immobilized, straining to keep the curved sword away from his face. If he moved either hand from his spear to reach for another weapon, Danjo would press forward and cut him down.

But he hadn’t come all this way for nothing. Jinnai bit at the inside of his mouth nervously. The needle he kept inside his cheek as a last resort came loose. Rolling his tongue into a makeshift blowtube, Jinnai spat the dart deep into Danjo’s good eye.

The assassin faltered, but to his credit he did not cry out. That moment was all Jinnai needed. He whipped his spear around in a wide arc, on Danjo’s blind side. The blade caught the assassin under the ear, severing his carotid artery. A dark circle of crimson spread out across Danjo’s kimono, his life blood pumping from his neck in angry spurts.

The assassin pressed a hand to his neck, holding the wound closed. He raised the sword in his other hand. The blade stared down at Jinnai for the briefest of moments. Then it descended. And Danjo followed it, collapsing to the matted floor directly over the privy hole.

He was halfway in already, so Jinnai lifted his legs and buried the scarred assassin in the stinking cesspool below. A fitting demise for the man who’d slain his father. That’s when he heard something in the other room. A light rustling. It would be the warlord returning with his bodyguards. Jinnai looked around frantically. There was nowhere to hide in the lavatory. Nowhere but where Danjo was already hiding.

Collapsing his telescopic spear, Jinnai lowered himself through opening in the floor and stood under the overhang beneath. His feet sunk into the filth, but he remained still. If he avoided detection he could always reposition later. Still assassinate the warlord and complete his mission.

He heard confident footsteps as someone entered. Jinnai held his breath. Not for the smell, but to calm his nerves. To make it easier to hear over his pounding heart. He couldn’t afford to be spotted. It would guarantee his death, and his village didn’t deserve another failure.

The man approached the toilet and stooped over it for the practical purpose. It suddenly occurred to him, there was only one man who would use the warlord’s restroom. Jinnai smiled. A wicked idea running through his head.

He quietly extended his telescopic spear and took careful aim…