Chapter 43: No Wonder Feudal Lords in Japan Liked Becoming Monks

"Hojo Akitoki?"

Perhaps out of sheer astonishment, perhaps out of overwhelming terror.

Looking at Hojo Akitoki—the very person he had prayed would either die or, at the absolute minimum, never return.

Ujishige’s eyes swept rapidly over this master and the figure of Akechi Mitsuhide standing closely behind him.

*Thud.* He dropped to his knees even faster than his own older brother, Ujiasu. At this moment, Ujishige bore no resemblance whatsoever to the brash, loudmouthed fellow who had been shouting at his brother just moments before.

Even more ridiculously, not only did he drop to his knees in a flash, but his entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and his head was buried so deep it was almost concealed by his hands.

*What a worthless disgrace.*

Tired at heart, Ujiasu cast a cold, sideways glance at his younger brother. Thinking far further ahead than Ujishige could, Ujiasu was inwardly seized by panic and quickly dropped to his knees as well.

One had to bear in mind just how far this main command tent was from the entrance of the encampment.

Furthermore, theoretically speaking, the guards tasked with protecting this tent were all his own trusted confidants.

And yet, what was the reality now?

Hojo Akitoki had walked all the way from the camp gates to this very tent, and over such a lengthy period of time, not a single warrior had come forward to report his approach.

Not even the so-called trusted guards stationed outside the tent had given a single warning!

If this could not demonstrate something, what possibly could?

Burying his head in his hands in imitation of his brother, Ujiasu witnessed Hojo Akitoki's methods once again.

This fellow, who constantly had the phrase "benevolent and righteous world" on his lips, undoubtedly concealed a bottomless abyss of darkness beneath his surface!

"Rise, everyone stand up. What is the meaning of this?"

"We are all members of the Hojo family; there is no need to show such grand courtesy."

Looking at the prostrate Ujiasu brothers before him, Hojo Akitoki repeatedly uttered kind words insisting that such actions were unnecessary.

Yet, in his actions, he showed not the slightest intention of helping the two men up. Stepping right past them, Hojo Akitoki walked forward with an air of grand authority.

He seated himself squarely upon the host's primary seat at the head of the tent, smiling as he stared straight into the eyes of the remaining attendants—and at the two brothers who had awkwardly turned around while still sticking their rear ends up in the air.

"Please forgive me, Lord Akitoki. Ujishige has only just returned from the front lines."

"So, in the heat of battle-fever, he uttered some inappropriate words. However, please rest assured, My Lord."

"For the grand enterprise of the Hojo family, Ujishige will surely dedicate his utmost loyalty until his dying breath!"

Because Ujiasu's head was pressed so close to the dirt floor, his voice sounded somewhat muffled.

Hearing his elder brother interceding on his behalf, Ujishige breathed a slight sigh of relief, adopting an even more respectful posture and not daring to draw a full breath.

"Lord Ujiasu, what kind of talk is this?"

"Just as I said to Lord Ujishige, I, Hojo Akitoki, have fortuitously responded to everyone's nomination and ascended to this position."

"Naturally, I must rack my brains and drain my energy for the prosperity of the Hojo family. After all, only by doing so can I face our ancestors underground a hundred years from now."

Waving his hand, Hojo Akitoki spoke with an utterly nonchalant expression.

Though from the bottom of his heart, he had no desire to acknowledge these ancestors, and presumably those ancestors would have no desire to see him a hundred years from now.

For the sake of appearances, however, he still had to bite the bullet and acknowledge them.

"Ujishige!"

Realizing that no amount of smooth talk on his part would be of any use, Ujiasu turned to reprimand his younger brother instead.

"Lord Akitoki... ah, no, Lord Family Head."

Knowing all too well what it meant to recognize the currents of the times and adapt to them, Ujishige found it impossible to put up a tough front in the presence of Hojo Akitoki, no matter what.

Knocking his head heavily against the ground several times, he immediately began to plead for mercy.

"Earlier, it was because my battle-fever had not yet subsided after the fight, so I drank a few extra cups of clear sake to calm my nerves."

"I never imagined my tolerance for alcohol was so poor, leading me to babble nonsense before Your Lordship. I earnestly beg Your Lordship to forgive this subordinate."

"Oh, is that so?"

Nodding slightly, Hojo Akitoki narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering for a long time upon Ujishige's back.

As he remained silent, the atmosphere inside the tent instantly became suffocatingly heavy.

Just as time ticked away second by second, leaving the two Ujiasu brothers shaking like a sieve from head to toe—

"Hahaha, minor matters, minor matters! After all, we have just fought a bloody battle, so it is entirely understandable, entirely understandable."

Bursting into loud laughter, Hojo Akitoki instructed Akechi Mitsuhide to help the two men up from the ground.

After struggling through a few awkward pulls and tugs with Mitsuhide, the two brothers managed to stand up trembling.

Just when they thought the matter was finally over, Hojo Akitoki suddenly spoke up once more.

"To drink alcohol on the battlefield before securing victory—as one of the commanding generals, Ujishige, how do you expect the warriors and foot soldiers beneath you to view this?"

"If they follow your example and drink themselves into a stupor just as you did, thereby missing critical opportunities in battle, how can our Hojo family ever hope to prosper?"

"Considering your previous contributions and your brother's intercession this once, get down outside and take fifty military blows with a staff!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing these words, Ujishige snapped his head up, staring directly into Hojo Akitoki's expressionless face.

If fifty military staff blows were truly administered, one could say that his participation in this Battle of Kawagoe had prematurely come to an end.

Furthermore, if that many strikes were delivered solidly and honestly, he feared half his life would be forfeited, and he would be bedridden at home for a hundred days!

Yet...

Ujishige stared fixedly at Hojo Akitoki for a few moments before turning his gaze to his elder brother standing beside him.

After a few brief seconds passed, Ujishige lowered his head in resignation, uttering not another word as he turned and walked out of the tent.

He could tell: if he desired dignity, others would grant him dignity; if he chose to throw away his dignity, others would strip it away all the same.

Under the circumstances, it was better to retain a shred of dignity.

"Lord Ujiasu."

Acting as though ordering someone to beat his subordinate's younger brother with fifty staff blows was a matter of utter insignificance, Hojo Akitoki turned back with a cheerful smile and asked Ujiasu.

"Earlier, I heard that our Hojo family possesses certain foundations and secrets that I was previously unaware of."

"Particularly regarding the matter of dealing with demons, our clan still has a few hidden trump cards, do we not?"

Hearing this and sighing inwardly once more, Ujiasu felt his spirit completely give out.

Perhaps he had originally harbored some lingering defiance toward Hojo Akitoki, but hearing this question from the seat of honor above—

Ujiasu swept a nearly imperceptible glance across the officials in the tent, all of whom were keeping their eyes fixed downward, pretending not to see or hear anything.

*Where in the world are my trusted confidants!*

Screaming this inwardly at the top of his lungs, Ujiasu adopted an even more respectful outward demeanor.

"Lord Family Head, because your succession ceremony has not yet been held,"

"And we were immediately plunged into the Battle of Kawagoe afterward, some of the handover duties have simply not been completed in a timely manner."

"This is the fault of this subordinate. In truth, concerning demons, every daimyo domain with a long-standing heritage has its own patron deities it worships."

"Additionally, within the domains, there are powerful Buddhist monks, Onmyoji, Shinto priests, and the like."

"Including renowned shrines across various regions, as well as the Onmyoryo directly under the command of the Shogun—these are all institutions dedicated to handling demonic affairs."

"When major demons run amok, they will also be dispatched as appropriate to perform exorcisms."

Following this, Ujiasu spilled everything he knew like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, answering all the topics that had piqued Hojo Akitoki's interest.

"So that's how it is. It turns out I was truly ignorant and ill-informed."

Clapping his hands with a pleased expression to voice his admiration, Hojo Akitoki waved his hand to dismiss Ujiasu.

Acting entirely oblivious to the fact that this had originally been Ujiasu's private tent, he simply took it over as a matter of course.

As soon as Ujiasu departed—looking outwardly calm but inwardly drowned in despair—his premier loyal vassal, Akechi Mitsuhide, immediately stepped close to Hojo Akitoki's side.

Right in front of the remaining warriors who had yet to retreat from the tent, a piercingly cold light flashed in Mitsuhide's eyes.

"My Lord?"

"The Hojo family is a united, close-knit clan."

Seemingly offering an irrelevant reply, Hojo Akitoki signaled Akechi Mitsuhide to remain calm for the time being.

Lowering his gaze, Hojo Akitoki finally began to piece certain things together in his mind.

For instance, in his previous life, he had often read in historical records of Eastern domains that—

The daimyo of the East had a rather peculiar tradition: the ruling family heads of various clans were extremely fond of renouncing the secular world to become Buddhist monks.

Even many famous daimyo who did not formally take the tonsure would still adopt a Buddhist dharma name.

Furthermore, the descendants of rival daimyo who suffered defeat were mostly dispatched straight into temples to spend their lives.

Back then, bright young men of Planet Blue simply and naively assumed that this was due to the thriving nature of Buddhism in the East.

After all, it was a place where things like *Ikko-ikki* could happen—religious uprisings where temple factions openly and frontally clashed with daimyo forces.

He had never imagined there was such a deeper, hidden significance behind it all. No wonder Kenshin Uesugi even used the character for Vaisravana on his battle banners, and went so far as to style himself as the mortal incarnation of Vaisravana!

"Worshiping deities? Or incense-fed deities? Or perhaps merely deities manufactured through imperial enfeoffment?"

Beating his right fist against his left palm, Hojo Akitoki was suddenly reminded of the few deities who had made appearances in *InuYasha*.

Especially that thoroughly unlucky river god whom InuYasha and his companions would likely encounter before long.

"Hmph, any deity easily defeated by a mere demon is not worth worrying about!"

"Our immediate priority is to crush that tiger, Shingen Takeda."