"Two days from now will be the day we prove that the people will unite under the Empire of Go-Toba!"
Morinobu Kageyori's voice echoed through the hall.
The commanders roared their agreement, the chamber erupting in noise.
One of them, a middle-aged man, stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Lordship, Emperor Go-Toba has sent additional troops from Kyoto. They arrived before dawn."
Morinobu slowly turned his head.
"How strong are we now?"
"Twelve thousand, Your Lordship. The core forces of our Kageyori Clan, reinforcements from the Taira, Kōno, and Nara clans. Imperial palace guards from Kyoto… samurai families from the capital… and the warrior monks."
The room fell silent.
Twelve thousand.
It sounded impressive when spoken aloud. But Morinobu knew the truth—out there, it was not enough to defeat Kamakura. Kamakura's strength was far greater. Far more terrifying.
He stepped toward the map spread across the table. His fingers traced the route leading to the Uji River.
"The Hojo will not remain idle. Have they moved?" he asked quietly.
A young commander looked at him anxiously.
"Hojo Yoshitoki has already mobilized, my lord."
The name needed no introduction. Hōjō Yoshitoki. The Shogun's regent. The mind behind Kamakura's military power.
Morinobu lifted his gaze.
"If we do not resist, Kamakura will eliminate us one by one. Our lands will be seized. Our families taken hostage. They are ruthless and greedy."
"The Shogun himself is weak," the older commander added.
"Minamoto no Sanetomo is merely a symbol. The Hojo control the shogunate."
"Then understand this," Morinobu straightened,
"We are not fighting a child named Sanetomo. We are fighting a system—to restore imperial authority and end this shogunate."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"We defend Kyoto!"
---
Several days later, twelve thousand soldiers stood along the banks of the Uji River in Kyoto. Alliance banners supporting Emperor Go-Toba fluttered in the wind. A blue banner bearing the crane emblem stood at the very front—the banner of Kageyori.
In the distance, the thunder of marching feet and galloping horses approached.
Someone ran forward, breathless.
"They're in sight! Smoke rising high in the east!"
Morinobu mounted his horse. Far beyond, a long black line stretched across the horizon.
One hundred ninety thousand.
The Hojo army advanced like a sea of steel.
A commander whispered,
"Their numbers… it's absurd."
Morinobu smiled faintly.
"Since when has war been decided by numbers alone? Do not fear!"
He knew that wasn't entirely true.
But his men needed belief.
"Front line—form defensive ranks at the bridge! Monks, secure the western flank! Taira and Kōno, with me!"
The first arrow flew from the Hojo side—followed by hundreds more. The sky turned into a rain of iron.
"SHIELDS!" Morinobu roared.
The first scream rang out.
Battle erupted.
"CRUSH KAMAKURA!"
---
Amid the chaos, Morinobu saw him.
A man clad in black armor, devoid of ornament. His gaze calm—almost emotionless.
Hōjō Yoshitoki.
They approached one another without command.
"I respect your courage in opposing Kamakura," Yoshitoki said, swinging his blade from the side.
Morinobu parried. Sparks burst between their steel.
"Courage? This is dignity."
"Many daimyo are satisfied with land and taxes," Yoshitoki circled.
"You chose death."
"The Kageyori Clan will never bow to corrupt officials!"
Yoshitoki smiled faintly.
"Daimyo like you are no different. You plunder the people for personal gain."
"Do not compare us to you!" Morinobu launched a swift strike, forcing Yoshitoki half a step back.
"You are not merely greedy. You crave power."
Their blades clashed again.
Yoshitoki turned smoothly, efficient, emotionless.
"Power is a tool. The weak always call it evil."
He drove his foot into Morinobu's stomach.
Morinobu staggered, nearly dropping to his knees.
That moment of weakness was enough.
Yoshitoki's blade thrust forward, piercing straight through Morinobu's chest—through and through, emerging from his back, red with blood.
Time seemed to slow.
Morinobu gripped the enemy's blade, blood flowing from his lips.
"Kageyori… will… haunt you forever."
Yoshitoki pulled his sword free. Morinobu fell to his knees.
"History is written by those who survive," Yoshitoki said quietly.
One clean stroke.
Morinobu's head fell to the blood-soaked soil of Uji.
---
The battle ended far sooner than anyone had imagined.
12,000 against 190,000.
The Kageyori Clan was annihilated. Hunted. Erased. Villages burned. Their name removed from official records and school texts. Lands belonging to nobles who supported the emperor were seized and redistributed to loyal clans—Fujiwara, Takeda, Hojo, Minamoto, Ashikaga, Chiba, Miura, and others.
Emperor Go-Toba and two allied emperors were exiled to the Oki Islands.
The imperial court dimmed.
Kamakura stood stronger than ever, from east to west Japan.
---
At the same time, in the heart of Kamakura.
"You're really leaving for Kyoto today, Akira?" a gentle voice called.
Akira turned.
Tomori Marukawa stood beneath a sakura tree just beginning to bloom. Pink petals rested in her black hair.
"I leave before noon," Akira replied with a faint smile.
"Spring break isn't much fun spent only in the dormitory."
Tomori stepped closer, studying his face.
"I've heard troubling news from the west."
"What kind of news?"
"They say troops are moving. A small uprising in Kyoto."
Akira chuckled softly.
"Kyoto has always been full of rumors. Every noble wants to feel important."
"I'm serious." She gripped his sleeve.
"And outside Kamakura, bandits roam. They won't care if you're a daimyo's son."
"Relax. My horse runs faster than theirs."
Tomori sighed.
"You always joke. I'm worried."
"Would you prefer I panic?" Akira mounted his horse gracefully.
"My father is no ordinary man. Uji will be safe."
Tomori looked at him for a long moment.
"If anything happens… send a letter."
"I'll return before you even have the chance to miss me."
"Who said I would miss you?"
Akira grinned wider.
"Are you sure?"
She turned away, cheeks flushed.
"Go before I change my mind and forbid you."
Akira nodded.
"See you at the start of term."
He spurred his horse and left Kamakura—unaware that the city behind him had just solidified its dominance in the western lands that had destroyed his family.
---
The journey to Kyoto usually took several days. But the farther west he rode, the stranger the atmosphere became.
Villages once lively now stood silent.
Thin smoke still rose from charred houses.
Akira stopped before a half-burned field. An old woman sat on the ground, clutching a crying child.
"What happened here?" he asked gently.
She stared blankly.
"Soldiers… so many… They said they were cleansing traitors."
"Traitors?"
"Yes. Anyone connected to Kyoto."
Akira's heart began to pound.
"Who led them?"
She whispered a single name.
"Hojo."
Akira froze.
"Is… Uji…" his voice faltered, "is Uji also…"
She did not answer. Her tears were answer enough.
Akira mounted his horse again.
He rode as fast as he could.
---
At dusk, he saw smoke in the distance.
Not thin smoke.
Thick, black smoke.
From the direction of Uji.
"No…" he whispered.
He pushed his horse to its limit.
When he reached Uji, the stench of blood and decay filled the air.
Homes destroyed.
The Kageyori banners no longer flew—some planted upside down, a symbol of ruin.
Akira dismounted unsteadily.
"Father!" he shouted. "Mother!"
No answer.
He ran toward his family's small fortress.
The gates were shattered.
Bodies lay scattered in the courtyard—some still wearing his clan's emblem.
Akira staggered.
He recognized those faces. Soldiers who once carried him as a child. Guards who taught him to ride.
It felt as though his soul had left his body.
"Hey! You! What are you doing here?"
The shout came from behind—hoofbeats approaching.
Akira did not turn. He walked back toward his horse, heart shattered.
"HEY, STOP! THERE'S STILL ONE LEFT—GET THAT BOY!"
Akira leapt onto his horse and fled toward the forest. He glanced back—seven mounted soldiers bearing the Hojo banner were chasing him.
"Hojo?" he thought. He truly did not understand.
As he entered the forest, the sunlight faded. Arrows whistled past him. He zigzagged desperately.
"Don't let him escape!" a Hojo soldier shouted.
Fate offered him no mercy. Ahead stood a towering cliff—impossible for a horse to pass.
Akira dismounted and tried to climb, but slipped and fell, pain shooting through his leg.
The Hojo soldiers closed in.
"Hahaha, we nearly would've been punished," one of them laughed.
"If Lord Yoshitoki finds out someone survived, we'll be the ones executed," another replied.
Akira was cornered. No escape.
A soldier approached, raising his sword.
Akira closed his eyes.
"Goodbye, Kageyori!"