The Dream Tree

As Kanoru ran, he threw away the red seagulls to move faster. His mind raced back to a conversation with his father, which had taken place a month before he left for war. 

His father had assured him that the Niwais would never be able to cross the Kōgyoku River with their weak navy, even if they suffered defeat at the frontline. As long as they held the river, they would not lose. 

But now, at the very start of the war, their camp was south of the Kōgyoku River while Entori lay to the north. If the pirates launched a surprise attack from the river while the Niwais struck from the front, the camp would be surrounded and face annihilation. 

Eighty percent of their territory's samurai were stationed there—if they fell, they would never recover, and the war would be lost. 

With that thought, Kanoru opened two gates and ran faster. 

After half an hour, exhausted and breathless, he saw the camp as the last traces of sunlight faded. 

"Ren! Koizura!" he shouted, calling the names of the two samurai on gate duty that night. 

Hearing their names, Ren and Koizura squinted into the darkness, spotting a figure running toward them. Just as they recognized him, Kanoru collapsed a few feet away. 

Ren rushed to his side. "Kanoru, what happened?" 

Kanoru gasped, "In the west... I saw three pirate ships... on the Kōgyoku River." 

Ren and Koizura froze. 

"What?!" they exclaimed in unison. 

"What should we do?" Koizura asked. 

Kanoru forced himself to stand. "We need to go inside and inform the samurai." 

Ren immediately moved to support Kanoru. 

Koizura turned. "I'll go and call them!" 

"Wait!" Kanoru's voice stopped him. 

Koizura looked back. 

"Senior Koizura," Kanoru said between breaths, "take your horse and go to the first camp. Inform Master Junzo immediately." 

Ren nodded. "Yes, go. We'll handle the rest." 

Koizura clenched his jaw and nodded. "Then I'm going to Master Junzo." 

He sprinted into the camp. As Kanoru and Ren reached the gate, Koizura galloped past them, riding at full speed toward the first camp.

Inside the camp, Kanoru pulled away from Ren's support. "Go and call them. I'll rest here." 

Ren nodded and strode off. 

Five minutes later, everyone had gathered in front of Kanoru. 

He took a deep breath and spoke. "While coming from the cliff, I walked along the Kōgyoku River and spotted three pirate ships below." 

A wave of murmurs broke out. 

"They might attack the camp!" 

"We have to do something!" 

"But we're only fifteen people—what can we do?" 

"You're a coward! I'm going to stop them myself!" 

"Everyone!" Kanoru shouted, drawing their attention. "I have a plan." 

The group quieted. 

"We can't stop them directly—that would be like smashing an egg against a rock. Instead, we have to block them indirectly." 

"How?" someone asked. 

"Yes, tell us!" 

Kanoru answered, "We'll cut trees and tie two or three together. Then we'll throw them into the river and then shoot their ships with fire arrows, setting them on fire." 

"Fire arrows?" someone asked. 

"I'll show you later," Kanoru replied. "Right now, gather all bows, arrows, axes, clothes, and animal fat oil." 

Fifteen minutes later, they were ready and rode out along the stream. 

Under the crescent moon reflecting in the river, they followed the water westward, ascending the slope. After some time, they stopped. Kanoru dismounted first and peered down. The pirate ships were still there. 

One of the teenagers whispered, "Let's attack now! They won't be able to defend!" 

A samurai suggested, "We could cut trees and drop them onto the ships. That might destroy them." 

"Then let's start!" another urged. 

"Wait!" Kanoru interjected. "First, we block them from going east. Then we attack. If our attack fails, they still won't be able to reach the camp before the warning arrives." 

An older samurai nodded. "There may be high-ranking samurai on those ships. Even if not, middle-ranked samurai will be there. For them, climbing the cliff and reaching us would be easy." 

"Let's follow Kanoru's plan," another agreed. 

Ren stepped forward. "Kanoru, today, you are our captain. Whatever you order, we'll do." 

The others nodded in agreement. 

Kanoru inhaled deeply. "First, we ride down the slope and place a blockade in the river to stop them from heading east."

After riding down, Kanoru quickly instructed the others to cut trees and joined them. Swinging his sword from a distance, he unleashed a wind blade that sliced through trees both in front of and behind him. 

Everyone used their full strength, and in just 15 minutes, they had cut down 30 trees. 

Kanoru tied a cut tree to another tree by the riverbank with a rope. One end remained on land while the other extended over the river. They then secured another cut tree vertically to the first, followed by a horizontal one, repeating the process to form a blockade across the river. The last tree was tied to another tree on the opposite bank, completing the first blockade. 

After that, they built two more, each ten meters apart. 

With the blockades in place, Kanoru demonstrated how to make fire arrows. They then rode up the slope again to their vantage point overlooking the three ships. This time, they saw movement—lights flickering as the pirates prepared to set sail. 

Without hesitation, they cut more trees and rolled them down the slope, aiming for the ships. Most crashed into the water, but one or two struck the ships, causing damage. 

Kanoru then spotted pirates jumping onto the cliffside, attempting to climb up. Without counting, he drew his bow and fired, shooting down several attackers. 

Realizing too many were climbing and they wouldn't stand a chance in close combat, he saw that the ships, though damaged, wouldn't be able to attack tomorrow. He shouted, "Let's go!" 

Turning his horse, he dashed into the forest. The others, understanding the danger and hearing his command, swiftly followed.

Konaru glances back under the moonlight. Two or three pirates are chasing them, running faster than their horses. The dense forest slows them down as they maneuver around trees and obstacles. 

"Pirates are chasing us," Konaru warned. 

The other samurai turn to look. 

"Middle-rank samurai," one of them mutters. 

"Split up," another suggests. 

"It's a forest at night. Separating will be dangerous for all of us," someone counters. 

Konaru nods. "Even if they are middle-rank, we outnumber them five to one. If we fight together, we have a chance to kill them." 

Ren clenches his fists. "I've been stuck, unable to open the fourth gate. A life-and-death battle might push me past my limit." 

Without hesitation, he leaps from his horse. The others follow suit. 

In less than a minute, the pirates close in, stopping just ten meters away. 

One of them sneers. "You're all dead." 

With a battle cry, the three pirates charge. 

Konaru, seeing them rush forward, swings his sword. A wind blade shoots toward the pirate in the middle, but he blocks it effortlessly. 

Then, the fight began—five against one.