[Anomaly]

Chapter 6

Japan, 1545.

Passing the necessary time to arrive at the beginning of a new year. Senji Muramasa, as he had promised, would return to Oda Nobunaga's castle as the servant who was the Clan girl's servant, Oda.

"We'll see you soon, Senji."

Uesugi Masatora had said goodbye to him, along with the vassals and servants who grew fond of the red-haired boy with moon eyes, a nickname given by Masatora the day they first met.

Now, after that long journey, Senji was walking along the familiar paths of Owari, enjoying the fresh air and the view of the nearby river, where they had built the forge of the Muramasa Clan. The place had an air of tranquility, but there was something... suspicious.

A subtle creak on the ground caught his attention.

Before he could react, a noose tightened around his ankles, and in the blink of an eye, Senji was pulled into the air, losing his balance and falling headlong into the river. The current, though strong, did not carry him away, for the rope was securely tied to a nearby tree.

The cold water enveloped him completely, and Senji, with an expression of pure disbelief, emerged spitting water and shaking off his soaked hair. A couple of female laughs echoed from the shore.

"He fell into the trap!" exclaimed Hana, clapping her hands energetically.

"I knew it would work!" added Himari, with a satisfied smile.

Senji blinked, processing what had just occurred. Then she let out a long sigh and looked at her cousins with a mixture of resignation and annoyance.

"I'm going to kill them."

Hana and Himari laughed louder. "It's your punishment for disappearing so long, Senji-nii!" Hinari declared, crossing her arms.

"And for not writing us a single letter!" added Hana, her hands on her waist.

Senji tried to break free from the rope, but it was tightly tied. He looked up, assessing the situation. If he swung hard enough, he could climb up the rope and break free, but before he tried, he preferred to take a moment to let the rage dissipate.

"Well played," he admitted at the end, with a tone of resignation. "But I'll make them pay for this."

Hana and Himari looked at each other, and without wasting time, they ran away with mischievous laughter. Senji followed them with his gaze and smiled to himself.

Senji shook his head, still hanging upside down above the river. She couldn't believe that her cousins had set her up at that level. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them with determination.

With a nimble motion, he swung his body to propel himself upwards, using the rope for support. His strength and training allowed him to climb quickly, and in a matter of seconds he managed to hold on to the branch of the tree to which the rope was attached. With a firm pull, he undid the knot and landed on the ground, soaking wet and dripping with water.

"Good..." he murmured, with a half-smile that hid a slight tremor of anger. "Now yes... It's time for revenge."

Hana and Himari's fresh footprints on the wet earth pointed him in the direction they had run. Without wasting any more time, he began to follow them at a steady pace, his mind already planning how to return the play.

A few minutes later, he found them hiding behind some bushes, watching him with amusement.

"Is that all, Senji-nii?" sneered Himari, arms folded.

"Yes, we expected more anger from you," Hana added with a mischievous smile.

Senji tilted his head slightly, letting the water in his hair fall in small drops to the ground. Then, with a swift movement, he picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the bush where they were hiding. The blow was not strong, but it was enough to scare them and make them run away.

"Hey!" protested Hana.

"That's not fair!" complained Himari.

"Didn't they want punishment?" asked Senji, with a dark smile as he advanced towards them.

The twins exchanged a glance and, without thinking twice, fled. But Senji was faster. In an instant, he caught up with them, and with one swift motion, caught Hana by the wrist as he used his other hand to catch Himari by the obi.

"He caught us!" exclaimed Hana laughing, trying to get away.

"Let us go, Senji-nii!" said Himari, kicking unsuccessfully.

Senji let out a light laugh and then, without warning, picked them up from the ground and carried them straight into the river.

"Senji, wait, wait!" shouted Hana, understanding her fate.

"Don't do it, please!" pleaded Himari, laughing nervously.

"They didn't set a trap in the river, did they? Well, now they'll try their own medicine."

And without further ado, he threw them into the water.

The splash echoed, followed by laughter from all three, as the twins emerged with expressions of surprise and amusement.

"You're a demon, Senji-nii!" Hana said, shaking the water from her face.

"But we admit that we deserved it," Himari added, laughing.

Senji folded his arms in satisfaction.

"Now we're at hand."

The twins looked at each other and smiled.

"Perhaps," Hana said.

"But we're already thinking about the next trap," Himari added with a wink.

Senji sighed. Acting like the older of these two wouldn't be easy... but I wouldn't change it for anything either.

Senji watched his cousins as they squeezed the water out of their clothes, still laughing at the situation. Then, in a more relaxed tone, he asked:

"Was everything going well while I was gone?"

Hana and Himari looked at each other before answering proudly.

"Yes! We have continued to train and improved a lot in forging and crafting," Hana said, puffing out her chest with satisfaction.

"That's right. We can now work the steel more precisely, and our designs have improved," Himari added, with a confident smile.

Senji crossed his arms, nodding approvingly.

"That makes me happy. I'm proud of you."

The twins smiled proudly upon hearing his words. However, Senji let out a slight sigh and looked at his own hands.

"But that reminds me of something... I spent all this time training with Masatora-dono and neglected my time to keep improving in forging and crafting. If I want to live up to it, I should start going to the forge to keep improving."

Hana and Himari exchanged a knowing glance before smiling.

"Then it's time for you to start working with us, Senji-nii."

"Yes, we're not going to let you be left behind."

Senji let out a light laugh and nodded.

"Good. I guess it's time to get our hands dirty with more than just swords and fights."

❅──────✧❃✧──────❅•

Oda Nobunaga's Room

The ten-year-old girl, Oda Nobunaga, was in her room, sitting in a formal position on the tatami. With a frown and a fixed gaze on the scrolls rolled up in front of her, she went over the information gathered by her ninja about enemy territories. Every detail was crucial, every report could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

However, no matter how much I analyzed the documents, I still couldn't find a weakness that I could exploit. Their enemies were formidable, and their borders were well guarded. The spies under his command had managed to infiltrate some regions, but the results were not encouraging.

"Too airtight... Even our best ninjas barely manage to get close," she muttered to herself, gently tapping the scroll with her fingers.

He knew patience was key in war, but his impatience grew with each passing day without significant progress. If he wanted to expand his domain and secure his control over Owari, he needed more than just vague information.

He rested his head on his hand and sighed.

"Maybe Senji has some idea..." he thought aloud.

As she was going through the reports, a sudden thought crossed Nobunaga's mind, causing her to stop immediately.

Senji...

He straightened up in his seat, his eyes serious. He had promised to return with the start of the new year, and today was the day. However, the castle was still completely silent. There were no rumors among the servants or the slightest uproar about his return.

That was strange.

Senji was not someone to go unnoticed. Their mere presence often generated reactions, whether it was admiration, respect, or even fear. If she had returned as she should, the vassals would have talked about it, and no doubt someone would have informed her by now. But so far, nothing.

His brow furrowed even more.

"Was he delayed without warning? No, he wouldn't do that..."

Restlessness began to grow in his chest. Without wasting any more time, he rose from his seat and walked out of the room with a firm step. He wasn't going to wait for someone to come and explain what was happening. If Senji hadn't returned to the castle, then she would find him herself.

As he walked through the castle, Nobunaga caught barely a murmur in the distance. It wasn't a direct rumor to her, but her keen ear picked up scattered fragments of conversations on the street.

"Lately the forge of the Muramasa girls is noisier than normal..."

"Yes, today she seems more animated than usual. Are they working on something important?"

Nobunaga paused for a moment, reflecting.

"The forge of Hana and Himari..."

If there was one place Senji could be, it was there. If she had really returned and hadn't shown up at the castle, it made sense for her to be with her cousins, first of all.

Without further delay, he decided to head to the forge, located near the river. The road wasn't long, but as I went along, the sounds of the hammer hitting the metal grew louder and louder. The rhythmic noise, accompanied by some voices and the crackling of the fire, confirmed what he had heard in the street.

Upon arrival, he observed the small house built next to the forge, a refuge for the Muramasa twins when they were not working. Nobunaga did not bother to announce himself. With his firm presence, he entered the interior of the forge without hesitation.

The heat of the furnace immediately enveloped her, along with the incessant sound of the hammer impacting the red-hot metal. His gaze swept over the place until, amid the sparks and the glow of the fire, he made out a familiar figure holding a hammer deftly.

Senji Muramasa stood there, his shirt rolled up and his face lightly covered in soot, concentrated on the red-hot piece of metal he molded with each blow.

❅──────✧❃✧──────❅•

The hammer descended with force, striking the red-hot metal with a rumble that echoed throughout the forge. For nearly an hour, Senji, along with Hana and Himari, had been practicing and improving his skills in forging, concentrating on perfecting every stroke, every molding, every detail.

Just before he raised the hammer again to continue, a silhouette on the threshold of the forge caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. His body reacted instantly, stopping in its tracks. He slowly lowered the hammer and carefully set it down beside the anvil.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to the figure and, without hesitation, bowed his head respectfully.

"I'm back," he said solemnly. "I regret that I did not appear before you sooner, Young Master Oda Nobunaga-sama."

Hana and Himari, noticing Nobunaga's presence, also left their jobs and straightened up with an expression of respect.

Nobunaga watched them for a moment, and instead of getting annoyed, he let out a small sigh.

"I forgive you," he said, with a mixture of authority and calm. "At least I see you weren't wasting your time... you were having fun and improving your skills with Hana and Himari."

Senji looked up at her, noticing her expression soften. Then, with a tender and genuine smile, Nobunaga continued:

"I'm happy you're back, Senji."

The words, simple yet sincere, made Senji feel a comforting warmth in his chest.

Senji kept his gaze fixed on Nobunaga for a moment, surprised by the tenderness in his smile. It was not common to see her like this, and although her tone was still firm, there was a tinge of warmth in her words that did not go unnoticed by him.

"Thank you, Nobunaga-sama," he replied with a slight bow, feeling that his return had nevertheless been welcomed.

Hana and Himari looked at each other with a satisfied smile, feeling that the atmosphere was warm and relaxed.At the beginning of the form , Himari, with a small laugh, folded his arms.

"But since you're here, Senji-nii, are you going to finish what you started, or do you need more rest?"

Hana joined in with a mischievous smile. "Yes, don't think you can escape the forge now."

Senji let out a faint laugh, picking up the hammer again and looking at the piece of metal on the anvil. Nobunaga watched him in silence, watching his hands return naturally to their work.

"I suppose there's no need to interrupt any longer," Nobunaga finally said, folding his arms. "But when you're done here, come and see me. There are things to discuss."

Senji nodded determinedly. "I will, Nobunaga-sama."

She looked at him one last time before turning to leave the forge. As his silhouette disappeared, the sound of the hammer echoed once more, setting the pace for the Muramasa's work.

With fire illuminating their faces and metal taking shape under their efforts.