"What about Lord Yoshi? When do we go for him?"

"When he's outside the walls." News of Yoshi's sudden arrival had come in the night, too late to intercept him.

"But, Sensei, we've adherents inside,"

Takeda said. "Surely that would be the place to surprise him, when he feels safe and his guard is down."

"Yoshi's guard is never down.

Never forget it. As to our people with him and inside his walls, they are ordered to remain calm and hidden, their presence and information is too valuable to risk.

In the unlikely event that Shogun Nobusada escapes our ambush, then they will be even more necessary."

Many grim smiles and hands tightening on weapons. The ambush was planned for dusk, in five days at Otsu, the last way station before Kyoto. Only a few Inns on both the North Road and the Tokaido coast road were considered fitting resting places for such august persons with their multitudinous guards, maids and servants, so their night stops were easy to know. And to set spies in place.

Ten shishi had been assigned the suicide mission and were already at Otsu, preparing. Every one of the hundred and seven shishi now gathered in various safe houses throughout Kyoto had begged to be on the attack team. At Katsumata's suggestion they had drawn lots. Three Choshu, three Satsumas and four Tosas gained the honor and were already around their target, the Inn of Many Flowers.

"Eeee," the girl, Sumomo, whispered excitedly, "only five days, then sonno-joi will be a fact. The Bakufu will never recover from that blow."

"Never!" Katsumata smiled at her, liking her, the best of all his women students--as Hiraga was best amongst the men, except for his Ori--admiring her bravery and strength and skills. She too had volunteered but he had forbidden it, considering her far too valuable a weapon to cast away on such a high-risk endeavor. He was glad that he had told her to wait here, overruling Hiraga's order to her to return to his father's home. She had brought the latest intelligence from Yedo: confirming rumors of the negotiated detente between Bakufu and gai-jin, the failed attack on Chief Minister Anjo but the successful killing of Utani and firing his mansion. And importantly, confirming the growing rift between Anjo and Toranaga Yoshi.

"Where this information came from," she had whispered to him, "I do not know but the mama-san said it was from the source you would know about."

Also she reported the facts of the manner of Shorin's death. But knew nothing further of Ori or Hiraga, other than that Ori's wound was healing and both were hiding out in the Yokohama Settlement, with Akimoto-- Hiraga, somehow, miraculously a confidant of a gai-jin official.

"You are right, Sumomo, the Bakufu will never recover," Katsumata said. "And our next hammer blow will end the Toranaga Shogunate forever."

Immediately following the successful elimination of Shogun Nobusada--at all costs leaving Princess Yazu unharmed--shishi would launch a mass attack on Ogama's headquarters to assassinate him, simultaneously Katsumata and others would seize the Gates, raising the banner of sonno-joi, declaring power had returned to the Emperor, at which time all true daimyos and samurai would flock to make obeisance.

"Sonno-joi," she murmured, exultant like all of them.

Except Takeda, one of the Choshu shishi.

Uneasily he shifted in his place. "I'm not sure about killing Ogama. He is a good daimyo, a good leader--he stopped Sanjiro seizing power, stopped the Tosa seizing power, he is the only daimyo enforcing the Emperor's orders to expel gai-jin. Isn't he closing the Shimonoseki Straits? Only our cannon oppose the gai-jin ships--only Choshu forces are in the front line, eh?"

"That's true, Takeda," a Satsuma shishi of renown said. "But what did Sensei Katsumata remind us? That Ogama has changed now he has sole control. If he honored the Emperor, now that he controls the Gates, simple for him to declare sonno-joi and return all power to the Emperor. That is what we will do when we have the Gates."

"Yes but..."

"Simple for him, Takeda. But what has he done? Only used his power to twist the Court to his whims. He wants to be Shogun.

Nothing less."

There were murmurs of agreement and then Sumomo said, "Please excuse me, Takeda, but Ogama is a major threat. You all know I am Satsuma, so is Sensei Katsumata, we agree Sanjiro also has done some good, but nothing for sonno-joi. So he must relinquish power, gladly or unhappily, and will go... will go. The same for Ogama. Yes he has done some good, but now he does bad. The truth is no daimyo who has the Gates and is so close to being Shogun will ever go willingly."

Takeda said, "Perhaps if we petitioned Ogama?"

She said, "Please excuse me but a petition will be of no value. When we possess the Gates, to prevent civil war and the possibility of any daimyo being tempted ever again, when we possess the Gates we must go further, we must request the Emperor to abolish the Shogunate, Bakufu and all daimyos."

Amid sounds of surprise at such a radical proposal, Takeda burst out, "That's mad. Without a Shogunate and daimyos who will rule? There'll be chaos! Who pays our stipends? Daimyos! The daimyos own all rice koku an--"

Katsumata said, "Let her finish, Takeda, then you can have your say."

"So sorry, Takeda, but this is Hiraga-san's idea, not mine. Hiraga said that, in future, daimyos will be figureheads only, the good ones, that power will be exercised through councils of samurai, of all ranks, equally, who will decide everything, from stipends, to which daimyo is worthy and who will succeed him."

"It will never work. It's a bad idea,"

Takeda said.

Many disagreed with him, the majority for her, but Takeda was unconvinced. Then she said, "Sensei, is it a bad idea?"

"It is a good idea, if all daimyos agreed," Katsumata said, well pleased that his teachings were bearing such fruit, that correctly they were arriving at the future by consensus. Like the others he was squatting on his heels, saying little, his mind on his close escape, inwardly seething at the new attempt on his life and narrow escape.

Too near this time, he thought, bile again in mouth. The net is closing. Who is the traitor? The traitor has to be in this room.

No other shishi units knew I was spending the night at the Whispering Pines. The traitor has to be here. Who is he--or even she? Who?

"Continue, Sumomo."

"I just wanted to add... Takeda-san, you are Choshu, so is Hiraga-san, others from Tosa, the Sensei and others and me Satsumas, others from other fiefs, but first we are shishi with duties above family, above clan.

In the New Order this will be the law--the First law for all Nippon."

"Well, if that's going to be the law..."

One of them scratched his head. "Sensei, when the Son of Heaven has power again what will we really do? Us? All of us?"

Katsumata glanced at Takeda. "What do you think?"

Takeda said simply, "I will not be alive, it matters not at all. Sonno-joi is sufficient and that I tried."

"Some of us must survive," Katsumata said, "to be part of the new leadership. More important for now: Toranaga Yoshi. How to eliminate him?"

"Whenever he comes out of his sanctuary we must be ready," someone said.

"Of course," Takeda said irritably, "but he will be surrounded by guards and I doubt if we can get near him. The Sensei said not to activate our men inside. It has to be outside but that will be very difficult."

"Half a dozen of us with bows from rooftops?"

"A pity we have no cannon," another said.

They sat there in the growing light, each within in his own mind, Yoshi a prize. But five days were foremost, then the attack on Ogama--the only way to take the Gates.

Sumomo said, "It could be easier for a woman to infiltrate the Toranaga bastion, neh?