War has always been kind of the unspoken truth of The Elusive Samurai. That’s what this whole story is about – fomenting a rebellion. You don’t accomplish what Suwa and Tokiyuki are trying to do without waging war. Up to now Yorishige has been easing Tokiyuki’s path into this new reality – surrounding him with children his own age, giving him a sense of place and even security, though that was in short supply in those days even if you weren’t a boy with a price on his head and a target on his back. But it was all building up to something, and that something is war.

It’s 1335, and Tokiyuki (and most of his fellow Elusives) are ten years old. The first step Yorishige takes in preparing him mentally for the next stage is showing him the soldiers in training. In fact these “soldiers” are actually commoners from Kamakura – refugees. They have no idea their young lord is still alive, but Suwa plans to use that reveal as motivation when the moment comes from them to fight and die for him. He also introduces the boy to his three generals – men whose loyalty is to Suwa, but by extension to him. Those three know him as Chojumaru already, but their loyalty extends to whoever Yorishige extends his to.

Un’no Yukiyasu (Kusunoki Taiten), Nezu Yorinao (Miura Katsuyuki), and Mochizuki Shigenobu (Miyake Kenta) each have a role to play in the story to unfold. Yorinao has a connection to Kojirou, a member of the Nezu clan himself. But it’s Un’no who has the most prominent place in this episode. He pointedly asks Chojumaru if he’s ever slept with a woman – a seemingly odd question to ask a 10 year-old even in those days. The answer surely wouldn’t surprise him, but he reveals that he – at thirty – has never done so himself. All of that passion, he says, is channeled into loyalty for Suwa-san. Even if he’s not old enough to understand what that feels like, Tokiyuki has seen enough to understand what it says about the depth of loyalty his mentor commands.

The first great battle with the Ashikaga forces is imminent. The kokushi (imperial envoy) of Shinano, Kiyohara Shinano-no-kami (Katsu Anri), in anxious for blood. Sadamune is more cautious, and skeptical of this Kyoto noble’s mettle in battle. Nevertheless the kokushi was the supreme local authority and this one is intent on invading Suwa and nipping the Houjou rebellion in the bud. The battle will play out on three fronts, and communication between them is critical. Suwa gives the Elusive Warriors their first major battle assignment – to act as messengers, keeping all three of his generals aware of what’s happening on all three battlefields.

It’s Un’no who has the task of facing off against Sadamune himself, the opposing army he considers the strongest. If he can hold them to a standoff for ten days, that would be a success, perhaps allowing one or both of his cohorts to achieve victory and combine their forces. Nezu faces off against Kiyohara, and during the messengers’ visit he instructs Kojirou to cover his face the next time he enters the battlefield. It’s clear something is strained here, but there’s no time to dwell on that – Shigenobu on the northern front must be brought up to speed.

It’s there that Shigenobu – Ayako’s father – is doing battle with Akazawa Shinzaburou (sure to be in a foul mood after last week’s events). But when the Elusive Warriors arrive they find the fort in flames, and Shinzaburou’s army seemingly intact. Tokiyuki is in his element in this role – escaping danger is what he does best. But the limitations to that are obvious, and the reality of battle brings them into clear focus. The task he’s undertaken faces enormous odds, and the stakes for those who have joined him could not be any higher.