Warring Daimyos Arc

The story arc covering the humble beginnings of Sengoku as he strives to unite the people of the Xing Province.

Plot points/Scenes

Sengoku and his friend Haruto train every day to become samurai of Sakura Castle. A fateful encounter during a bandit attack gives them the opportunity to achieve their goal.

Sengoku and Haruto, joined by the bandit boy, Gomi, journey to the center of Aokigahara to meet the winged man.

Before beginning their training, Kaiden allows the boys the visit Eguchi. Unfortunately, their visit is interrupted by the Tenchi Emperor's forces.

After completing their training with Kaiden Oda, Sengoku sets into motion a plan to take down the Tenchi Emperor. The first step: find a daimyo to serve.

Ranmaru duels against the Suzaku clan representative in hopes to preserve the honor of his clan and in the process teaching Sengoku an important lesson.

Gomi searches for the Mogis.

Having defeated the daimyo of the Suzaku Clan, the Kame Clan becomes famous, attracting unwanted attention from neighboring smaller clans.

To better protect his people from future attacks, Ranmaru sends Sengoku to form an alliance with the Shibata Clan.

Sengoku and Haruto must work together to find a strategy to fight against the Shibata Brothers' unusual sword style.

Seeking to restore her clan's honor, Aoi Suzaku challenges Ranmaru to a duel.

The Kame Clan is lured into a trap during a hostage exchange.

Ranmaru is summoned within the walls of Sakura Castle to meet with the Tenshi Emperor; Sengoku meets the daimyo of the Abe Clan.

The daimyo of the Shibata Clan sends a summons for Sengoku.

Sengoku and Habiki's duel is interrupted by an attack on the Shibata estate by the Taiga Clan.

Habiki Shibata's duel against Yasuke Taiga takes a turn as Haruto encounters the Byakkosen, ninjas of the Taiga Clan.

Gomi's simple life with the Mogis warriors is interrupted when an envoy arrives from the Tenchi Emperor.

En route to meet with a minor daimyo, Sengoku and his allies come face to face with the Tenchi Emperor.

Sengoku's skirmish with the Tenchi Emperor sparks rumors around the Xing Province.

Seeking to reach new heights in terms of strength, Sengoku and Haruto return to Aokigahara to further their training with Kaiden.

As Gomi trains with Yasuke Taiga, Sengoku is pitted against the overwhelming might of Wuhua, king of the vanara.

Ranmaru receives an imperial order from the Tenshi Emperor as Sengoku and Gomi begin to learn about their unique abilities.

Ranmaru and Aoi bunker down to fight off the combined might of the Abe, Suzaku and Taiga Clans's siege of the Kame estate.

Sengoku and Haruto return to the Kame Estate to join the battle against the Tenshi Emperor's forces.

Sengoku and Gomi's duel pushes them to their limits as the siege of the Kame estate comes to an end; Sengoku makes a bold declaration.

Structure

Exposition

Since the events of the Darkest Night, the residents of the Xing Province have closed off from the rest of the world, all but forgotten within the darkness of the Void. As Atem and his search party began to bring light to the lands of the Earthly Realm, one such location was Sakura Castle, located in the heart of Xing. With its great light, much of the once shadowed province was once again illuminated, bringing safety to those lucky enough to live close enough to the light. Daimyo of the surviving great clans of Xing who contained territory within the light began to see prosperity within their domain as those not fortunate enough to make the move were forced to fend for themselves against the dangers that existed outside the walls of Sakura Castle. The village of Eguchi, located near the westernmost corner of the Xing Province, was one such location. Its people were known to often face danger from both bandits and the creatures of the Void, having no ruling daimyo of their own. 
Two youths of Eguchi, Sengoku and Haruto, trained every day to become samurai within the walls of Sakura Castle. One fateful day, their village came under attack by bandits. Though they tried their best to fight off their attackers, Sengoku and Haruto were beaten and cornered. With the villagers cornered, the bandits bring out some kids, kidnapped from other villages forced to fend for themselves. One boy in particular, unable to strike down kids like himself, turns on the bandits but ends up getting beaten up himself. As the three boys prepare for death, from the darkness of the skies, a winged man appears amid the chaos of Eguchi. As the bandits turn their attention to him, in the blink of an eye they're effortlessly defeated. Simply in awe of the man's fighting prowess, Sengoku and Haruto begged for training by their winged savior. Though he claimed to be uninterested, he made a promise: that if the two boys could travel to the great tree at the center of the Aokigahara, a massive forest to the west of Eguchi, then he would train the boys what he knew of the martial arts. The bandit boy, introducing himself as Gomi, also wished to train with the winged man, to which he agreed as long as he followed the same rules. Though hesitant to trust the people he almost killed, Sengoku and Haruto made it clear they harbored no ill will towards the boy due to the fact that he was the only one who tried to defend them.

Conflict

Desperate to attain strength, the three boys set out for Aokigahara. As they attempted to transverse the void-swallowed forest, they began to conversate, getting to know each other. Caught up in their conversation, Sengoku and Gomi are caught unaware as a hairy manlike creature stood in their path. Haruto, having perceived the creature before his friends, quickly scooped and threw a rock at it, causing the creature to jump to the safety of the trees. Realizing they're not alone, the trio presses on, recalling tales of the Vanara, manlike creatures, akin to apes, known to inhabit the forest from a time before the Darkest Night. Though they try their best to keep sight of the massive tree at the forest's center, it doesn't take long for the boys to find themselves lost within the darkness of the Void. As they wandered, growing increasingly paranoid and nervous, again they ran into one of the vanara. The boys armed themselves, just as several more vanara jumped down from the treetops, surrounding the trio. Prepared to fight their way out, the boys charged the vanara, forcing their way out of the encirclement but were stopped as an imposing figure stood in their way. A massive, hulking vanara, easily twice the size of the others, stood blocking their path, a menacing glare on his face. Gomi, determined to survive and become strong for an unknown reason, charges the large vanara but is easily swiped aside, gasping as he's knocked into a nearby tree. Taking advantage of the situation, Haruto speeds past the large Vanara, hoping his quickness will allow him and Sengoku to get away. His eyes widen in horror however as he sees the large vanara reaching for him, his speed not indicated by his size. As Haruto falls, eager to escape the monster, Sengoku manages to land a strike on the beast's head, temporarily causing it to stumble. Before it could recover, Gomi was back up and attacking as well, the two boys fighting their hardest to apply pressure on the vanara as Sengoku calls for Haruto to run. Haruto clenched his fist, ashamed at his cowardice and willingness to let Gomi take the fall so that he could escape and live. Finding the resolve to fight, Haruto joins Sengoku and Gomi, preparing to fight off the vanara together. Despite their efforts, the large beast flings the boys back as it with its monstrous strength, knocking them unconscious.
As Sengoku comes to, he's shocked to find himself at the base of the massive tree at the center of Aokigahara. Looking up his shock turns to horror to find dozens of vanara in the treetops, their leader standing amongst their numbers. As he scans his surroundings, a familiar voice eases his worry as the winged man approaches him. The winged man, calling himself Kubo, assures the vanara will do them no further harm, revealing them to be allies of his. Sengoku locks eyes with the leader but has his attention split as he notices Gomi and Haruto waking up nearby.
Kubo applauded the trio for their journey, giving them a moment to rest to talk. He asks them the reason they seek strength, to which Sengoku and Haruto both tell of their aspirations to become samurai within the walls of Sakura Castle. When it's Gomi's turn to tell, he seems unsure how to answer, simply stating that he needs strength to better survive. Seemingly satisfied with their answers, Kubo smiles, reaching for three cups. He explains that their training would take two years, during which they wouldn't be allowed to leave Aokigahara. With unwavering resolve, the three boys take the cups from Kubo as he fills them with a dark, warm liquid. Sengoku smiles at his two allies, suggesting they swear an oath of brotherhood: that they will fulfill their dreams together or die trying. Gomi and Haruto nod in agreement and the trio drink of their cups and prepare for Kubo's training.

Rising Action

TBC

Plot type

Story Arc

Parent Plot

Tengou Seven Saga