Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

After spending nearly half the day exploring his future estate, Nobu realized something important.It was too damn big.Though the main house only had seventeen rooms, their size was inordinately large to account for the fact they were intended as housing for Nobles.A stark contrast to the massive rooms present in the main house, the barracks that ran alongside the western wall had bunk spaces to accommodate more than a thousand people. As for the dojo-like structure on the eastern wall, it served as both a training facility and the primary residence for members of the warrior class.Simply put, the estate had far too much space for a mere 10~15 people to live in. To make matters even worse, the girls in his entourage weren't allowed to live within the main house for a variety of cultural and hierarchal reasons. After all, it was a residential space intended to be used by members of the Oda Clan and other Nobles, not kunoichi.In other words, Nobu was expected to live in the main house all by himself. The others could visit and keep watch over him but even Yui was supposed to live within the confines of the barracks. He could make an exception and allow her to stay in his room, but, much like a genuine concubine, she was only allowed to be there with his permission.If he really wanted to, Nobu could change the rules and allow the girls to reside in the main house, but, as could be expected, that would cause quite a number of issues. After all, if he allowed even a dropout like Kazue to reside in the main house, it would an indirect slap in the face to someone like Suzune.Despite being an Elder, even Suzune wasn't allowed to reside in the main house. Instead, she would be staying in one of the nicer rooms intended for the warrior class. If someone significantly beneath her status was allowed to reside in the main house, the entire hierarchal structure of the Yoshitsune Clan would be thrown out of whack once young trainees began to move in..."This is why hierarchies are bullshit..."Smiling in response to Nobu's words, Hitomi, this time sitting across from Nobu as the latter sat in the superior position, stated, "Perhaps. However, without proper order, chaos would reign supreme. I'm sure even you can understand how it might be problematic if a beggar could trespass a Lord's castle and sit on their throne."Furrowing his brows, Nobu resisted the urge to click his tongue as he asked, "Why did you choose this place as my residence? Like, I kind of get what you had in mind, but what am I supposed to do about personnel? I can't clean and maintain this place by myself and it doesn't seem right to make Yui and the others clean it..."Maintaining her smile, Hitomi responded with a curt nod before musing, "It seems you are starting to understand. Without a servant class, it would be impossible to maintain large facilities. You could entrust the task to your retainers or the younger members of your family, but, in doing so, you risk injuring their pride. If there is any advice I can give you, Nobunaga-sama, it is that you should never underestimate the pride of people who believe themselves deserving of power and authority. There is no greater poison than ambition when it comes to swaying the hearts and minds of men."Though his innate obstinance made him want to disagree with Hitomi, Nobu's current predicament made it difficult to argue with her. After all, there was no way in hell he could keep the main house clean on his own. He also felt that it was wrong to force the task on people who had, quite literally, dedicated their entire lives to serving and protecting him. He doubted they would complain. It just didn't seem right."So? What am I supposed to do? Accept a bunch of random kunoichi as servants? If the warnings issued by Yui and the others are to be believed, that wouldn't exactly be the smartest decision if I want to preserve my health..."Amused by Nobu's words, Hitomi issued a giggle layered with seductive undertones before saying, "It ultimately comes down to how long you intend to stay here. The simplest solution would be to entrust the matter to Suzune and the trainees who will be left in your care. You lack the resources to employ fully-fledged kunoichi so anyone who joins you at this juncture is either an opportunist or a mole. Even servants do not work for free, and, no matter how loyal they may seem, everyone has a price. I would encourage you to keep that in mind, Nobunaga-sama."As it was becoming increasingly common for Hitomi to offer him advice, Nobu just shook his head in moderate annoyance. There was actually a lot he wanted to say, but, understanding he wasn't in a position to freely express himself, he opted to remain quiet as he reflected on her words.Nodding her head in approval, Hitomi prepared to rise, declaring, "I have other matters to attend. If there is anything Nobunaga-sama requires, please send someone to inform me. I cannot guarantee my availability, but I will do my best to accommodate any request within reason. Nobunaga-sama is someone of significant importance to the Yoshitsune Clan. I have great expectations for you and the kunoichi in your care..."Since she really did have a lot to attend, Hitomi didn't wait for Nobu's response before rising to her feet and departing through the door like a normal person. She would never have done this in front of someone like his father, but, understanding that Nobu disdained formalities to an illogical extent, she decided to respect his views.Nobu's lack of decorum actually benefitted Hitomi quite a bit. Not only did it reduce the perceived distance between them, but, more importantly, it filled her with excitement. She, much like Yui, had always been drawn to the idea of shattering conventions and violating taboos. Thus, even if she was well past her prime, Hitomi didn't hesitate to sway her hips as she snaked her way toward the door. After all, even without looking back, she could feel Nobu's gaze following her movements until she had closed the door behind her.........Waiting until Hitomi had fully departed, an exhausted sigh escaped Nobu's mouth as he sprawled out on the ground and grumbled, "Is that bitch seriously trying to seduce me...?"Shaking his head in mild exasperation, Nobu performed his habit of resting an arm on his forehead as he thought about the best course of action. Hitomi might be annoying, but her advice was pretty sound in a world like this. Hell, even in his previous world, the only way to stay in power was to pay people off. Even Dictators weren't exempt from this as the moment they failed to compensate their most 'loyal' supporters, the military would quickly find their replacement."What a pain in the ass..."As that sentiment parted his lips, Nobu briefly imagined a bunch of eight-year-old brats running around his manor in an attempt to keep it clean. He would need to talk to Suzune about making sure the girls that would come to live in the estate wore clothes at all times except for when they were in the bath. The last thing he needed was a bunch of naked kids running around just because they were more comfortable in their birthday suits...Though he wished they hadn't, Nobu's idle thoughts manifested in the form of a bunch of little girls running around in maid outfits. This caused a powerful tremor to run through his body as he jerked his body to an upright position. He could feel a cold sweat breaking out across his body, so, before it could settle in, he hopped up to his feet and called out, "Anyone there?"Immediately following Nobu's words, the door to his room opened to reveal Yui. He suspected the others were nearby, but, due to his meeting with Hitomi, they were currently on their best behavior."How might I be of assistance...?"Doing his best to ignore Yui's overly polite tone, Nobu explained, "We're going to be staying here starting today. Let the others know. I'm going to take a bath."Nodding her head in affirmation, Yui performed a hand seal to alert the others before asking, "Do you mind if I join you...?"Though it wasn't the first time Yui had offered to accompany him to the bath, Nobu felt a strange palpitation in his heart when she averted her eyes to the side.Without realizing it, a knot formed in Nobu's throat as an uncharacteristically nervous feeling filled his chest and stomach. It was only for a fleeting moment, but he actually felt afraid to be alone with Yui in the bath..."Sure...do whatever you want..."Noticing Nobu's nervousness, the ticklish sensation that had been plaguing Yui since the previous night became markedly more prominent. She felt like there were butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, and, despite doing her best to appear calm, a very subtle shade of red spread through her cheeks as she asked, "What about the others...?"Blinking in confusion, Nobu looked directly at Yui, asking, "What do you mean?" before following it up with a frown as he asked, "Are you suggesting that everyone takes a bath together...?"Nodding her head, Yui carefully explained, "Now that we can no longer rely on the kunoichi in the main estate, it falls upon us to help you overcome your aversion to nudity. I do not wish to see you lose your life just because a naked woman appeared in front of you...""..."Taken aback by Yui's words, Nobu had none to describe his current thoughts. This was far from the first time she had broached this particular subject. Rather, most of the kunoichi around him, Yuriko included, seemed to think nakedness was a major weakness of his. Sure, it made him feel more than a little uncomfortable, especially if the naked party was a brat, but he didn't think it was as extreme as they made it out to be..."What about the three brats...?"Understanding that Nobu was referencing Midori, Sachiko, and Nariko, Yui's expression became solemn as she said, "They are my Lord's servants...it is their duty to attend you...also-"Shaking his head, Nobu said, "Don't say it...I already know. You're going to say I have a weakness to children, right?"Nodding her head, Yui adopted an apologetic expression as she softly replied, "I'm...we're worried about you..."Though she had been speaking softly, Nobu hadn't missed the moment when Yui implied she was personally worried about him. This caused an exasperated sigh that was equal parts frustration and acceptance to escape his throat. He didn't doubt that she was actually looking out for him, so, after a long period of silence, he ultimately answered, "Whatever..." in a defeated tone.Understanding how difficult this was for Nobu, Yui's expression softened as she said, "Thank you." in the most sincere tone she could manage. Then, just as she was preparing to leave, a ruddy hue spread through her cheeks as she looked back and said, "If you're feeling frustrated after the fact, I'm confident in my durability..."For a very brief moment, Nobu had no idea what Yui was talking about. The color of her face should have made it pretty obvious, but, after learning that he was going to be sharing a bath with the trio he had purchased the previous day, he was feeling a little muddleheaded.Realizing that raven-haired beauty was basically inviting him to be rough with her, an indescribable feeling spread through Nobu's chest as he responded with a bemused, "Uhh...okay...?"Misconstruing Nobu's words as a promise, a faint smile spread across Yui's face as she said, "I'll be looking forward to it..." in an expectant tone.......(A/N: And here I thought Nobu was the one corrupting Yui. It was apparently genetic xD...)

After one of the most exhausting bathing experiences of his life, Nobu was lying face-down in his room with a listless expression as Kazue demonstrated the Ashiatsu Technique for Nariko.Ashiatsu, meaning foot pressure, was a type of massage where the practitioner removed their foot coverings in order to walk barefoot on the client's back. It was a deep tissue massage that helped relieve stress by targeting the joints.In the hands, or, more specifically, the feet of an inexperienced practitioner, ashiatsu was a dangerous technique that could cause permanent harm.Kazue, despite dropping out of the kunoichi program, had shown considerable promise in the therapeutic arts when she was still just a trainee. Now, while she might not be able to compete with a genuine medical kunoichi, she could still demonstrate a reasonable degree of mastery in the basics.After having his back and body thoroughly cleansed by Midori and Sachiko, Nobu had lost all motivation. He didn't even feel like talking right now, so, when Kazue suggested giving him a massage, he just nodded his head and allowed her to do whatever she wanted."You have to carefully consider how you distribute your weight. If you put too much pressure on a single spot, you could end up cracking a rib or making it difficult to breathe.""I understand, Kazue-nee. Can I try?"Though she appreciated Nariko's eagerness to learn, a tired sigh escaped Kazue's lips as she said, "Not today. Our Lord is clearly fatigued after a long day. We'll try-""Just let her..."Hearing Nobu's remark, Kazue quickly stepped from his back, asking, "Are you sure? I-""And go back to the way you used to talk. This formal crap doesn't suit you..."Smiling wryly in response to Nobu's words, Kazue did her best not to take his comment personally. She had made a concerted effort to clean herself up after the absolute failure of their first meeting. Hearing him say formalities didn't suit her was surprisingly painful..."Well, you heard 'em, brat. Try not to screw it up."Thumping her virtually non-existent chest, Nariko replied, "Just leave it to me! My cultivation base might not be that great, but I'm a lot smarter than most other girls my age. I'll master ashiatsu in an instant...!"Though her words sounded like bravado, Kazue was pleasantly surprised to see Nariko emulate her exact same procedure without any discernible difficulty. This made her believe she might have been better suited for Kumiko's training. Fortunately, memorization was equally important if you wanted to be a skilled medical kunoichi."Not bad..."Since there was a drastic difference between Kazue's and Nariko's weight, Nobu felt that having the latter walk on his back was marginally more comfortable than the former. She also managed to hit a lot of the same spots so he couldn't help offering a comment.Smiling enthusiastically in response to her Lord's words, Nariko attempted to dig her toes into one of the nerve clusters near his shoulder. She managed to find it without any particular difficulty, but, in the process, she ended up shifting most of her weight to her left foot."Kuh..."The moment she heard Nobu groan, Kazue moved to support Nariko's body so that she wouldn't lose her balance and make an even greater mistake. The latter's small size allowed her to stand with her feet flanking Nobu's sides, supporting Nariko's body as she patiently advised, "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Even if you're treating a hemorrhage, it is most important to stay calm..."Smiling apologetically in turn, Nariko became uncharacteristically meek as she said, "Sorry..." in a slightly nervous tone of voice.Instead of responding to the young girl's words, Nobu just closed his eyes as if it wasn't a big deal. If anything, he was more surprised by the sudden pressure on his lung than anything else. It wasn't like he was upset. Rather, it was unsurprisingly pleasant to receive a prologue massage...Interpreting Nobu's silence as consent, Kazue walked Nariko through the rest of the procedure by guiding and supporting the young girl's body directly. This reduced a lot of the risks as she could, quite literally, just pick Nariko up whenever it looked like she was about to make a mistake. It didn't happen often, but it was better to be safe than sorry.........After nearly two hours of massaging, Nobu was feeling a lot better. Thus, after rising to a seated position, he looked around the room to see that Yui had gathered nearly everyone. The only person absent, excluding the people he had yet to meet, was Kiku. She had been guarding him throughout most of the day so she was currently resting in preparation for her next shift."Good. I'm glad everyone could come. Now that we have our own place, there are a few things we needed to discuss. First and foremost is the personnel issue..."Though most of the details would need to be sorted out by Kumiko and Yui, Nobu had spent a fair amount of time thinking about Hitomi's advice. She suggested having 2-3 people in charge of each room so they could rotate duties and keep each other from slacking off. If he went with this advice, he would need, at the very least, 34 people in charge of maintaining the main house.This was where the main issue arose, as, even if they did accept the dregs of the Yosthisune Clan, it would take years to fill their quota. Each generation had between 1-3 useless members who would either die during the training or be filtered out around the time of their graduation. This meant they could only recruit between 2-6 people per year. To further complicate things, the people they would be recruiting were children.Simply put, even though there were dangers involved with doing so, they had little choice but to recruit fully-fledged kunoichi. More specifically, they needed to recruit those like Rukia, people who were fully indoctrinated into the system but desired something 'more' for the kunoichi they were in charge of training.Hitomi had mentioned that Suzune was going to help him pick and choose retired kunoichi to help look after the children. Unfortunately, even though the penultimate decision was his to make, this implied that Nobu would be surrounding himself with people who owed Suzune a favor. Even the thought of this made Nobu's skin crawl, so, before screening any additional candidates, he wanted to know if the girls had anyone in mind for recruitment.Unsurprisingly, most of the girls recommended the mentors who had assisted in their training. The problem with this was that most of their instructors had a relatively high status within the Clan. The odds of them actually accepting were slim."Why not recruit Shizune and Rynka? They were originally from your younger brother's generation, but they ended up being separated from the original group. You might not like her, but Shizune is being reared as the next Information Elder. As for Rynka, she is on pretty thin ice after getting into a spat with the Young Lord when they were around 8-9. She's been pretty stressed out thinking she is going to be disposed of so I'm sure both she and Chikako would be at ease if you recruited her."Though Yuriko was the one to make the suggestion, Nobu shifted his gaze to the taciturn Chikako to hear what she thought on the matter. Unsurprisingly, the half-naked kunoichi simply nodded her head in response, saying, "I'll look after her..." in a cool monotone.Since his impression of Rynka was infinitely better than his impression of Shizune, Nobu didn't mind scouting her. The bigger issue was the hypocritical pinkette that had tried to assault him. He didn't want to have anything to do with her, but, at the same time, he understood the benefits associated with scouting a future Elder.Shaking his head, Nobu said, "We'll go ahead and scout Rynka. As for Shizune, she can go impale herself on a rocky outcrop for all I care. I don't want that psycho bitch anywhere near me until my cultivation base has exceeded hers."Though she probably shouldn't have, Yuriko found herself chuckling at Shizune's expense. This earned her an accusatory stare from Nobu, but, rather than shying away or apologizing, she just poked her tongue out at him and said, "I'm laughing at Shizune's misfortune. Once she finds out about your Heavenly Treasure, that brat is going to be pulling her hair out in frustration.""Hmmm..."Imagining the scene of Shizune begging for forgiveness as she secretly plotted to benefit from him, an ostensibly sadistic smile developed across Nobu's face. He wasn't an actual sadist. Hell, he even felt a little bad for the pink-haired psycho after forcing her to walk around on her hands and knees like an animal. In spite of this, he still felt it was some kind of karmic justice that a bitch like Shizune be made to experience a bit of suffering. She, sure as hell, deserved it.........After communing with her Goddess for the better part of eight hours, most of Inami's hair had temporarily turned white as she writhed about, naked, atop an altar.Ever since the end of the Age of Gods, the conditions for a God to manifest in the lower world had become increasingly complex with the passage of time. Inami was more than six-thousand-years-old, nearly as old as the alliance between the Yoshitsune and Oda Clans. She was among the first to bear Inari Okami's curse, and, as a result, she was one of only three people who could tolerate the infamously envious Goddess's possession."The child of Oda Senken...the child of prophecy...bring him to us..."Though the words came from her own lips, Inami could scarcely believe what her Goddess was asking her to do. The pact with the Oda Clan forbade them from taking any action that would potentially endanger their main-line descendants. If she brought Nobu to meet with Inari, there were only two possible outcomes. He would either die or she would end up being impregnated when Inari Okami possessed her body."Lady Inari...the covenant between our families...""We don't care...if that man is truly meant to unify Nian...we cannot allow him to escape our grasp..."With a fiery heat spreading through her body, Inami couldn't help curling up into a ball with her six inordinately fluffy tails coiling around her. She felt like her insides were on fire, and, if she were to look closely, a strange pattern had manifested itself above the location of her womb. At the same time, her eyes glowed with a carmine light as she desperately resisted the urge to charge down the mountain and spirit Nobu away."Please...be patient...if we move too early...everything we have worked for over the last six thousand years will be jeopardized...""Hmmm...it's rare for you to be this obstinate...""I cannot break my vow...I must protect the Yoshitsune Clan...you promised...""..."Though she wasn't fond of Inami calling her out, Inari couldn't refute the former's words. She would need to pay a pretty steep price if she wanted to force the not-so-young kitsune to obey, so, after a moment of consideration, she used Inami's mouth to say, "Very well. We will give you the chance to seduce him using your own charms. If he sires a child with someone else, the entire Yoshitsune Clan will pay the price. Do not fail us..."Realizing that Inami's body was on the verge of breaking down, Inari gradually eased her hold over the petite kitsune. Inami was her most durable vessel in the modern era so she didn't want to break her before she had fulfilled her purpose. She just needed Inami to persevere for an additional three thousand years, the time taken to produce three more tails. After that, Inami would be a single step away from Divinity, a perfect vessel.Inami was well aware of what fate had in store for her, but, for the sake of her clan, she tolerated becoming Inari's puppet in order to protect the future generations of her family. There was very little she wouldn't do to ensure their survival, so, after breathing heavily atop the altar for twenty minutes, she raised her tired body, muttering, "I won't fail..." in a resolute tone.........(A/N: O - O...)

Though the idea was tempting, Nobu doubted he would go with the path of fucking his way to the top. It was, honestly, a little too cringe. He had also basically abandoned that idea when he gave up the opportunity to become a glorified bard. Thus, while he hadn't dismissed the idea completely, it wasn't really at the top of his list of ways to increase his strength.The most important factor behind Nobu's decision was the fact that he actually enjoyed exercising. It was a good way to relieve stress, and, while sex was often better, it actually became a chore if you had too much. There were times when he had chafed and even bruised his dick back in his previous life. This was one of the downsides to having a large penis, as, more often than not, women simply weren't prepared to deal with you.While it varied from person to person, it took an extreme amount of arousal for a girl's vagina to expand to the point where it could accommodate more than a few inches without causing both parties discomfort. Drunk women were notoriously bad lays because of this, so, more often than not, Nobu's partners had been recreational drug users or highly experience women.A stark contrast to the women he had interacted with in his previous life, Yui and Yuriko had both been virgins. Yuriko was a little easier to deal with but Yui's insides were basically like a vice when she climaxed. Her strength and stamina also eclipsed his by a considerable amount, so, while there was no way in hell he would never admit it, Nobu actually felt powerless even when he was the one pushing her down. It would only take one major convulsion for her to snap him like a twig, so, until his power, stamina, and durability could rival the women around him, Nobu's desire to have sex was effectively suppressed.........After another delicious meal, this time prepared by Cho and Midori, Nobu allowed Kazue to give him a sponge bath before accompanying Kumiko and Kiku down the mountain. It would take a few days before the renovations were complete, but Hitomi had basically given them the go-ahead to move into his new estate if he was uncomfortable staying in the main estate.Nobu hadn't decided whether or not he would be moving so soon, but, with nothing better to do, he decided he might as well check things out. After all, it would be much easier to make additional requests during the renovation process than after. There were quite a number of ideas he wanted to implement, first and foremost being a plumping system and a simple water heater.In present-day Nian, the only way to enjoy a hot bath was to live near a natural hot spring or heat up water using firewood and a stove. Nobu knew the basic structure of a water heater and how to regulate steam within a high-pressure system. He might not be able to get it working on his own, but, so long as he coordinated with skilled artisans and metalworkers, they could probably fill in the blanks after a bit of trial and error. Who knows? If he found the right people, he might even be able to guide Nian into the era of steam power and regulated industrialization...With such thoughts on his mind, Nobu allowed Kumiko to lead him to a remarkably well-concealed set of buildings hidden on the northern face of the mountain. This was basically opposite to the rest of Yumegakure, and, even to the untrained eye, Nobu could tell it was essentially a secret hideout. If he hadn't had Kumiko to guide the way, he doubted he would even be able to find it on his own.Believing she understood her Lord's thoughts, Kumiko took it upon herself to explain, "This is one of the Yoshitsune Clan's fallback facilities. In the event of a crisis, this, and several other facilities, would serve as a last line of defense against. According to the information provided by Suzune-sama, this particular facility was designed to provide refuge to members of the Oda Clan should they need to flee the Capital."Seeing the five-petalled flower carved into the thick defensive walls surrounding the camouflaged facility, Nobu didn't doubt Kumiko's words. Only properties and businesses belonging to the main family were allowed to use this particular symbol, the Oda Mokko. He doubted the Yoshitsune Clan would appropriate it for their own uses so it was highly likely that Kumiko's words were the truth."That explains why it looks like a fortress...I wonder how far into the mountain it goes...?"Since the largest building was literally built into the side of the mountain, Nobu imagined all kinds of secret tunnels existing on the inside. After all, this was a safehouse intended to protect members of the Oda Clan. There had to be at least one escape tunnel built into it."If I'm not mistaken, the main residential building has seventeen rooms, a library, an armory, a main chamber, a strategy room, and three baths. If you'd like, I can request the original building plan and have it presented to you before the day's end."Nodding his head in approval, Nobu was about to tell Kumiko to compile all the information related to his new home when Yui, and, somewhat surprisingly, Hitomi emerged from the dojo-like building located on the west side of the estate.Before Nobu could so much as blink, Hitomi had already appeared right in front of him, a teasing smile on her face as the kunoichi around him half-lowered their heads."I heard you were coming and thought I would stop by. Please, allow me to show you around. There are quite a number of secrets hidden within this place. That includes a number of places that only a select few members of the Oda and Yoshitsune Clans can enter so I'll need to show you around and register your auras to prevent any mishaps from occurring."As one of the last bastions for the Oda Clan, the fallback facility being provided to Nobu was nearly as well protected as the aforementioned's Vault of Ancestors. This was the true reason Hitomi had needed to consult with the other Elders as they would have never allowed this facility to be utilized under normal circumstances. In Hitomi's eyes, Nobu, the kunoichi around him, and the students he would train were that important...Having no reason to refuse Hitomi's proposition, Nobu only hesitated for a brief moment, his eyes wandering to Yui before answering, "Sure. Sounds good..."Noticing the momentary shift in Nobu's line of sight, the outermost edges of Hitomi's smile curled upward an imperceptible amount. She had viewed the passionate lovemaking between the duo the previous night, so, while she was a little disappointed by the notion that her services might not be required, she was proud of the progress Yui and Nobu had made. The more at home he felt in the Yoshitsune Clan, the better.........With Hitomi leading the way, Nobu quickly discovered that Kumiko's knowledge of the estate was, quite literally, just surface material. There was a maze-like network of tunnels located beneath the main estate that connected every other building, and, so long as you knew the correct path, it was possible to follow them all the way to the base of the mountain.More surprising than the tunnel system was the artificial reservoir that existed within. It was almost like a sewer system, but, instead of wastewater, the channels were lined with rune-embossed silver that ensured that the water running through was pure and unpolluted. It was a remarkable feat of engineering that made Nobu question whether or not his knowledge would actually have any value. Fortunately, at least according to Hitomi, the reservoir was actually a Relic from the Age of Gods. In other words, it was nearly impossible to replicate in the current era as the knowledge regarding its construction had been lost to time.Though countless scholars had attempted to reverse engineer Relics for mass production, the most common outcome was irreversibly damaging the relic they were researching. Thus, rather than risk destroying a perfectly functional waterway, the Yoshitsune Clan had made the decision to build over and around it. This was remarkably common when large-scale Relics were involved, and, more often than not, ruins and relics from the Age of Gods served as the foundation for major cities around the world.Prior to the incident in the forest, Nobu had always been fond of the idea of spelunking and cave crawling. He had even thought about visiting London and exploring their underground when he saw a documentary about it on Youtube. Now, being underground made him feel claustrophobic.Fortunately, unlike a natural cave system, the tunnels beneath the fallback facility were vast and spacious. It was rumored that even humans from the Age of Gods were more than three meters in height, so, as could be expected, their constructs were much larger than modern iterations.With an average height of five meters, the tunnels comprising the waterway had a way of making those walking through them feel small. This feeling was exacerbated by the innumerable runes and fresco-like murals lining virtually every stretch of wall.Though it was a strange comparison to make, especially considering they were underground, Nobu likened the experience to walking through an airport terminal that had been decorated to advertise an exhibit on ancient civilizations. Some of the tunnels were large enough for dozens of people to walk side-by-side without bumping into each other, and, much like an actual airport, their uniform structure made them a nightmare to navigate.Had he been on his own, Nobu was absolutely certain that he would have gotten irreversibly lost. The Yoshitsune Clan had gone to great lengths to ensure that anyone exploring carelessly would pay the price by laying hundreds, if not thousands of traps. This included everything from dart traps within the walls to false floor panels beneath your feet. Thus, unless you knew the correct path to take, wandering the tunnels beneath the fallback facility was, for all intents and purposes, a death sentence.To make sure they knew the correct path, Hitomi guided Nobu, Yui, and Kumiko through the same route a total of ten times. Kumiko was the only person within Nobu's entourage that was allowed to know the actual route as she was basically his informant and adviser. As for everyone else, the area was considered off-limits unless they were helping Nobu escape. Hitomi advised him to keep it this way. After all, the tunnels weren't intended as a convenient way to get around. They were intended as a last resort to ensure his escape. The fewer the number of people who knew how to navigate them, the better.Nobu didn't agree with Hitomi's viewpoint. Fortunately, though he might not see it that way, all of the kunoichi in his employ did. This included those who weren't allowed to know the layout. Some, particularly Kiku, believed it was better they didn't even know about the tunnels. If word got around regarding their existence, enemy forces, including those within the Yoshitsune Clan, would spare no effort to map and compromise them. This would guarantee the death of whoever the tunnels were meant to protect, so, despite Nobu's suggestion to have everyone memorize the path, the idea was unilaterally shot down by everyone present.........While Nobu was busy exploring the underground on the northern face of the mountain, a youthful-looking woman with six tails and inordinately fluffy ears was offering up prayers to a shrine located beneath the main estate. This was none other than Inami, Guardian of the Yoshitsune Clan and one of the oldest beings presently within Nian. As for the shrine, who else could it be dedicated to but Inari Okami?"Lady Inari, please lend this humble servant your guidance..."......(A/N: It's not a secret tunnel if everyone knows about it...)

Chapter 67: Lessons, Expectations, and Advice