In the late spring of the 10th year of Keicho, cherry blossoms drifted like snow above Edo Castle.

 

Hattori Hanzō Masanari knelt seiza on the tatami mat as Tokugawa Ieyasu slid a secret letter before him. Candlelight flickered in the shōgun’s eyes, revealing a rare flicker of hesitation.

 

“Hanzō, this matter concerns the fate of Japan.” Ieyasu’s voice was low. “Word has come from the west: Inazuma, ruled by the Electro Archon, is gathering its armies. If they march east, we will be utterly unprepared.”

 

Hanzō unfurled the letter, his brow faintly furrowed. “Inazuma? That fabled land — does the Electro Archon truly exist?”

 

“She does.” Ieyasu nodded. “Her Tenryou Commission has already fortified the islands. I want you to go there. Map out their troop deployments, their city defenses, and above all — uncover the Electro Archon’s true intentions.”

 

Hanzō held the letter to the candle flame and watched it turn to ash. “When do I depart?”

 

“Tonight.” Ieyasu handed him a token etched with a thunder pattern. “Take this. Our spy in Inazuma says it will let you pass the inspections on the Outlying Islands.”

 

Three days later, a merchant ship slipped toward Kannazuka Island under cover of night. Clad in deep-blue shinobi attire and bearing his ancestral sword Raijin’s Cleave at his waist, Hattori Hanzō slipped into the water as silently as a falling leaf.

 

 

 

(II) First Foray Into the Outlying Islands

 

Lights on the Outlying Islands glimmered like faint stars through the rain.

 

Using the thunder-patterned token, Hanzō blended into the port, posing as a merchant from Liyue. His Inazuman dialect carried a faint foreign accent, but that was unremarkable among the traders of all nations gathered there.

 

“New here?” A guard of the Kanjou Commission sized him up. “What’s your trade?”

 

“Porcelain and tea.” Hanzō bowed slightly and offered a small pouch of Mora. “I beg your indulgence, sir.”

 

The guard weighed the pouch and waved him through.

 

Hanzō settled in an inn and drew up the island’s defense layout that same night. The Tenryou Commission’s camp stood on the northwestern highlands, equipped with twelve cannons and roughly three hundred soldiers. The port watchtowers changed guards every two hours, leaving a brief gap during the handover.

 

What troubled him more were the mysterious Sakura Branches scattered across the island, which occasionally crackled with purple lightning. Locals said these were gifts from the Electro Archon, capable of warding off the power of the Teyvat’s Abyss and malignant spirits.

 

On the fourth midnight, Hanzō resolved to test the branches’ power. He hurled a shuriken at one Sakura Branch; it erupted in lightning at once, forming a grid of electricity. Almost simultaneously, a unit of Shogun’s Ometsuishi burst from the shadows.

 

“Intruder!”

 

Hanzō flipped onto a rooftop and darted across the connected rooftops. The Ometsuishi gave chase, their speed far surpassing ordinary soldiers. At the critical moment, he threw a smoke bomb and dove into the sea, remaining submerged with a special bamboo breathing tube until dawn.

 

 

 

(III) Infiltrating Kannazuka

 

After half a month of observation, Hanzō learned the only path to the main city on Kannazuka led through the Kitsune Forest. Disguised as a rōnin, he joined a merchant caravan bound for Inazuma City.

 

The grandeur of Inazuma City took his breath away — the Tenshukaku pierced the clouds, with lightning converging at its peak into a giant magatama. The entire city was built into the mountainside, its walls merging with natural rock, making it nearly impregnable.

 

In the city’s lower districts, Hanzō witnessed the Electro Archon appear in public. She was not the ferocious demon of rumor, but a woman of equal majesty and beauty, surrounded by fearsome Electro energy. As her gaze swept the crowd, Hanzō felt it linger on him for a moment.

 

Suppressing his unease, he continued his reconnaissance. The Tenshukaku’s outer perimeter was guarded by the Ometsuishi, while its interior was patrolled by ninja of the Shuumatsuban. More troublesome were the automated Thunderous Peril Pedestals, which electrocuted any living thing that drew near.

 

To gather more intelligence, Hanzō risked infiltrating the Tenryou Commission’s headquarters. In a hidden compartment of the archives, he found Inazuma’s troop deployment map:

 

- Kannazuka Island: Main Tenryou Commission forces, roughly five thousand; elite Ometsuishi, eight hundred

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- Nazuchi Beach: Shogunate army forward position, two thousand stationed

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- Yashiori Island: Location of military factories, fifteen hundred defenders

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- Seirai Island: Sealed off by perpetual thunderstorms; suspected secret base

 

He also discovered a memorial regarding the Vision Hunt Decree: the Electro Archon was collecting Visions to empower a certain weapon.

 

 

 

(IV) An Unexpected Ally

 

As Hanzō prepared to withdraw, footsteps echoed down the hallway. He quickly hid in the rafters and watched as Kujō Takayuki spoke with a mysterious miko.

 

“Lady Yae, the Shogun’s plan for Eternity must not be hindered.”

 

The miko called Yae chuckled softly. “Is your Tenryou Commission in such a hurry to enforce the Vision Hunt Decree that you ignore the Resistance from Watatsumi?”

 

“The Resistance is but a trivial ailment. Fulfilling Her Excellency’s long-cherished wish is the true duty.”

 

Hanzō’s heart jolted — Inazuma was deeply divided. Once the two left, he prepared to depart, only for a bolt of lightning to block the doorway.

 

“Won’t you come out and chat, guest from a foreign land?” Yae Miko leaned against the frame, smiling sweetly.

 

Hanzō gripped his sword hilt, calculating his odds of escape.

 

“Relax. If I wanted you captured, the Shogun herself would be here.” Miko tossed him an amulet. “Take this to your master. Tell him Inazuma’s storms shall not reach beyond its shores.”

 

“Why help me?”

 

“Because some cling too tightly to Eternity. They require a little… external disturbance.” Miko winked. “Hurry. The Ometsuishi will change shifts soon.”

 

 

 

(V) Flight for Life

 

Hanzō’s cover was finally blown. As he attempted to retreat through the Kitsune Forest, he found himself encircled by Tenryou Commission forces.

 

Kujō Sara led the unit personally, arrows crackling with Electro. “Intruder, lay down your arms!”

 

Hanzō threw a smoke bomb and detonated pre-laid traps. Amid explosions, he darted through the woods like a phantom, yet Sara’s arrows pursued relentlessly, each shot perfectly blocking his path.

 

“Useless struggle.” Sara drew her bow taut. “Kneel before the Shogun’s might!”

 

At the brink of death, a band of masked ninja suddenly appeared and engaged the Tenryou Commission.

 

“Follow us!” their leader shouted. “Lady Yae has ordered us to escort you!”

 

Hanzō hesitated briefly, then followed them into a secret tunnel. After traveling half a day through the tangled underground network, they reached a hidden port.

 

“From here, you can bypass the Outlying Islands’ blockade.” The masked ninja handed him a scroll. “This is Lady Yae’s reply to Lord Tokugawa.”

 

Hanzō boarded the waiting small boat and glanced back. Inazuma loomed through the thunderstorms. Clutching the scroll tightly, he knew this contest had only just begun.

 

 

 

(VI) The Return and the Strategy

 

In Edo Castle’s Tenshukaku, Hanzō knelt and presented his findings.

 

Tokugawa Ieyasu flipped through the detailed terrain maps, troop deployments, and city defense analyses, questioning him on specifics at intervals. When he heard Yae Miko’s warning, he fell into long thought.

 

“So Inazuma is not as unified as it appears.”

 

“Indeed. In my humble opinion, while the Electro Archon is powerful, the Vision Hunt Decree has sparked internal unrest. Should we oppose Inazuma, we may support the Resistance to tie down their forces.”

 

Ieyasu walked to the window and stared out at the distant sea. “Hanzō, do you believe we should attack Inazuma?”

 

Hanzō fell silent for a moment. “Inazuma’s military is strong, bolstered by the inhuman power of the Electro Archon. Yet it is divided within, outwardly formidable but hollow inside. If we truly strike, we must ally with multiple factions and unravel it from within.”

 

Ieyasu nodded slightly. “Our views align. For now, however, we need diplomatic relations with Inazuma.” He stroked the amulet from Yae Miko. “Knowing when to wage war is important, but knowing when to hold back is even more so.”

 

Hattori Hanzō bowed in obedience, yet in his mind lingered that thunder-shrouded nation and the mysterious miko who had given him the amulet. He knew this was not the end — but the start of far greater upheaval.

 

Night fell. Hanzō returned to his quarters and unfurled the final secret scroll from Inazuma. By lamplight, he began writing an even more detailed report, covering not just military deployments, but Inazuma’s culture, faith, and social structure — everything the Tokugawa Shogunate needed to know about that distant land.

 

Sea breeze carried a briny tang from afar, and with it, the prelude to change. Across the ocean, the Electro Archon atop the Tenshukaku opened her eyes, infinite lightning reflected in her purple pupils.

 

“Enemy of Eternity…” she whispered softly, as her sword Musou no Hitotachi trembled faintly.

 

On the horizon, a storm was gathering.