Infiltration into Echigo

Kansuke disguises as a gun trader and meets Kagetora. He offers Kagetora 10 guns, but he demands to provide 100 guns, saying he will take Kansuke as a hostage until he meets the demand. Although Kagetora is almost certain that Kansuke is the general of the Takeda clan, Kansuke has no intention of responding to Kagetora's demand and is pleased to become a hostage, taking the advantage to spy on the Nagao family. Kagetora takes him to Usami's castle, a neutral warlord in Echigo, whom Kagetora hopes to win him over to his side. Meanwhile, Harunobu advances on Murakami to capture Toishi Castle and suffers an unexpected crushing defeat.