The Cherry Blossoms Have Fallen is the first episode of Basilisk ~Ōka Ninpō Chō~.
Synopsis[]
A decade after the destruction of the Kouga and Iga ninja clans, only two survivors remain in a hidden village. But fate isn't done with the ninjas yet...
Summary[]
Tenth year of the Tensho Era, 1582, at the burning Honnouji, Oda waits to die, when a mysterious voice asks him if he wants to change his fate.
Third year of the Kan'ei Era, 1626, at Suruga Castle, Tadanaga leads his men out of the castle in a rush as he received news about his mother's condition.
At Jison'in Village, young ninja are training. Rui and Shichigen Higurashi engage in combat, and Shichigen manages to get Rui and starts chocking her. She uses her technique to charm him and knocks him with a rock. She then gets attacked by Shikibu Kōra, who knocks her. Hachisu notices Shikibu and starts shooting at him, but Shikibu dodges and reflects the bullets and starts chasing Hachisu, but Hachisu turns and shoots Shikibu upclose, defeating him. Hachisu falls under Utsutsu spell and gets defeated. Saizō then engages Utsutsu and pins her down, as her illusions doesn't work on him, due to his eyes being in the air. He asks her to give up, but Utsutsu, an Iga ninja doesn't want to accept defeat to a Kōga ninja. Using her white sheet, Utsutsu manages to free herself from Saizō, who starts to complain about Iga ninjas, only for Namenba to appear and punish him for his words. Utsutsu reaches the sakura tree and states it was another boring win. She then sees Kazuma Kusanagi practicing his technique and decides to play with him.
Utsutsu throws a kunai at Kazuma, who easily deflects it and captures Utsutsu, telling her not to struggle or her head will detach. Namenba comes asking him to release her as she is still a child, but Kazuma explains they mock being a ninja and need to learn suffer a bit to change their ways. Hachirō Kōga then comes and cut the branch, freeing Utsutsu. He tells Kazuma to stop and activates his dojutsu, which makes Kazuma to turn away. Geiin Shichito and two others then show up, wondering if Kazuma intends to fight their leader and Kazuma naturally declines it. As Hachirō leaves, Geiin comments the must continue the bloodline and Hachirō and Hibiki must not die and have a child, even though they are siblings. Geiin then receives a message that the mother of the last Shogun is unwell.
Namenba visits Gorone Negoro and sees he is tinkering Shikibu's armor. She gives him Hachisu's gun, telling him that she wonders if she can shoot multiple rounds at once. She comments that Hachirō and Hibiki seems to get closer and is happy about it. She reminds Gorone that their jobs is to watch over them, but he comments she is trying to push them together no matter what.
Tadanaga reaches a river, but die to the bad weather, there are no boats. He manage to find one small and asks him men to help him cross the river, but they are trying to stop him as its too dangerous. His men then get killed and a man appears asking him if he is the Dainagon of Suruga. Tadanaga asks him to tell his name, but the man explains men of low birth like him have no name worthy of giving to him. He tells Tadanaga that his attempt to cross the river is like a dog trying to catch a rat. That angers Tadanaga who tries to kill the man, but the man easily avoids his attacks. He comments that Tadanaga should be thinking that he should have slain him and explain that no swordsman can kill him as the blade naturally avoids his body and mentions his ninja technique. Kazuma shows up with the other Five Treasures of Kōga and beheads the man, stating that he is a ninja, but a weak one.