Before meeting with Toranaga, Yabushige writes his will because he thinks he will be executed. Rather, Toranaga gives him the order to relocate Blackthorne and Toranaga's wife, Lady Kiri No Kata, to Ajiro in exchange for a larger fief. Captain-General Ferriera of the Black Ship rejects Toranaga's order for the ship to depart from the Portuguese headquarters. Ferriera gives Rodrigues the order to get the Black Ship ready to depart Osaka that same evening, despite the Jesuits' objections to the ship leaving without official permission. The caravan leading Blackthorne, which also includes Kiri, Yoshii Nagakado, the son of Toranaga, Yabushige, and Toda Buntaro (Mariko's husband), gets ready to head to Ajiro at Osaka Castle. Ishido shows up to check the caravan under the pretense of paying his respects before they have a chance to do so. Blackthorne observes Toranaga covertly taking his wife's position in the litter. Mariko informs Blackthorne that they will all be killed if this ruse is discovered, so he puts up a show of being furious that they are violating Kiri's privacy. With the help of Ishido's troops, the caravan is able to escape the castle. Later that evening, Kiyama's troops make an unexpected attack while the caravan is traveling. When Ishido's soldiers realize they are escorting Toranaga, they turn on Toranaga's group. After reaching Osaka's harbor, the group flees on a Japanese galley with Buntaro sticking behind to impede the pursuit. When Toranaga notices that Kiyama's men are obstructing the harbor with fishing boats, he boards the Black Ship and makes an agreement with the Portuguese, giving them passage on their ship in exchange for permission to build a church in Edo, an amount of silver coins, and clearance to go. Additionally, Toranaga tries to persuade them to support him in his efforts to influence the Christian regents; nevertheless, the Portuguese insist that Blackthorne be left in their care. Once both ships have passed the blockade, Blackthorne follows Ferriera, Rodrigues, and Toranaga's party aboard the Black Ship and returns to it in the galley. After finding safety at sea, Toranaga gives Blackthorne a hatamoto and requests that he teach a new regiment Western tactics and demonstrate how to dive. Hiromatsu notifies the regents in Osaka that Toranaga has resigned from his post, removing their ability to vote on his impeachment.
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