The Kiro no Komichi.
That was the path Nathan had chosen.
It was the shortest route to Hebi-Yama, cutting through terrain no sane traveler would willingly enter, and that was precisely what made it useful. Speed mattered here. Yorimasa needed to die before news of Morosuke reached him — before the man had any reason to feel the ground shifting beneath his feet and decided to run. If he fled to Norihiro's side with Ayame's secret in tow, the situation would spiral into something far messier than Nathan had any interest in dealing with. He had not come to the south to fight a war. He had come to retrieve one woman, and he had already burned through two Daimyos along the way. That was more than enough.
He intended to be gone before Norihiro even understood what had happened.
He found a stable near the edge of Minato, chose a horse that looked strong and well-rested, and rode out without ceremony. The city's noise faded behind him quickly, swallowed by the dark.
