Blackthorne wakes at dawn convinced Mariko visited him, but Mariko insists the night visitor was her maid, Koi, masking any impropriety. Speaking in Latin and Portuguese to avoid eavesdroppers, she reframes pillowing as a private pleasure distinct from duty and “love,” even offering to act as go-between for the courtesan Kiku. They discuss Blackthorne’s family losses and the sea, and Blackthorne predicts a storm.

They ride to observe a full rehearsal: five hundred musketeers advance in disciplined phalanxes and deliver staggered salvos that shatter a two-thousand-strong “defending” line. Jozen, Ishido’s representative, is shaken but critical; Yabu reveals bayonets fixed to muskets, further stunning Jozen. Tensions spike when Naga refuses to release Jozen, reveals live ammunition, and declares intent to kill him despite Regent protection. Yabu orders restraint and appoints Omi and Blackthorne as witnesses, but cannot prevent what follows.

Naga produces a strangled pigeon and the severed head of Jozen’s messenger, proving Ishido has not been informed. Naga’s men execute Jozen’s followers with volleys; some attempt seppuku. Hirasaki Kenko disembowels himself bravely and is honored; others are decapitated by seconds, including with aid from Toranaga captain Osaragi Nampo. Jozen dies slowly and brutally. Later, Yabu expands the musket program, ordering more companies while treating the executions as karma. Blackthorne, sickened, feels the people around him lack a sense of sin.

That night a gale tears through Anjiro, shredding paper walls and toppling some houses, though tiled roofs mostly hold. At dawn the wind subsides and the villagers, led by headman Mura, efficiently rebuild. Omi rebukes Mura about taxes, then warmly seeks Blackthorne’s friendship. Fujiko continues to tend Blackthorne and correct his language.

As the village normalizes, Mariko explains cultural stoicism during disasters. Blackthorne cannot shake the horror of the executions despite the community’s swift resilience. Yabu increases training tempo, determined to field additional musket units quickly.