Despite the looks he’s giving you, you want to see just what it is Nashi can do, so you opt to take him along. The group gives each other a look before hesitantly letting him go, Nashi basically pouncing on you to get away. Something about their response rubs you the wrong way, but you figure if you can just get them the leaves, then everything should be good. You prepare yourself to deal with the demons and start the march towards the tree.
Stealthily moving around the landscape, you are surprised at the lack of patrols, something is wrong. You turn to ask Nashi what is happening, but he is suddenly missing. You take a few careful steps back to keep yourself hidden, but you cannot find your supposed backup anywhere. Just when you think about revealing yourself, you see a glint of light. Your instinct kicks in as you dodge out of the way. Someone is trying to snipe you from far away. You can only hope you can take a special route that would keep you out of the line of fire and also keep you hidden, but the area where the tree is is basically an open field. You take a deep breath, dodging a few more arrows and use a power/speed scroll to give you the boost you need to outrun the arrows without needing to focus in hiding yourself. You bolt for the tree onto to realize that it was all a trap, all of the patrols of demons gather around the tree and block your entry. Looks like someone tipped them off that you were coming, and you have a good idea of who. Using the rest of the scrolls power (and a bit of anger), you make quick work of the demons and uproot the entire tree before facing your traitor. Nashi walks up slowly, putting their crossbow on their back and giving you a concerning, wicked smile.
“Finally, I’ve got a chance to take the shogun before he ever begins his rule.” They pull out two knives and lunge at you, you dodge his movements easily. Despite his sharp eye, he has some pretty good skill with the dual blade. But just as you get the upper hand, his tail smacks you hard, dropping you to the ground. You try to pick yourself up, but he is one step ahead of you, putting the blade to your throat, stopping your motion. “Now you will see the truth” he says in a feminine voice that throws you off more than the tail did. You expect him to pull a leaf off of his head, but instead his body glows, blinding you. You see the form change from a fat-bottomed tanuki to a dainty fox girl with nine tails. She has small breasts, long hair, and black tips on her ears and tails. Her teeth are sharp, fitting her evil grin more than you feel like it should. “You’re a kitsune? You’re the one that summoned these demons!?” She laughs at you, “I like you boy, you’re sharp. It’s why I infiltrated these worthless tanuki ranks to stop you. Just a few imps, succubus, and incubus. They were right for job and easy to assemble. You could join my side or I could convert you and take your will from you, your choice.”
The army of demons close in on you, ready to pounce on you and strip you naked. The nine-tailed kitsune licks her lips waiting for your answer.