When Clans Collide

Quest giver: Oboro
Location: Yanxia (X:29.7, Y:19.5)
Quest line: Disciple of War Job Quests
┗ Ninja Quests
Job: Ninja
Level: 70
Required quest: The Hour of Reckoning
Experience: 216,000
Gil: 3,500
Previous quest: True Enlightenment
Next quest: Oboro's Big Idea
Patch: 4.0
Links: EDB GT TC

“

Oboro is trembling with excitement and trepidation.

— In-game description

Rewards

1 Kage-kakushi Attire Coffer (IL 290)

Unlocks

Steps

Keep watch for Hanzo on the Azim Steppe.
Speak with Oboro at the dock storehouse.

Journal

Oboro is trembling with excitement and trepidation.

The army of the Kagekakushi clan comes, and they come in great numbers. Oboro would meet the advancing army with his fellow shinobi, but he has one grave concern─Lord Hanzo himself is nowhere to be seen. You suggest that perhaps the man means to sneak into Yanxia through the back door─that is to say, by way of the Azim Steppe. Finding your theory a convincing one, Oboro bids you guard the passage while he leads the rest of the shinobi against Lord Hanzo's imposing army.

As you keep watch by the passage to Yanxia on the edge of the Azim Steppe, an old man approaches. Though it appears at a glance to be Master Kamui, the old hermit of Plum Spring, it is quickly revealed to be little more than one of Hanzo's disguises. The Kagekakushi lord gloatingly explains that he used his superior ninjutsu to create the illusion of a false army, luring the most capable shinobi out of the village, then snuck in with his flawless disguise and stole away with the scroll with the utmost of ease. Eager to put to use the legendary power he has obtained, he forms the forbidden mudra of summoning─only to be surrounded by a nest of hopping rabbits. As Hanzo fumes with rage, a very-much-alive Karasu appears on a ledge above, revealing that it was in fact he who was pulling Hanzo's strings all along─the Karasu thought slain at Bekko was but a mirror, and the scroll in Hanzo's hands a cleverly disguised fake. With a sneer, Hanzo turns to face you, still believing his own form of ninjutsu to be superior to the Doman offshoot, but is proven wrong when he falls at the hands of you and Karasu. Looking out over the battlefield, you turn to the eccentric ninja who has again proven himself an unexpected friend.

Karasu offers some rare words of praise for your skill at ninjutsu before walking off to wherever the wind will carry him. No sooner has he left than you are joined by Oboro and the rest of your companions, who joyfully report their triumph over the Kagekakushi clan. Oboro rejoices at the return of the scroll to the village, but soon realizes that Karasu has made off with the true other half. Jacke claims the fake scroll and sets off for Limsa with proof that his job is done, and Princess Yuki─heartened to have repaid her debt to you and Oboro─likewise runs off to Eorzea in search of her hapless retainer Akagi. Oboro expresses his intent to go after Karasu, and asks Tsubame to concoct another tale to explain his absence to the village elders. After a round of farewells has been exchanged, Oboro bids you visit him at his hideout upon your return to Eorzea, where he would share with you a final word.

Back at the storehouse in La Noscea, Oboro shares with you his recent thoughts on his path as a shinobi. Though his mind thus far has often been clouded with doubts, his reflection on the story of Master Sasuke and the origins of his village has given him clarity. He would follow in the footsteps of his honorable forebear, walking the path he believes in even if it means setting aside his commitments to his homeland in favor of listening to his own heart. With a newfound sense of purpose, he resolves to pursue Karasu and the missing scroll. Thanking you one last time for your friendship and your commitment to the path of the shinobi, he bids you farewell for the day, expressing his wish that your next adventure together will come someday soon.

Dialogue

(Optional)
Jacke: Hanzo and his bleedin' army can't get their dew beaters here soon enough for my likin'. I'm ready to snatch the scroll an' hop on the next ship back to Limsa.

Accepting the quest

Oboro: It is time, Forename. The army of the Kagekakushi clan marches on Yanxia even as we speak.
Oboro: Princess Yuki keeps watch from afar, and she says their numbers are legion. We must gather our brothers and sisters of the village and make toward the Ruby Sea to meet them head-on.
Oboro: There is one thing, however, that does not sit well with me. As Princess Yuki tells it, there is no sign of Lord Hanzo among the advancing army.
Oboro: Though we met only the once, he does not strike me as a man who would stay home and let others fight his battles. He is surely plotting something, but what? Have you any ideas, Forename?
What will you say?
<He comes from the Steppe.>
Oboro: But of course! He means to circle around and cross over to Yanxia by way of the Azim Steppe, catching us from behind!
<He would strike at our blind spot.>
Oboro: But of course! He means to circle around and cross over to Yanxia by way of the Azim Steppe, catching us from behind!
Oboro: And yet, our foe vastly outnumbers us. We simply cannot afford to spread our forces thinner than they already are.
Oboro: If Hanzo means to sneak through the back door undetected, like as not he comes alone. I would trust the defense of the Steppe to you. Go in safety, friend, and may the kami smile on us today.
Jacke: Can't speak for you, but “gettin' caught between two squabblin' ninja clans” wasn't high on my to-do list. Still, we're on this ship together, so might as well see the voyage through to the end, I reckon. If that Hanzo shows up, grabble his half of the scroll for me, will ye?

Keeping Watch for Hanzo on the Azim Steppe

Old Hermit: Pardon me, my girl... I seem to have lost my way. Could you show an old man to Plum Spring? Heh heh...
Hanzo: Clearly you're not as stupid as your friends. But it is too late. The scroll has returned to the hand of its rightful owner, and everything proceeds according to my plan.
Hanzo: As expected, Doman ninjutsu was a sad sight to behold. Where Sasuke's sorry get struggle to wield three mudra, the jonin of the Kagekakushi command four with ease.
Hanzo: Bunshin-no-jutsu─so we call it in the Hingan tongue. Mirrors, and mirrors of mirrors─in a matter of moments, my few loyal men appeared from afar to be a legion.
Hanzo: With all but a few abandoning the village to meet the challenge of my “army,” it was simple enough to put on the guise of the old man and walk out with what was rightfully mine.
Hanzo: That is the difference between a true shinobi and the Doman whoresons who dishonor our name with their very existence.
Hanzo: But the dishonor ends today. At long last, I shall wipe the earth of the sons of Sasuke the Shamed─the thief who stole my great ancestor's knowledge and consigned our proud clan to ruin.
Hanzo: I should not waste my time with a false shinobi such as you. And yet there is a sharpness─an edge─in your technique that your Doman friends lack. Yes, you should make a fine test for my newfound powers...!
Hanzo: Come, great beast! Hanzo the Hidden, descendant of your first master, bids you come!
Dread Beasts: Thumpity thump thump, thumpity thump thump...
Hanzo: What─? What is the meaning of this!?
Familiar Voice: So fearsome, their floppy ears! So terrifying, their sharply protruding teeth! The audience gasps in horror!
Hanzo: You! I killed you!
Karasu: Ahahaha! I thought you sharper than that, my friend! There was some resemblance around the eyes, I'll admit, but the real me is so much more handsome!
Karasu: The lordling is dumbfounded! So stubbornly proud was he of his precious fourth mudra. Never in a million years did it occur to him that my Master Gekkai had mastered the same technique─a technique he imparted to me.
Karasu: Oh, and if those lovely little creatures thumping about you didn't give it away, that scroll in your hands is quite fake. I couldn't very well let forbidden knowledge fall into the wrong hands, now could I?
Karasu: Though you only succeeded in killing my mirror, you did try to kill me. I really didn't appreciate that.
Karasu: My poor little chick. You always end up doing the dirty work, don't you?
Karasu: But worry not─for this time, at your side stands not Oboro the dim or some two-gil rogues, but the most stylishly lethal shinobi this realm has ever seen! What say we cut this self-important sop down to size?
Hanzo: You dare mock me...? Your every breath brings shame to the ancestors of our art─my ancestors. You will pay for your insolence. Come!

Duty

Karasu Redbeak: Let the show begin! And it won't be a happy ending for you.
Hanzo the Hidden: You are not worthy of calling yourself shinobi.
Hanzo the Hidden: You cannot strike what you cannot see!
Hanzo the Hidden: Quiver in fear before my might!
Hanzo the Hidden: You call that ninjutsu? Witness the true skill of a master!
Hanzo the Hidden: Gah! Just die already, you unworthy mongrels!
Hanzo the Hidden: Ngh! I cannot fail...to the likes of...you...
Karasu Redbeak: Now that wasn't smart, was it?

(Optional if Failed)
Karasu Redbeak: Urk! This wasn't... in the script...

After Duty

Karasu: You've come far, my little chick! I daresay you could teach the dim one a lesson or two.
Karasu: Spare Oboro the details─I have a reputation to uphold, after all─but it was rather exhilarating to fight on the same side for once. We really should do it again sometime. Till we meet again, exit our hero─stage right!
Oboro: What's this you say? Karasu still lives!?
Oboro: Ahahaha! I knew the slippery bird had another trick up his sleeves!
Jacke: All's well what ends well, eh? Seems that Karasu fellow was a right bene cove after all. Reckon yer lucky to have a friend like him.
Oboro: Lucky!? For all the trouble he put us through, I would sooner have a thousand archenemies!
Jacke: Ye'll be pleased to know we made short work of the Kagekakushi “army.” Soon as we realized they was mostly smoke an' mirrors, it weren't long afore we milled what was left of 'em.
Tsubame: We could not have done it without you, Forename. You are the savior of our village. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Oboro: And we can rest easy, knowing that half of the forbidden scroll is safely back in our hands. But if the half Karasu gave to Hanzo at the Isle of Bekko was a fake, that means...
Oboro: Curse it all─that confounded crow! 
Oboro: My duty is clear: I must pursue Karasu and recover the scroll. Tsubame, pray tell the elders that I will be returning to Eorzea for the foreseeable future. Do not mention Karasu's name─remember, the official story is that the “traitor” is long since dead.
Tsubame: Do not worry, Oboro. I will see that the elders leave you alone, as I always do.
Jacke: Sharpened up a bit, haven't ye, lad? Now, if ye don't mind, I'll be takin' the false scroll back with me to Limsa.
Jacke: If even that Hanzo couldn't whiddle the difference, ol' Carvallain and the Krakens aren't like to know any benar.
Yuki: Forename, Oboro─it was my honor to lend my blade to your cause. I wish I could have cut down a few more of Hanzo's henchmen, but oh well...I suppose one can't have it all.
Yuki: Now, I must return home to─hells, I've forgotten Akagi! The poor fool's probably tearing the realm upside down looking for me. I must be off, friends!
Jacke: The mort keeps ye on yer toes, I'll give her that. An' with that, I'd best be movin' my dew beaters as well.
Oboro: Then I, too, shall take my leave. My friends, it was as ever an honor to fight by your side.
Oboro: Forename. If you are not in a hurry to return to your adventures, I would have a word with you. Pray meet me at the storehouse upon your return to La Noscea.

Speaking with Oboro at the Dock Storehouse

Oboro: Ah, Forename. Thank you for coming. I have been reflecting on recent events, and contemplating what it means to walk the path of a shinobi. I know you to be the contemplative sort as well, so I would share with you my thoughts.
Oboro: When I first came to Eorzea, I thought only of fulfilling the duty entrusted to me by my elders. It would be no exaggeration to say that it was my sole purpose in life.
Oboro: Meeting you, learning the truth of Master Gekkai from Karasu─these experiences changed me. In the end, I forsook my duty in favor of following my own heart. I faced my old master in combat, and slew him for his treachery.
Oboro: Even after that, I remained here in Eorzea to follow my own sense of duty. But even though I believed in the path I had chosen, in my heart of hearts a part of me was unsure. Is my true home not my village? Is my true duty not to the brothers and sisters I left behind?
Oboro: I have pondered time and again the story of Master Sasuke as told by the old hermit, and at long last...it is clear to me.
Oboro: Master Sasuke could have returned home after freeing the people of Doma from the tyrant's reign─in fact, one could say it was his duty to do so. Instead he chose to remain there, and founded the village where I was raised.
Oboro: This was not his duty─at the very least, not a duty tasked to him by his master, Hanzo the First, but rather a cause he took up of his own accord. In this sense, I cannot blame the descendants of the Kagekakushi from viewing him as little more than a dishonorable renegade worthy of scorn.
Oboro: Nevertheless, Master Sasuke was willing to forsake his legacy and the recognition of his people to follow a path that he truly believed in. I have no intention of abandoning my village entirely, but I, too, would follow in my ancestor's footsteps─in my own humble way.
Oboro: My first mission that I have given myself is to track down Karasu, and bring the stolen scroll back to the village where it belongs. He is ever an elusive bird, and the task will not be easy, but I welcome the challenge.
Oboro: But forgive me, Forename─I have rambled on enough. You have proven yourself to be a true shinobi, and more than that, a true friend. I look forward to the day when we can stand together once more.

Fighting alongside your friends has opened your mind to a new ninjutsu technique!