naoe nobutsuna

Tachibana Yoshiaki, often known by his former name Naoe, enters Takaya's life as a mysterious savior and quickly becomes his devoted assistant in the ongoing, solitary, and arduous 400-year-old battle to exorcise warring spirits. He shields Takaya, striving to restore him as a powerful and proud leader. However, Naoe carries many dark secrets and a heavy burden of guilt from their past lives together, which Takaya cannot recall. In this incarnation, Naoe was born into a Buddhist monk's family and is now a tall, well-groomed, handsome man in his late twenties. On the surface, Naoe appears calm, reserved, and competent, though overly secretive, serving as a reliable right-hand man to Takaya (Kagetora). Over several volumes, however, we uncover his true nature—his boundless passion and obsession with Takaya (Kagetora), and his intense attraction to and burning envy of Takaya's superiority. The tumultuous love-hate relationship between the two protagonists drives the entire series. Naoe loves Takaya and dedicates himself wholly to him but resents Takaya's superior strength, power, and independence in their relationship. Naoe cares for Takaya, soothes him when necessary, and would die for him, yet he also harbors a consuming desire for and resentment toward him. It is implied that Naoe committed a brutal and unforgivable act 30 years ago against Kagetora's then (female) lover Minako, leading to Takaya's loss of memory in this lifetime.