Asano Nagasuke was both surprised and attentive when Nozawa came to visit. Upon receiving word, he personally welcomed him in and treated him as an esteemed guest, receiving him formally—after all, Nozawa's reputation had been buzzing lately.
Of course, it wasn't so much because he turned the tide single-handedly and shot dead the Grand General of the Matsudaira family's raiding force, which caused quite a stir. Everyone praised his archery skills as extraordinary, but that had been a crushing defeat—Oda Nobunaga had almost been chased down and hacked to death. Mentioning Oda Nobunaga's face in that context was a bit awkward, and not many dared bring it up.
Nozawa's recent fame was mostly due to his long-standing dedication to medicine, having cured countless patients. His reputation as a man of brilliant medical skill and benevolent virtue had finally fermented, and word had spread completely.
