Path of the Assassin Volume 7: Center of the World

I do not know if the gap between Dark Horse Manga's publication of each volume of "Path of the Assassin" has been steadily growing with each new release, but it certainly seems that way. It becomes necessary to fight the temptation to read each new volume cover to cover (starting at the "back" of course) as soon as it finally arrives and to limit myself to one story a night and letting the experience last an entire week. Fortunately an appreciation of Zen is helpful because you will discover in Volume 7, "Center of the World," that there is not a lot of action this time around. That is not to say that nothing happens, because the Baldy Rat shows up with a strange proposal, Ieyasu and Hatori Hanzo fight with the stems of weeds, and there are a couple of assassination attempts. But somehow the most compelling part of these stories become when Ieyasu lays out his options and his next step (or hop) along the path that will lead to him becoming Shogun, especially since in this volume he asks for Imperial permission to take the name Tokugawa by which history best remembers him. We end up with parts of three different chapters in Volume 7, beginning with the end of the "Chapter on 'Shogyo Mujo.'" No. 3: "Oman," is about a young woman with whom Ieyasu is smitten. Of course, as lord of the castle he can have any woman he wants, and Hanzo is certainly happy to go and bring Oman hither, but Ieyasu has no desire to take any woman by force. So Hanzo arranges for Oman to be Ieyasu's maidservant, and that sets the stage for the rather innocent seduction that takes place. Now Hanzo's only problem is to make sure Ieyasu's wife does not find out what is going on, revealing yet another aspect of his limitless ingenuity. The next five parts belong to the "Chapter on 'Josha Hissui,'" most of which is taken up by a massive story that surprisingly does not give this volume its title. That would be No. 1: "Center of the World," where Ieyasu's court is wondering what Hanzo has not been rewarded, when even those who have been conquered have been given something by Ieyasu. There is a simple explanation, so obvious that Hanzo does not see it. No. 2: "Child of Smoke," is the key story in this collection, and begins with an assassination attempt on Takechiyo, the young son of Ieyasu. While the boy's mother confronts the assassin, Ieyasu and Hanzo consider the political implications of such an attack. However, it is the Baldy Rat who shows up and offers not just an explanation, but also proposes a strange course of action for Ieyasu to take. Meanwhile, Hanzo and his wife consider whether having a child would interfere with his duty towards his lord; it turns out there is duty, and then there is duty. The other two parts constitute an interlude between this chapter and the next one. No. 4: "No Pretty Trees on the Mountain Top" has Ieyasu considering the question of whether he should buy muskets to arm his troops, giving him another opportunity to weigh his