Might of the Barbarians (The Kusunoki Chronicles Book 3)

The treachery of the daimyo has left Akashi seemingly dead and Kanto in a nearly suicidal quest for revenge against his dead wife's family. But the tama is not done with either brother. Hori Makito offers Kanto the ideal instrument of revenge, a ring that allows him to transform into a murderous beast that seems unstoppable. Blinded by his rage, Kanto overlooks his qualms and uses the ring against his enemies. Meanwhile, the tama sends Akashi back from death to become its instrument in countering the barbarian threat. As he searches for the barbarian rings corrupting the tama he learns that his brother bears one of them and that the mysterious monks of the Okotta are more deeply involved than he knew. As the conflicts mount, the Kumashatsu barbarians finally make their move, and neither samurai nor shinobi is prepared to face the Might of the Barbarian.