The swordsmith flew down the mountain, taking the stairs two at a time. Only stopping when he reached the end of the path and saw the shrine maidens opening the souvenir stalls. They wore clothing of a style that fit his time period. The maidens returned to their task when he switched his gaze to the stone-lined path away from the shrine. 

When he reached his house, it was close to noon. His mother dropped her broom. "Sengo-kun? Is it really you? You disappeared months ago!"

He bowed to her, but tears filled her eyes and she swept him up into a hug. When she released him, she ran to find his father.

Could he muster the strength to tell them of his failure? He would have to.

...

Two months later, Sengo ventured to the top of Mt. Inari again to offer his best sword to date. The finer of a pair. He would do this for every sword he made. He never told those who commissioned him because they would request his offering sword instead of the one he gave his customers. But he felt making two was a small price to pay for the miracles he'd received.

The messenger's words came true. Sengo's swords ended up with a reputation where the wielder would become a bloodthirsty berserker. At least there was still a call for his swords. 

After he had it purified, he mounted the sword that he'd made while under the tutelage of Masamune above the door to his smithy. It reminded him daily of what arrogance could cause. Sengo became such a stickler for humility, that young men were uncomfortable coming to learn from him.

His grandson gave the blood tainted-sword Sengo had produced to Tokugawa Ieyasu in the year 1600. The sword was the one he used in the Battle of Sekigahara, which allowed him to become a great unifier of Japan and begin the Shogunate dynasty that would rule Japan and last two-and-a-half centuries. In this era, there were no wars—a marked difference from previous eras.

Ironically, Muramasa's swords were considered a curse to Tokugawa because of several unfortunate incidents in his family. Swords from the school of Muramasa were used by the anti-Tokugawa movement to end that dynasty and restore the Emperor to power, ushering in the Meiji Era and ultra-rapid modernization of Japan.

While he was not able to shake the reputation nor the fate he put into motion, he still turned his life around and provided a legacy that would help shape Japan.