There's no marker on this thread yet so I can response
(OTL Nobunaga dies Honno-ji Incident and become Isolationist. TTL Nobunaga never died and Escape Honno-ji Incident)
Oda had been drawn from his slumber by the distant sounds of worried pacing and now quite familiarly heavy but smooth foot fall. Forcing himself up, he was unsurprised that, upon leaving his chambers, to see Yasuke pacing nearby.
His towering companion bowed low, "I offer my sincerest apologies for disturbing your slumber my lord."
Waving the man off Oda looked over Yasuke's tense frame and nodded, "We should have tea, then you can tell me what has a warrior of your caliber in such a state."
After the servants left them, Oda took a gentle sip of the brew and waited for Yasuke to do the same before pressing him, "So, what had you pacing near my chambers?"
Yasuke was, by training and circumstance, a rather sever and serious man; affable in victory to be sure, but he'd spent too long in chains to be anything but restrained in his manner. Thus, reading his emotions was always something of a challenge, but if Oda had to guess he'd say the man looked almost embarrassed.
"It feels juvenile my lord, but... I was troubled in my sleep by a strange dream, not a night terror or a memory but something that felt stranger and more real."
"Dreams can tell us much, what did you see?"
"Do you recall the fox we spied on the ride here?" At his nod, Yasuke continued. "I saw it again, only it did not race into the brush. Instead it met my gaze and began to smile in a way all to like a cunning and cruel man would. It came to have far too many teeth, its eyes mired by a cruel sort of mockery. I smelled fire on the air and then... I awoke." He shook his, "Forgive me, it should be nothing."
Oda was not a terribly spiritual man, he showed respect where it was due, and honored his ancestors appropriately however and so well acquainted with the Kami.
"Tell me... Have you heard of the Kitsune?" As Yasuke shook his head Oda felt his stomach churn uncomfortably, it was likely nothing and yet...
"They are Yoki, trickster and at times messengers or mischief makers, they bear nine tails and hold power among the spirits. Perhaps you were granted a vision."
Yasuke absorbed the information with his usual diligence and focus, a silent hum on his lips, "If that is the case and you believe it to be something of merit... Would the dread I felt upon waking mean something?"
"It could mean many things," Oda mused, "As to what I cannot say. But," He swirled his tea lazily, "It would ease my mind and yours to have the perimeter inspected before returning to sleep I think."
Yasuke offered a bow, naturally volunteering himself for the task.
Oda had thought the matter settled, if there was some assassin skulking about then Yasuke would find and dispense with them in short order and if it was nothing then clearly they both needed a rest from constant battles if a moment of peace left them so anxious.
He had not expected the distant sounds of battle to ring out, but he was ready for it in the way all old soldiers were. Flinging himself up he and his remaining guards were armored and racing out in time to see several bands of warriors bearing down on his temple.
"Find Yasuke and break through their lines!" he barked, as they raced away.
It did not take long to find the giant of a man, racing away from a massacred platoon of would be assassins with his surviving scouts and towards them, his blades and armor coated in others blood, "My lord!" He cried, jubilant.
Despite the grim tidings Oda felt a smile on his lips, Yasuke truly was a divine give of a friend.
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Yeah I mostly just wanted to focus on Yasuke
Anyway I figure they save Oda's son and the traitor is slaughtered in short order. Oda resolves himself to no rest until Japan is unified and once he succeeds he takes some carefully chosen title that lets him be the big man in charge without officially overstepping any of his bounds religiously or politically. He was also likely more brutal than his OTL successor, less forgiving to those that didn't bend the knee and thus his war took longer but also ended with a far more centralized government.
I'm also choosing to say Ysauke maybe married Oda's sister Oichi and was awared a lot of lands and a cool palace for his serve. He likely had a subtle hobby of purchasing and free or otherwise just generally freeing other African slave that came through certain ports. One welcomed by Oda due to the high esteem he holds his friend in.
As to the other questions,
(What happened Buddhist and Shinto & Would Nobunaga have Converted Catholic Christianity?)
He was will not convert to Christianity. Letting them in was mostly just a means of easing trade with the Europeans and using them as a tool to weaken the Buddhists. No way is Oda gonna convert to some distant foreign religion that demands he convert others and risk the ensuing political shit storm of that. The moment the budhists are sufficiently weakened and he can produce his own ships and guns ETC, the Christians will get the same marching orders as everyone else, "Toe the line or get fucked." Shinto will be fine cos they don't present an organized threat.
(Would Japan Westernize?)
A little but not much, OTL Japan picked up plenty of useful weapons and the like from their trade with Europe but politically the Europeans seem to have made rather minimal inroads, especially as they could not yet project much power in the region so there's no reason for Japan to start mimicking their cultural institutions.
They might start colonizing a bit, but that'd be standard imperial ambition over anything weirder. They might go to Kore like OTL though likely under different circumstances and with different methods which may net them more success. Or they may set about securing any and all surrounding islands on the principle of "Well I don't want anyone else having them." Or even consider swinging by the Americas seeing as the Portuguese and Spanish apparently had such a profitable time there.
