There was a theory a while back that the body buried in Kamunabi HQ is Chiaki’s, and Akemura had used the encroachment to take over her body. That’s why the face in Kamunabi HQ is in shadow. It’s not Yura’s body or Akemura’s, it’s Chiaki’s.

I like this theory. Also, if it’s true, that would mean Chiaki is actually alive, in some form. Like, her body falls over, but in order for the encroachment to work, she still has to actually put her spirit energy in the sword with the intent to use it.

# The flowers on Shokoku are someone’s bloodlust, but they’re not Akemura’s

(Pics 2+3). Akemura was very resigned in Kamunabi HQ. He said he’d be fine with dying in Kamunabi HQ. But even still, if we take Yura’s word as truth, the flowers on Shokoku are bloodlust. 

So if we assume Yura’s right about the flowers being someone’s bloodlust, and Akemura was too resigned to dying in order to actually do anything, whose bloodlust was it?

The other presence hidden in the sword who believed more work needed to be done. It was Chiaki’s bloodlust.

And my proposal is the Malediction that was used on Shokoku was a two-person team of the Soga clan’s most powerful siblings. Akemura fought the sword bearers while Chiaki increased the power of the Malediction.

Chiaki is still alive and possibly evil