Movie 2008.07.19 - Shinobi: Heart under Blade

This movie is basically a rehashed Romeo and Juliet - Japanese ninja style. You have two ninja clans, Iga and Kouga battling it out for supremacy over hundreds of years. The shogun ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu see them as a threat and hatches this plan to eliminate them once and for all. He calls on the heads of the clans and orders them to select five of their best fighters for a fight to the death. The clan heads probably know what the ruler has in mind, but pride can make fools out of the the smartest peole. As fate would have it, Kouga Gennosuke and Oboro, who were secretly married, were selected as leaders of their respective clans. They did their best to avoid this senseless fighting, but their followers are war freaks and started killing each other off. In the final battle, Kouga allowed Oboro to kill him to end the feud. Meanwhile, Tokugawa sent his armies to eliminate the rest of the Iga and Kouga population. Oboro begs Tokugawa to leave them be and as a show of her sincerity, she blinds herself. Apparently, her eyes have the power to kill with just one look. Touched by Oboro, Tokugawa withdrew his soldiers. It is said the Iga and Kouga ninjas live on until today.