After Lord Toranaga's unexpected surrender, the stunning death of Nagakado in a horrific tragedy concludes Shogun episode 7. At the conclusion of Shogun episode 6, Lord Toranaga revealed the Crimson Sky plot, but any assault on Osaka would require the assistance of his brother, Saeki Nobu tatsu. But Saeki not only refused to work with Toranaga, he also betrayed his brother by siding with the Council of Regents. Crimson Sky was stopped before it started when Toranaga's army was encircled in Ajiro.

Worse, when trying to attack Saeki in the hopes of freeing their troops and stopping Yoshii from turning himself in, Lord Toranaga's son was killed. John Blackthorne in particular expressed disapproval of Toranaga's choice, pointing out that they would all perish now that their lord had evidently given up. It is unclear how Nagakado's passing will affect Toranaga in the future, but the chances are not in his favor at this point unless his surrender is a pretext for a bigger scheme to eventually beat Ishido.

Like the Anjin and all of Toranaga's counselors, Yoshii Nagakado was unable to accept the news that his lord was going to surrender himself. As his mistress for the night, Saeki's lady Kiku, the shogun, helped Nagakado and his men attack Toranaga's brother and murder a few of his samurai. Nagakado nearly killed his uncle, but Toranaga's son stumbled and fell just as he was lifting his arms to deliver the last blow with his sword. His head struck a rock, resulting in one of the show's most gory and violent fatalities to date.

Without the assistance of Lord Toranaga's brother, Crimson Sky would not have been able to function, even if he and his men had been successful in killing Saeki.

Saeki claimed that his acts were not worth his nephew's death. It is safe to infer that Lord Toranaga was unaware that Nagakado was planning to assault Lord Saeki that evening, however it is unknown to what extent. Like in episode 4, Nagakado did not consider the consequences of his actions before acting, and it backfired. Without the assistance of Lord Toranaga's brother, Crimson Sky would not have been able to function, even if he and his men had been successful in killing Saeki. Nevertheless, Toranaga might reconsider his objectives in light of Nagakado's untimely passing.

Toranaga asserts that he will not fight an evil if doing so puts the nation at danger of splitting apart. However, this was his answer to his allies, and it might not be entirely accurate. Toranaga is astute enough to see that he lacks the forces necessary to capture Osaka without his brother's army. Toranaga did not want to think about this possibility in the first place since he believed that Crimson Sky would be a suicide mission with his existing unit.