From the beginning, the ninjas in charge of guarding the "Ku Village" kept hearing the sound of artillery fire.
The sound of artillery fire made them all look confused or panicked.
However, because there was no order from the superiors for a long time, they did not dare to act rashly and could only continue to perform their duties of guarding "Gucun".
However, just now, "Gu Village" was not peaceful either.
Because Ogata and Atachi came to kill them.
This morning everyone agreed to Atachi's plan to "rescue Ku" and after discussion, it was decided that Ogata and Atachi would be responsible for this mission.
That's why after entering Shiranui just now, Ogata and Atachi split into two groups with Lin and others.
As for how to get the key to the shackles, Ogata and Atachi's plan was very simple - just act recklessly.
If they see anyone trying to stop them, they will kill them immediately.
When the ninjas in charge of guarding the "Kusa Village" learned that enemies were attacking them, they rushed from all over and attacked Ogata and Atachi.
"Quick! Kill them!"
"kill!"
"Neither of these two can be let go!"
Ogata, who had already drawn his sword, killed all the ninjas that came within his attack range.
Ogata used Daijizai to block a ninja's sword, and then swung Daishiten to kill him.
When a ninja standing outside of Ogata's attack range tried to use a kunai against Ogata—
Bang!
He had just taken out a kunai when Atachi used Suzaku to blow his head off.
At this time, A-Machi showed no mercy on her ammunition. She raised Su-Yakura and killed the enemies who tried to attack them with shuriken and other long-range weapons.
Those who wanted to launch a long-range attack, before they could get within the range where their long-range weapons could attack Ogata and the other two, were sniped and killed by Atachi's Suying, whose range was far beyond their weapons...
Ogata killed those who approached them, and Atachi sniped those who wanted to attack them from a distance.
There are not many ninjas guarding the "Ku Village" now, only about ten in total.
With the combined efforts of Ogata and Atachi, most of the ninjas who were originally responsible for guarding the "Kusou Village" were immediately killed or injured.
All the surviving ninjas looked frightened.
The surviving ninjas also noticed at this time that Ogata's face looked familiar.
"Isn't this the executioner Ittosai?!" Finally, a ninja let out a terrified shout.
Ogata is not wearing the human skin mask now.
There is no need to wear it anymore.
And from a certain perspective, Ogata's face can be considered a unique weapon.
And this "special weapon" also came in handy at this time.
After receiving the reminder from this ninja, the others turned their attention to Ogata.
Then a strong look of fear appeared on their faces.
The morale, which had already reached its lowest point, collapsed in an instant.
Some ninjas started to run away.
But some ninjas suppressed their fear and continued to perform their duties of guarding the "Kusan Village".
With the division of labor between Ogata and Atachi, almost all the ninjas guarding "Kumura" were wiped out before they reached the house where the key to the shackles was stored.
Those ninjas who had just come to encircle them were either killed by Ogata and Atachi, or simply fled due to morale collapse.
"It's a lot easier than I thought..." Ating sighed softly as he reloaded the Suying in his hand with ammunition.
"Of course it's a lot easier with your Suying around..." Ogata said with a wry smile while wiping the blood off his face.
In this era when most people still rely on swords to fight, Motoya and Kasumi are simply bug-level weapons.
Someone like Ating, who is good at using firearms and shooting, can bring the power of these two pistols to the extreme.
Just now, when the ninjas responsible for guarding the "Ku Village" came to encircle them, most of them were actually shot down by Atachi with Suzaku...
"I saw a few ninjas running away." said Atachi.
"Let them escape," Ogata responded. "We don't have time to chase them all down."
"And there might be benefits to letting them escape."
At this point, Ogata changed his tone to a half-joking one.
"They all recognized me just now. If I let them flee to the rear and spread the news that 'Ogata Yoshisei is here', it should be able to dampen their morale."
"I think it's possible that a group of experts will come to hunt you down..." said A-Ming.
"That's exactly what I want." Ogata smiled.
After successfully defeating the ninjas guarding the "Ku Village" in one fell swoop, Ogata and Atachi had a smooth journey ahead.
Soon they followed the map drawn by Uncle Qing and arrived at the northern part of "Gu Village", where they found a two-story house.
This house is actually not difficult to find.
Because in "Gu Village" except this house, there is no other house with more than one floor.
"Let's go, Ating."
Ogata rushed into the house.
The house was empty - the ninjas who had been in the house should have rushed out just now to surround and attack Ogata and the other two, and were then defeated by them.
"This house is really big..." Ogata smiled bitterly, "Where are the keys..."
…
…
Shintaro, Shuntaro, and Keitaro are still staying in the large open space used to announce something to all the ninjas in the village.
They are considered the generals in Shiranui, and this open space is their main camp.
Here, Shintaro constantly listened to the information coming from various places and gave orders.
"My Lords!" A ninja ran towards them, "We have already engaged the invaders in the northeast of the village!"
"After everyone found it difficult to get close to the enemy, they all turned to using shurikens and other weapons that can attack from a distance to deal with the enemy!"
"Now we have successfully blocked the enemy's attack!"
"Yes! Very good!" Shintaro nodded, and his tense face finally relaxed a little. "Once there is any new information, report it to me in time!"
"Yes!" The ninja who came to report the news responded loudly, and then quickly left from Shintaro's sight.
Their main force successfully blocked the enemy - this was indeed good news that was encouraging.
Shintaro couldn't help but feel relieved.
But he still didn't dare to relax too much.
The sound of artillery fire continued to reach his ears, and the sound was not too far away from him.
As long as the sound of artillery fire continued, Shintaro always felt like there was a huge stone hanging on his heart.
Just as he watched the ninja who had just come to report the battle situation on the front line leave, another ninja ran over.
The ninja ran up to Shintaro and the others and said something that made Shintaro's heart, which had originally relaxed a little, become tense again.
"My Lords! An enemy is attacking the 'Sakamura'! All the ninjas guarding the 'Sakamura' have been killed!"
"All killed?!" Shintaro's pupils shrank.
"Several people escaped! They said... one of the people who attacked the 'Ku Village' seemed to be the 'Executioner Itosai'..."
"The executioner Ittosai?!" Not only did Shintaro's pupils shrink sharply, but his mouth was also wide open.
Shuntaro, who was standing not far behind Shintaro, raised his eyebrows slightly after hearing the words "Executioner Ittosai" from the ninja's mouth.
"The ninjas who escaped all said that one of them was 'Executioner Ittosai'... and according to what they said, that person's strength was indeed terrifying..."
Shintaro was feeling a bit dizzy now.
First, a group of unknown people came with large guns to bombard them in Shiranui.
Now here comes another executioner, Ittosai...
“Damn it… Damn it… Why is the executioner Ittosai here…!” Shintaro covered his head and spewed out all the dirty words he knew.
In Shintaro's mind, the threat posed by the executioner Ittosai Ogata Issei is no less than that posed by those big guns.
After all, the executioner Ittosai is a living legend.
If the person attacking "Gu Village" now is really Itosai, then we cannot sit idly by no matter what.
Shintaro doesn't want Shiranui to become the second Nijo Castle.
After pursing his lips and thinking for a moment, Shintaro turned his head and looked at Shuntaro behind him.
"Shuntaro, I have a new mission for you."
"Go to Kusamura and kill the executioner Ittosai!"
Now most of Shiranui's combat power has been sent to fight those people using the big gun.
Currently, only the Iga ninjas are left and Shintaro can mobilize them freely.
But the Iga ninjas, like him, were Toyotomi's retainers and were considered his own people. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Shintaro did not want to send them to fight against those who were too dangerous.
The only person who has the ability to stop Ichitosai and who doesn't mind dying... is Shuntaro.
"Shuntaro, you go to 'Kusan Village' now and stop the executioner Ittosai at all costs!" Shintaro repeated his order to Shuntaro again.
Shintaro's tough tone made Shuntaro look unhappy.
When Shintaro saw the displeasure on Shuntaro's face, he quickly said:
"You don't want Furin Taifu to have another scar on her face that could ruin her appearance, do you?"
Shintaro's words made Shuntaro clench his hands that were hanging naturally.
After taking a few deep breaths, Shuntaro
"……I see."
After responding in a deep voice, Shuntaro hurried towards "Kumura".
Shintaro watched Shuntaro leave, pursed his lips, as if thinking about something.
After Shuntaro was no longer visible, Shintaro turned his head and said to Keitaro who had been waiting beside him:
"Go and supervise Shuntaro. Bring Furin-taifu with you."
"yes."
…
…
The 18 large guns were divided into 6 groups, and they took turns bombarding the places where there were ninjas. Lin and others guarded the periphery of the gunners to prevent the enemy from approaching the gunners. Lin and others maintained this formation and advanced little by little.
After Shintaro gave the order to engage in a counterattack and Shiranui's main force came over, the advancement speed of Lin and others slowed down significantly.
Although the cannon is still very powerful, one shot can always cause some casualties on the opposite side.
But Lin and his team also began to suffer casualties.
Hidden weapons are one of the ninjas' specialties.
After discovering that it was impossible to get close to Otsutsu, and that they would be killed by masters like Rin and Mamiya if they finally got close, they changed their fighting tactics.
"Scatter! Everyone, scatter! Use shuriken against them!"
"Use Shuriken on them!"
"Find cover! Hide on a rooftop or somewhere else!"
The jonins always act as commanders.
Some jonin issued orders to change the tactics.
Under the orders of the jonin, the ninjas began to disperse, lurking on nearby rooftops, inside houses, and other places, launching long-range attacks with shurikens and other long-range weapons.
Normally, when a magnum and a shuriken are fighting each other, the shuriken will definitely not be a match.
But——there are too many ninjas in Shiranui.
Relying on the advantage in numbers, the ninjas in Shiranui were barely able to match Lin and the others in firepower.
With the change in tactics, the battle situation, which was originally dominated by Lin and others, slowly began to change.
The shurikens thrown by some low-level ninjas were not so bad, as Lin and the others could block them with their swords.
But the shurikens thrown by some masters are difficult to defend against.
Even though the gunners had been asked to find cover, and Lin, Mamiya and the others kept waving their swords, forming a thick "knife curtain" to shoot down the flying shurikens and other objects one by one, there were still some fish that slipped through Lin and the others' "knife curtain", bypassed the cover where the gunners were hiding, and hit the gunners.
After the ninjas changed their tactics and used long-range weapons to fight the enemy, casualties began to occur on Lin's side.
So far, three gunners have died and seven were injured.
The battle slowly came to a stalemate...
…
…
Because the ninjas guarding the "Kusa Village" were defeated by Ogata and Atachi, the two searched the whole hut without being disturbed by anyone.
Finally - a bunch of keys were found in a large box on the second floor.
Each of the "dirty" shackles has a number, which corresponds to the keys that are also marked with numbers.
"Finally found it." Ogata picked up the big box full of keys.
A-Machi: "Hurry! Let's go."
As Ogata and Atachi left the house one after the other, carrying the large box,
"You are... the executioner Ittosai?"
A very familiar voice came into Ogata's ears.
Ogata looked in the direction of the voice.
Then I saw a man with two swords on his back and a very familiar face.
Upon noticing the "double-sword man" standing not far away, Ogata and Atachi showed completely different expressions.
Ogata looked strange.
And Ating's expression changed drastically, with fear on his face.
"Ayi, be careful! That person is Shuntaro!"
Although Atachi, a "former ninja", had never spoken to Shuntaro, he had seen Shuntaro's face on several occasions and naturally recognized him.
After saying that, Ating raised the Suying in his hand.
Bang!
Pull the trigger without hesitation.
Shuntaro didn't recognize any short gun.
But after Ating raised Suying and pointed it at him, he instinctively felt a great threat.
Almost at the same moment that Atachi pulled the trigger, Shuntaro jumped to the side and dodged the bullet shot by Motoya.
Seeing that Shuntaro was able to dodge Motoya's bullets, a look of surprise appeared on Atachi's face.
Just as Atachi was about to continue shooting at Shuntaro—
"A-Ming, go rescue the 'Gu's, and then go support Miss Lin and the others."
Ogata suddenly said this while handing the big box in his hand to Atachi.
"And by the way, tell Miss Lin and the others that I have held Shuntaro back, so let them focus on dealing with Shintaro."
Hearing what Ating said, Ating was stunned.
"...Yeah." A-Machi looked at Ogata for a while with a somewhat complicated look in her eyes, then nodded, "I understand. I wish you good luck in martial arts."
A-Ming hugged the big box tightly in his arms and ran towards the depths of "Gu Village".
After Atachi left, Ogata turned his head and looked at Shuntaro not far away.
Ogata's gaze towards Shuntaro was quite calm.
And the look that Shuntaro cast towards Ogata was filled with a variety of emotions.
He looked at the two blue and gold swords on Ogata's waist - in his memory, these two swords should belong to another person named "Mashima Goro".
He also heard the conversation between Ogata and Atachi just now - in his memory, this voice was also the voice of "Mashima Goro".
A bold guess popped up in Shuntaro's mind.
This guess made Shuntaro's heart beat faster involuntarily.
"Let's go somewhere else." Ogata said to Shuntaro, "It seems a bit narrow here."
"...Come with me." Shuntaro said, "I know a good place."
…
…
It is noon now.
It is time for the "Gu" people in "Gu Village" to have lunch.
Originally, they should have gathered in this open space as usual today, grunted their lunch, and then continued to work.
That's how it should be.
But just when they were halfway through distributing today's lunch, the sound of a cannon brought something unusual to their day.
The sound of the large guns firing resounded throughout the Shiranui.
The "Gu" people living in "Gu Village" naturally also heard this thunder-like sound.
Most of the "dirty" people have never heard the sound of a large artillery shell.
After the first sound of a large artillery barrage was heard, the sound of large artillery barrages continued.
Not only did the "dirty" ones look panicked, but the ninjas who were distributing lunch to the "dirty" ones in the open space also found it difficult to remain calm.
Not long after, another ninja came hurriedly to the open space and whispered a few words to the ninjas who were responsible for distributing meals and guarding "Gu". Then their faces all changed, and they left hurriedly, and no one knew where they went.
Even though all the ninjas around had left, no "Gu" dared to leave without permission. They all stayed quietly in the open space where they usually ate.
Not long after, they all heard shouting and killing quite close to them.
The shouts and cries made the "dirty" people even more uneasy, and they began to whisper to each other.
Discussing what the thunder was about.
They were discussing where the ninjas who had just left had gone.
They were discussing what was happening with the shouts and screams coming from not far away from them.
Although Ah Sheng was also uneasy, instead of thinking about what the thunder and shouts were about, he was more concerned about when the ninjas would come back to deliver food.
When the thunder sounded, only half of the meals had been distributed.
Half of the "Gu" still did not receive their lunch today.
And Asheng was one of the “dirty” people who did not get lunch.
Although the steaming rice bucket was not far away, Ah Sheng didn't dare to take the rice without permission.
If he went to get lunch without permission, God knows how the ninjas would punish him when they came back and found out that he had gone to get lunch without permission.
Just as the "dirty" were waiting silently with different emotions, they suddenly saw a figure walking towards them quickly.
They looked intently.
I discovered that the figure was a very beautiful woman.
The beautiful woman is holding a big box.
This beautiful woman was naturally Ating.
Looking at the "dirty" people in front of him who were gathering in the open space waiting for lunch, A-Ming secretly said "good luck".
The "dirt" gathered together, saving her a lot of energy.
Ating carried the box full of shackle keys to the edge of the open space, opened the box, and poured out all the keys.
Crash...
The key fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Some of the "dirt" knows what these keys are.
Looking at the keys at Ating's feet, their eyes widened in shock.
"We have killed all the ninjas guarding the 'Saka Village'!"
"We are here to destroy Shiranui!"
"Do you hear those thunderous noises? That's the sound of my companions fighting with Shiranui!"
"These are the keys that can unlock your shackles! They are numbered and correspond to the numbers on your shackles!"
"While our weapons are powerful, our numbers are still outnumbered compared to the Shiranui ninjas."
"So we need your help!"
"With your help, our chances of defeating Shiranui will greatly increase!"
"If Shiranui perishes, you will also gain true freedom."
"Of course, you can also choose to open the shackles and run away!"
"We won't stop you."
"But if you choose to escape directly, then please be prepared for our attack on Shiranui to fail, and then Shiranui will send someone to capture you!"
A-Ming did not give the "dirty" people too many long lectures.
Say everything that needs to be said directly.
After saying this, Ating silently stared at the "dirt" in front of him, waiting for their response.
After listening to what Ating said, the first thought that came to Ah Sheng’s mind was - is it true?
Ah Sheng is not the only one who has similar ideas.
The expressions on many people's faces showed that they were thinking the same thing as Ah Sheng.
A certain "Gu" asked the question that everyone wanted to ask most now:
"You...did you really kill all the people who were responsible for guarding the 'Saka Village'?"
"If I hadn't killed the people guarding 'Gucun', how could I have brought out these keys that could hold the shackles?" Ating asked back.
The open space, which had been silent due to astonishment, now seemed as if the magic of time suspension had been lifted, and it slowly became agitated in an atmosphere that was not too ostentatious.
The thunder that kept coming into his ears, the ninjas who had not reappeared, and the key that could unlock the shackles not far away from him - all of these were announcing: this woman was telling the truth.
——Gain...freedom?
Ah Sheng murmured in his heart.
After the murmur, Ah Sheng felt his heartbeat - no change, not faster due to excitement.
He completely scoffed at what Ating had just said.
——Eliminate Shiranui? How is that possible?
A mocking arc appeared at the corner of Ah Sheng's mouth.
In his eyes, how could Shiranui, who had so many ninjas and such amazing combat power, be destroyed?
If he really removed his shackles and helped them deal with Shiranui, he would definitely die.
If they ran away directly after removing the shackles, they might be caught and severely punished after Shiranui killed those who were ignorant and dared to attack them.
Although there is a possibility of successful escape, Ah Sheng is not confident in his ability to escape.
So without much thought, Asheng made his own decision - to stay here and wait for the ninjas to come back.
Ah Sheng, without even looking at Ah Ting, touched his stomach and looked at the rice bucket not far away.
——I’m so hungry... When can you come back to distribute meals?
Just when Ah Sheng was concerned about when the ninjas would come back to deliver food, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure standing up beside him.
Ah Sheng turned his head and stared blankly at the person who stood up beside him.
This person was none other than Abang, who had just arrived at "Gu Village" not long ago and was beaten up for asking the ninjas whether they could change their meals.
There were still many traces of beatings on Abang's face.
The look in his eyes was complicated.
There is hesitation, fear, and worry.
But the main emotion is this – determination.
Abang gritted his teeth and walked quickly towards Ating. He found the key that could unlock his shackles among the pile of keys at Ating's feet, and then quickly unlocked his shackles.
Ah Sheng looked at Ah Bang in surprise, as he had actually untied his shackles, with a look of disbelief on his face.
—What is he going to do? Is he going to run away? Or...
Before Ah Sheng finished speaking, Ah Bang shouted at the other "Gu" who were still standing or sitting with various expressions:
"I don't want to stay here anymore!"
"I don't want to be frightened in the future, worrying about when the ninjas from Shiranui will come and take me back!"
"Is there anyone with me?!"
Ah Bang's words made the already agitated crowd even more agitated.
Some of the "Gu" who had been hesitant just now finally gritted their teeth and stood up like Ah Bang just now.
As if a chain reaction had started, more and more people stood up.
It is actually very easy to tell who wants to escape directly and who wants to fight with the ninjas in Shiranui.
Those "dirty" ones who wanted to fight to the death with the ninjas in Shiranui seemed to have flames burning in the depths of their eyes.
Ah Sheng felt his mouth open uncontrollably into an "O" shape.
Is there anything wrong with their brains?
A-Ming looked at the increasing number of "Gu" who seemed to have flames burning in the depths of their pupils and stood up, a faint smile appeared on their faces.
"There are many weapons left behind by the people we killed at the entrance of the village. Come with me, I will take you to get the weapons that suit your needs." said Ating.
The reason why A-Cheng didn't talk to them about too many complicated principles or sentimental words just now was because A-Cheng knew that there was no need to talk too much to them.
For those who still harbor rebellious hearts, just a few plain words are enough to make them take up arms.
And in fact, it is true.
…
…
Lin naturally also noticed the current stalemate in the battle.
If she continued to exchange shots between the cannon and the opponent's shuriken like this, by the time the ninjas were defeated, there would only be a few of her gunners left.
After pondering for a moment, Lin decided that it was time to use her other two trump cards.
In order to deal with Shiranui, Lin prepared a total of 3 trump cards this time.
The Otsutsu is just one of her trump cards.
Her other two trump cards are now standing beside her.
"Bogong, Jiulang." Lin called softly to the two people standing on her left and right, "Can I ask you for a favor?"
Lin has lived with her uncle since she was a child.
Mamiya was the first person to follow Lin.
They already had a unique tacit understanding between each other.
Lin didn't need to say anything more, and Genichi and Mamiya didn't need to ask more, they both nodded.
"I'll go to the east." Yuan, who was wearing a light blue haori today, glanced to the east, "There seem to be more people over there."
"Then I'll go to the west." Mamiya, wearing a dark red haori, looked to the other side.
"I leave it to you." Lin said seriously, "Let me see... how the 'Sword Saint' Kinoshita Genichi and the 'Flowing Light Hachiman' Mamiya Jiulang can defeat a thousand people at once!"
Genichi and Mamiya smiled.
Then, almost at the same time, the two men clenched the knives in their hands and rushed out in different directions.
Genichi rushed towards the enemy to the east.
Mamiya rushed towards the enemy to the west.
The man with the two titles of "Sword Saint" and "Ryuko Hachiman" - went out.
The light blue haori on Genichi and the dark red haori on Mamiya were fluttering in the strong wind.
Lin ordered the gunners behind her: Stop shelling the enemies in the west and east.
Mamiya jumped onto the roof of a low house.
On the roof of this low house, there were two ninjas lying down, using the roof as cover and throwing shurikens at Lin and her gunners.
Mamiya jumped onto the roof and happened to jump in front of one of the ninjas.
This ninja is not a rookie.
Just now, when he saw Mamiya rushing towards them, he put away his shuriken and drew his ninja sword.
After Mamiya jumped in front of him, he immediately pointed the tip of the ninja sword at Mamiya, intending to pierce Mamiya's chest.
However - just as he pointed the tip of his sword at Mamiya, Mamiya had already assumed a sword-drawing stance much faster than he had:
He held the katana at his waist with his left hand and placed his right hand on the hilt of the katana, lowering his body's center of gravity.
Then there was a flash of knife.
The knife flashed from the ninja's right abdomen to his left shoulder, and blood splattered.
Mamiya didn't even look at the ninja he had killed. He turned around and rushed towards another ninja who was also lurking on the roof.
The same thing happened to this ninja - although he was not killed by the sword-drawing technique, he was killed by Mamiya before he could even react.
The situation was similar on Genichi's side.
As he rushed towards the ninjas to the east, Genichi pulled out his Yangshen and Yanrong and leaped towards the three gathered ninjas.
Before the three ninjas could react, they were killed by Genichi.
Genichi and Mamiya were like two ferocious carnivorous beasts pouncing on their prey.
After charging into the "military formations" formed by the ninjas in Shiranui on the east and west sides, the one-sided massacre began.
No one could block Genichir and Mamiya's swords, or stop them.
Many ninjas didn't even have the chance to scream before they were killed by Genichir and Mamiya with one sword.
The two of them did not waste any effort. If they could kill the opponent with one blow, they would never use a second blow.
If you can cut the belly which is easier to cut, you should never cut the head which is harder to cut.
Genichi and Mamiya ran, jumped, and attacked.
The ninjas on both sides of the East and West were defeated, broken, and died.
The ninjas in Shiranui were all stunned.
Their companions, who were on the east and west sides, had an absolute advantage in numbers, but they were completely helpless against the old man and the young man with glasses.
Close attack - before the knife could hit them, he was killed first.
Long-range attack - whether throwing shurikens or darts, they would either be dodged or deflected away by the knives in the hands of these two men.
Even if they are attacked by a group, these two can easily kill the enemies one by one.
Let me give you a vivid example to describe the battle between Shimomiya and Genichi - the ninjas in Shiranui are like instant milk powder.
And Genichirō and Mamiya are the boiling water.
What happens when boiling water meets instant milk powder is what happens when the ninjas in Shiranui meet Genichi and Mamiya.
It wasn't just the ninjas in Shiranui who were stunned.
The gunners hired by Lin were also stunned.
Lin and Makimura were all aware of Genichi and Mamiya's abilities, so they weren't too surprised.
But for the gunners hired by Lin, this was the first time they had seen such a strong man.
Because he was so shocked and focused on watching the fight between Genichi and Mamiya, he couldn't help but slow down the speed of the artillery fire...
"Don't be stunned!" Lin shouted, "The shelling speed has slowed down!"
After being scolded by Lin, the gunners finally came to their senses one by one and continued to concentrate on shelling the enemies except those in the east and west.
With the departure of Genichir and Mamiya, the pressure on the gunners was greatly reduced.
The battle situation, which had originally reached a stalemate, once again turned into a situation where Lin and others had the upper hand.
And it's an advantage that keeps expanding.
…
…
Edo, somewhere——
"Here, sir! Your dried sweet potatoes!"
The Flame Demon, standing in front of a dry food store, smiled and took the dried sweet potatoes handed to him by the store owner.
After deciding to let go of everything related to Shiranui, Enma felt like he had lost weight.
It’s so light that it feels like flying.
At this time, the Flame Demon was wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a small cloth bag filled with various necessities needed for the journey.
He told Genichi this morning that when he was young, he had seen a very beautiful maple forest in Kansai.
He had always wanted to go and see it again, but unfortunately, not long after he saw the maple leaves, he became the 12th Fire Demon and worked hard to revitalize Shiranui for 30 years. He no longer had time to visit the maple forest.
Now he is no longer a Balrog.
He decided to set off today.
Leaving Edo today.
Go to Kansai.
The Flame Demon straightened the hat on his head.
Smiling.
With brisk steps, carrying the dried sweet potatoes he had just bought, he walked straight towards the direction leaving Edo.
However, just after leaving the door of the dry food store, Yan Mo suddenly heard a very familiar sentence.
"Here, Yajiro, I bought you some dried sweet potatoes."
The Flame Demon's expression froze.
Following the sound, I looked and saw a middle-aged man and a young boy. They looked very similar and should be a father and son.
The father handed a bag of dried sweet potatoes to his son, and his son took it with a happy smile.
This picture and this set of dialogues almost completely overlap with a certain memory of the Flame Demon.
…
"Here, Ichitaro, I bought you some dried sweet potatoes."
"Ah, thank you!"
…
The Enma in this memory was just a child in his early 10s, and at that time he was still using the name "Ichitaro".
In this memory, the person who gave him the dried sweet potatoes was the previous generation of Flame Demon - the 11th generation Flame Demon.
He was an abandoned baby picked up by the previous generation of Flame Demon.
The previous generation of Flame Demon had always treated him as his own son and trained him with great care.
Although he is a strict person, he occasionally reveals his gentle side.
When he was 10 years old, he accidentally said to the previous generation of Flame Demon, "I want to try dried sweet potatoes."
Although it was just a casual remark, the previous generation of Flame Demon remembered it.
After returning from a mission, I bought him a bag of dried sweet potatoes.
That is why this memory is so profound.
Because of this, dried sweet potatoes have always been a special food for the Flame Demon. Although they are not very delicious, he has always liked to eat them.
After watching the father and son from afar for a while, the Flame Demon slowly withdrew his gaze.
After pulling the hat on his head lower, he continued walking forward.
The scene just seen of the father giving his son dried sweet potatoes was like a key that opened a box filled with many old memories deep in the Flame Demon's mind.
One old memory after another emerged from my mind.
…
"Ichitaro, good job. Keep up the good work. It's only a matter of time before you surpass me."
"Yes! Lord Enma, I will continue to work hard!"
"Well, remember not to be proud. The future of Shiranui depends on you young people."
This is a memory from childhood... I showed extraordinary talent since I was young, and was carefully cultivated by the previous generation of Flame Demon.
The happiest thing at that time was to hear the previous generation of Flame Demon praising me.
After each praise, the previous Flame Demon would pat him on the shoulder and say, "The future of Shiranui depends on you young people."
…
Enma...or rather, Ichitaro's slightly upturned mouth corners slowly flattened.
…
Memories are broken up, mixed, and reorganized into new pictures.
This time, the image that emerged in Ichitaro's mind was a very familiar face.
"Ichitaro, I heard that Lord Enma is planning to have you take over as the 12th Enma. You are the popular choice to be the Enma. From now on, it's up to you to take over Shiranui!"
The person who said this was Ichitaro's former senior and good friend.
But not long after Ichitaro became the 12th Flame Demon, he died in a mission.
Although he is a senior, he is not arrogant and has provided Ichitaro with countless help.
Ichitaro once asked him why he helped him so much. He said that he felt that Ichitaro's talent far exceeded that of other people of the same age in the village, and that he had the greatest hope of becoming the next generation of Flame Demon. So he planned to help and train him to the best of his ability, so that he could become an excellent leader who could lead Shiranui to grow stronger in the future.
…
Ichitaro's originally brisk pace began to slowly slow down and become heavier.
…
Various fragments of memories emerge and disappear.
Soon after, a new memory appeared before my eyes, and then slowly took on a concrete outline.
Of course, Ichitaro recognized it immediately - this was what happened after the previous Enma failed in his negotiations with the Satsuma Domain.
The previous generation of Enma has been committed to revitalizing Shiranui and restoring the glory of the Warring States Period.
For this reason, the previous generation of Flame Demon has been working hard, searching every day for ways to revitalize Shiranui.
So the previous generation of Enma went to the powerful Satsuma domain, hoping to gain its allegiance, just like the first generation of Enma led Shiranui to submit to the Toyotomi family two hundred years ago. With the help of Satsuma domain, he revitalized and strengthened Shiranui.
However, the rulers and ministers of Satsuma Domain looked down upon ninjas, believing that it was worse to maintain a fleet than a group of ninjas.
As a result, the negotiations with Satsuma Domain ended in failure.
The previous Enma returned to the village from the distant Satsuma Domain in a daze.
Ichitaro still remembers the frustration and unwillingness on the face of the previous Enma when he first returned to the village.
…
The corners of Ichitaro's mouth, which had just flattened, slowly drooped.
…
"Ichitaro..."
The memories were broken up again, and then reassembled into a new picture - the previous generation of Enma was lying on the sickbed, dying of illness, and Ichitaro was sitting beside the bed, looking at the previous generation of Enma, who was both his mentor and adoptive father, with a sad face.
The previous Enma, who was so sick that he couldn't even see clearly, stretched out his somewhat withered hand in the direction of Ichitaro.
"From now on... you are the 12th Enma. I will leave everything in Shiranui to you..."
Ichitaro raised his hand without thinking and tightly grasped the hand that the previous Enma extended to him.
"Master Flame Demon, leave it to me!"
…
Ichitaro's pace became slower and slower, until he finally stopped and stood there in a daze.
He was now standing on a fairly busy street in Edo.
There is a constant stream of pedestrians and vehicles all around.
But now he felt as if there was a barrier around him, isolating him from the lively atmosphere.
With this barrier blocking his view, Ichitaro felt that the people and vehicles around him were all paper figures and horses.
After standing there for an unknown amount of time, Ichitaro...or rather, Enma, slowly raised his head.
Looking at the clear sky above, he murmured in a voice that sounded like a prayer:
“…Please let me go…”
He prayed to the memories that kept emerging from his mind one after another.