Time goes back to not long ago——
Osaka, Osaka Administrative Office——
"This task is even easier than eating Japanese sweets." A sturdy man yawned and scratched his hair.
The sturdy man's attire was rather peculiar.
He was shirtless, wearing only a thin hakama, with two wakizashi hanging from his waist, and no shoes or socks on his feet.
The sturdy man's bare feet were quite huge.
In modern terms...his foot was about a size 49.
He is not very tall, only 1.7 meters at most, but he has such big feet, which makes his body look very strange.
The strong man's name is "Yuhachiro".
He was one of the commanders of the "Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression Operation".
In this operation, his task was to lead his men to attack the Bugyosho in Osaka, kill all the people in the Bugyosho, and then burn the Bugyosho to ashes.
At this time, there were almost no people in the Osaka Bugyosho, so it only took Uohachiro and his men about ten minutes to clear out the Osaka Bugyosho.
"Sir." A musketeer ran to Yuhachiro's side with a torch in his hand. "Kero has been poured all over the place in the magistrate's office!"
"Yes." Yuhachiro nodded with satisfaction, "Okay! Give me the torch!"
The musketeer who came to report the news hurriedly handed the torch in his hand to Yuhachiro.
Yubalang took the torch and threw it into the pool of kerosene in front of him without any hesitation.
boom!
The kerosene turned into a fiery snake, devouring and licking everything the flames could touch.
"Let's go!" After looking at the increasingly fierce sea of ​​fire several times with satisfaction, Yuhachiro waved his hand and led his subordinates to swagger away from the magistrate's office that was gradually being engulfed by the sea of ​​fire.
Because the residents were frightened by the noise made by Yuhachiro and others who were killing people in the magistrate's office, the residents living around the magistrate's office had already fled. Therefore, the area around the magistrate's office is now very quiet, and there is not a single person to be seen.
As soon as he led his men away from the magistrate's office, which would soon be burned to ruins, Uohachiro said to the men who had just informed him that the kerosene had been sprinkled:
"You, go to the main camp and report that the Osaka Magistrate's Office has fallen."
"yes!"
As soon as the subordinates he sent to report the battle situation to the main camp left, Yuhachiro suddenly saw a black shadow jumping down from the roof of the house in front of him.
He is a male ninja wearing Iga ninja uniform.
Seeing that it was the Iga ninja coming, Uohachiro, knowing that his superiors might be giving him some important notice, immediately stopped and put his hands behind his back.
"Sir." The Iga ninja quickly ran to Uohachiro and knelt on one knee, then said quickly, " Plan A failed, activate Plan B. Plan A failed, activate Plan B..."
After repeating this sentence three times in a row, the Iga ninja stopped reporting.
"Oh?" After hearing the order from the Iga ninja, Yuhachiro grinned, "Activate Plan B..."
Plan B - As one of the commanders, Yuhachiro naturally knew what this was.
They dispatched more than sixty musketeers, led by Sakuma, who was the best at commanding musketeers, to ambush Ogata on his way to get his sword - this was their "Plan A".
Using more than sixty musketeers to ambush Ogata - this can be said to be a "super luxurious treatment".
There were only about eighty people sent to attack the majestic Osaka Castle.
Even though a large number of people were sent to ambush Ogata, there was still a possibility that the ambush would fail.
After all, their opponent is that Shura.
So after designing "Plan A", they also designed a "Plan B" -
If "Plan A" to ambush Ogata failed, all the Iga ninjas that could be mobilized would be dispatched to act as the "eyes" of the entire army and search the city for Ogata.
Once Ogata is discovered, red fireworks will be set off to help the troops locate Ogata's position.
The teams responsible for attacking various important places and facilities in Osaka, after completing their respective tasks, immediately joined the siege against Ogata.
This is their "Plan B".
Uohachiro has now completed the task of "capturing the Osaka Bugyosho" for which he was responsible.
In other words - he now needs to take his troops and participate in the siege against Ogata.
"Hahaha!"
Yuhachiro laughed a few times at this time.
"I just feel that the task I'm responsible for tonight is too simple and too boring..."
After saying that, Yuhachiro twisted his neck hard and relaxed the muscles in his neck and shoulders.
"Sir." The Iga ninja who came to deliver the message and was still kneeling on one knee in front of Uohachiro continued, "Although the ambush against Ogata failed, Lord Sakuma who was in charge of this mission discovered the following three important pieces of information about Shura."
"After Lord Sakuma reported these three important pieces of information about Shura to Lord Yoshihisa, Lord Yoshihisa specifically asked us, the messengers, to accurately inform the commanders of each unit of these three important pieces of information about Ogata."
"1. Shura carries a short gun."
"Second, Shura's strength far exceeds our expectations."
"3. Shura's physical condition tonight does not seem to be good."
"Oh?" Yuhachiro raised his eyebrows, "You're carrying a short gun... and you're not in good health...?"
As Uohachiro muttered with a thoughtful look on his face, the male ninja's message was not yet finished:
"At the same time, Lord Sakuma suggested to Lord Yoshihisa that since Shura does not have a good sword, he should not carry a sword when fighting him. This will cut off Shura's 'supplies' and make it difficult for him to change his weapons."
"Lord Yoshihisa has agreed to Lord Sakuma's proposal, so I hereby order that all troops, from commanders to ordinary soldiers, are not allowed to carry swords when chasing and besieging Shura."
"Huh?" Yuhachiro curled his lips sharply, "Not carrying a weapon with you...what's the big deal?"
The male ninja ignored Yuhachiro's complaints.
"The above is the entire content of my order this time." The male ninja said calmly, "Then I will take my leave first. I wish you good luck in martial arts."
After muttering "May your martial arts be prosperous" to Yuhachiro in a neutral tone, the male ninja leaped onto the roof of the house next to him with extremely agile movements. In just one or two breaths, his figure disappeared into the night.
After watching the male ninja leave, Yuhachiro spat heavily on the ground.
"That Yoshihisa... actually asked us to throw away our swords... What kind of thing is this..."
Yuhachiro had long harbored a deep grudge against the old man Yoshihisa.
He was originally just the leader of a group of Iga remnants who were struggling to survive and dreaming of unrealistic dreams such as "reviving Iga" and "avenging Iga".
But Yuhachiro also admitted that the old man was still very capable.
Not long after being recruited by Lord Toyotomi, he rose rapidly in the organization with his loyalty and outstanding abilities, and was deeply trusted and valued by Lord Toyotomi.
How much does Lord Toyotomi think of him? In tonight's "Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression of the Osaka Squad", Lord Toyotomi directly appointed him as the "frontline commander"!
The musketeers, Iga ninjas, and commanders like Uohachiro and Sakuma who participated in this battle all received orders from Yoshihisa.
Uohachiro acknowledged that Yoshihisa had the ability to become the "front-line commander."
But deep down he didn't want to listen to Jijiu's orders.
Not for any other reason, just because he is a ninja.
The thought of having to obey the orders of a ninja made Yuhachiro feel uncomfortable all over.
But no matter how uncomfortable he felt, he did not dare to disobey Yoshihisa's orders too much.
After the Iga male ninja who came to deliver the order left, Uohachiro immediately ordered the more than 40 subordinates under his command to throw away all the swords at their waists.
However, although Uohachiro asked his subordinates to remove the swords from their waists, he did not throw away the two wakizashi on his own waist.
This is his insistence as a samurai.
Even though he might be punished later, he didn't want to throw away the knife at his waist.
After his subordinates threw away all the swords on their waists, Uohachiro waved his hand with great momentum:
"Okay! Let's go! Follow me! Let's go hunt Shura!"
…
…
Similar scenes were happening all over Osaka at this time.
The Iga ninja in charge of delivering messages conveyed orders such as "Start Plan B" and "Do not carry swords when fighting Shura" to the commanders of the troops responsible for attacking various parts of Osaka.
One after another, the troops that had completed their respective tasks joined the siege of Ogata.
They all looked at the sky eagerly, waiting for the red firework that would represent "Ogata is there" to appear.
Osaka now looks like a huge spider web.
These troops that came to encircle and kill Ogata were like the threads of a spider web.
As more and more troops completed their original tasks and came to participate in the siege, the spider web became larger and tighter.
And Ogata, like a prey accidentally caught in this spider web, is trying hard to avoid being hunted on this spider web...
…
…
Although he shouted to his subordinates in a very impressive manner, "Go hunt down Shura," Uohachiro had no idea where Ogata was at the moment.
"Really...what are those Iga ninjas doing..." Yuhachiro growled in an annoyed tone, "Haven't they found Shura yet?"
After the launch of "Plan B", the activity of the Iga ninjas will greatly affect the success or failure of "Plan B".
Because their task was heavy, they needed to act as the "eyes" of the entire army, looking for Ogata's figure in various places in Osaka, and use red fireworks to help locate all the troops in the army.
Since leaving the magistrate's office, Uohachiro has been leading his subordinates wandering aimlessly on the streets of Osaka, waiting anxiously for the red fireworks to appear.
Yuhachiro's long wait finally paid off.
Bang...!
Yuhachiro suddenly heard the sound of fireworks exploding from the northwest.
He immediately looked towards the northwest and saw a "red flower" blooming beautifully in the northwest sky not far from him.
"Aha! We finally found it!" Yuhachiro smiled happily, "It's still very close to here! Everyone follow me!"
Yuhachiro ran like a horse that had broken free from its reins, heading towards the place where the "red flower" had just risen.
Various important places in Osaka related to the government, such as the Osaka Bugyosho and Dojima Rice Market, have now been captured and burned one by one.
The shouts and fires caused chaos in every area of ​​Osaka.
The citizens fled in panic like headless flies.
The town where Uohachiro is currently located is also quite chaotic, and people can be seen fleeing in panic on every street.
Fortunately, there were not many rioters on the streets and the streets were not blocked.
Yuhachiro used extremely rough movements to push away all the rioters who were blocking his way.
With his rapid advance, Yuhachiro finally arrived at the place where the fireworks had just been lit.
Then he happened to run into Ogata who had knocked down the male ninja who had just set off the fireworks with Kasumi, then pressed on him and stabbed him in the neck.
“Ahaha…” Yuhachiro licked his lips, “Is this… the famous Shura… He’s covered in blood, just like a Shura from hell…”
Looking at Ogata, who was covered in blood, Uohachiro smiled.
Then, Uohachiro saw the wide canal located on the side of Ogata, very close to Ogata - he smiled even more happily.
He, Ogata, the canal—all three of them happened to be in the same straight line.
Yu Hachiro's mouth was almost stretched to his ears.
Yuhachiro's subordinates arrived at this time.
After seeing Ogata from afar, they immediately raised their flintlock rifles in unison as if by conditioned reflex.
But at this moment——
"Put your guns down."
Yuhachiro suddenly said this.
All his subordinates cast puzzled glances at Yuhachiro.
Before they had the chance to ask what Yuhachiro meant by "Put down your guns", they saw Yuhachiro take a step forward and rush straight towards Ogata in the distance!
Like a cannonball, he slammed heavily into Ogata, who was still on the body of the male ninja he had killed, and fell into the canal with him.
…
…
——I’m in trouble…
Ogata never thought that one day he would have to fight someone underwater.
He doesn't even need to analyze the current environment he is in. He can tell with just his butt that the battle situation is overwhelmingly unfavorable to him.
He was rushed into the water in a hurry and fell into the water before he had time to take a few breaths of oxygen, leaving very little oxygen left in his lungs.
Falling into the water meant that the two pistols he was carrying would be temporarily unusable.
Whether it is Kasumigase or Umezen, neither of them has waterproof function .
Although I can swim, I am far from being an expert at it.
The enemy is very good at swimming, as can be seen from the attack just now. Fighting this man in the water is like using your own weakness to attack the enemy's strength.
What’s even worse is that he cannot use “Breathing of the Origin” in water.
In other words, he cannot enter the "selfless state" now...
I couldn't use my musket, I couldn't enter the state of selflessness, there was very little air left in my lungs, the enemy happened to be someone who was good at underwater combat, and my current physical condition was extremely poor due to the "immortality poison"...
Faced with this hopeless situation, Ogata simply clenched the two swords in his hands calmly, without a trace of panic on his face.
This is the character that is cultivated after going through countless battles and seeing all kinds of storms.
The situation was so urgent that Ogata temporarily forgot about the pain and swelling in his head. His mind started to work rapidly.
——In short, you must swim back to the shore first, or at least swim to the surface of the water to breathe.
It only took a moment for Xu Fang to formulate a strategy.
No matter what, you cannot fight the enemy underwater where you are not good at fighting and cannot use your hands and feet.
Ogata made a quick estimate of how long the air left in his lungs would last him underwater - about 20 seconds.
At this moment, even 1 second is extremely precious to Ogata.
Therefore, after formulating the overall strategy, Ogata immediately swam towards the water surface where the moonlight was shining without any hesitation.
While swimming hard towards the surface, Ogata opened his eyes, which were only half open in the water, and scanned his surroundings, searching for the enemy.
Ogata knew that the enemy who had knocked him into the water would not sit idly by and watch him swim back to the surface.
But he didn't expect this man's attack to come so quickly.
Out of the corner of his right eye, he caught a glimpse of a large black shadow swimming towards him rapidly.
He swam very fast, his swimming speed was not like that of a human, but more like that of a fish.
In just a blink of an eye, the enemy swam to Ogata's side and rear again, and the two shining wakizashis slashed towards Ogata again.
Ogata, who was not good at swimming, could not dodge in the water, so he could only swing his sword to block.
However, when swinging a knife underwater, the underwater resistance is a huge problem that cannot be ignored.
Poor physical condition + underwater resistance = Ogata's block was half a beat slow this time.
Ogata failed to successfully deflect the enemy's slash with his blade, and only deflected the enemy's sword.
The knife, which was originally aimed at Ogata's vitals, passed by Ogata's right shoulder, leaving a wound on his right shoulder that was neither shallow nor deep.
The exact same scene as before was played out again. After launching an attack, the enemy immediately retreated, refusing to fight or engage in a fight with Ogata.
Although his attack just now did not cause fatal injuries to Ogata, it successfully delayed Ogata who was trying to float up.
The air left in Ogata's lungs was only enough for him to move for another 15 seconds...
After repelling the enemy's attack for the second time, Ogata, whose expression had gradually become ugly due to the rapid depletion of oxygen, poured all his strength into his feet, swam towards the surface with all his might.
He had just managed to swim a few centimeters upwards when the enemy, who could move as swiftly in the water as a fish, came again...
This time, Ogata's block was very successful, and the enemy's wakizashi was unable to hurt Ogata at all.
After blocking the enemy's third attack, Ogata wanted to launch a counterattack, but the enemy's movements in the water were too agile. As soon as he swam with his sword, the enemy had already swam far away.
When the enemy once again distanced himself from Ogata, Ogata vaguely saw that he seemed to be smiling smugly at him...
Ogata could understand why this person laughed at him.
He succeeded in delaying Ogata once again...
The air left in Ogata's lungs was only enough for him to move for another 10 seconds...
The enemy's excellent water skills exceeded Ogata's expectations.
——If I allow the enemy to continue to harass me, I will never be able to swim back to the surface of the water...
——Is there any way to counter this "fishman"...
The gleam of thought flashed in Ogata's eyes again.
…
…
——If Toyotomi and his men knew that I didn’t just use guns and cannons to deal with Shura as they said, they would definitely be very angry...
Although Yuhachiro said this in his heart with a frustrated tone, the smile on his face was extremely bright.
Before the battle tonight began, they were repeatedly ordered not to engage in close combat with Shura and to use technology to kill Ogata.
Yuhachiro had originally intended to follow this order carefully.
However... the moment he saw Ogata on the shore and the canal next to Ogata, all the thoughts of "using guns to deal with Ogata" and "obeying the orders of superiors" disappeared in Yuhachiro's mind.
There was only one thought left in his mind - to use his "underwater killing method" to fight against the famous Shura!
It's not for revenge, nor for fame.
He simply wanted to use his most proud fighting method to challenge the "strongest swordsman in the world" and have a good fight with him.
Uohachiro has lived by the sea since he was a child. Since childhood, he has had a strong interest and love for swimming. He started swimming in the sea when he was 6 years old.
In swimming, Yuhachiro also has a unique talent.
His lung capacity is far beyond that of ordinary people. After taking a deep breath, he can stay in the water for half an hour.
His feet are bigger than those of ordinary people. When swimming in the water, his huge feet can paddle the water like duck webs, making him swim faster.
With his love and talent for swimming, Yuhachiro created the "underwater killing method".
The so-called "underwater killing method" is actually to use superb swimming skills to deal with the enemy underwater, and then wait for an opportunity to kill the enemy.
It sounds simple, but there are actually many tricks involved.
Relying on his "underwater killing method", Yuhachiro has killed countless strong opponents.
Challenging various strong men with "underwater killing methods" - this has become one of Yuhachiro's major interests.
Long ago, when Ogata was just beginning to rise to fame, Uohachiro had fantasized about fighting this famous young swordsman.
As Ogata's fame grew, Uohachiro's thoughts became more and more serious.
He really wanted to use his "underwater killing method" to have a good fight with Ogata, even if it was only a one-shot fight, even if it meant disobeying orders.
Because of this, when he saw Ogata at the edge of the canal just now and realized that now was a good opportunity to test whether his "underwater killing method" would work on Shura, Yuhachiro ignored the order "not to engage in close combat with Ogata", asked his subordinates not to shoot, and then rushed into the canal without hesitation.
——As expected of Shura... Until now, there is no trace of panic on his face.
Uohachiro was hiding somewhere not far from Ogata, secretly observing Ogata's expression.
Opening his eyes and seeing things in the water is a piece of cake for Yuhachiro, who is an expert swimmer.
Not only can he see with his eyes open in the water, but he can also see everything in the water very clearly.
——Hmm? Does he want to continue swimming up...
Uohachiro saw that Ogata, who had been attacked by him three times, swam towards the surface of the water again.
——He still has the strength to swim...
——Then... give him another blow!
Uohachiro licked the corner of his mouth in the water.
Never allow the enemy to have the opportunity to crawl back to the shore or swim to the surface to breathe - this is one of the most important points of Yuhachiro's "underwater killing method".
Uohachiro moved his feet and pounced towards Ogata like a bloodthirsty shark.
He didn't know that Ogata was eagerly waiting for him to come over...
…
…
——Are you here?
The huge black shadow appeared in his field of vision again and approached him quickly.
Ogata continued to paddle the water with his feet as he swam toward the surface.
She raised the knife in her hand slightly, ready to deal with Yuhachiro's next attack.
Oh, no.
It should be "pretending to be prepared for another attack from Uohachiro".
Ogata had just realized that if he didn't kill Uohachiro, he would never be able to swim out of the water in his lifetime.
If he wants to kill Yuhachiro, Ogata's swimming ability is far inferior to Yuhachiro's. If he wants to chase him, he will definitely not be able to catch up.
So Ogata came up with a slightly crazy idea.
He did not block Yuhachiro's next attack!
Just let Yuhachiro's knife cut into his body.
After Uohachiro's knife pierced his body, Ogata grabbed his arm or body, making it impossible for him to swim away.
As long as he could stop Yuhachiro from swimming away from him, the rest would be easy.
Ogata was prepared to use this crazy method to deal with Uohachiro.
The biggest difficulty of this method is undoubtedly how to prevent Yu Hachiro's knife from hitting his vitals.
If Yuhachiro's knife hit his vitals, the situation would become one for one, and both of them would die.
Of course Ogata didn't want to die with this guy.
If possible, Ogata didn't want to use this kind of "trading injury for life" tactic to deal with Uohachiro, which might even result in his own death.
But at this moment, with only a few seconds left to move, Ogata could not think of any other way to kill Yuhachiro except this "self-harm method of killing the enemy".
The air left in Ogata's lungs was only enough for him to move for another 7 seconds!
Yuhachiro’s figure is very close!
Ogata stopped paddling in the water, raised his two swords, and prepared to block Uohachiro's sword again.
——No matter what happens later... I can't let him hit my vital points!
As he reminded himself repeatedly in his mind, the gaze in Ogata's eyes gradually became sharper.
The air left in Ogata's lungs was only enough for him to move for another 6 seconds!
Yuhachiro’s figure is very close!
In just another second, Uohachiro would be able to get within striking distance of Ogata with his sword.
Victory or defeat, life or death, will be decided in the next second!
--bring it on!
Ogata gripped both swords tightly with a force that seemed to crush the handles.
His gaze was so sharp that it seemed to be able to cut into pieces everything it touched.
——I won’t... die here!
This was clearly a crucial moment in the fight to the death.
Clearly, victory or defeat, life or death, will be decided in the next second.
But at this moment, many scenes that had nothing to do with the current tense battle situation flashed through Ogata's mind.
Every bit of time spent with Ating, and the past with friends like Genichi and Lin...
These beautiful images flashed through Ogata's mind one by one.
As these beautiful memories flashed through Ogata's mind one by one -
Gulp, Gulp...
Quite suddenly...Ogata heard a strange sound of flowing water.
Crash, crash...
I heard the sound of water plants swaying at the bottom of the canal.
Swish, swish…
At the same time, I also heard... the sound of fish swimming in the water.
Ogata's originally fierce gaze was now filled with astonishment and shock.
He heard it.
He heard the sound of... the "canal".
He felt it.
He felt... as if he had become one with this "canal".
The whole world...seems to have become transparent at this moment!