The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Matsudaira Ieyasu's entourage consisted of about thirty people, and their residence was the shoin next to Ieyasu's.

"You've all had a long journey, please rest here for a while. Tea and snacks will be served shortly. If you need anything else, please let us know." Nagayoshi was gentle and polite, and Maeda Toshiie nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The Mikawa samurai, however, seemed somewhat reserved at this moment.

Their nerves were on edge as they ventured deep into the heart of Owari, arriving at the castle of the legendary eccentric Oda Nobunaga.

Upon hearing Changqing's words, they simply tidied the room in silence, their eyes taking in their surroundings.

Changqing and Lijia briefly introduced the academy and courtyard before retreating to the outer room.

Seeing that the two were far away, the people of Sanhe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Honda Tadakatsu said to the two older samurai beside him, "The outcome of this trip is uncertain. As our attendants, how can we sit here idly? I propose that I use the excuse of sightseeing or stretching my muscles to go out and scout out the roads and sentry posts in Kiyosu Castle, so that in case... in case something changes, we will know how to protect our lord and break out as quickly as possible."

One of the samurai, with a slightly handsome face, was named Hiraiwa Chikayoshi. He was Ieyasu's page (servant) and had been with Ieyasu since childhood.

Hearing this, he joked, "With people like us, if anything were to happen to us, we'd be lucky to die by our lord's side."

Another samurai immediately spoke up to stop him.

This man was named Uemura Ujiaki, a samurai who served three generations of the Matsudaira family. He was a witness to the Matsudaira family's rise and fall, and he killed Abe Masatoyo, who had murdered Ieyasu's grandfather in the "Moriyama Collapse" incident.

"Heihachiro (Honda Tadakatsu) is right! A samurai should never give up, no matter how slim the chance! You go and check the castle town, and I'll check the castle! Tonight's banquet will be escorted by you and me to the lord. Everyone else, keep to yourselves and don't give the Oda clan any reason to criticize us."

"Yes!" The young warriors all lowered their heads.

……

Honda Tadakatsu left the academy without any hindrance because Nobunaga had made arrangements beforehand. It is said that Ieyasu had allowed Takigawa Kazumasu to tour Okazaki Castle and its surroundings, an act that demonstrated Mikawa's sincerity, and Nobunaga wanted to show off his own magnanimity.

Honda Tadakatsu walked and observed, his eyes sweeping over every narrow alley and occasionally lingering on the gaps between townhouses where he could hide.

Unbeknownst to him, he followed a series of orderly shouts and walked to a slightly open area. Before him was a large enclosed courtyard, with a sign that read "Ashina School" hanging above the gate.

The dojo's doors were wide open, and he could see the neat wooden planks laid out inside, as well as dozens of young figures wielding bamboo knives in response to shouts.

Looking at these men who were about the same age as him, he couldn't help but feel curious. He took a few more steps forward and soon smelled a strong odor of sweat.

Most of the Mikawa samurai practiced their family's military strategies, and the Honke family was no exception. He had heard that the dojo was a place where military strategies were taught openly, but he had never seen one before.

Could this be the Oda clan's newly established military stronghold? He wondered to himself.

Just as they were concentrating, the practice in the dojo seemed to come to an end. The disciples sheathed their swords, bowed, and then dispersed in twos and threes to rest.

"Sir, are you here to learn swordsmanship?"

Kinoshita Hideaki's voice came from inside the door, and he mistakenly thought that a newcomer had come to learn the craft.

"No...no!"

"Oh, it seems there was a misunderstanding!" Xiu Chang turned his back again.

Honda Tadakatsu, young and ambitious, had heard rumors of challenging the dojo. He was confident that his spear skills were unmatched in Mikawa, and with a sudden thought, he decided to make a name for himself as a Mikawa samurai here.

"May I ask, Master, does your dojo accept challenges from outsiders?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Some disciples who were resting inside the dojo noticed the commotion at the entrance and turned to look.

Xiu Chang turned around and said with a smile, "The owner is entertaining distinguished guests from Sanhe today and is not here. Please come again another day!"

"Do you have any other capable people here?" Seeing that Xiu was tall and weak, Zhong Sheng became even more imposing.

"Wait a moment, I'll go ask!"

Hidenaga walked to the sidelines and whispered a few words to Marume Nagae, who had come over after hearing the commotion. Nagae then took his protective gear and bamboo sword and tossed them by the door. He was not performing his duties today, so he was dressed in clothes similar to his disciples, except for a black sash around his waist to distinguish him from his master.

"Please come in once you're dressed!"

Honda Tadakatsu mistakenly believed that his sparring partner was merely a dojo disciple, and arrogantly declared, "You can wear your clothes, I don't need to!"

Marume Nagae saw that he was young and didn't hold it against him, so he didn't wear protective gear.

……

"I am Nagayoshi of the Ashina School. Please enlighten me."

"Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu, I'd like to learn from you!"

Tadakatsu took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on his opponent, holding the sword at mid-section, the tip pointing at Nagae.

Little did he know that in Nagae's eyes, this technique was full of flaws. He casually held the bamboo sword at his side, his posture even looking somewhat loose, and calmly looked at Tadakatsu.

"Drink!" Chung-sheng moved.

This strike was devoid of any fancy moves; it was simply fast and fierce, a thrust honed through countless battles! Many of the disciples watching instinctively held their breath…

However, Nagae swung her sword to meet the opponent's blade!

"Bang!"

The bamboo knife spun and pierced the crack in the wooden wall next to it.

Tadakatsu stared at his trembling hands in disbelief. In Nishi-Sanhe, he was a renowned strongman; even if his opponent was more skilled, they shouldn't have been able to knock his sword away.

I underestimated my opponent! That must be it!

"Again!" he said through gritted teeth.

Changhui scoffed, "You are indeed talented, but you can't even hold a sword properly! Don't challenge dojos so casually in the future, lest you lose your life!"

Tadakatsu felt insulted and immediately took down the wooden spear from the weapon rack in the dojo.

"I'm a gun user, come at me if you dare!"

Seeing that he didn't know when to advance or retreat, Changhui used the Dragonfly Eight Phases posture, combined with the Shrinking Earth Technique, and arrived in front of Zhongsheng with just one push of the ground.

As the sword came slashing down, Zhong Sheng reacted quickly, immediately raising his gun to deflect it.

With a "crack," the hearts of the onlookers jumped into their throats.

Chung-sheng was sweating profusely. He was quite certain that he heard two sounds: one from the wooden spear breaking, and the other from his own shoulder blade!

Was it broken? He was a little scared. Turning his head to look, he saw that the bamboo knife had broken off at his shoulder, with the front half resting on his back.

It's likely that the bamboo knife was damaged after the first impact, which is why it broke when it hit his shoulder.

If it hits directly on the shoulder, you can imagine the consequences.

"Have you given up?" Nagae tossed the broken bamboo sword to one of her disciples.

Zhongsheng then realized that he was kneeling, so he quickly stood up straight and dropped the two pieces of wooden stick in his hand.

"It hurts! It must be swollen." He winced, his mouth agape as he gasped for breath.

"Have you admitted defeat yet?!"

He gritted his teeth and simply nodded.

"Then please leave!" Marume Nagae turned around and prepared to go back to the inner room.

"What's your owner's name?"

"Mori Nagayoshi, if he were here today, you would have lost even more miserably!"

"They killed him in one slash, how could it be ugly?" Zhong Sheng smirked and left, supporting himself on his shoulder.