In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

They drew their wooden swords and stood facing each other.

Swish-!

Snapped!

The wooden swords struck together, producing a crisp sound.

"Hey, that's some strength..." Hijikata Toshizo tried to subdue the seemingly frail Samura Anno, but...

This skinny little guy has surprisingly great strength!

Hijikata Toshizo was tall and burly. Although he was also a successor of the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, he was slow and instead pursued greater power.

It is precisely for this reason that Hijikata was unable to further enhance his Tennen Rishin-ryu practice.

However, Hijikata, whose power was arguably the greatest in the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, was unable to suppress Samura!

With the wooden swords separated, Zuo Cun's speed was superior, and he immediately tried to chop.

Hijikata held his wooden sword horizontally to parry the slash, then with a clever move, he deflected Zuocun's wooden sword to the side and twisted his body to stab Zuocun in the chest.

He dodged the thrust by sidestepping, withdrew the knife, and moved it upwards—

The earthwork, on the other hand, is done from top to bottom—

Snapped!

Okita Souji scratched his ear, while Shimazaki Katsuta and Inoue Genzaburo watched intently.

Even if Samura's power is great, he cannot suppress Hijikata from the bottom up before the gap becomes large enough.

Left with no other choice, he drew his sword and turned around, then thrust it straight at Hijikata before he could get up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tu Fang raised his knife upwards.

Unfortunately, his knife only touched Zuo Cun's armpit, while Zuo Cun's knife was already pressed against his chest.

"Stop!" Okita shouted.

Hijikata and Samura both put their swords away and bowed.

Then Hijikata punched Samurai in the chest.

"You're really strong, Samura!" Hijikata was at a disadvantage, but he wasn't annoyed at all.

"You're strong too, Hijikata!"

The two bumped fists.

Although they had only known each other for a day, their relationship was already quite good.

Inoue Genzaburo and Shimazaki Katsuta came up: "Hurry up and get down, hurry up and get down, it's our turn, Inoue!"

"Oh!" Shimazaki Katsuta wasn't as tall as Hijikata, but he looked just as sturdy, and his personality was noticeably more cheerful.

Just like Hijikata, they weren't very good-looking.

Okita Souji pulled Samura Anno aside.

"Samura-kun, have you really never studied swordsmanship before?" Okita Souji asked doubtfully.

"Hmm... according to Mr. Kondo, he definitely hasn't had any formal training." Samura scratched the back of his head. "He said I was just swinging the sword instinctively..."

Okita Souji nodded, indicating that he believed him.

Have you got any ideas about the future yet?

"...Not for now." Zuocun shook his head.

“Then I recommend you go out and travel more.” Okita Souji smiled, looking adorable. “Traveling more will allow you to learn a lot.”

"Master also said that swordsmanship will not improve if you only practice swordsmanship in the training hall. You need to go out and explore more!"

"Indeed... he only knows one move, and not much else..."

“I’ll tell my master, let’s go to Edo Castle!” Okita’s eyes sparkled.

Anno Saemura: ......

Kondo Shusuke: "No."

Kondo Shusuke walked in with his imposing yet thin figure.

"I agree that you should go out more, but Okita, you haven't been back for three weeks. You should wait until you've broadened your horizons. Stay at the Testa Hall and train!"

"Huh—?" Ms. Okita's face fell.

Day three.

With two swords tucked at his waist, Samura Anno walked into Edo Castle.

One is a wakizashi kimono, and the other is a katana given to them by Kondo Shusuke.

It's a very ordinary katana, neither a famous nor a good one.

But it is capable of killing, and is also a symbol of the samurai.

Because he was carrying a knife, Anno Samura was also wearing a straw hat.

It's best to conceal your identity a little, since we don't know why Zuo Cun collapsed in the wilderness before; it might have been done by an enemy.

Edo was very large, much larger than Anno Samura had imagined.

Although they are all low-rise bungalows, there are many of them.

Moreover, there were many people, men and women, all dressed in Wu clothing, walking in twos and threes on the street.

Zuocun was overwhelmed by the sights and could only walk along the street.

Suddenly, he realized he had arrived at the seaside.

This is—the ocean—

The slightly salty sea breeze brushed against Zuocun Anuo's face, making Zuocun, who was a little drowsy from the noise, a little more awake.

Many small boats were moored on the shore of the small harbor, and a group of fishermen were busy at work.

A young male fisherman stood at the bow of his fishing boat and sang loudly:

Unwilling to change the rules of two hundred years ago.

Yet unwilling to lose their authority,

The Chinese are powerless to deal with foreigners.

Insufficient strategic military equipment

Lacking the courage to fight,

Unwilling to lose tradition

The older generation also lacks resolve.

The fishermen nearby burst into laughter.

As they pulled their nets ashore, the fishermen counted their catch amidst laughter.

What a peaceful and stable city...

But what does that song mean?

Does that sound... a bit harsh?

He walked over to the fishermen.

"Brother, what song are you singing?"

The simply dressed fisherman looked up and saw Zuocun carrying a knife.

"Ah, it's you, Samurai!" The fisherman was somewhat flustered.

"No need for formalities, brother. Your song is very interesting. What does it mean?" Anuo smiled and repeated the question.

"Ah, this song..."

“The song is called ‘Nothing to My Name’,” another old fisherman said, standing up.

He could tell that Samura was just a new samurai and a very kind one, so there was no need to panic. Instead, he spoke with a relaxed air.

"It's just a folk song from our Edo period."

“A folk song…” Zuo Cun smacked his lips.

Whose folk song would have lyrics like this...?

"It's just satirizing those guys in the shogunate," the old fisherman said with a sneer.

"Dad...!" a young fisherman said anxiously.

"Jiro, there's no need to be so nervous!" the old fisherman comforted his son.

He looked at Anno Samura: "I didn't write this song... Besides, where in Japan isn't there talk of the Shogunate?"

The old fisherman sneered.

"To accept the American letter of credence with such joy after only three days is utterly ridiculous."

Zuocun Anuo was somewhat bewildered.

His understanding of the world is still very rudimentary.

All I knew was that the shogunate was the administrative body of Japan, while the United States was another powerful country.

So it seems... the shogunate has a very bad reputation?

"Thank you, sir." After bowing to the old fisherman, Zuocun Anuo turned and left.

It seems like something is changing in this country...

Take one last look at Edo Castle.

The smiles on the faces of the passersby were not genuine.

Instead, it was anxiety and restlessness.

Beneath the glamorous facade lies a deeper level of impatience.

Well, what does that have to do with me?