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

"It's just... for self-defense." Zuocun smiled.

Noctis looked at the stack of money and swallowed hard.

"...I'll let you know in advance how many you need, because my gun stockpile isn't large."

"Two guns, plus bullets that can be used for a while."

"Deal." Noctis breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took the money.

Although it's Japanese currency, this money will help him accomplish many things.

------------

Chapter 372: The Immortal Rogue Group

After talking with Noctis for a long time, Zuocun turned back.

"Wu clothes are still the most comfortable to wear." Zuo Cun changed back into his gray-blue Wu clothes, wrapped the two guns in a bag, and returned to Kyoto under the cover of night.

Wu Shi Ruishan heard the sound and looked up.

“You’re back.” Takeshi Ruishan looked at Zuocun’s back. “Looks like you’ve gotten your hands on a lot of good stuff.”

Zuocun smiled wearily: "Just two guns, do you need them?"

Wu Shi Ruishan smiled and shook his head: "What I need is not the gun, but everything else you get besides the gun."

“I understand.” Zuo Cun nodded. “Before dawn, I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.”

Samura recounted to Takeichi Zuizan everything he had learned from Noctis, which was mostly about things outside of Japan.

"I'm going back now. Kanna hasn't seen me for a while." Samura yawned.

He hasn't slept for almost a week.

"You should go back and rest." Wu Shi Ruishan lowered his head again. "Also... be careful with the gun."

Zuocun has disappeared.

......

Just as the sun rose, Zuocun finally made it back to his hut in Mibu Village.

Back in his room, Zuocun put the gun and three knives aside, lay down on the floor, and fell into a deep sleep.

Hearing the noise, Kanna glanced at Samura's room.

They found Samura lying peacefully asleep on the tatami mat.

"Mr. Samura, really, even though it's summer, you'll catch a cold doing this."

Kanna brought over a blanket and covered Samura with it.

Looking at Zuo Cun's dark circles, Kanna sighed softly.

"Sometimes, Mr. Samura really doesn't know how to take care of himself."

Kanna looked at Samura's sleeping face, smiled, walked out of the room, and gently closed the door.

"We need to give Mr. Samura a surprise, Kanna!"

......

It was approaching evening.

Zuocun was awakened by a fragrant aroma.

Zuocun sat up and stretched his neck.

"This blanket..." Zuo Cun asked, somewhat surprised, "Is it Kanna's?"

Upon entering the kitchen, Samura saw Kanna busy at work.

"Is it fish?" Zuocun leaned against the door frame, looking at Kanna's back.

Kanna is already twelve years old, and just as Samura said, she has been able to take care of herself for a long time.

"Yes, the people at Mibu-ji helped me catch a fish."

"Are they easy to get along with?" Zuo Cun asked with some concern.

"Yes, everyone is doing well, especially Ms. Okita," Kanna said with a genuine smile.

Zuocun patted Kanna's head.

He returned to his room and opened the package.

Inside lay two dark-colored rifles, lying quietly.

Zuocun gently stroked the gun.

Picking up the gun and a box of bullets, Zuocun brought out the table.

A moment later, Kanna brought over a plate of fish.

"Mr. Samura, dinner is ready."

"Okay, please sit down first." Zuo Cun looked at this gentle young girl... but still didn't dare to look her in the eye.

"Mr. Samura, what is this?"

Kanna looked at the rifle that Samura was holding and asked in confusion.

“This… is called a gun.” Zuo Cun’s eyes were unreadable. “It’s like a knife, a weapon that can easily take someone’s life…”

"Huh?" Kanna was stunned.

Zuocun pulled Kanna's hand over and placed the rifle in her small hand.

"Mr. Samura, this, I..." Kanna panicked instantly.

Zuocun didn't speak, he just looked at Kanna's face.

"Mr. Samura, are you... going to abandon me?" Kanna's eyes were already filled with tears.

Zuocun gently shook his head.

"Kanna, I won't give up on you, I promise." Sakura gently stroked Kanna's soft hair. "...What I'm doing is extremely dangerous, and as someone close to me, you will also be implicated. I'm so sorry."

"Mr. Samura, I didn't..."

Samura placed Kanna's finger on the gun.

"I want you to be able to protect yourself when I can't protect you."

Zuo Cun's eyes were filled with pleading and hope.

"I will teach you how to use it."

"......I see."

"Okay, let's eat. How was the fish that Kana made?" Zuocun smiled and picked up his chopsticks.

"Mmm, delicious!"

......

“From today onwards, we are no longer loose, unruly samurai.” Kondo Isami stood tall, looking down at the orderly samurai below.

In recent days, several people have been recruited, all of whom are pro-shogunate patriots active in various places.

Currently, including Kondo Isami, there are forty-one samurai gathered in this Mibu-ji Temple.

"Shout out our names!" Kondo Isami shouted in a loud voice.

"Mibu Ronin Group!" The voices of the samurai gathered together, their momentum imposing.

"What is our purpose?!" Kondo Isami's eyes widened.

"Save the nation! Govern the nation!" the warriors shouted in unison once again.

"Very well, then, from this moment on... we are the Mibu Ronin Group!"

"Now that we've established this organization, we have only one goal!"

Kondo Isami held up one finger.

"We want to gain the qualification to maintain order in Kyoto!"

"Most of us come from lower-ranking samurai backgrounds. This is the best opportunity for us to climb up the ranks and for us to unleash our patriotic ideals!"

"According to the intelligence I have gathered, there is a band of mountain bandits to our southwest. Now, we need to make a show of ourselves to let the bigwigs in the shogunate see us."

"So--"

Kondo Isami narrowed his eyes and pointed southeast.

"Follow me!"

The forty-one members of the Mibu Roshi Group set off in an orderly fashion.

Sakura squatted on the treetop not far away, watching through the gaps in the leaves as the Mibu Ronin guild marched in a grand procession toward the southwest.

"Everyone's on the move... Looks like Kondo's taking his first battle really seriously..."

He heard about Shimazaki changing his surname from Kana.

“But these are all greenhorn samurai…” Sakura sighed.

He felt that Kondo was being a bit too hasty.

Although the opponent was just a bandit, Zuocun could already foresee... the terrible situation that was about to unfold.

Although it has a strong presence, how can a sword that has never been drawn compare to a villain who has his head on the line?

In the end, it was only a few truly capable individuals who supported this bandit suppression effort.

Shaking his head, Zuo Cun had neither considered nor would he follow.

Putting aside the difference in stance, this team itself also needs a bit of hard-won lessons and trials.

"I hope... a few of you can survive," Zuocun said with a sigh as he jumped down from the tree.

He's going to cook for Kanna.

Although Kanna can cook herself, Samura still prefers to cook for her.