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

June.

Kondo Isami opened the drawer of his desk and found a small note inside.

His eyes narrowed, and he picked up the small note.

"This is... a secret report sent by Inaba Masakuni?" Hijikata Toshizo asked as he watched Kondo Isamu unfold the small piece of paper.

Inaba Masakuni was an official under the Kyoto Guardian, and was roughly part of the same system as the Shinsengumi, frequently providing them with intelligence.

"Hmm." Kondo Isami replied briefly and began to read the information on the small note.

"What does it say?" Hijikata Toshizo was mending his haori.

The newly formed members are always on missions, mostly facing samurai with swords, so injuries are inevitable.

The Shinsengumi's stipends weren't very high, so to save money, the members of the Shinsengumi mostly repaired their own clothes.

"There's a guy acting suspiciously over across the four small bridges, and this suspicion has been going on for a while now."

"Four small bridges?" Hijikata Toshizo frowned. "Inaba Masakuni noticed that too?"

“Yes, there’s a rather old house there. Okita and Inoue both reported this to me before.” Kondo Isami stood up, rubbing his chin.

"The owner of that house is the suspicious person in the secret report. His name is Yuya Kiemon. His house... is so dilapidated that even the lowest-class townspeople wouldn't live there, but recently there have been many people frequently going in and out. This is what Okita and Inoue reported to me."

"Now that our intelligence matches that of Inaba Masakuni, it means that this guy named Yoya Kiemon is really suspicious."

“I previously sent a team member to monitor the area, and that confirms what happened, so…” Kondo Isami narrowed his eyes, “Let’s move!”

Hijikata Toshizo nodded: "I feel there might be something going on here. If we delay any longer, things might go wrong. I'll lead the team myself."

"That's for the best. We must act quickly, apprehend them, and then begin the interrogation." Kondo Isami slammed his hand on the table. "Inaba Masakuni's intelligence has always been related to anti-foreign elements, so we must take it seriously."

"I understand."

......

"Puuwah—"

A somewhat short man was thrown against the wall and let out a scream.

Hijikata Toshizo expressionlessly picked up the man and threw him onto a stool. Two Shinsengumi members stood on either side, each holding a katana.

"So... let's begin the interrogation, prisoner, Yoshiemon." Hijikata Toshizo tightened his gloves, a hint of bloodlust in his eyes.

Not only Yoshiemon, but also the Shinsengumi members standing on both sides looked at the tall Hijikata Toshizo with fearful eyes.

The vice-commander of the Demons truly lives up to his reputation.

This applies not only to team members, but also to prisoners, and even... to oneself.

Hijikata Toshizo thrust a dagger into the armrest of Yoya Kiemon's chair, startling Yoya Kiemon.

"Tell me everything you know..."

"Eek—Eek—Aa ...

......

Kondo Isami looked at Harada Sanosuke lying on the bed, his brows furrowed.

"So, the batch of supplies you were responsible for collecting was stolen during transport?"

Harada Sanosuke nodded and replied seriously, "I will take full responsibility for this mistake, but Chief Kondo... you must be careful. These people are definitely not robbers. Robbers could not possibly have such discipline."

"They ambushed me first, but didn't kill me. Instead, they quickly shifted their attention and moved all the supplies."

"Such discipline is premeditated and organized."

"What are those supplies...?" Kondo Isamu asked.

“It’s… gunpowder and tinder,” Harada Sanosuke said earnestly.

Kondo Isami's pupils suddenly contracted.

Just then, Hijikata returned after finishing his interrogation: "Chief Kondo, I heard you were here. What happened?"

"Tell me about your findings first. I suspect... these two things are related." Kondo Isami swallowed hard.

If his guess is correct... this is a big problem.

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

Chapter 390: Ikedaya Incident

Kondo and Hijikata organized the information they had and then interrogated Yoya Kiemon again.

However, Yuya Kiemon is not his real name. His real name is Kotaka Shuntaro, and he is a ronin from Ezu.

After being interrogated twice in one night, Koga Shuntaro finally confessed.

The anti-foreign patriots wanted to burn down Kyoto, but he didn't know their specific ultimate goal, nor did he know the identities of the others or their specific gathering place.

Ultimately, after combining various intelligence reports, Kondo and Hijikata could only pinpoint the location of their gathering to be somewhere near the Sanjo Bridge or the Yotsuji Bridge.

However, the date for the assembly, as instructed by Shuntaro Koga, is fast approaching.

"Draw men from the Aizu Domain's soldiers. This is my document. It must be done quickly; this matter cannot be delayed!" Kondo slammed his hand on the table. "Once the domain soldiers arrive, they will be under my command."

"The assembly must be completed before dark today!"

"Everyone should figure out the meeting place. After the Aizu Domain's soldiers have completely surrounded the surrounding area, our people will gather at this place."

"Walk behind Yasaka Shrine, and Shiyuan Club is on the left after four streets."

"Intelligence indicates that Katsura Kogoro, a key figure in this gathering of Choshu Domain anti-foreign patriots, will also be present. Therefore, if you see Katsura Kogoro, you must kill him first."

"Did you understand?"

"understand!"

The team members who were still in the group responded in unison.

......

As dusk fell, before the last ray of sunlight disappeared, the more than thirty members of the Shinsengumi who were still in the group finally assembled at the designated location.

“Okita, come with me. Hijikata, you take Harada and your men and search the streets one by one, don’t miss a single house,” Kondo Isami said solemnly. “Don’t be afraid of disturbing the residents, this time there absolutely cannot be any mistakes.”

"The outer perimeter has been completely surrounded by the Aizu Domain's soldiers, so we have no worries about our rear."

"I won't say more, now—take action."

More than thirty team members began their operation.

Kondo Isami, along with Okita Souji, began to investigate each house one by one.

One... none.

Two... no.

Three... no.

......

Twenty-five? No.

Twenty-six —

This is a hotel.

Its name is "Ikedaya".

Okita Souji climbed up a nearby tree and squinted as he peered at the second floor.

Under the cover of the moonlight, Okita saw several people sitting in the room, seemingly talking about something.

This is it!

Okita Souji jumped down from the tree and nodded to Kondo Isami.

Kondo Isami revealed a sullen smile.

They actually dared to cause trouble within Kyoto, which I'm protecting...

If you really succeed in burning down Kyoto, then I might as well just throw my "sincerity" on the ground!

"Shinsengumi!"

He raised one hand, the pale blue haori shining brightly in the moonlight.

"attack!"

boom--

A dozen or so Shinsengumi members stormed into the Ikedaya residence.

Hijikata Toshizo, who was on another street, keenly heard Kondo Isami's attack and his eyes narrowed: "In that direction, follow me!"

When the patriots from various domains who were gathering at the Ikedaya Hotel heard about the riot, they were all taken aback.

Then, a group of people wearing light blue haori stormed in.

"Okita, let's go to the second floor!" Kondo Isami, who hadn't been injured in the first assault, said to Okita Souji, "Leave this to the other team members, we're going to kill Katsura Kogoro!"

Okita Souji nodded, and the two of them hurried upstairs to the second floor.

The anti-foreign patriots, caught off guard, quickly reacted and began to draw their swords to fight back against the Shinsengumi. In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.

The two strongest fighters of the Shinsengumi went upstairs, and the anti-foreign patriots also realized what was happening.

The remaining members of the Shinsengumi were repeatedly defeated by more than twenty agile anti-foreign patriots.

And in the attic above the second floor of the Ikedaya shop—

"You've finally arrived, Shinsengumi." A long-haired man said with a smile.

bang——

Zuocun crashed through the floor and went down from the attic to the second floor.

The anti-foreign patriots, who had drawn their swords to prepare for battle, were startled: "What happened? Are there other enemies?"

“Yes,” Zuocun said with a smile, “there are other enemies as well!”

Zheng—