I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I don't want to be an ordinary swordsmanship teacher, nor do I want to be a freeloader!"

At this point, the boy raised his head and met the middle-aged man's eyes with bright gaze.

"Father! I want to achieve great things!"

"This is a golden opportunity to rise to the top in one step, something that hasn't happened in nearly three hundred years!"

"The last time such an opportunity arose was during the Warring States period, back in the time of the Oda clan!"

"I will use my sword to achieve feats far surpassing those of my ancestors!"

……

……

Edo, a rural village on the outskirts of the city—

Several farmers, carrying hoes, walked side by side toward the field, chatting animatedly.

"If one can achieve great merit, becoming the lord of a city or region, or even becoming the next Toyotomi Hideyoshi, is not impossible!"

"Hmph! Give me a break! Do you even know martial arts? Do you know how to wield a sword? You're just a farmer who knows how to wield a hoe, yet you dream of becoming the lord of a city or a region? You dream of becoming the next Toyotomi Hideyoshi?"

"Weren't Toyotomi Hideyoshi also farmers before he rose to power? Didn't he rise from a humble farmer to the throne of 'the ruler of the land'? If he could do it, why can't I?"

……

……

Edo, somewhere—

A simply dressed samurai bent down to pick up a small newspaper that had fallen to the ground.

Although the tabloid was soiled by footprints and dirty water, the words on it could still be vaguely made out.

"The Pacification Commissioner of the Capital Region..."

The samurai held a newspaper in one hand and lightly stroked the sword at his waist with the other, muttering softly.

His entire being and all his attention were firmly drawn to the words "Golden Capital Garrison Commander" and "Recruiting Soldiers" in the tabloids.

At this moment, a merchant dressed in fine silks and brocades walked up behind him.

"Hey! Kuwajiro! Kuwajiro! Oishi Kuwajiro!"

The samurai trembled slightly, then came to his senses and looked toward the merchant in the direction of the sound.

"Hmm? Boss, what's wrong?"

"You actually asked me 'What's wrong?'... I should go!"

"Oh, sorry, I was just spacing out."

Oishi Kujiro folded the small newspaper in his hand and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

"Seriously... Kuchijiro, while you are indeed very skilled, you need to put in a little more effort! I spent a lot of money hiring you as my bodyguard, so you need to make me feel that I got my money's worth, or even more than my money's worth!"

"Hehehe, sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

……

……

……

……

Edo, Ito Dojo —

"To pacify the capital region... the capital region..."

Daizo Ito stared intently at the tabloid in his hand, lost in thought.

……

……

Edo, a certain inn—

"Serizawa! Serizawa! Serizawa!"

A lean samurai strode into a bedroom filled with the smell of alcohol.

Inside the room, a muscular, robust man, over six feet tall (1.8 meters), lay supine on the tatami mat, his arms behind his head, his face covered by an open book, "The Great History of Japan".

"Ugh...! Shinmi, so noisy...!"

Serizawa scolded impatiently in a languid voice as if he had just woken up.

Shinmi ignored Serizawa's complaints, sat cross-legged beside him, and handed him the newspaper while saying quickly:

"Serizawa, wake up! The shogunate has ordered Tachibana Aoto to form a new fighting force and march on Kyoto at a later date!"

"Ok?"

Serizawa sat up abruptly.

The "Great History of Japan" covering his face naturally slipped to the ground.

He had a leopard's head and round eyes, a swallow's jaw and tiger's beard; just by looking at his face, one could instinctively feel that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Serizawa snatched the newspaper from Shinmi's hand and quickly read it through in five pages.

A moment later, he grinned.

Immediately afterwards, an uncontrollable laugh escaped from his mouth.

"Ha, ha...hahahahahaha!"

After laughing to his heart's content, he grabbed the katana beside him and with a "whoosh" pulled the blade halfway out.

The gleaming blade reflected his sunken, fierce eyes.

"After lying low for so long... we can finally show our skills!"

……

……

Edo, somewhere—

Kiyokawa Hachiro read the tabloid in his hand with a gloomy expression.

With each word he read and each sentence he uttered, the cloud of gloom gathered on his cheeks grew thicker.

Finally, before he had even finished reading the entire tabloid, he impatiently crumpled it into a ball and threw it away.

"Hmph! The path to achieving great righteousness is indeed fraught with thorns...!"

……

……

Edo, Shieikan, Dojo—

Kondo Isami, carrying a bamboo sword, checked, instructed, and corrected his apprentices' swordsmanship movements as usual.

Gradually, he sensed something was amiss—the apprentices were acting strangely today.

Many people were not paying attention; they were always whispering, and he was very concerned about what they were talking about.

"Hey, did you guys find out?"

"Yes, I heard about it on the way to Shieikan."

Are you interested in signing up?

“I really want to go, but… my wife is seven months pregnant, and I just can’t abandon her.”

"Me too. I not only have a pregnant wife, but also a son who is just over 4 years old. If I die in battle, my wife and child will not be able to survive in such a chaotic world."

Listening to their conversation, Kondo Isami finally couldn't contain his overwhelming curiosity and called out to one of them, asking:

"Fujii-kun, what are you all whispering about?"

"Ah, young master, don't you know?"

Although Kondo Isami has officially succeeded as the fourth head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family, the more senior apprentices still habitually call him "Little Master" and Kondo Shusuke "Master" or "Old Master".

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh dear, hasn't Mr. Tachibana told you yet?"

“Qingdeng has not returned home since he went to perform his duties yesterday. He only asked someone to tell us that he will not be coming home for dinner or sleep tonight.”

"Oh, I see... Little Master, big news! Mr. Tachibana has been promoted to Governor of the Kyoto Region! The Shogunate will widely recruit talented individuals with patriotic aspirations to form a brand-new army, personally commanded by Mr. Tachibana. Next February, Mr. Tachibana will lead this new army to aid the Kyoto region!"

In an instant, Kondo Isami's thick eyebrows twitched at the corners of his raised eyes.

"We are recruiting talented individuals with a strong sense of patriotism... Tell me the details!"

……

……

Edo, the Thousand Things Shop—

The ledgers, pen holders, inkstones, and other items on the counter were all pushed aside to make room for the latest tabloid that Mr. Kiryu had just bought.

Mr. Kiryu sat cross-legged with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kinoshita Mai lay on his back, her little head peeking out from his shoulder.

The two of them read the tabloid together, their eyes glued to it.

"Tachibana-kun, are you going to Kyoto...?"

The Kiryu boss murmured softly, a look of reminiscence on his face, as if he were recalling someone.

Compared to Kiryu's complex expression, Kinoshita Mai's expression was much simpler—her face was filled with worry.

"Qingdeng..."

The orange tabby cat, Dodo, noticed something was wrong with its owner.

It slowly walked to Kinoshita Mai's feet, gently rubbing its round head against her tender white ankles with faint teeth marks, while meowing.

……