I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It is worth mentioning that, due to their similar personalities and shared interests, he quickly became close friends with Nagakura Shinpachi, with whom he could talk about anything.

They were both loud-voiced and talkative.

Whenever the two met, they would always chatter on and on, talking about everything from the sun, moon and stars in the sky, to the mountains, rivers and lakes on the ground, to the slashing and thrusting of swordsmanship, and the neck, chest, hips and feet of women. You could hear the loud voices of this pair of lively characters from a distance.

This creates a significant contrast with the Third Division.

The captain and vice-captain of the Third Division (Hajime Saito and Sadaki Nakazawa) are both quiet and rarely utter a sound.

On the other hand, the captain and vice-captain of the second division... are causing quite a ruckus!

Thus, after the Third Division earned the nickname "the quietest division," the Second Division also received its own unique nickname: "the noisiest division."

As Nakajima Noboru hung the empty water bottle back on his waist, he casually asked:

“Mr. Nagakura, if I remember correctly, your hometown is in the Matsumae Domain of Ezo, right?”

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded.

"Yes, that's right. I'm from the Matsumae Domain."

Nakajima Noboru looked curious.

"The Matsumae Domain is located in the far north, so it must be very cool there, right?"

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned.

"Yes. Although it gets hot in the summer, it's not as stuffy as Kyoto, and it's quite cool at night."

"If it gets to winter, the scene will be quite something."

"Countless snowflakes come down from the sky, and often when you wake up, the outdoor scenery has changed drastically."

"Looking around, the whole world was blindingly white, and the snow was piled up to knee-high."

After listening attentively, Nakajima Noboru's face showed anticipation:

"Oh! Knee-high snow? I'd really like to see that!"

"If I have the chance in the future, I must go to Matsumae Domain to broaden my horizons!"

Yongcang Xinba Wan'er:

"When you're ready to go to Matsumae Domain, you can come find me, and I'll be your guide."

Nakajima Noboru laughed heartily:

"Alright! Captain, it's settled then!"

At this moment, a young team member, panting heavily, rushed towards Nagakura Shinpachi and Nakajima Noboru.

"Captain, Vice-Captain, target Yoya Kiemon has appeared! Target Yoya Kiemon has appeared!"

Upon hearing this, Nagakura Shinpachi lowered his eyelids and focused his gaze.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, you can go and rest now. Hey, get him a glass of cold water!"

Having said that, he stood up slowly, his hand resting on the sword at his waist—the sword of the governor of Boshu, Shigeo Ujiyama.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Time to get to work."

Nakajima Noboru's playful expression vanished, and he nodded solemnly:

"Captain, let's go."

Nagakura Shinpachi waved his hand.

"Second Division, follow me!"

Before he finished speaking, he took the lead and strode out of the alley where he was hiding.

Immediately following behind was Nakajima Noboru, and a group of soldiers wearing light blue haori.

Their faces were solemn, and they were in a hurry.

If viewed from above, it looks like a pale green dragon!

Upon seeing this, passersby immediately realized that the Shinsengumi were on a mission and quickly moved to the side of the road to make way for them.

In the blink of an eye, this menacing "dragon" plunged into an inconspicuous block of four small bridges, heading straight for a simple antique prop shop with a plaque that read "Yu House".

Without the slightest hesitation, Nagakura Shinpachi raised his right hand, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and swaggered toward the gate, ready to fight at any moment.

Nakajima quickened his pace slightly, getting ahead of Nagakura Shinpachi, and yanked open the curtain.

Immediately following suit—with a loud bang—Nagakura Shinpachi roughly pushed open the door and roared:

"We are from the Shinsengumi, under the command of the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region! Routine search!"

Before the words were even finished, Nagakura Shinpachi had already barged into the store.

Nakajima Noboru and the rest of the team filed in.

In an instant, chaos erupted.

Just like its shabby exterior, the interior of this shop also exudes a dilapidated, shabby, and impoverished feel.

Nagakura Shinpachi rolled his eyes and scanned the area. He saw only two young employees busy at work.

Upon seeing the Shinsengumi suddenly arrive, the two men were immediately startled, their faces turning pale with fear.

Nagakura Shinpachi stood imposingly, as straight as an iron tower, his right hand still gripping the hilt of his sword, maintaining a ready-to-draw stance.

"Which one is Yoya Kiemon?"

"I'm."

A deep male voice came from the direction of the inner room.

A short while later, a young man who wasn't very old appeared before Nagakura Shinpachi.

He walked at a leisurely pace to Nagakura Shinpachi and asked:

"May I ask who you are?"

"Nagakura Shinpachi, captain of the second division of the Shinsengumi. You must be Yoya Kiemon?"

When Nagakura Shinpachi introduced himself, Yoya Kiemon's expression immediately changed—everyone knew the Shinsengumi's strength ranking as "first Tachibana, second Okita, third Nagakura, fourth Saito".

The person before him was the third-ranked fighter in the Shinsengumi... The thought made his face turn even paler.

However, he quickly suppressed his panic and forced himself to remain calm:

"Yes, I am Yoya Kiemon."

"Take it!"

At Nagakura Shinpachi's command, two soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and pressed down on Yoya Kiemon's shoulders, immobilizing him.

Faced with this sudden arrest, Yoya Kiemon finally panicked.

As he struggled, he asked in a shrill voice:

"What are you doing? Why are you arresting me? What crime have I committed?"

Nakajima Noboru responded quietly:

“Yoya Kiemon, we now suspect you of colluding with Nagako. Come with us obediently.”

"Let me make this clear from the start: you have no right to refuse, nor any chance to resist."

"If you behave well, not only will you suffer less, but we'll also be happy to have an easier time."

"But if you don't listen to our advice and don't know what's good for you, then we'll have to make you suffer."

As he spoke, he raised his right fist, which was as big as a clay pot, and waved it in front of the other person, the threat of which was self-evident.

To vent their resentment, the people of Choshu called Hatatsu, Aizu, and Satsuma "Katatsu Demons," "Aizu Traitors," and "Satsuma Thieves," which greatly displeased the people of the three domains and the members of the Shinsengumi.

Since we've already broken off all pretense of civility, there's no need to be polite with them anymore.

Holding the idea of ​​"an eye for an eye," the pro-shogunate forces now uniformly refer to the people of Choshu as "Chōko".

Upon hearing Nakajima Noboru's threat, Yoya Kiemon paused for a moment, and then, as if dyed, his face was visibly filled with terror.

"Wait, wait a minute! You must have made a mistake, right?"

"I am a law-abiding citizen!"

"Don't even mention colluding with Changzhou, I've never even seen a person from Changzhou!"

The other party's incessant chatter made Nakajima Noboru frown, his tone revealing impatience:

Whether you are an innocent citizen or not is not up to you to decide, but up to us.

"To be honest, I've seen countless guys like you."

“They kept shouting ‘innocence’ and claimed to be law-abiding citizens, but in the end, they were found to be genuine members of the anti-Party.”

"Don't worry, if we have truly wronged you, we will compensate you."

"Take him away quickly!"

Nakajima Toichi waved his hand, signaling that the guy should not stay there any longer.

The two squad members who grabbed Yoya Kiemon from the left and right quickly responded and then used brute force to drag him away from the place and take him out of the shop.

Perhaps he had given up entirely, Yoya Kiemon gritted his teeth, frowned, and said loudly:

"Breaking into private homes and arbitrarily arresting people is absurd, even for the Shinsengumi! It's outrageous!"

Upon hearing his words, Nagakura Shinpachi seemed amused, shrugged, and chuckled a few times.

He waved his hand, indicating "wait a minute," and then walked up to Yoshiemon, looking down at him from his superior position.

"You called it 'absurd' and 'lawless'?"

"You don't seem to know much about the Shinsengumi."

"In that case, I'll tell you now."

"We are a legion directly under the command of the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region, and we bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the capital region."

"We will have the authority to execute any traitors who may cause chaos in the capital region without prior approval!"

"We can go where others cannot."

"We believe that we can handle cases that are beyond our jurisdiction."