I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"You may all step back."

The crowd responded in agreement and then filed out.

Once only he and the other person remained on the scene, Goto Shojiro said solemnly:

"...Okada Izou, I've heard the details. You're willing to expose Takechi Hanpeita's crimes, aren't you?"

Okada Izo nodded blankly:

“I’m willing to confess…but I have one condition.”

Shojiro Goto was not at all surprised by Okada Izo's request.

He raised his chin and said:

"Say it now, as long as you are willing to identify Takeshi Hanpeita, I will do my best to satisfy you in any way I can."

Okada Izo's expression remained unchanged as he slowly said:

"I don't want to die... If you can let me live, I will tell you everything I know."

Upon hearing this, Goto Shojiro frowned slightly:

"Okada Izo, you've killed so many people, your crimes are unforgivable, yet you still think about living?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Okada Izo said in an unquestionable tone:

"I only have this one request."

"Let me live—it's that simple."

"If you don't agree, I won't say anything."

"Even if you interrogate me for another five or ten years, I will not open my mouth."

"Your only goals are to destroy the Tosa Loyalists, kill Takechi Hanpeita, and avenge your uncle, aren't they?"

“I am nothing more than a dog adopted by Takeshi Hanpeita, utterly worthless.”

"My life or death is of no concern to you, is it?"

Goto Shōjirō lowered his eyelids, his gaze deep.

“…Okada Izou, you have killed countless people and your sins are heinous.”

Do you know how many people hate you to the core?

Do you know how many people wish they could eat your flesh and drink your blood?

"Even if I can spare you, the world will not."

“The ‘Man-Killing Heist’ who had already been imprisoned is now swaggering around the city—if word gets out, how will the world view me, Goto Shojiro, and how will they view Tosa?”

"Therefore, it is impossible for you to stay in this country or on this land any longer."

At this point, Goto Shojiro paused slightly, then changed the subject:

"However... in just half a month, a merchant ship will be heading to the United States."

"As long as you live in anonymity and promise never to return for the rest of your life, I can get you a ticket for this merchant ship."

"After you go to America, whether you live or die, whether you die an old man under the window or rise to great heights, will all depend on your fate."

"This is the biggest concession I've made."

"If you can't accept that, then there's nothing more to talk about. You can just stay here."

Upon hearing the words "United States of America," Okada Izo frowned, his face showing intense disgust—influenced by Takechi Hanpeita, Okada Izo was averse to all things Western.

However, he did not refuse.

Although he was an ignorant and reckless man, his mind became exceptionally sharp at this moment due to his will to survive.

He knew very well that this was indeed the biggest concession Goto Shojiro had made.

Based on the crimes he committed, let alone setting him free, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off.

Goto Shojiro was willing to risk his reputation to help him escape to America, which already showed great sincerity.

No matter how much Okada Izo talked, he couldn't get the other party to come up with a better solution.

If he dared to say "no," Goto Shojiro might very well turn around and leave, too lazy to bother with this greedy fellow anymore.

After a moment of contemplation, Okada Izo bluntly countered with a question:

"...empty promises...how can I believe you...?"

Goto Shojiro straightened his face and said solemnly, word by word:

"Who do you think I am? A cunning and wicked ronin?"

“I am Goto Shojiro.”

"Goto Shojiro, nephew of Yoshida Toyo, the councilor of the Tosa Domain!"

"Reputation is the foundation upon which I make my living."

"If I say it, I can definitely do it!"

"I swear in the name of my uncle and on the honor of a warrior, everything I just said is true, and I will never go back on my word!"

Having said that, Goto Shojiro reached for the sword at his waist, drew it out halfway, and then pulled it back heavily, the tsuba clashing against the scabbard with a loud clang.

Swearing an oath by striking the metal – a very solemn oath-taking ceremony for samurai.

Upon seeing this, Okada Izo nodded slowly but solemnly.

"...Okay...It's a deal...!"

……

……

The following day, a shocking piece of news spread throughout Tosa and then to all directions—Okada Izo had confessed!

He not only confessed to the various crimes he had committed, but also detailed the sins of Takechi Hanpeita.

According to him, Takeichi Hanpeita was extremely jealous of Yoshida Toyo, believing that Yoshida Toyo, who advocated openness, innovation, and reform, was an unforgivable heretic. He blamed Yoshida for suppressing the Tosa Loyalist Party, which prevented it from rising to power and gaining prominence.

Therefore, Takechi Hanpeita secretly contacted the conservative forces that had lost power due to Yoshida Toyo's rise to power, and together they assassinated Yoshida Toyo.

Takechi Hanpeita dispatched Nasu Shingo, Oishi Danzo, and Yasuoka Yoshida to kill Yoshida Toyo when he returned home.

After killing Yoshida Toyo, Nasu Shingo and the other two fled their respective domains and disappeared without a trace.

Based on Okada Izo's confession, Goto Shojiro immediately dispatched a large number of men to arrest all those who were unable to escape or who were hoping to get away with it. In the end, it was confirmed that Okada Izo's statement was true.

The case has been solved... The "Yoshida Toyo Murder Case," which had been investigated for over a year, has finally been solved.

Faced with irrefutable witness testimonies and physical evidence, Takeshi Banpeitai had no room for further rebuttal.

After learning that it was Okada Izo who betrayed him, Takechi Hanpeita remained remarkably calm.

There was neither outburst of anger nor deep sorrow—it was as if he had expected it all along.

Unsurprisingly, Takeshi Hanpeita was sentenced to death.

Because of his merits, the Emperor granted him the privilege of committing seppuku, thus preserving his dignity.

Before committing seppuku, Takechi Hanpeita wrote a letter to his wife, Tomiko, instructing her to make a white-shouldered blouse (a sleeveless top worn by takeshi) and send it to him.

On the day he committed seppuku, he wore a white blouse sewn by his wife and faced death with equanimity.

As is well known, because seppuku is so painful, there is a "kaishakunin" (second) to help people get rid of it.

Initially, the second could only wield the knife after the abdomen was cut open.

Later, it evolved into a situation where the second could swing the sword as long as the knife was plunged into the stomach.

Then, without even bothering to pretend, the person committing seppuku raised his hand to touch the hilt of his sword, and the second began to swing his sword.

There was even a "fan cut," where someone would take a fan and swipe it across the stomach, and the second would then chop off the person's head with a sword.

Takechi Hanpeita, who considers himself a "noble samurai," did not choose these cheating methods.

On the day he committed seppuku, he calmly picked up the sword from the table in front of him and rolled up the handle with white paper.

Then, the crowd heard three shouts of "Eh!", "Eh!", "Eh!" – Takeshi Hanpeita made three cuts in his abdomen in one go.

That wasn't all. After completing the "three-character cut," he placed the sword back on the table, touched the mat with both hands, and bowed his head to express his gratitude.

Only then did the second, who had never seen such a scene before and was so shocked that his whole body stiffened, finally come to his senses and swung his sword to cut off Takechi Hanpeita's head.

The leader of Tosa Kinou's party, Takeichi Hanheita, died!

Thus, the once-powerful Tosa Loyalist Party completely withdrew from the historical stage, becoming nothing more than a topic of conversation.

Afterwards, Takeichi Hanpeita's remains were placed in a sedan chair by Yanagawa Samon, a family member of Anekoji Kogyo. That night, the jailer Oishi Yataro delivered them to Takeichi's home in Shinmachidabuchi. The following day, they were buried next to the ancestral grave in Fukii Village, Nagaoka District.

As for Okada Izo... he bears the burden of countless bloody crimes and should be sentenced to dismemberment.

The Japanese form of crucifixion is quite different from that in China.

The latter involved cutting flesh from bones, severing limbs, and then cutting the throat; the former involved binding the victim to a tall wooden post and then repeatedly piercing their body with a long spear, a form of extreme torture that was both undignified and extremely painful.

Considering his efforts to atone for his crimes, Goto Shojiro's sentence was commuted to beheading.

Although "beheading" was still very undignified for a samurai, it was at least much quicker and easier, as it was over in the blink of an eye.

And so, Okada Izo was led to the execution ground and lost his head.

The once-powerful "Man-Killing Hero" of Kyoto met such a tragic end, unable even to preserve his complete body, a truly lamentable fate.

Of course, countless people applauded this.

When "Man-Slaying for Hidden" unleashed a bloodbath in Kyoto, countless people perished under his blade, their bodies lying strewn across the streets.

However... for some reason, not long after Okada Izo's death, a rumor began to circulate in the city: Okada Izo did not die.

The person who was taken to be beheaded that day was Okada Izo's double, another death row inmate who was originally going to be executed.

Goto Shojiro intended to spare Okada's life, so he specially changed the sentence to beheading, which was easier to "switch the prince with a cat."

Although the rumor was quite detailed and convincing, the truth of it can no longer be verified.

Years later, it is said that someone in the United States encountered a highly skilled Japanese swordsman who looked remarkably like Okada Izo... Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.

*******