I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

No one present expected that Todo Heisuke would be able to escape from Ito Kashitaro's sword.

Hattori Takeo was the first to react, and roared angrily:

"Quick! Grab him!"

After shouting, he took the lead, sword in hand, took a running start, leaped up, scaled the wall, and chased after Todo Heisuke along his escape route.

The others quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after Hattori Takeo.

Saito Kazuya also wanted to go after him.

However, he had only taken two steps when he was stopped by Ito Kashitaro:

“Saito-kun, you stay here. Hattori-kun and the others will go after Heisuke.”

Saito turned his head to the side, glanced at Ito Kashitaro, and said:

“Heisuke is the ‘one-man leader,’ and it won’t be easy for Hattori and the others to catch up with him.”

"Mr. Leading the Way"—this is the affectionate nickname given to Heisuke Todo by the world.

On one hand, it refers to the fact that Todo Heisuke was very brave and always took the lead in battle.

On the other hand, it refers to the fact that Heisuke Todo's running speed is so fast that ordinary people simply cannot catch up with him.

As Ito Kashitaro wiped the dust from his face, he said:

"It's alright. Even if we kill Heisuke, we will still leave Otsu tonight as planned and head to Kyoto."

"In other words, whether Heisuke lives or dies, after tonight, Tachibana Aoto will find that we have left the Shinsengumi. It's just a matter of sooner or later, nothing serious."

Since Ito Kashitaro had said so, Saito Hajime said no more and silently retracted the leg he had just stepped out.

At that moment, Suzuki Mikisaburo walked over, looking at Ito Kashitaro with a concerned expression:

"Mr. Ito, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just accidentally ate some dirt."

Todo Heisuke's "slap your face" was perfectly aimed, hitting Ito Kashitaro's handsome face squarely.

He looked quite disheveled; his face was ashen, and even his hair was covered in a layer of mud.

Ito Kashitaro spat forcefully, his saliva a mixture of brownish spittle and dirt, then turned to Suzuki Mikisaburo and asked:

"Saburo, where is Mr. Kondo?"

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives—

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kondo Isami emerged from the room, covered in dust.

Upon seeing Kondo Isami arrive in person, Ito Kashitaro quickly asked:

"Mr. Kondo, what happened just now? Did you catch a Shinsengumi spy?"

Kondo Isami shook his head:

"I just heard a strange noise from the ceiling and thought it was a ninja from the Ninth Division. But it turned out to be... just a fat rat."

As he spoke, he raised his left arm, revealing that he was holding an incredibly fat rat in his left hand.

Looking at the fat rat that had already been strangled, Ito Kashitaro chuckled wryly, a look of helplessness creeping onto his face.

"Oh, it was just a rat... Well, it's better to have a false alarm than a real one."

Kondo Isami looked around and noticed that many people were missing, especially Todo Heisuke, so he couldn't help but ask:

"What's wrong? What happened? Where's Heisuke?"

Suzuki Mikisaburo offered an explanation on behalf of Ito Kashitaro, succinctly recounting the accident that had just occurred.

Upon hearing this, Kondo Isami looked apologetic.

"Mr. Ito, I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."

Before Kondo Isami could finish speaking, Ito Kashitaro interrupted him:

"This is not your fault, it's my problem. I was too careless."

"If I had been more careful and discovered earlier that Heisuke had secretly hidden a handful of soil, perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the wall to the east—the very wall that Todo Heisuke had just scaled to escape.

Because his back was to everyone, no one could see the expression on his face; they could only vaguely sense a subtle change in his aura.

After a long while, he said softly:

"...Saburo, I have to go ahead. You'll be in charge of meeting them when Hattori-kun and the others return."

Suzuki Mikizaburo nodded vigorously:

"understand!"

After giving a brief order, Ito Kashitaro turned around and strode away from the courtyard, heading towards the entrance.

"Mr. Kondo, Mr. Saito, let's go to Kyoto!"

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, a certain street——

“呼哧……！呼哧……！呼哧……！呼哧……！”

Heisuke Todo clutched his left ribs, channeling all his strength into his legs to run faster.

He hadn't noticed anything amiss just moments before, but now he felt a burning pain in his left rib area, as if a fire was burning inside.

The injuries he sustained in his duel with Saito Hajime were more severe than he had imagined.

Fortunately, based on his personal experience, his left rib was not broken.

Unfortunately, the persistent and increasingly intense pain, like needles pricking his nerves, prevented him from running away at full speed.

Normally, with his leg strength that he was so proud of, he would have left the pursuers far behind.

Even with all his might, he could only watch helplessly as the chaotic footsteps behind him drew ever closer...

Finally… the sound he least wanted to hear rang out:

"We found him! He's there!"

Todo Heisuke turned his head to look behind him—a large contingent of pursuers led by Hattori Takeo had already entered his field of vision! They were charging towards him menacingly!

It was obvious that Hattori Takeo and the others were much faster than him, and the distance between them was constantly closing...

If this continues, he will be caught up in half a minute to a minute at the earliest.

"Damn it...!"

Having finally escaped the Ito residence, how could I let myself be caught up so pathetically?

With a whoosh, Todo Heisuke drew Kazusa no Sukeshige from his waist again.

Just as he had made up his mind to fight like a cornered beast, a bright orange light suddenly shone into his eyes.

He hurriedly looked in the direction of the light—right in front of him, a patrol of 10 warriors was leisurely making its way down the street.

Each member of the patrol team carried a lantern with the character "诚" (sincerity) painted on it.

Looking at the familiar lantern, Toudou Hei was first surprised, then smiled broadly and let out a long sigh of relief:

"Ah, just in time..."

His tense nerves relaxed at that moment... He immediately felt his body go limp, and he lost his balance, like a puppet whose strings had been pulled out, falling straight to the ground.

At the same time that Heisuke Todo spotted the patrol, the latter also saw the former.

They recognized the light blue haori worn by Toudou Heisuke and quickly surrounded him:

"Hey! Are you alright?"

"Which squad are you from? Why are you out at night?"

"Huh? Isn't that Captain Toudou?"

"It really is Captain Toudou!"

"Captain Toudou, what's wrong?"

Upon discovering that he was a "captain-level" important figure, they dared not be negligent and hurriedly helped Todo Heisuke up, asking him all sorts of questions.

Hattori Takeo and the others were a beat slow to notice the patrol team... Instantly, their expressions changed.

The unit that patrols the streets of Otsu... there is no other unit besides that one!

Hattori Takeo clicked his tongue, a dark cloud gathering between his cheeks:

"Tsk, First Division...!"

As the "Niou Personal Guard," the First Division is stationed in Otsu.

A total of 12 people, including Hattori Takeo himself, came to hunt down Todo Heisuke.

The patrol team opposite had 10 people.

The numbers are roughly equal, but here's the problem—when you don't have a numerical or equipment advantage, it's best to avoid a direct confrontation with the First Division!

Although unwilling, Hattori Takeo made the most correct judgment:

"Get out!"

The others were waiting for his words—in the blink of an eye, they returned to where they came from, leaving only wisps of dust behind.

As he felt a sense of relief, the pain he had been suppressing surged up all at once, almost causing Todo Heisuke to faint.

Heisuke Todo mustered his strength and issued instructions intermittently:

"Go after them quickly... Call more help... They're traitors to the Shinsengumi... Be careful of Hattori Takeo... Also... Escort me to the Tachibana residence... Hurry..."

Those around them were unaware of the details.

However, as members of the First Division, their professionalism is beyond doubt!

Although Todo Heisuke was not their direct superior, since it was an order from their superior, they had no choice but to obey!

In a matter of seconds, they assigned tasks—send one person to the garrison to find reinforcements, send two people to escort Todo Heisuke to the Tachibana residence, and the rest to pursue Hattori Takeo and his men!