Yashiro the Blind

Seeing this, Mishima Doppo chuckled, freeing his left hand to catch the girl flying towards him. He glanced at her, then casually tossed her to the ground, as if he didn't care about her at all. In a few steps, the distance between them shortened further.

The night wind howled, making his beard and hair stand on end, like a demon or Asura from Buddhist scriptures, sending chills down one's spine.

"You're a liar! I've already given you the person, why are you still chasing me!" Kato Danzo shouted angrily as he ran away.

But before he could finish his sentence, a sudden, intense feeling of palpitation surged up inside him. Without even turning around to check the situation, he instinctively pushed off with both feet and lunged forward...

Pong!

A dull thud.

The black-clad figure, who had not yet landed, was struck in the waist by the broadsword and knocked to the ground, where he lay motionless like a lump of mud.

The chase, which seemed long, actually lasted only a few dozen seconds, less than a minute. The other man had just come to his senses and hurriedly caught up from behind, shouting, "Michishima-san, have you taken care of him?"

"No."

With a flick of his wrist, Mishima Doppo lifted the "mud" from the ground with his broadsword, revealing a solitary outer garment; the gaunt old man was nowhere to be found.

He curled his lip, tossed aside the smelly clothes, and slung the broadsword back over his shoulder: "The Empty Cicada Technique... No wonder he's the famous 'Tobi Kato' of Northern Vietnam. Although his martial arts skills are mediocre, his escape skills are not bad... It's like a chicken rib, tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away."

The man who was running this way, upon hearing this assessment, was momentarily at a loss for words. But then he glanced at the outer garment that Mishima Doppo had casually tossed aside, and a headache struck him: "We failed to kill Hibiki here; what if he seeks revenge..."

“Then I’ll strike again,” Mishima Doppo replied nonchalantly.

The man could only manage a forced laugh.

"Alright, take this girl with you and hurry back. I thought we'd run into a master this time, what a disappointment..." He sighed, ignoring the girl lying on the ground, and turned to leave.

The man nodded, took two steps forward, and was about to take the little girl from the Tianzhi family with him when suddenly, he heard a soft "whoosh" sound.

Something flew past his ear.

The moonlight overhead was blocked by a floating cloud, and since the two of them did not have lanterns for illumination, their vision was inevitably somewhat dim. After a few seconds, when the clouds and fog cleared, the man finally saw a sharp, reflective four-pointed dart on a tree a few steps away.

Shuriken used by ninjas.

The pain in his ear became clearer. He raised his hand to cover it, and a burning, piercing pain shot through him. His palm was covered in blood. He didn't know the extent of his injury, and felt somewhat dazed. Before the man could react, a huge shadow loomed over him—

With a swing of the scabbard, two iron shuriken landed in the grass at his feet.

"It seems that not only kites have come, but also rats hiding their heads and tails."

He slammed his broadsword heavily on the ground with a backhand motion. Despite being ambushed, Mishima Doppo showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, his eyes gleamed with excitement. "You lurking rat in the shadows! Such tricks won't kill me. Hurry up and crawl out of your hole to fight me face to face!"

His voice boomed like muffled thunder, shaking the entire forest. Leaves fell one after another, and it was amidst this flurry of leaves that a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, thin and small, holding a wooden cane quietly in his hand.

"Oh?"

One is moving, the other is still; one is tall, the other is short. The two people standing opposite each other are like two ends of a scale, creating a stark contrast.

Mishima Doppo sized up the suddenly appearing figure, his eyes narrowing slightly as if deep in thought: "I vaguely remember you... You're the one who received the Dragon Palace Treasure Token a couple of days ago. You're still alive, which means those who went to kill you all failed?"

"thanks to you."

The girl smiled gently, her voice soft.

"Ha, looks like you're not bad looking either. No wonder you dared to meddle in this." He glanced at the shuriken nailed to the tree. "But I don't kill women easily. I'm giving you a chance: tuck your tail between your legs and get far away, and you might save your life. Otherwise—"

"Brother Mishima, this..."

They've come to our doorstep to kill us, how can we let them go? We have to silence them!

The man stood by, hesitant to speak, anxious but unable to muster the courage to dissuade Mishima Doppo due to his temper.

On the contrary, the girl who inexplicably obtained the Dragon Palace Treasure Token in the intelligence and then gave it away not long after shook her head: "First of all, I have no tail to tuck under, and I don't know how to roll away to get far away; secondly, this matter is not entirely a trivial matter for me - umm, although it was indeed a trivial matter until just now, but... it is not now."

She extended her index finger, bypassing Mishima Doppo, and pointed directly at the fair-skinned man: "Didn't you just mention me? Now that I'm right in front of you, aren't you going to say or do anything?"

"We were talking about you?"

The two men were slightly taken aback. Before the man could react, Mishima Doppo's eyes suddenly lit up. "At this age, looking like this, with such skill in shuriken fighting, and... she's blind." He stared at the girl's closed eyes. "You're the missing orphan of the Tenfu family?"

"It is indeed the blind woman."

Holding the cane in her right hand and gently placing her left hand on the top of the cane, the girl tilted her head slightly and gave the two of them a gentle smile. "How is it? Surprised?"

……

Chapter Thirteen: Tianfeng Stream

"How about it, are you surprised?"

The soft voice stood out especially in the quiet night.

The two people looked at each other, both of them confused and doubtful—could there be such a coincidence in the world?

They had just mentioned a child who had gone missing several years ago, her fate unknown. They had spent a lot of manpower and resources searching for her, digging three feet into the ground but finding no information whatsoever. And then this child suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The proverb "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump" at least has the element of "waiting," but the current situation is like a person slowly walking towards a tree, only to have a rabbit rush over and impatiently crash headfirst into the stump before they even reach it. Such a scenario inevitably raises suspicions.

But no matter how much you doubt, since the person is in front of you, you have to do something.

"you……"

The well-dressed man was about to speak when Mishima Doppo stepped forward first, his gaze intense, his booming voice instantly overshadowing the man's: "You say you are Tenfu Goro's daughter, then do you have inherited his abilities?"

"What you're referring to, could it be the Tenfeng Ittō-ryū style created by my father?" Yashiro asked in return.

"Yes."

Mishima Doppo grinned, several scars outlining a ferocious smile. "Legend has it that this incomparably wondrous killing technique combines the essence of Iga ninjutsu and the Chujo school. I've long wanted to experience it firsthand. It's a pity your father died too young and didn't take on any disciples. I thought this school was lost after his death... But now it seems that's not entirely true. Do you know Tenfu Goro's skills?"

His tone grew increasingly excited, as if he were eager to try.

The girl tilted her head slightly: "Know a little?"

"Good! Good! Good!"

He laughed three times in a row. When he said "good" for the first time, he was still in the same place. When he said "good" for the second time, he had already leaped forward. His scabbard swept through the air like a dark cloud that fell heavily to the ground!

Just as the sound of something cutting through the air whistled through the air, the third "Good!" suddenly rang out, surging outwards like muffled thunder. The force of the attack made the girl's long black hair fly wildly, and her smooth forehead flashed in the bright moonlight...

Swish!

Her sleeves billowed into the air, and the girl's figure suddenly shrank into a ball. Following the gale of Mishima Doppo's attack, she was sent flying backward. Her slender body swayed and staggered like a leaf in the wind, finally stopping a few steps away.

The bangs that had been lifted then fell down, just enough to cover a pair of thin, willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows.

boom--

A moment too late, the scabbard finally slammed heavily to the ground, dust billowing and grass falling. Mishima Doppo swung it with one hand and hoisted the sheathed sword back onto his shoulder.

Despite his initial defeat, his expression was filled with joy: "Tianye Wuyi, Yangye Fenfu, Tianfeng Wulang's signature move! It seems you weren't lying, little blind man, you are indeed a survivor of the Tianfeng clan."

"What... Brother Mishima! Since she is the orphan of Tianfeng that we have been searching for for so long, then we..." The man beside him had already sensed the danger when Mishima Doppo laughed and made his move, and had already distanced himself. Hearing this, he was both surprised and delighted, and did not care that he might anger the other party, so he hurriedly spoke up to remind him.

"I know."

Mishima Doppo waved his hand impatiently, "Don't worry, although I'm not smart, I'm not a stupid person who can't distinguish between what's important and what's urgent."

"That would be best..."

The man breathed a sigh of relief and was about to wipe away the cold sweat.

Unexpectedly, Mishima added, "I don't kill women easily, because they are too weak and killing them is not fun... But you, girl from the Tianfeng family, are an exception." He swung his broadsword, pointing it at the girl, "Show me your full strength, and I will grant you a quick and painless death!"

"Wait, Mishima-san, no, no!"

My heart, which had just calmed down, jumped back into my throat. How could I let this brute kill the key person I had finally found in a few moves?

He wanted to stop it, but his strength was too weak, and his opponent was clearly not the type to listen to others or weigh the pros and cons. Moreover, he was far from being so reckless as to rush into battle for the sake of duty and mission, risking his life to see if he could stop Mishima Doppo from going on a killing spree...

Oh well, let him die. Anyway, for so many years, everyone has assumed that this little blind man died long ago, so it doesn't really make a difference.

Besides, there's still the Tianzhi siblings, after all. The task assigned to me has been completed, so even if the boss knows what happened tonight, he probably won't blame me...

perhaps?

After offering a hasty word of comfort to himself, the man shook his head, no longer trying to dissuade Mishima Doppo, and instead turned to look at Tenji Hatsume, who had just been abandoned by Kato Danzo.

It was as if he were looking at his last lifeline.

……

The sky is vast and the earth is boundless; like leaves fluttering and swirling, they drift in all directions.

Tenfu Goro was once a legendary figure in Iga, not only possessing superb ninjutsu skills but also traveling extensively in his youth to seek out renowned masters. One of his most famous teachers was Tomita Seigen, a master of the Echizen kodachi (small sword), and he even obtained the qualification to receive the full teachings of the Chujo-ryu school.

"Men-kyo-kai-den" is a unique Japanese phrase. "Men-kyo" means that if you want to take on disciples and pass on your knowledge, you can do it yourself without needing permission from your teachers.

"Having mastered everything" means that you have learned everything your teacher can teach. The combination of these two is equivalent to officially graduating from your apprenticeship, and from then on, you can roam freely in the vast world.

After mastering his skills, Tenfeng Goro returned to his hometown in glory. He integrated his skills and created the Tenfeng Ittō-ryū style. Over the course of more than ten years, he accomplished several earth-shattering feats, most of which were acts of righteousness, and thus he was known as the "Ninja Knight".

In no time, the name of the ninja hero spread throughout the five regions, enjoying unparalleled fame. Even the three Jonin in power in Iga were somewhat inferior in terms of popularity.

However, as the old saying goes, "A mound that rises above the bank will be swept away by the current; a person who excels above others will be criticized by the masses." The greater one's reputation, the greater the hostility and threats one will face.

In the autumn of the eighteenth year of the Tenbun era, Tenfu Goro was suspected of being ambushed and killed. His wife and children were also killed soon after. Only his youngest daughter, who was born blind, did not leave a body. It was rumored that she was saved by a strange person and then disappeared without a trace, her fate unknown.

Because Tenfeng Goro never took on any disciples in his life, and only passed on his swordsmanship and ninjutsu to his three children, after their deaths, the outside world believed that the Tenfeng Itto-ryu style had also been lost.

Some were secretly delighted by the news, some were disappointed, some were devastated, and some secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glad they no longer had to face that unpredictable killer sword...

But five years later, under the clear moonlight, the Heavenly Maple Technique reappeared in the mortal world.

boom!

The knife is in its sheath, the sheath rests in the palm of the hand, and a large, hairy, dark hand, at first glance, resembles a wild bear. The grotesque scars crisscrossing the arm tell tales of countless thrilling battles to the death. Scars are the medals of the victors, while the defeated are reduced to nothing but a handful of yellow earth.

Mishima Doppo's roar was like a tiger's, and his arm swept like the wind. This great katana, which was more than two meters long including the hilt and sheath, was like a fine iron rod or a spear without a blade in his hands. When he smashed it into a tree, the tree, which was so large that it would take two or three people to encircle it, shook violently. Countless leaves and broken branches fell like rain!

Even the tree trunk showed a crack. Although it didn't break completely, it was enough to show how fierce the force was.

If the blow were to land on flesh and blood, let alone a petite young girl, even a strong and burly man, or even a tiger, wolf, or wild boar, would likely die instantly without any chance of survival.

But the attack missed its mark.

Just a moment ago, Mishima Doppo was forcing the girl to retreat repeatedly. After several moves, her back slammed into a tree. Seeing that her delicate face finally showed a hint of panic, he felt extremely pleased.

A sweeping attack that followed sealed off all directions from which the girl could dodge. In his mind, the battle was already decided...

The next second, the figure in front of me suddenly disappeared.

Only fallen leaves swirled in the air, a scene as poetic and picturesque as a bright moon.

"Using a flying leaf to conceal their whereabouts, the Leaf Concealment Technique of the Iga School... Hmph, a mere trifle!"

Mishima Doppo snorted coldly, swung his right hand, and thrust his broadsword toward the top of his head—but found nothing there; there was no one hiding in the tree canopy.

Ninjas who usually use this kind of illusion technique either take the opportunity to escape far away or hide in blind spots to wait for an opportunity to strike. Among the Iga ninjas he has fought, eight out of ten would choose to hide above his head, wanting to kill him by surprise.

Mishima was slightly surprised when they first met, but after the second time he was more experienced, he never suffered a loss again.

It seems this little blind girl is a bit smarter than her fellow disciples, but unfortunately, she's still not that smart... With this thought flashing through his mind, he threw the broadsword behind him.

Swish!

Like a javelin, it flew several meters and landed steadily on the ground, blocking a running figure halfway. Through the broadsword, one could see the first sprout lying not far away.

"Um..."

Yashiro stopped in a panic. If she had been a second later, the greatsword would have made direct, intimate contact with her head. With Peacock King and Bishamonten above her, listening to the chilling sound of the weapon flying over, she had no intention of testing the hardness of the scabbard with her own skull.

As soon as she paused, Mishima Doppo, who wasn't far away to begin with, caught up again and started throwing punches.

The girl clicked her tongue, unable to dodge in time. She could only use her cane to twist and deflect the punch, using softness to counter hardness, barely managing to deflect most of the force of the punch.

However, the difference in their strength was too great. Even though he had dissipated more than 80% of his strength, the remaining less than 20% still made her face turn pale, her chest feel tight, and she staggered back several steps, her wrists gripping the cane trembling slightly.

It's all because I was born into the wrong family in this life. If it were me in my previous life... Yashiro thought indignantly, but then she thought that apart from being a little taller and having a little more fat, she seemed to be inferior to herself in every way in her previous life, so she let it go.

After all, even with more fat, you're only slightly more resistant to blows; you'll still feel pain if you get hit.

She is afraid of pain.

"..."

However, compared to the incredibly strong opponent in front of him, what Yashiro cared about more at the moment was the little girl who had not yet woken up.

The distance that had been painstakingly shortened was widened once again due to Mishima Doppo's intervention.

"You want to save people."

With a confident tone, Mishima Doppo turned to look at Hatsume on the ground, "So, you and the Tenji siblings... at least you know the younger sister. Considering the timing of your appearance, Kato Danzo and you should also have some kind of relationship..."

"But to be honest, I don't care about any of that. I just want to have a good fight, witness the legendary Tenfeng One-Sword Style, and then kill you... or be killed by you. Since this brat is distracting you, I'll have to ask him to leave so you can focus more—"