Yashiro the Blind

"So that's what you were thinking..." The old man shook his head and smiled, "But unfortunately, you made the wrong bet."

"Let the results prove whether it's right or wrong, Inosuke—"

She suddenly turned her head, exchanged a glance with the ronin, and gave a clear shout. Inosuke understood immediately and rushed out. With a flash of his sword, the battle resumed, but this time, it was even more dangerous than before!

Having grasped Shizu's intention, Inosuke didn't hesitate any longer. Every move, every slash, was a desperate attack with no defense. Even the most reckless fools who didn't cherish their lives, or the elite ninjas who disregarded life and death to complete their missions, couldn't help but gasp and feel a chill down their spines when they saw his desperate offensive.

Given the vast difference in strength between the two, this so-called life-or-death struggle was practically tantamount to suicide. Often, with a single slash, the old man would have already revealed no fewer than ten weaknesses. If the old man had even the slightest thought, he could easily take the simpleton's life before the old man's blade could strike.

However, in reality, the old man kept retreating!

He tried several times to reach for the hilt of the sword at his waist, but ultimately gave up. Whether it was a real or fake limp, it further restricted his room to maneuver. Inosuke attacked desperately, slashing wildly. He dodged and retreated repeatedly. Even though his skills far surpassed his opponent's, he showed some signs of distress for the first time since the start of the battle!

Swish!

Half of his sleeve billowed in the wind, revealing a shallow wound on his bare arm. Though the pain wasn't intense, it finally ignited the old man's anger: "You bastard, do you really think I wouldn't dare kill someone?!"

Before he finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and slammed the scabbard hard against Inosuke's knee, causing the fat man to stumble forward. The next moment, a clang rang out, clearly indicating that the sword had been drawn—a chilling aura brushed past the back of his head.

There was no blood on the knife.

His head was still intact on his neck.

Inosuke tumbled and rolled several meters away before stopping. He braced himself with his hand, steadied himself, and looked up at the old man, feeling both surprised and delighted.

Given the opponent's superb martial arts skills, that last strike couldn't possibly have missed. So there's only one possibility left...

Shizu made the right bet!

As she said, humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? No matter how masterful Shen Wu's disguise skills were, hadn't they had any influence on him during those nearly ten years of being together day and night? Thinking deeper, having already faked his death and escaped, why did he have to meet them again in his master's guise...?

Kaminari wanted to put an end to this past.

It is precisely because of the impact that a decision needed to be made.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Having figured this out, Inosuke felt a sudden enlightenment and an immense sense of joy. Ignoring the fact that his opponent had already drawn his sword, he charged forward again with reckless abandon.

No, to be more precise, it wasn't reckless suicide, but rather a deliberate act of seeking death—like Shijin, he was also gambling, gambling that his death would cause the person in front of him to waver slightly. As long as Shijin could grasp that slight wavering, he could fulfill his long-cherished wish and avenge his master!

"Hahaha--"

How ironic! What should have been a satisfying battle of revenge has turned into a farcical master-disciple conflict. Master and disciple, hatred and enmity, alternate like a bizarre drama, an absurd dream where it's impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality, or between being human and butterfly...

"presumptuous!"

With a furious roar, Inosuke experienced excruciating pain for the first time in this battle. The old man seemed unable to bear it any longer and slashed out with his sword, cutting a wound on Inosuke's shoulder. Blood spurted out, staining the snow-white blade red... but this was not a fatal wound.

not enough!

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his shoulder, he turned and slashed. The old man raised his sword to parry, and amidst the sparks, another lightning-fast strike landed on his shin. Inosuke fell to his knees, then used the momentum to leap up, headbutting the old man—

boom!

The exposed neck was not stabbed. Instead, the old man let out a muffled groan and staggered back two steps. The "limp" was instantly healed, and then a hard palm struck his face!

Inosuke coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with two teeth. He didn't flinch or dodge, and despite the pain, he didn't back down. Like a madman, he opened his mouth and bit down!

"Crazy, crazy!"

"Yes, I've gone mad... Come on, kill me!"

Punching, kicking, biting, headbutting—facing someone so eager to die, even with the old man's extraordinary abilities, as long as he didn't kill him for a moment, he could only beat him until he was helpless. The longer the battle went on, the more dangerous the situation became! But his attention was still not entirely on Inosuke; nearly half of his energy was spent watching Shizu's movements on the side.

The priestess was watching the battle quietly.

Even with Inosuke's face covered in blood and new wounds constantly appearing on his body, she still showed no intention of attacking. Her expression remained calm, her eyes seemingly devoid of any emotion, a chilling coldness that was astonishing. Only the way her fingers gripped the naginata tightened and loosened repeatedly revealed that her inner self was not as composed as she appeared.

The old man also understood that the real trump card in this battle was never Inosuke.

Inosuke was merely bait, a pawn set up to confuse him. Shizu was gambling, gambling that after playing the role of Maki Ryusai for so many years, his heart had already been tainted by the latter's image, gambling that he would waver for a moment, make a mistake, because he killed Inosuke, the guy whom Maki Ryusai regarded as his own son...

Will he?

Another fatal blow struck, and Inosuke cried out in pain, his entire body covered in blood. Due to blood loss and pain, he became somewhat dazed, and he even opened his arms and charged forward empty-handed.

The old man's brows furrowed, as if he hesitated, as if struggling with a decision. The blade in his hand trembled slightly. Facing an unguarded opponent, a single, gentle thrust would pierce Inosuke's heart, ensuring his utter demise... A glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had made up his mind. With a flick of his wrist, he was about to strike—

Just then, with a "click," Shizu disassembled the naginata and threw the back half over!

"do what……"

This action was completely meaningless. At best, it could only be interpreted as Shizu trying to block Inosuke in this way so that Inosuke would not die on the spot. However, the old man did not move his right hand holding the knife, but with a wave of his left hand, he grabbed the half of the knife handle in his palm. As Inosuke charged closer and closer, the tip of the knife was about to pierce his body...

Out of the corner of his eye, Shizu suddenly revealed a confident smile.

"Senior brother... It's a pity, I won again this time—"

The murderous aura and sorrow in her eyes vanished in that instant. The shrine maiden raised the other half of the naginata, its gleaming blade reflecting for a moment the crimson sunset, before the sunset was covered by blood.

She turned around and plunged the knife into her own chest.

The blood bloomed like flowers, falling into the old man's eyes and seemingly stunning him.

"Wait, why...don't..."

A moment of shock, a moment of vulnerability, his movements faltered, and his grip on the knife loosened slightly... The next instant, his palm was empty.

The old man abruptly withdrew his gaze, only to see that his blade had already fallen into Inosuke's hand. The blood-stained blade was turned upside down, and the ronin's face showed both tears and laughter. He seemed to see Shizu's suicide beside him, yet he also seemed not to see it. At this distance, he forcefully tilted his face back, allowing his vision, blurred by blood, to clearly see that familiar yet unfamiliar face.

That was Master Mu Liuzhai's face.

Kind and gentle, just like the deepest memory of him as a child, seeing the first ray of light in hell.

Only his eyes were frighteningly unfamiliar.

"Master, Master... I've avenged you..."

Inosuke muttered under his breath as the old man tried to back away. A dozen steps away, Shizu stood there, swaying, blood blooming on his chest, when suddenly he burst into laughter…

"...How about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"Let's bet... who does Master prefer, you or me?"

Is there a wager?

“If you win the bet, Inosuke, I won’t pay back the life you lent me. But, Inosuke, do you remember…” The woman nestled against his back, smiling smugly, “In all these years, I’ve never lost a bet between us.”

……

As expected, Shizu won this time.

he thought to himself.

……

The head rolled on the ground.

……

Chapter Sixty-Seven: After the Music Ends and the Audience Disperses

Inosuke is back.

There were two of them when they went, but they came back all alone, covered in wounds, with a gloomy expression, carrying a corpse on their back and a human head in their hand.

Yashiro herself couldn't see him, but according to others' descriptions, he was an old man with a kind and benevolent appearance—the former teacher of the Great Floating School, Makiryusai, who had treated Inosuke and the others like his own son.

Or to be more precise, it was Kanna disguised as Makiryusai.

It was assumed that Inosuke would follow tradition and bring the enemy's head to his master's grave to comfort the departed soul, but instead, he handed it to Yamamoto Kansuke.

It was only later that she learned that this seemed to be an agreement that Shizu had made with the other party. She used the power of the Tōha Clan to track down Kanna's whereabouts. Once she succeeded in taking revenge, she would hand over the other party's head to Kansuke as evidence of the attack, so that he could give an explanation to his superior, Takeda Harunobu.

"...As expected of a master known as 'Hundred Faces,' there's not a trace of disguise at all." Yamamoto Kansuke held the head and looked at it again and again, examining it carefully for a long time. He didn't feel disgusted at all; on the contrary, he clicked his tongue in amazement, as if he regretted that this person could not be used by him.

But more than regret, he was naturally relieved: "I must report this news to my lord as soon as possible, so that he can sleep soundly." Yamamoto Kansuke said jokingly, clearly relieved after seeing Kanna's head and confirming his death.

Inosuke simply nodded silently. Although he had avenged his great enemy, he had also lost his only junior sister. From an outsider's perspective, it was truly difficult to imagine his specific feelings at that moment.

Even the least perceptive Ryuko vaguely sensed this and didn't bother Inosuke much, leaving him alone to sort out his thoughts in silence—of course, a large part of this was because she had recently focused mainly on how to lure Yashiro home to meet her parents, using all sorts of tricks to coerce and entice her, offering increasingly tempting conditions.

Although Yashiro had already agreed in her heart, this was the first time she had seen Ryuko care so much about something, which she found quite interesting. So she kept being vague and didn't give a definite answer, just keeping him hanging on like that.

She would occasionally reflect on herself, feeling that bullying the little girl like that was a bit too childish and not befitting a mature adult. But despite her reflections, when Longzi came knocking on her door again, her mischievous nature would take over, and the tug-of-war would resume...

Anyway, Longzi seems to be enjoying it, so it doesn't matter.

Yashiro thought leisurely, deciding to make peace with herself from now on. Since reflecting was useless, she would stop reflecting.

Several days passed in this way. Inosuke seemed to have emerged slightly from his grief. Although he still didn't talk much, the gloomy atmosphere surrounding him had faded considerably, and he was even willing to initiate conversations with others.

On the other hand, on the very day he returned, Mankisai had already given him a rough examination of his numerous injuries. Whether it was a mere coincidence or the enemy had indeed held back, Inosuke appeared to be covered in wounds, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that they were mostly superficial injuries. The two most serious wounds were on his shoulder and calf, neither of which were serious enough to break bones. With proper medicine and quiet rest, they should heal in about a month.

"Perhaps it was my master and Shizu who were protecting me from the unseen world..."

After Inosuke finished speaking, he sighed deeply.

Despite being advised by doctors to rest, he dragged his injured body and, with the help of others, held a simple funeral for Shijin.

Neither Shizu nor Inosuke were wealthy, and they didn't have much spare money, so they couldn't afford a grand funeral. Since Inosuke insisted on paying for it himself, the coffin they bought was cheap, and even the monks chanting sutras were replaced by Mankisai.

A simple, almost hasty, funeral ceremony took place. As the coffin lid was closed and murmured chanting filled the air, a once vibrant life departed this world under the watchful eyes of those few.

Then came a period of calm and tranquility. During Inosuke's period of recuperation, nothing noteworthy happened. It was as if, with Kanna's death, the once turbulent undercurrents had also subsided.

As for the impending alliance between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Hojo families, and the ensuing power struggles and intrigues, it was equally fascinating. However, among the people present, only Yamamoto Kansuke probably needed to worry about it. As for carefree ronin like Yashiro, as long as they didn't idly get involved, they were unlikely to be drawn into it.

Hearing that more and more extraordinary people were arriving in Suruga, including the Takeda's Toha-shu, the Hojo's Fuma ninja army, and of course, the Imagawa family's long-established influence in Suruga, as well as many other people of unknown identity, some of whom might be from Echigo, some from Kanto, some from Sagami, and perhaps even spies from Owari...

For ambitious individuals, Suruga is now a land of both danger and opportunity, a place where seizing the chance can lead to meteoric rise and a phoenix-like transformation. However, Yashiro has no intention of wading into this murky water, so she begins packing her bags early, preparing to embark on another journey.

However, there are still a few issues to resolve before leaving.

For example, there's the matter of Kotomi's future arrangements—theoretically, she and Kotomi are just casual acquaintances, but given the entrustment from Hiyoshimaru and Matsushita Kabei, this matter cannot be treated carelessly. And besides her, the person most qualified to speak on this matter is none other than Yamamoto Kansuke.

The strategist originally planned to bring her back to Kai and find an opportunity to publicly acknowledge her as his daughter, and from then on, do his best to make up for the lack of family affection over the past ten years.

However, after Yashiro pointed out the pros and cons of doing so, Yamamoto Kansuke did not say anything on the surface, but his thoughts had quietly changed. Afterwards, he discussed it with several people involved, and focused on asking Kotomi's opinion. After thinking hard for several days, he finally made a decision to let Kotomi "temporarily" live with Nagata Tokumoto.

When he said this, he deliberately emphasized the word "for the time being," as if he would take the little girl home at the first opportunity. It was a last bit of stubbornness from a father. Hachihiro smiled without saying anything and did not expose him. As for the decision itself, in the girl's mind, it was also the most appropriate arrangement for the current situation.

Firstly, Yamamoto Kansuke is a key figure in the family. If everyone knew that Kotoko was his child, the little girl would inevitably be drawn into various turmoil and schemes.

Nagata Tokumoto was different. As the physician employed by the Takeda family, he earned a considerable income and held a superior position. After all, few people would want to offend a doctor for no reason, just to save their own lives. He could not only ensure that Kotomi lived in a relatively peaceful and stable environment, but also guarantee her safety to a certain extent.

On the other hand, this was also Kotori's own decision. She had been saved by Nagata Tokumoto and raised by him for several years afterward. The two were like father and daughter. Even though they were later separated and she worked as a maid in Matsushita Kabei's house for so many years, she still clearly remembered Nagata Tokumoto. She called him "Dad" repeatedly, her tone full of trust and affection. Hearing this, Yamamoto Kansuke felt both bitter and helpless, and he couldn't find a suitable reason to get angry.

Nagata Tokumoto himself was quite cowardly, and he secretly approached Yamamoto Kansuke more than once: "Lord Yamamoto... if you are really angry, you can hit me or scold me, but please spare my life for Kotomi's sake."

"I won't kill you."

"Thank you... thank you."

Despite his seemingly amicable words, after a while, perhaps because Yamamoto Kansuke glared at him, the man immediately came running over with a mournful face, pleading, "Lord Yamamoto, spare me..."

I won't kill you!

"Thank you... thank you..." he said repeatedly before leaving with peace of mind.

A short while later, it ran over again.

"Master Yamamoto..."

"If you keep babbling, believe me, I'll kill you!" Yamamoto Kansuke said angrily.

"Please spare me!" Upon hearing this, Nagata Tokumoto was so frightened that he almost cried. He begged for mercy repeatedly while glancing around out of the corner of his eye, afraid that Koko might happen to wander over at this moment and see him in this pathetic state.

"I, you...you bastard—" Yamamoto Kansuke shook his head angrily, his one eye darting back and forth, afraid that Kokoro would discover this scene. If she misunderstood him, he would be unable to defend himself. Even though he couldn't accept it a thousand times over, he still had to admit that in Kokoro's heart, his status was clearly very different from that of Nagata Tokumoto.

Moreover, this difference is unlikely to be reduced anytime soon.

"Yashiro?"

At the same time, at the corner of the stairs, Kokoro, who was about to go upstairs excitedly, had her sleeve tugged. She turned around and looked at Yashiro with a puzzled expression.

The girl tugged at her sleeve and shook her head: "Don't go up yet."

"Oh."

Xiaoqin blinked. Although she didn't know why she wasn't allowed to go upstairs, since Yashiro said so, she must have her reasons.

"Yashiro, would you like some of this?"

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then took something out of her medicine pouch, held it in her palm, and asked solicitously.