Onimusha (鬼武者)

No wonder I felt cold.

Begin!

That's enough.

That's two... four... six...

...Eight, nine, ten... Eleven in total.

At three days per opponent...

...That means I get to borrow the thing for thirty-three days.

That was our agreement, wasn't it?

Kaizen.

Sir.

No, you must wait here. Sorry.

Oh, come on...

Sorry.

Is that it?

Quiet, please.

Namu...

Kaizen.

Sir!

...Master...

Don't worry about me, just take this.

So, this is it.

Stop...!

Let him have it.

The seal has been broken.

Many thanks. Much appreciated.

I trust you with it, knowing you're capable of putting it to good use.

But I expect you to strictly adhere to the thirty-three day deadline.

Well, of course. Have you ever known me to be late for anything?

All the same, unforeseen circumstances are a part of life, aren't

they?

Therefore, just in case something unexpected should come up...

...Kaizen here will accompany you as my insurance agent.

...Huh??

Fine with me.

Hey...

I'll carry it until you have need of it.

One moment.

Tell me, Miyamoto Musashi...

What is it you plan to do, anyway?

Oh. Well... I'm going hunting... Demon hunting.

Ah, you're back.

Thanks, I appreciate you waiting.

You found what you were looking for?

Yeah... And I was able to borrow it.

- ...Huh? - And what about this esteemed monk?

He's kind of a watchdog.

My name is Kaizen.

I will be accompanying you on your journey. Don't mind me.

Hmm...

So, uh, has Musashi here told you where we're going and what we're going to do

when we get there?

I've been told nothing.

Huh?

Well then, we can explain the details along the way. Sahei, you look after

Kaizen.

Of course.

We need to get moving. Gensai! We're leaving.

...Traveling with a monk is bad luck, everyone knows that.

It all started six months ago, in a remote village in the territory we come

from...

And where is that?

It might be better if you don't know. Anyway, there was skirmish in the village.

A minor one, but since several people were killed, our lord dispatched a scout

to investigate. This scout, Iemon, is one of the most brilliant men in our

territory. Very clever.

That's why it's so troubling that he's suddenly gone rogue.

Rogue?

He incited a rebellion and convinced the villagers to join him. He and his

followers are camped there now.

Our lord sent a spy to the village, but he was captured and returned to us maimed

and tortured. This set our lord ablaze with fury.

But if he were to mobilize a large army, it would become known to the shogun, and

he doesn't want that to happen.

That's why we've been sent to deal with the situation and do it discreetly.

As it happens, we were lucky enough to have the esteemed and famous Musashi

staying with us as a guest.

He's famous? I didn't know Musashi was famous.

You've never heard of him before??

I have lived my whole life within the temple walls.

Well then, I'll tell you.

He's a master swordsman known throughout the land!

He's fought countless duels and never been defeated!

His victories in the three battles against the renowned Yoshioka brothers of

Kyoto were perhaps the ultimate manifestation of his genius.

And then there was the time he defeated Sasaski Kojiro, who was a genius, too,

except, of course, he fought with an oar, not a sword. Oh, what a glorious victory

that was!

If you say so.

Most of those stories are just a bunch of baloney from what I can tell.

He didn't come train with us at the dojo the whole time he was with us.

True, but...

...What're you saying? That he was trying to avoid meeting our teacher in a sparring

match?

Well, in any case, he has been asked by our lord to bring Iemon to heel.

And Matsuki Kensuke, our instructor in swordsmanship, has been sent along to

assist him.

The rest of us have been sent along to act as assistants to the assistant, you could

say.

Ah. So in short...

...Your master wants this matter settled quickly and quietly, so that no one starts

to think that he's losing control.

You don't mince words.

Still...

...Even if Musashi is every bit as skilled a swordsman as you say...

...You'll be heavily outnumbered.

We have Matsuki, too, and he can handle a sword better than anyone else in our

territory. And Gensai was a senior disciple of Iemon himself. They honed

their skills together.

And don't forget about us three. We all trained with Matsuki, after all.

Despite how we look, we can handle ourselves in a fight.

So you just hide behind us and you'll be safe, holy man.

So Kaizen...

...There's one question that I think all of us have been wanting to ask.

Yes?

What is it you're carrying inside that box of yours?

I don't know.

Huh?

The box has been sealed since long before I was born... And I have never been

told what's inside. Nor was it my place to ask.

Aren't you curious?

Well...

...Before we left, my master told me this much...

Whatever it is inside that box, it's used when dealing with beings that... are

not human.

I miss you.

- I miss you... - I miss you...

I miss you...

That's the first time I've heard your voice.

Are you planning to kill Iemon?

I'm not sure yet.

...Iemon is a good man.

I'll decide that for myself.

We'll stop here. We could all use some rest.

I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take!

Eh?

- Ow!! Sahei! What the devil is that?! - Stop moving.

It's concentrated sake, made by boiling it down.

When craftsmen and fishermen injure themselves in their work, they use this to

prevent the wound from festering.

Festering couldn't feel any worse!

Hey.

- Huh? - Huh?

Is this mountain path really the only way to the village?

It's the only way that isn't watched.

It will get easier once we're past these rocks.

So you've been there? You've visited this village before.

I've seen the map that you drew.

I'm familiar with the area.

In fact, I've traveled all over his lordship's domain collecting medicinal

herbs.

The medical arts are my specialty. I'm sure that's the reason I'm here.

That and my mapmaking. Certainly not for my swordsmanship.

I can't stop wondering why Iemon would do such a thing...

Let's see what the cards have to say...

Hey, it's a woman! He's being manipulated by a woman.

Your fortune-telling's accurate only about half of the time, though.

Hey, half the time, that's pretty good!

But what could have made Iemon do such a thing? That's the question.

Matsuki.

Is there something I can help you with, Musashi?

There is something I wanted to ask you about.

This Iemon fellow, what kind of man is he?

They tell me that you were Iemon's master since the time he was about ten or

so.

How would you sum him up?

Well, the simplest way to put it is that he is a man who has always been blessed

with great natural talents.

He excels in intelligence and courage, and has powers of quick observation and a

real gift for innovative thinking.

His only problem really is that he had the misfortune of being born in the wrong

era.

As a penniless samurai from a poor rural area, his remarkable talents go to waste.

Poor devil. If only he'd been born a few decades earlier, he could have aimed

higher and perhaps achieved great things...

That implies that he would've been better off in the Sengoku period, is that what

you're saying?

Well, what do you think?

Another thing.

You were there that day, weren't you?

The day the spy was sent back from the village.

Despite his wounds he was still alive.

It wasn't anything human that did that.

And you chose these men to face an enemy like that?

This won't be some little skirmish, but a battlefield where their lives are at

stake.

None of them has the stomach for this kind of fight. Or the skills.