The Elusive Samurai (逃げ上手の若君)

Takauji Ashikaga.

Taking down the Kamakura Shogunate was a great cause indeed.

In honor of your merits, I will bestow you a character from my name.

)

You will be known as... )

Takauji Ashikaga from now. Ashikaga >)

Takauji Ashikaga from now. Ashikaga)

I am honored.

, Kyoto) Thanks to you, the empire has returned to us.

If there is any official position you would like to hold in the new Imperial Court,

just let me know.

I am but a man of valor.

I cannot work with pens at all.

Instead...

My retainers behind me are too good for me,

too pure of heart, too intelligent, too brave.

I would be more than happy if these men...

...could work for the Imperial Court.

Ohh...

Well, I heard that he was the one who destroyed Kamakura...

So I thought he must look scary!

But look at that prodigal, gentle smile!

That's definitely a human's face, not a demon's.

The emperor's wish has been granted.

The time has come for the emperor,

and the court nobles, to rule once again in place of the shogunate!

Good work out there.

What is it, Moronao?

(Ashikaga steward Moronao of Ko)

Nothing.

I have served you since you were little,

and your smile has become more uncanny in recent years.

Enough with your nonsense.

I'm leaving it to you.

We must all support the emperor.

Yes.

Lord Takauji.

I thank you for recommending me for the position of Governor of Shinano.

You were the first to give up on Hojo and fight as my retainer.

It is only befitting.

But in your Shinano region,

Suwa, the leading figure of the Hojo clan, is still alive and well.

The remnants of the Hojo must surely be running and hiding.

I'm sure you can find them.

I see four male mites and one female mite.

Leave it to me, Lord Takauji.

My bow and my eyesight are the best in the world.

I will find any small insect,

and shoot it to death for your viewing pleasure!

and shoot it to death for your viewing pleasure!

Are you for real?

I've never seen anyone who couldn't cut a bundle of straw before.

Lord Tokiyuki's muscles...

...are always ready to flee at a moment's notice,

even when attacking.

As a result, he swings his sword with a bent back.

You should really train yourself to swing with your hips.

That would backfire!

Training his attack muscles will weaken his running-away muscles!

Both his offensive and evasive skills will worsen, and he'll lose his strength!

What even is "running-away muscles"?

I see you're quite good at archery, Young Master.

My father loved to watch me practice archery.

Wow!

That was a splendid job, Lord Tokiyuki!

Yeah.

Right in the middle!

It's right in the middle!

Well done, Lord Tokiyuki!

I may look like this, but I've been forced to do a lot of archery.

It's settled, then.

Let's stretch your bow for now.

As a general, he can't just run away. It's bad for the morale of the troops.

I want him to learn how to make use of his traits,

and defeat his enemies while running away...

Well, where is the teacher who can teach such a sinister path?

Lord Yorishige!

Sadamune Ogasawara of Nishi-Shinano paid a sudden visit!

Sadamune?

Who is he?

Have you never met him in Kamakura?

I don't know him.

I don't think he's the kind of man who'd have access to my father's mansion.

He should be safe, then.

Just in case, hide in that shack and watch from there.

If it isn't Sir Yorishige! Long time no see!

I'm flattered that you came all the way to our place.

What brings you here, Sir Sadamune?

Sorry for coming on such short notice.

I just thought I'd say hello.

As you know, the Shogunate fell.

Thus, the regime returned to the emperor Go-Daigo in the capital.

I bring a written command from the emperor.

That Sadamune Ogasawara...

...is appointed Governor of Shinano.

) ...is appointed Governor of Shinano.

From now on, I am in a position to give you orders!

Just the other day you were working for Suwa...

And now you're ordering us around?!

When the Kamakura Shogunate fell,

we fought the renegade Hojo with great success.

In contrast, the Suwa clan often fought on the side of the Hojo.

You're in no position to complain even if you have to forfeit your entire territory.

Well, we'll come back to that later...

There's another reason I'm here today.

If you are sheltering the survivors of the Hojo clan and its vassals here in Suwa,

I would like you to hand them over.

Sheltering? What nonsense.

I can't give you someone I haven't seen.

Oh, so you haven't seen them?

Two warriors cautiously watching from behind a cedar tree a town away...

The old man holding a small sword in case of emergency...

Children peeking through the latticework of a shack...

They all look so suspicious to me!

My all-seeing gaze cannot be fooled, Sir Yorishige!

I'll get them all thoroughly someday!

For now, I'll just say hello. Have a great day.

Oh, right!

We came in a hurry and didn't bring any souvenirs.

We should at least offer one deer to the Suwa Myojin!

A deer?

At Suwa Grand Shrine,

it is said that it brings good luck to catch a deer with a split ear...

Oww!

That's a good one!

Take the fawn with a split ear as a souvenir!

Bastard...

How's Miss Sakae doing?

They said they could sew it up.

Although, the very person said while smiling, "This wound isn't worth the fuss."

Sadamune Ogasawara is a master archer heard throughout Japan

He has the sight and observation that supports his bow.

A troublesome man has become the Governor of Shinano.

That goofy eyeball dude...

I can't believe he actually shot a mere shrine woman.

What do you think, Young Master?

It's a shameful conduct as a warrior.

Within his eyeballs lie his terrible character.

But...

But?

Hsi archery...

...was beautiful, truly.

What an honest and forgiving man.

He has the ability to admit the good things even from the person he hates.

These qualities will certainly serve him well when he becomes general.

I also found a great teacher for him!

It's settled, then.

Your next game of tag will be hide and seek.

Hide and seek?

Sadamune has two objectives.

To capture the remnants of Hojo,

and weaken Suwa's power by taking advantage of it.

But you too have two objectives.

To never blow your cover,

and steal his archery skills.

Sadamune will abuse his position as governor,

and cause trouble in our territory again.

So, that means you'll have plenty of chances to see his archery.

Sometimes you hide yourself, and sometimes your true identity.

Stay close to him and watch his bow.

The game of hide and seek to escape those eyes and bow!

It's a thrill of wondering whether you'll be found or shot in the eye!

It surely will make your heart race!

I overheard something about this.

In three days, a dog shooting competition...

...will be held at Suwa Grand Shrine.

I, Sadamune, have a plan for that.

To weaken Yorishige Suwa's power,

and find the remnants of the Hojo clan.

We participate in the competition and pick fights with everyone.

We then win and get them to accept our terms.

That's a great idea.

It feels disgusting to be whispered through eye conduction!

Damn it! It's not going as I thought.

I need to get better.

Lord Tokiyuki, good luck for the next round.

Yeah.

Shizuku.

It is dangerous to mention his name in front of a large crowd.

From now on, we'll use aliases in front of outsiders.

You should think of a nickname for him too.

Then, Brother...

Young Master!

We've got trouble!

We have a surprise participant!

The Governor of Shinano has jumped into the competition!

How come he participated nonchalantly?!