sharp like an edge of a samurai sword
the mental blade cut through flesh and bone
though my mind's at peace, the world out of order
missing the inner heat, life gets colder
oh yes, I have to find my path
no less, walk on earth, water, and fire
the elements compose a magnum...
opus, my modus operandi is amalgam
steel packed tight in micro(chip)
chip on my arm of a sign of all-pro
the ultimate reward is honor, not awards
at odds with the times in wars with no lords
a freelancer, a battlecry
of a hawk make a dove fly and a tear dry
wonder why a lone wolf don't run with a klan
only trust your instincts and be one with the plan
some days, some nights
some live, some die
in the way of the samurai
some fight, some bleed
sun up to sun down
the sons of a battlecry
some days, some nights
some live, some die
in the name of the samurai
some fight, some bleed
sun up to sun down
the sons of a battlecry
of a battlecry
Thank you, come again!
And who might you be?
You know that I'm Tajima Munetada of the Fu'un Sekisai school, don't you?
Of course. That's why I chose you.
All right, then. I'll take you on for a little after-dinner exercise.
Come on!
Fight Fire with Fire
Geez, I'm so hungry.
I'm sick and tired of hearing you say that.
Come on, we haven't had anything to eat since the checkpoint.
Then go drink from the river or something.
Sorry, friend, but we don't even have money for lodgings.
We don't have anything to give you as alms.
I'm glad to hear you say that.
You came at a perfect time.
We've been in a bind because we're so short on help.
Once you're finished wiping down the floors, please polish the Buddha. All right?
You bald bastard, who do you think we are, your slaves?!
Hey, quit your complaining!
He's feeding us and letting us stay here for free!
That reminds me.
Don't forget to chop firewood and mend the sliding doors.
Screw you!
Oh, geez...
Damn it, I'm always the one who has to clean up their messes!
Rest
Stop
Geez, there's been another one.
Talk about scary...
What happened?
What, haven't you heard?
It's another street killing. This is the third one this month.
And the only people that the killer goes after are skilled samurai.
And it says here that they've gotten fed up and put a ten ryo bounty on his head.
No way! Ten ryo?!
Hey, are you listening to me?
A ten ryo bounty! Ten ryo!
That much money would get us to Nagasaki with no problem.
A street killer, huh? I can't really say that I'm interested.
Is this guy a real badass?
He has to be.
I mean, he's specifically targeting and killing skilled samurai.
Okay, then.
Well, I'm going out for a bit.
Hey, wait!
Jin, see to the rest of the chores here, okay?
Hey!
Good grief...
Well?
Come on, little lady. Think it through.
If you see the street killer, it means that he sees you too.
Once that happens, you're as good as dead.
Oh, right... I wonder if there are some clues or something.
Hey. Who's the best swordsman around here?
What the heck are you asking him that for?
The killer's gonna go after him next, right?
Oh...
Well? Hello?
Momoi Seishiro.
Thanks, mister.
Hey, what are you doing?
Oh, don't mind me.
What is it?
You're that samurai named Momoi, ain't ya?
Indeed. This is Master Momoi Seishiro, instructor at the Gensou Academy,
also known as the Human Dynamo.
You want to be my disciple?
Glad to hear it. Now the street killer will—
Are you the street killer?!
You've got guts, showing your face in broad daylight!
Huh? You're making a mistake!
Say your prayers!
I said you were making a mistake, didn't I?!
P-Please, wait! It was all a lie!
The whole Human Dynamo thing was a lie that I spread myself!
S-Spare me!
This guy is useless.
Yes, I saw one of the corpses.
Really?
It was the strangest thing I ever saw.
There wasn't a single sword cut on it,
but blood was spurting out of his eyes, ears, and every other orifice when he died.
How was he killed, then?
I have no idea.
If the authorities could figure that out, he would've been arrested long ago.
What's the big idea?!
Hey, there's no need to shout.
I'm sure this nice gentleman didn't bump into me on purpose.
I'm sure my friends would be willing to overlook this unfortunate incident
if you give us a little something as an apology.
C'mon, say something!
You wanna end up as food for the ravens, buddy?
I have no interest in the likes of you.
What I'm saying is I'm not interested in weaklings.
Why, you...
Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard?!
Shit!
M-Monster! That guy's a monster!
That's enough for today, I think.
I'll finish this last log then.
I'll go get dinner ready.
What a lively piece of firewood!
Perhaps I'll use this as kindling for today's bath.
What'll it be?
Sake.
That won't buy you much, but maybe that's for the best.
What's that mean?
Haven't you heard? These parts have been dangerous lately.
That street killer, you mean?
Yeah, business here has been lousy because of him.
Hit me again.
Sorry, mister, but that's all that 10 mon will buy you.
Excuse me.
Help yourself to mine.
When they speak of the joy of sake, that is only when you are slightly tipsy.
I've had a little too much to drink tonight.
Be my guest.
Sure, if you insist.
Oops. My apologies.
It looks like I really have had too much to drink tonight.
How about you? You know anything, buddy?
About what?
The street killer.
I have no idea. I'm rather out of touch with public affairs.
Word has it that he only goes after tough people.
Why do you think that is?
I don't know. I couldn't really say.
But I once heard a story that goes something like this.
Long ago on the mainland, there was a mountain-climbing expert.
This man had climbed an amazingly tall mountain.
But no one had ever seen this mountain,
so they couldn't comprehend the magnitude of this accomplishment.
Reluctantly, the man continued to climb mountains that were said to be even taller.
Day after day he climbed, all in order to make the people recognize his greatness.
In the end, the man made the mountains his home, and he became a demon.
And?
The story ends there.
I don't get the point.
Forgive me, I suppose there was no point to the story.
Well, this is where we go our separate ways.
Watch out for that street killer.
Thank you. You too.
You're him, ain't ya?
What the hell kinda fighting stance is that?
Impressive, you dodged it.
This should be entertaining.
There he is! It's the killer!
The night of the next full moon.
Let us meet here again.
What the hell?
What a beautiful moon. I love watching it from here.
Oh, there you are!
I'm sorry!
That's all right, miss.
Um, about that street killer...
They say that the corpses were bleeding from everywhere, even though there wasn't a cut on them.
Listen, don't you think this is too dangerous?
Jin! What the heck do you think you're doing?!
My apologies.
But the speed of your movements makes me think that you're no ordinary priest.
What do you mean, not an ordinary priest?
Hey.
Mugen! When did you get back?
Hey, your hand...
How did they get cut up like this?
It's nothing.
I wouldn't call those nothing!
You ran into the street killer, didn't you?
Yeah.
No way.
The guy had this weird-ass sword.
It was like a powerful wind shot out of it or something.
A wind?
Yeah.
And when it hit me, it...
I knew it.
The street killer is most likely a man called Shoryu.
What, you know the guy?
He was once a pupil of mine.
At one time, I was a warrior who had his own dojo.
Shoryu—no, at the time, his name was Ukon— was a student at my dojo back then.
He was a man of considerable skill,
and he devoted himself heart and soul to the martial arts, spending each day in their study.
Eventually, Ukon was sent on a sea voyage on the orders of this domain's lord,
but the ship met with disaster.
It was believed that the ship had gone down with all hands.
But Ukon miraculously washed ashore on the continent and escaped death.
In that land, he apparently encountered a strange martial art.
Who could have known how great an impact that would have on him?
Ten years after he had disappeared,
he returned to these lands after crossing the sea, determined to make it or die trying.
But he had changed so completely that he almost seemed a different person.
Learning the martial arts of the continent
has made me realize how weak and empty those that I had previously studied were.
There is a technique called Hakkei.
It allows you to defeat an opponent, not with strength, but with the power of your inner chi.
After arduous training, I mastered this technique.
But what of the warriors of this country? What have they done?
I wish to teach the ways of the true martial arts
to the samurai who have grown indolent and weak in this peaceful country.
I want to do something about this corrupt country.
Ukon, what are you...?
I have given up that name.
I am now called Shoryu.
I yield!
Hey, wait!
Stop! What're you doing?!
What's going on in here?
H-He's dead!
What have you done?
What kind of man kills during training?
You attack a helpless man, and then go on to kill him.
What do you think the martial arts are for?!
Once mastered, the martial arts are a tool for killing.
In other words, they are to utterly and completely take the life of your opponent.
I hereby expel you from this dojo.
I'm what? Expelled?
You're throwing me out? But why?
I'm expelling you because you don't understand why.
Impossible... You're throwing me out?!
You can't be serious!
You're scared of being beaten by me, is that it?
Is that why you're throwing me out? You coward!
After Shoryu left my dojo,
he wandered from domain to domain, trying to be accepted into service.
But I've heard that he was treated as a heretic no matter where he went,
and no domain would take him in.
After that, they say
he began to hate this world that wouldn't give him recognition or even accept him,
and he began to go from dojo to dojo, killing the master of each one.
As for me,
in repentance for being unable to save the soul of my pupil, which had become tainted with darkness,
I became the priest that you see before you.
I mustn't allow Shoryu to commit any more sins.
But he is now virtually invincible.
I doubt that there is anyone who is capable of stopping him.
I'm happy to hear that.
I'm glad I'm gonna have the chance to take on a guy like that.
What's gotten into you? Why the sudden change in heart?
Ow!
I've never seen Mugen like this before.
It means that this is one opponent that he isn't sure he can defeat.
Yep, you gotta meditate under a waterfall.
Screw that.
It isn't a sword that Shoryu kills with. It is his chi.
In this country, the technique is sometimes called the Armor Piercer.
Once mastered, it can destroy the body's internal organs
without so much as scratching the opponent's armor.
Maybe that's true, but it can't hurt ya if it don't hit ya, right?
The moon's so big.
Well, I'm heading out for a bit.
Hey, you haven't forgotten, have you?
You're gonna help me look for the samurai who smells of sunflowers, right?
Yeah, I know.
Don't forget.
I will be the one who kills you.
Who do you think you are, my wife or something?
I knew you would come. You don't know how happy this makes me.
Ever since I returned from the continent, everyone has feared me.
It never even occurred to them to recognize my strength.
In spite of the fact that my skills were far superior to those that the people call masters.
And so, I taught them a lesson.
I showed them who was really the strongest.
Spare me the introductions. Let's get this started.
As you wish.
Son of a...
You exceeded my expectations.
Why do you fight me?
Is it because I have a bounty on my head?
I don't give a damn about the bounty anymore!
I'm having the time of my life right now!
As am I.
But I think it's about time that I put an end to this.
I-Impossible...
This can't be!
This time you're mine!
Ukon...
mata yo ga akereba owakare
Dawn comes, and we part ways once again.
yume wa tooki mabaroshi ni
My dreams becoming distant apparitions.
anata wo oikakete ita hikari no naka de dakareru tabi
I turn to the warm wind for help, the wind I felt every time you held me,
atatakai kaze wo tayori
as I was bathed in the light that followed on your heels.
haru wo tsuge odoridasu sansai
Spring is announced when the wild plants break out in a dance.
natsu wo miru Uji nohara karakusa kawaku wa
Summer comes to Uji, and in the fields are patterns of grass set out to dry.
aki no tsuki nobotta manmarusa oiwai
The autumn moon rises, let's celebrate its fullness.
fuyu wo sugi mata tsukihi wo kazoeru
Winter passes by, and I count off the days and months again.
mada mabuta no oku ni aru itsuka no natsu toosugita aozora (atatakakatta)
I can still see the too-distant blue sky when I close my eyes. (It was so warm.)
te wo tsunagu hanatsumi utau itsuya omoide
As I reminisce, I take your hand as I pluck flowers and sing.
ima yobisamasu kioku no naka de
Within the memories that are now coming back to me,
iza arukidasu anata no moto e
I'm setting out to find my way back to you.
haru wo tsuge odotte SAMBA
Spring is announced when the mountain leaves break out in dance.
natsu wo miru Uji nohara karakusa kawaku wa
Summer comes to Uji, and textiles with plains grass patterns are set out to dry.
aki no tsuki nobotta manmarusa oiwai
The autumn moon rises, let's celebrate its fullness.
fuyu wo sugi mata tsukihi wo kazoeru
Winter passes by, and I count off the days and months again.
mata yo ga akereba owakare
Dawn comes, and we part ways once again.
yume wa tooki maboroshi ni
My dreams becoming distant apparitions.
anata wo oikakete ita hikari no naka de dakareru tabi
I turn to the warm wind for help, the wind I felt every time you held me,
atatakai kaze wo tayori
as I was bathed in the light that followed on your heels.