第４５５堀：剣聖と日ノ本の誇りがため (Part2)
"You're not wrong. Every single one of Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna's disciples made a name for themselves as a master swordsman. Apparently, he was a skilled teacher, too. And of course, he had the talent to back it up. They say the secret techniques of the Shinkage-ryu were impossible to imitate, or that it was because no one had ever seen them before. Even his own students would say that none of them could ever draw out his full potential. Oh, and he was famous as a military strategist, too. He fought valiantly against the combined forces of Takeda Shingen and the Hojo clan, and Shingen even offered him a position as a retainer. His name even appears in the *Koyo Gunkan*, the military chronicle left behind by the Takeda family."
"Wait, so he's a real-life cheat character!?"
Yeah. I couldn't agree more.
The world has people like that—those who walk outside the boundaries of common sense.
As I was explaining this, Taizo-san rebooted.
"I-I see!! Taiki-kun, Yuki-kun, and I are all from different eras. It wouldn't be strange for someone from the distant past to have arrived here as well!! This is the real deal!!"
"Ah, no. I've never seen the man's face myself, so I don't know if that was actually Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. But as I said before, his skill with the... well, not a sword, but his skill with the *katana* seems to far surpass even the God of Swords."
Well, of course it would.
When I asked Seraria's father, he told me that his swordsmanship skill was infinite.
He's the kind of monster who can do anything with a single blade, I'm sure.
He's probably the type who has the *Kokoro-Gi-Tai* (heart, technique, and body) perfectly aligned to pull off something like a real-life *Avan Strash*.
Or maybe he could even pull off a *Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu* technique.
"I see. I don't know if it was him, but a samurai of that caliber has come from Japan!! So, where is that gentleman now!?"
Taizo-san had already forgotten the main topic, his head completely filled with the possibility of meeting Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.
Well, I suppose that’s only natural.
For us, Taizo-san is a disciple of someone we respect, which made us just as excited. For Taizo-san, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna is a historical giant; the chance to speak with him is incredibly precious. For those who wield a blade or aspire to that path, it’s a joy far greater than meeting some mere celebrity.
"Taizo. As someone who also carries a blade, I understand your joy and your desire to meet him. But unfortunately, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's trail vanished after he escaped from Nogosh's place."
"...Is that so?"
Ah, he looked crushed.
"Well, he was a man who spent his life seeking the path of the sword, so he isn't the type to stay in one place. However, this is good information. It means the Sword Saint might be somewhere in this world!! Regardless of the magic situation, I now have another reason to travel the world."
"That's true. Traveling the world with that kind of goal in mind sounds fun, doesn't it?"
"People should try their hand at many things, after all. Now then, we are to use the name of the absent Kamiizumi-dono to draw out Nogosh, correct?"
He was excited, but he remembered the plan.
Still, with Bicks also in the mix, I have my doubts about whether he'll actually show up...
"That's right. It's a matter of past karma, or perhaps he'll come back for a rematch."
"The possibility is extremely high. If he doesn't come, it would be fatal for him. It would be said that Nogosh fled, and his influence would wane. I don't know if Bicks, who is currently with him, will come, but we will certainly be able to diminish Nogosh's power."
I think that assessment is mostly correct.
Honestly, as long as Bicks stays on the defensive, there's no way to chase him down.
He uses his dungeon construction abilities to create escape routes and flee immediately.
As Taizo-san says, it's better to chip away at the power of his collaborator, Nogosh.
"However, there is a problem with this strategy. Who will act as the substitute for Kamiizumi Nobutsuna...? It is true that we need to crush Nogosh and his group as soon as possible, but if we defeat them through an ambush or a dirty trick, some nations might lose trust in Weed and the Alliance. Especially in Ranks, killing Nogosh—who came as an envoy from the Land of Swords—would look terrible to the outside world. That is why we must apprehend him in the form of a public duel."
Right. As of now, no one publicly knows about the misdeeds of Nogosh or Bicks.
Well, Bicks has his crimes in Ranks, so punishing him is easy.
But Nogosh is the problem. If we were killing him in secret, it would be one thing, but calling him out like this and taking him down with a surprise attack is a major issue.
I really don't want to face the God of Swords head-on, or fight someone wielding the *Dojigiri*, if I can help it.
But there was one person who didn't care about that.
"In that case, I shall serve as the substitute for Kamiizumi Nobutsuna-dono."
"Eh? T-Taizo-san!?"
The only one surprised by that answer was his wife, Hifi.
The others weren't surprised at all.
Because, well...
"No, what would be the point if I didn't step forward? I am the only one here who can fight to reclaim the heirloom sword of my master's house. To those fools who foolishly thought they could win just by holding a blade—even if I do not reach the heights of the Sword Saint or the Shinkage-ryu, I will show them the Jigen-ryu of Hinomoto, the spirit of the Satsuma Samurai."
That's right.
This is a battle that those who carry a blade cannot avoid.
That is what Bushido is.
Well, I don't really know for sure.
And wait, he just said "heirloom sword of my master's house," didn't he?
From a national treasure to the *Shimazu Ichimonji*? Well, yeah, I guess that's fine since he's motivated.
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.
He's quite a mysterious person.
As mentioned in the text, he never really served anyone properly, yet he raised many famous swordsmen and was known by famous daimyo; he's often called the founder of later swordsmanship and Kendo.
I took advantage of that to have him make an appearance. Though, it will be quite a while before he actually shows up in person.
Anyway, that's enough of that. *G Generation Genesis*.
I'm having fun with the Saberfish.
And don't worry, I've already cleared *Pokémon*.