Chapter 27

**Combat Puppet** is the twenty-seventh chapter of *Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen*.

## Summary

Twenty years prior, Kanemaki Jisai was given the impetus for bringing forth his man-killing machine. In a forest, a young Ito Ittosai with a woman by his side, looked down on a kneeling Kanemaki, whose right thumb had been cut off. Ittosai told his sensei that he was weak and always seemed to be clumsy with the sword, which was why he made sure Kanemaki would never be able to wield one again. Ittosai said he should consider this repayment for the techniques he had taught him. On that day, Kanemaki was thoroughly and utterly destroyed at the hands of his best pupil. The woman told Kanemaki that his "little sword" wasn't enough to make her wet anymore. Ittosai admitted Kanemaki was gifted when it came to the principles of martial arts but he thought Kanemaki not being able to use the techniques he devised is just a waste of talent.

That is why Ittosai decided to take it all.

As he and the woman walked off, an enraged Kanemaki yelled out to Ittosai, swearing to kill him. Thus, Kanemaki devoted his entire life to revenge. In the present, Sasaki Kojiro declares that he shall begin his counterattack. This makes Hattori Hanzo smile as he huffs while both Mori Ranmaru and Miyamoto Musashi realise Kojiro is acting differently than he was before. Chuckling, Ittosai outwardly asks Kanemaki if this is where the good part begins. Looking at his missing thumb, Kanemaki hopes Ittosai watches as Kojiro is his ultimate masterwork – the one who will kill Ittosai in his place.

Kojiro starts running and Hanzo is taken aback by the fact that he's barreling downhill. Kojiro analyses how the striking range of Hanzo's spear is one ken and three shaku. Hanzo's output is down by 20% due to the injuries in his left shoulder and after confirming Hanzo's stance, eyeline and centre of gravity, Kojiro's behavioural prediction is complete. Telling himself to commence killing, Kojiro slashes his Monohoshizao but Hanzo jumps over it. While Kojiro is quick, since he came at him head-on, Hanzo had a chance to dodge. On the other hand, Kojiro's forward-tilting stance should leave him powerless to avoid an attack from above. Suddenly, Kojiro twists the hilt and the trajectory of the blade changes, taking Hanzo off-guard. Ittosai, Yagyu Munenori and Kanemaki all look on as Hanzo's left leg gets cut. Hanzo grits his teeth, wondering if Kojiro could tell how he was going to move. Still in the air, Hanzo thinks about how he still has his mark and he thrusts his spear downwards. Musashi believes Kojiro won't be able to dodge a jab with his body tilted like that and as Hozoin Inshun awaits the attack landing, Kojiro pushes the spear down with his free bare hand, surprising Hanzo, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ranmaru and Yagyu.

Yagyu notes that Kojiro is engaging in a perfect offense and defense as if he knows how Hanzo will move. As Hanzo lands back on the roof, Kojiro jumps into the air and makes a peace sign, reminding Hanzo that he said he knows him now. Kanemaki gauges that Kojiro is now at 30% output, much to Akechi Mitsuhide's interest. Kanemaki smirks, inwardly telling Ittosai that this is one who he has poured everything into to raise.

More than ten years prior, amidst the remains of a battlefield that would likely be lost to history, Kanemaki found a child laughing while looking at a corpse. After the child stopped laughing, they turned to see Kanemaki approaching and held up a warped sword. Kanemaki was impressed that the child could sense him and said they had promise. Kanemaki noted how his eyes weren't the eyes of a child who was laughing until a moment ago and he asked the child why he was laughing on a battlefield like this. The child revealed his father told him, "Don't take people's lives for no reason. That's what weird people do." Yet, in a war that didn't seem to be for any good reason, the child found his father lying dead like this. He figured that had to be weird and when people do something weird, the child said everyone usually laughs. When seeing how Kanemaki looked at him, the child questioned if he was wrong. Kanemaki began laughing, which made the child think it was weird. Kanemaki recounted what the child's father told him and thought about how this one could be some interesting material. Kanemaki guessed the child wished to be stronger to be able to kill the demonic men that brought about these ruthless and turbulent times. The child, however, didn't and Kanemaki then asked if they had anywhere to go. The child said they didn't since their mother died in the war too. Kanemaki told the child to come with him as he'll make sure they'll be fed. Since their mother told them to keep themself safe, they should try not to die. Thus, the child decided to go along with Kanemaki, giving him a thumbs-up.

In order to forge one who could surpass Itto Ittosai, Kanemaki gathered children that were made orphans by the chaos and strife, and were most inclined toward the martial arts. When he gathered thirty of them, Kanemaki moved a certain plan of his into action. In a large dojo, Kanemaki told the children that they shall hone their strength under his care and become deadly worms, in order to devour the lives of demons. Referring to them as his brood, Kanemaki made each of them wear the same mask and gave them numbered names (Ichiro, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro, Rokuro, etc.) to seal away their individual wills and personalities. The pretense of destroying demons instantly resonated with the brood, who had all come to dislike this age of strife. It was all for the sake of making them powerful swordsmen, even undaunted by death. The brood took his methods of thought, his principles and his knowledge to heart. They refined one another and grew before Kanemaki's eyes. At times, Kanemaki would give them some practical combat experience by singling out robbers, mountain thieves, ronin and other such people who took no remorse in killing.

Thus, the brood had begun to become as precise as killing machines. But among them, there were some who showed outstanding talent. Those being, Jiro and Kuro. In a field, the brood all train with bamboo whip-swords but most of them are unable to handle them properly.

Both Jiro and Kuro expertly clash with their bamboo whip-swords, and after dodging Jiro's attack, Kuro wraps his whip-sword around Jiro's before delivering a palm strike to Jiro's chest to knock them down. As Jiro sighed about not being good enough, Kuro offered to go again. As he watched, Kanemaki thought Kuro was the most outstanding out of the two and he had secretly resolved that Kuro would be his successor. But at the same time, other problems began emerging among all the brood. Two of the brood accused Kuro of having done that on purpose and as he questioned what they meant, the two took him away from Jiro and whispered about how Kuro touched Jiro's chest, so they would like to know how it felt and if Kuro could tell if Jiro was a guy or a girl. Kuro dismissed them and walked back to Jiro as the other two called him a self-righteous prick, going on to say he only got to touch Jiro's chest because he's the only one who can take them on. As Kuro helped Jiro up, the two stared at Jiro from afar.

Now fully grown, Jiro didn't seem to be either male or female. They were tall and hadn't developed female breasts but by all appearances, they seemed to be a beautiful young girl. As the brood entered puberty, their own curiosity was on the verge of bursting yet they never checked for themselves. Part of that was because of Kuro's presence but mainly, it was because the brood presumed that, when they did find out if Jiro was a male or a female, something among them would fatally crumble away. Men are driven mad by things like liquor, money, power and sex, and the fact that Jiro had no self-awareness made things worse. Kuro told Jiro to fix their clothes so that their chest was less exposed. Later on, at a cliff overlooking the sea, Jiro wondered what Kuro wanted to talk to them about. Kuro admitted he couldn't believe the way they have been acting until now. He pointed out that the brood look at Jiro with the same eyes as the demons they've brutally killed. Jiro asked if that was true and Kuro said the fact that they couldn't tell is why they are in danger, though he doubts Jiro can even tell how he feels. Having gotten sick of this, Kuro confessed that he didn't know if it was the danger Jiro is in that's urging him or a sickening desire to have Jiro as his own but Kuro feels like, at this rate, he'll become a demon himself. Kuro told Jiro that the two of them needed to leave this place someday. Once they've gotten far away enough and figured out what they want to do with their lives, they will part ways. Jiro questioned why they must part ways but Kuro replied with just because, which Jiro accepted since it was Kuro saying it. Kuro guessed that, once they're away from this place, Jiro's closed-off heart will start to open up a bit. From afar, Kanemaki had heard everything and he identified Jiro as poison.

Kuro was to be Kanemaki's ultimate masterwork and so, Kanemaki decided to eliminate them both. Jiro and Kuro's heart, through the ultimate test: the Poison Pit.

The next day, Kanemaki took the brood to a village and he explained to them that this village is a settlement of mountain thieves who have gained infamy in these parts – the Shishido Clan. Whoever of the brood that can get him the head of the clan, who is surnamed Shishido, Kanemaki will give the whole of his technique to. Kuro whispered to Jiro that they should use this as an opportunity to escape while Kanemaki revealed that whoever kills the head, will receive proof that they are his greatest disciple – a blade brought into being to kill demons, called Bizen Osafume Nagamitsu. Kanemaki only learned of what happened in the village after the ultimate test took place, from Kojiro. Once they eliminated the thieves, the brood began to kill each other. It was just as Kanemaki planned.

To those among the brood that had some interest in Jiro, Kanemaki told them that Jiro was a woman and whoever could prove himself the strongest could have her. When he saw the brood killing each other, Kuro took off his mask and questioned what they were doing. The two that asked him about Jiro's chest attacked and as he clashed swords with one of them, Kuro asserted that he wouldn't be able to hold back if they came at him with real swords. The one attacking called Kuro bold and said they hated that about him. To those who despised Kuro, Kanemaki told them that Kuro was trying to take Jiro for himself. Kanemaki lent fuel to their suspicions but to Kuro alone, he said nothing. After he killed the two, Kuro screamed and asked someone to tell him why they have to kill each other. Hearing a step behind him, Kuro turned around, only to narrowly dodge a slash from Jiro. To Jiro, all that Kanemaki said was, "Obey our rules."

Kuro asked Jiro why they did that and Jiro said that it was their rule to hunt down demons. Kuro was exasperated that Jiro thought he was a demon and Jiro pointed out that he killed all their friends. Kuro insisted to Jiro that they were wrong as something weird is going on here. However, Jiro put on their mask and apologised, having forgotten that they're not supposed to lend their ears to demons. Gritting his teeth, Kuro realised he was wrong. He had thought Jiro's heart was closed off due to the environment they were in but it was now clear to Kuro that Jiro didn't even have a heart to begin with. Kuro called Jiro an impressionable doll, unable to act for itself. Kuro couldn't stand that and so, he raised his sword. This is merely just Kanemaki's conjecture but at that very moment, two conflicting directives within Jiro's mind clashed. Jiro's mother's orders to "Stay alive" and Kanemaki's orders to "Obey the rules" forced Jiro to defeat Kuro, an opponent many times stronger than themself, in order to stay alive. Thus, something inside Jiro had "opened."

Sitting by himself, Kanemaki thought about how the Poison Pit was a gamble but if all went well, then Kuro would become his ideal killing machine. Jiro appeared and threw Kuro's severed head near Kanemaki, much to his surprise that Kuro lost. Jiro stated that they followed his orders and so, they took Bizen Osafume Nagamitsu and asked for Kanemaki's next orders. Before Kanemaki stood a killing machine that was ruthless beyond all reason and unfazed by the Poison Pit and emotion. In the present, Kojiro slashes Hanzo across the chest, causing the shinobi to fall down. As Ieyasu screams for Hanzo while Inshun is left impressed, Yagyu smirks about how every single move is precise and powerful, believing they are now seeing Kojiro's true ability. When Hanzo doesn't seem to move, Ranmaru is shocked that it's all over, much
to Ieyasu's disbelief. Smiling, Kanemaki says Kojiro is monstrous beyond reason – a truly unrivaled killing machine.

Ittosai goes over how Kanemaki is gifted at formulating techniques but he had neither the physique nor the skill to put them into practice, which is why he created a machine that could completely master his techniques. What's more, they haven't seen all that Kojiro can offer yet. Ittosai notes that Kojiro is an intriguing little one before inwardly telling Kojiro that it may be a little early to be so certain he's won. As Kojiro turns around and tells Ranmaru he's done, Hanzo opens his eyes.

## Appearing Characters

* Akechi Mitsuhide
* Hattori Hanzo
* Hozoin Inshun
* Ito Ittosai
* Kanemaki Jisai
* Kuro (Flashback)
* Mori Ranmaru
* Miyamoto Musashi
* Oda Nobunaga
* Oda Nobutada
* Sasaki Kojiro
* Takigawa Kazumasu
* Tokugawa Ieyasu
* Yagyu Munenori
* Yasuke