Chapter 97

## Operation "Infiltrate the Asahikawa 7th Division"!!

* Color
* Volume

**Operation "Infiltrate the Asahikawa 7th Division"!!**, or **Asahikawa 7th Division Infiltration Plan** (旭川第七師団潜入大作戦！！, *Asahikawa daishichishidan sen nyū dai saku sen!!*) is the 97th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Tanigaki and Cikapasi were able to rescue Inkarmat from Aohara and his men who laid crumpled on the floor. Inkarmat notes that Tanigaki had come to rescue her but he tells her that it was Cikapasi who led the rescue, which causes Inkarmat to lighten up and lead them to their next destination. Chizuko Mifune interrupts them and warns that if they continue heading east, the man they are pursuing will kill them.

Elsewhere, Sugimoto and Hijiakat's group talked about Shiraishi's strange behaviour when they tried to save him, which leads them to believe that Shiraishi had indeed intended to betray Sugimoto's group over to Hijikata's group. Nagakura tries to come to a settlement between the two groups but Sugimoto is angry, believing that Shiraishi would just betray them again.

In Asahikawa, the two groups in disguise walks along the Shidan Street to the 7th Division barracks and scouts out the area. Several hours before, Kiroranke shows them a map of the barracks and mentions that the men who took Shiraishi away were from the 27th Infantry Regiment. Ogata interrupts them and reveals that he too is from the 27th Regiment, which leads Sugimoto to realize that Tsurumi is also from that regiment. Ogata says that they must've secretly stowed Shiraishi away somewhere because the commander of the 27th Regiment is Terunaka Yodogawa, who is being supported by Tsurumi.

In the headquarters at Asahikawa, Yodogawa is informed that the warden of Abashiri Prison is here to see him. He then opens the door to see Suzukawa, who is disguised as Inudou and Sugimoto wearing a mask as one of Abashir's guards. Upon exchanging greetings and settling inside, Suzukawa says he hears that Shiraishi is being kept here and requests that he be returned to him. Inudou feigns ignorance but Suzukawa presses him about the 7th Division's actions which led to the Abashiri convicts escaping. In the hallway, a guard tells another guard to inform Tsurumi in Otaru about Inudou's presence.

In Otaru, Tsurumi receives the message about a man claiming to be Inudou. Back in Asahikawa, Suzukawa continues to press Yodogawa and brings out stacks of money which he says are counterfeits forged by Kumagishi. Suzukawa says that Kumagishi's skills would be useful for Yodogawa's ambitions and proposes a trade of prisoners. Meanwhile, Tsurumi is attempting to contact the Asahikawa headquarters via a long distance operator. As Suzukawa continues to manipulate Yodogawa, Tsurumi screams into his receiver not to listen to anything Inudou says. Shiraishi is then brought into a room by a guard and sees Yodogawa, Suzukawa, and Sugimoto waiting for him.

## Character Appearances

* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Kano Ienaga *(Cameo)*
* Hyakunosuke Ogata
* Kiroranke
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Asirpa
* Tatsuma Ushiyama
* Shinpachi Nagakura *(Cameo)*
* Toshizou Hijikata
* Kiyohiro Suzukawa
* Aohara
* Inkarmat
* Genjirou Tanigaki
* Cikapasi
* Chizuko Mifune
* Terunaka Yodogawa
* Tsurumi
* Chouan Kumagishi *(Flashback)*

## Trivia

* Sugimoto's mask that he is wearing while infiltrating the 7th Division's barracks is a homage to a Japanese horror film The Inugami Family.