Chapter 26

**Life of a Shinobi** is the twenty-sixth chapter of *Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen*.

## Summary

During the Battle of Anegawa, Hattori Hanzo rushed Honda Tadakatsu's location to see if he was still alive. That is when he came upon the sight of Honda mowing down the soldiers of the Asakura Army, with his **Brilliant Hardened Body**. Hanzo admits he always despised how Honda was a man who would charge headlong into the fray because he looked like the appearance of a general that he had truly been searching for. He admits that Honda's back was just far too dazzling for him.

In the present, on top of the Conqueror's Canopy, the audience and Mori Ranmaru are surprised when the ball that Sasaki Kojiro slashed explodes. In the air, Hanzo recounts how it's only blast and smoke but it's more than enough to blow away the limp Monohoshizao before he dubs this move, Ninpo: Explosive Escape Jutsu. After asserting that was just a joke, Hanzo thrusts his spear down at the swordsman. Kojiro manages to dodge and is forced to move back as Hanzo lands back down. He observes how that still wasn't enough to defeat him before he says that Kojiro is still human, however monstrous he may be. As it's revealed Hanzo cut Kojiro's right thigh, the shinobi notes it will take its toll on the swordsman as long as he keeps chipping away at him. Hozoin In'ei laughs about how underhanded Hanzo is and though Hozoin Inshun agrees, he points out that it isn't a normal feat to instantly think of blowing away Kojiro's limp sword and land a flying jab in his blind spot at the same time. Akechi Mitsuhide guesses it's no surprise that Kojiro was caught off-guard there and teases Kanemaki Jisai by repeating how he called Kojiro his masterwork, much to Kanemaki's irritation.

Some start to wonder if Hanzo's move was even legal and Miyamoto Musashi thinks about how it should be since this is a fight. Oda Nobunaga suddenly orders the fighters to use their specialties to their fullest, indicating he doesn't mind. Ranmaru calls him cool for that and Takigawa Kazumasu says to Tokugawa Ieyasu that underhandedness is another strength on the battlefield. As Mitsuhide chuckles over how Oda is such a scamp, the audience aren't convinced as Hanzo is underhanded beyond all underhandedness. Hanzo hopes Kojiro is willing to bear with his tricks since they're all he has. Kojiro confirms Hanzo is a genius and supposes he can see them: the points of stress with which to deceive the enemy that normal fighters can't see. Kojiro tells Hanzo that his true form is an undeniable genius of trickery.

Laughing, Hanzo remarks on how that takes him back since this makes it the second time someone else has noticed that. When he was young, Hattori Masanari (later known as Hattori Hanzo) could outmatch any man, no matter how large he was. There was an instance where someone tried to kidnap him but Masanari killed him by using a combination of caltrops and a rock. By looking at his circumstances, his environment and his opponent, Masanari could tell what timing and what traps could let him defeat them with ease.

In other words, he could see the vital points in luring the enemy, which is one of the most important abilities a shinobi could have. However, Masanari never once showed this out in the open.

Some time later, Masanari's father, Hattori Hanzo Yasunaga told him that they are no longer shinobi but samurai. Thus, any dastardly action would only harm their favor. Masanari claimed he understood, all the while thinking about how his abilities are scorned by normal people. Yasunaga decided to pass on the name of "Hattori Hanzo" and his ambitions to his son, instructing him to win glory on the battlefield with the spear, fairly, for the sake of Tokugawa. He told Masanari to become a true samurai, that he could take pride in. Masanari didn't get what a true samurai was and how he could become one that he could take pride in.

While going through a village on horseback, Masanari met him: a young Honda Tadakatsu, also on horseback. Masanari thought about how he appeared before him far too brazenly. A villager identified Honda as the young head of the Honda Clan, who carried himself ferociously in the last rebellion. As he said his name, Masanari could instinctively feel, though he was younger, that Honda had a vigor that indicated he was a true samurai. Hanzo then realised he moved to go in front of Honda, which made Honda question what he wanted from him. Hanzo introduced himself and Honda recalls hearing about how the Hattori are shinobi of Iga. Honda once again asked him what he wanted and Hanzo requested that they spar, much to the surprise of those who were watching. Hanzo said that he's heard about how Honda is a muscle-headed fool, who's only useful in battle through sheer luck and is under a false sense of security. Thus, Hanzo proclaimed he would give Honda a taste of reality. Honda was mildly surprised by how much Hanzo wanted to fight before he agreed to the spar since one little fight doesn't make much of a difference to him.

The two moved to a large field and they both wielded wooden spears. After they clashed spears, Hanzo called Honda a "musclehead", which prompted Honda to wonder if that made Hanzo a "shitty little ninja". Honda then lunged his spear forward and grazed Hanzo's side. As Hanzo gritted his teeth in pain, Honda urged him to come fight. Hanzo thought that if he overcame this Nio of a man, then everyone would recognise him: his comrades, his countrymen, his father and most of all, himself. He hoped they would all recognise Hattori Hanzo as a proud samurai. Honda ended up winning and sat nearby as Hanzo lied on his back, huffing with his body bruised all over.

Hanzo asked to go again one more time but Honda called him a moron for that since he'll die if he gets pushed any further. Thinking their spar took long enough, Honda got up to leave but Hanzo then begged him to kill him. Slowly getting up, Hanzo declared he was a samurai, who had cast aside his dastardly ways. He considered to be an honor to be killed by a true samurai like Honda. Honda suddenly laughed and patted Hanzo's shoulder, telling him they were just playing around and that this spar wasn't that serious, much to Hanzo's irritation. Honda insisted Hanzo really was a moron, though he didn't hate that about him. Hanzo believed Honda was still looking down on him as a ninja but Honda assured him he didn't care about that before he asked Hanzo why he didn't fight with his full power if he was so eager in the first place. Honda claimed that, if Hanzo used the techniques he was hiding, he wouldn't have been beaten so badly.

Honda went even further, implying Hanzo could've been victorious, depending on how things played out but Hanzo cut him off and tried to say he wasn't hiding anything. Honda told him not to try and pull that, going on to recount how, from the way Hanzo was acting during the thick of battle, Honda could tell he thought up of so many other strategies but held them all back. Honda kept feeling the presence of some threat coming from beyond his own imagination, though if Hanzo wanted to keep doing full-frontal attacks, then Honda wouldn't stop him. Honda said to Hanzo that, in these chaotic times, he knows the moment will come when talents like the one Hanzo possessed will shine. When that time comes, Honda suggested that Hanzo actually uses them, which stunned Hanzo. While walking away, Honda stopped and told Hanzo that if he's so eager to put his life on the line, it would be a lot more fun if he did it for some grand dream – for example, putting their lives on the line to conquer this land of Japan for the Tokugawa Clan. Looking at Honda's back, Hanzo considered it to be massive and radiant. He doesn't know why he began crying at that moment. It could've been because of jealousy, envy, gratitude, or maybe even all of them.

In the present, Hanzo says it is Honda's fault that he's in this ill-suited position. Hanzo has no interest in who the strongest is but the dream he shared with Honda persists. Raising his spear, Hanzo proclaims that is why he will fulfill their dream by any means necessary, even if it means putting his life, his pride and his all for it. Ieyasu is taken aback by this and Kazumasu tells him to keep a close eye on Hanzo as he isn't just fighting for his sponsor. Kojiro admits he hasn't fought Hanzo's type all that much.

But he's not worried. Swinging his Monohoshizao around, Kojiro believes he can kill Hanzo after just a little more. With his eyes widening, Hanzo suddenly pierces the roof with his spear, flinging the broken tiles towards Kojiro. Guessing Hanzo saw the stress points there, Kojiro dodges the debris before realising Hanzo is gone, having used the tiles as just a distraction. Kanemaki yells at Kojiro to not take so much interest in his target, wondering how long he'll keep looking. As Kojiro inwardly assures his master that he knows, Hanzo is revealed to be in the air above him. Hanzo checked the angle of the moon before jumping, so he's sure that his shadow won't be visible to Kojiro. Yagyu compliments Hanzo for getting into Kojiro's blind spot.

Holding his spear over his head with both hands, Hanzo proceeds to use **Honda Tadakatsu** **Emulation: Boulder Strike**, swinging the spear down, much to Kanemaki's worry. However, not even looking, Kojiro turns and jumps back, causing Hanzo's strike to land on the roof instead. With his Monohoshizao, Kojiro slashes and cuts Hanzo's left shoulder. In'ei chuckles over how Kojiro saw through Hanzo and Kanemaki sighs it's about time. Hanzo is impressed that Kojiro saw where he was coming from but Kojiro reveals he didn't see it: he just predicted it. He figured out after having analysed the habits of Hanzo's thinking, the tendencies of his ideation, the mass and quality of his muscles, the precision of his physical maneuvers and some other stuff inside his head.

Now that all his preparations are complete, Kojiro warns Hanzo that he'll begin his counterattack.

## Appearing Characters

* Akechi Mitsuhide
* Hattori Hanzo
* Hattori Hanzo Yasunaga
* Honda Tadakatsu (Flashback)
* Hozoin In'ei
* Hozoin Inshun
* Kanemaki Jisai
* Miyamoto Musashi
* Mori Ranmaru
* Oda Nobunaga
* Oda Nobutada
* Sasaki Kojiro
* Takuan Soho
* Takigawa Kazumasu
* Tokugawa Ieyasu
* Yagyu Munenori
* Yasuke