Volume 36

**256: Watching Vigilantly.** Takenobu orders her to be released, and she calms Chiyozo down. As apology, she performs some humble spinning top stunts. They go to a pavillion in the castle, and he summons Baikin. Takenobu's five retainers thinks they're the strongest: Tomonori, Harumasa, Shikanosuke, Jozan, Touji. "To begin with, as for combat potential on a battlefield, first come cannons, second are rifles, then bows, and then long spears. A single swordsman can't contribute much to a battle." He asks Baikin to perform the trick with the Kodzuka as he did with the foreigners. Now he asks Azumi to perform her trick again. Baikin tests her by sabotaging with a rock, but she dodges.

**257: Check.** On is out waiting for Chiyozo and Azumi. Kanta explains he shouldn't get too attached. They return and play before going to bed. Baikin reports to Takenobu that she's got advanced bujutsu reflexes, who orders them to just watch her to make sure she's not in contact with anybody. The Tokugawas had originally ordered her to kill the ringleaders which would destroy the fief, but she refuses to crush the fief. On his way back to report on Azumi, Touji is killed.

**258: Shinobi's duties.** Takenobu orders Baikin to test if Chiyozo is skilled enough to have killed Touji. They get a private audience with Kunichiyo. Baikin reports Chiyozo has quick reflexes like a beast, but can't make an accurate assessment without fencing with him. Azumi confirms his identity with a story and birthmark. She notices a shinobi secretly listening to them, so she has to keep the guise of an acrobat. Taken by her beauty, he says he'll tell Takenobu she will be by his side constantly going forward, since his parents surely sent a beauty like her to take care of and comfort him.

**259: Gruesome Massacre.** He puts his hand between her legs, but Chiyozo make him fly rolling off her. On their way back, Azumi and Chiyozo practice secret hand signals. They happen upon some other street performers, which she finds suspicious. She tells Chiyozo to be wary, while she's on the privy. She runs off knocking out Hanzou's trailers before meeting them, making them promise not to make contact with her moving forward. She returns and with the kids they look for Chiyozo, who worriedly ran off looking for her. Two of the street performers were killed off, while the kunoichi was left, meaning he pities women. Takenobu confronts Azumi since three men tailing her has been killed by now, so he orders Chiyozo's sword skills to be tested by Baikin with wooden swords. Secretly he has ordered Baikin to break his dominant arm.

**260: The Third Enemy.** Azumi explains the situation to Chiyozo, he misunderstands though and tries to make opportunities for her to escape. She keeps refusing, and when he is pinned down, she pretends to be weak to make him understand. His arm luckily didn't break. Instead of capturing them in the castle, they ordered them to watched fair and square. Chiyozo falls asleep, Azumi noting he's probably fatigues since he's keeping watch to protect her overnight. It's as if his life's purpose is protecting her, because of this she's felt so safe she's negligently fallen into deep slumber. She wakes up this night, finding Chiyozo outside over the guards bodies strewn on the ground. She asks him if he did it, and he says no. Chiyozo is thrown in jail, and Azumi promises to prove his innocence. She tails the guards as they head back this night, and asks the assailants why they did it. One of them runs and grabs one of the kids as shield.

**261: Mysterious Shadows.** Azumi says she won't chase him if he lets Gari go, he runs out of the house before throwing Gari at her, pretending to have slashed him. They left the guard's bodies, but brought with them their fallen comrade. Chiyozo's charges are dropped, due to the kids' testimony. Takenobu grieve his 39 dead vassals. He orderes Azumi to stay with Baikin, where the assailants can approach, allowing them to find out how they're related to her, and uncover her true identity. His mother is shocked upon seeing Chiyozo's face, so she throws something at him calling him a monster. Baikin intervenes and explains. During dinner, he tells them of how terrible Emperor Hidetada is, stealing and destroying daimyos by unjustly changing their rank. His mother refuses to eat with them. Takenobu is upset with Jinza for not having noticed the black-clad men. Jinza is kind of depressed, even when making love with the kunoichi Sayo.

**262: Secret Murder.** In the morning, Baikin is training outside. Chiyozo messes around, runs outside half-naked, prompting Azumi to run after him disheveled. Jinza orders his shinobi to look for the black-clad men. The kids visits to play. Hanzou's team desperately wants to meet at dark, but she's having difficulty sneaking out of Baikin's mansion. It seems Azumi gave his mother a laxative to distract him. Azumi sneaks out, and they ask for shinobi trade secrets, and says it's impertinent of her to tell them not to meet, since she'll need their power to rescue Kunichiyo. The black clad men appears, restraining Chiyozo to the tree. Azumi leaps into action. They're completely baffled at her skill.