Episode 8

## Episode Chronology

**Student and Master** (弟子と師, *Deshi to Shi*) is the eighth episode of the Jigokuraku anime series.

## Synopsis

"Scum" was what they referred to him as during his time out on the streets. That was until a teacher came along to honor him with the pride of a samurai. Then came along a person who he chose to protect as someone precious and dear to him. That is why the young man named Yamada Asaemon Tenza continued to wield the sword until his dying breath.

## Plot

In a flashback, a young Tenza, living in the slums with people looking down on him, spends his time doing as he pleased, such as robbery, killing, and sleeping. As he was walking down the streets, Tenza bumps into a few samurai and gets into a fight with them after hearing them speak ill of him. However, he is stopped from going on any further by Yamada Asaemon Shion who points his blade at Tenza.

In the present, Tenza and Nurugai walk along the coast to find a suitable current off the island but continue to have no luck. As Nurugai tries criticizes their plan of action on the beach, Tenza informs her that it was the only way to avoid the bugs and monsters in the woods and keep her away from danger, which she found attractive in him. The two then looked to see a woman appearing out of nowhere. The woman speaks of the noises she heard coming from the wood and the corpses of Sōshin she discovered, all of which she found unusual, and turns her attention to Tenza and Nurugai, asking if they were the ones responsible. As she spoke, the woman has her body shift into a man, much to Tenza and Nurugai's shock and fear that prompts them to retreat. However, the Tensen instantly appears in front of Tenza to tell him it was pointless and repels him back with his hand. Nurugai then becomes the Tensens next target but manages to avoid a direct hit from him, leading to the Tensen complimenting her on her nimbleness. Tenza gets back up to slash at the Tensen's eyes but sees them being repaired automatically. Tenza then slashes at the Tensen to present an opening for him and Nurugai to retreat. However, the Tensen instantly catches up to them while still alive, while complaining how the Asaemon ruined his clothes, but is beheaded by a thrown sword before he could do anything else. Tenza and Nurugai turns around to see that the sword was thrown by Shion, Tenza's master who yells out to his student to run. As they run away with Shion, Nurugai takes note at how Shion is running well in the woods despite being blind and learns from Tenza that he is using smells and sounds to accomplish this.

After getting distance from the Tensen, Tenza introduces Nurugai to Shion, the fourth rank Yamada Asaemon, but receives a lecture from his master concerning his improper swordsmanship earlier. After hearing his relief that he was still alive, Tenza asks Shion why he was still on the island. Shion informs that he had planned to leave for home after his duties were finished but was unable to find a current leading back to Edo but stumbled upon one that he had sensed was mysterious after hearing a strange noise coming from it, which he chose not to take to play it safe. Tenza then requests for Shion to take them there. Before he could agree to anything, Shion points his sword at Nurugai and demanded that Tenza explain himself as to why he is choosing to protect his assigned criminal in light of his rights to execute her if she violated the rules of the mission, which is what he did to Akaginu after she attempted to seduce him. Though Tenza tells Shion that Nurugai is innocent, Shion informs him that he is aware of her situation, having memorized the contents for each of the criminal's rosters, and explains that they as Yamada Asaemon are not above the law to decide who should be punished and takes his actions as being treason against the clan. Tenza points out that it was him who took him in when he was once poor after the latter sensed potential in him back then and states that he senses potential in a world where Nurugai can live free. Tenza also tells Shion that he knows he is a kind man and that he will listen to him if he speaks from the heart. Ultimately, Shion decides to take Tenza's word, much to his student's joy. Though the matter was settled, Shion tells Tenza that he will have no choice but to take action if protecting Nurugai leads to the Yamada clan being tarnished or if it concerned him. Tenza and Nurugai then become shocked that Shion figured out that Nurugai is female despite being blind, which prompts Shion to make a joke. Nurugai greets Shion by calling him "master" but is told by Shion that she did not have to call him as such since he has not taught her anything. Before taking them to the current he found, Shion states that they should be cautious of the monster they encountered going forward. Tenza believes that they should have nothing to worry about if they just flee as they did before.

However, the Tensen instantly appears behind Tenza and Nurugai and overhears their conversation, commenting that he was underestimating her. Shion grabs the two out of the way and is inflicted with a wound to his throat by the Tensen, who becomes impressed at how swiftly he moved since her intentions was to take his head. Tenza then attacks the Tensen but is unable to land a cut as the Sennin manages to dodge every one of his sword swings that she is already accustomed to. Annoyed with him, the Tensen decides on killing Tenza instead of keeping him alive to become Tan. With running away out of the question due to Shion's injuries, Tenza attempts to kill the Tensen with Tameshi Ittō-ryū Ōgi: Shinotsukuame. However, the Tensen dodges his multiple slashes and comes in to puncture his body with holes with a flick of her finger, much to Nurugai and Shion's shock.

In a flashback, a young Tenza asks Shion as to why he picked him off the streets. Shion explains that even though it was his job to take lives he wanted to spend time helping people and he had sensed potential in him despite his rough exterior. Tenza responds by telling him that he is unable to get where he was coming from by helping. Later, Tenza practices with Shion and becomes frustrated after he is beaten by his teacher. After correcting his flaws, Shion hears from Tenza on how it was pointless for to him continue since he does not want to become a samurai and tells him that the swords skills acquired will help him if he wants to protect something in the future, even if he does not want to become a samurai. Shion then has Tenza looks towards the cherry blossom tree outside and uses the buds to represent him as they contain the potential to blossom like him. Thinking back on his previous life out on the streets when people looked down on him, Tenza refuses to believe in his words and decides to quit. Hearing this, Shion tells Tenza that he will only allow him to quit if he manages to land a single blow on him under any circumstances.

After some time, Tenza decides to break his promise to Shion and leave. However, he runs into Eizen who notices him heading in the opposite direction of the Yamada dōjō. After figuring out that Tenza broken his promise, Eizen tells him that he will not stop him from leaving but requests that he accompany him on his walk before going. Eizen takes Tenza to a graveyard where he shows him the gravestone of a man named Tesshin, Shion's former student who was similar to Tenza in a way. Tenza assumes that Shion was rough on Tesshin like how he treats him but hears Eizen stating the opposite where Shion was more focused on improving his own swordsmanship than teaching back in the day, which resulted in Tesshin leaving the dōjō to live how he pleased. He proceeds to tell how Shion was assigned to execute a criminal and how the criminal turned out to be Tesshin, which left Shion hesitant for a few moments to bring his blade down on his former student after Tesshin mutters his last words as "Master, I'm sorry". Eizen then explains that that was the moment when Shion changed into wanting to dedicate himself to his students and that Tenza would have ended up the same way as Tesshin. After remembering Shion's words to him about the cherry blossoms, Tenza is asked by Eizen if he will go through with not keeping his promise to Shion.

In the end, Tenza decides to return to the dōjō and asks for Shion to spar with him. While trying to land a hit on his master, Tenza thinks back as to how he has never devoted himself to anything in his life before until he made the promise with Shion and wonders if one day he will find someone he wants to protect.

After becoming grievously injured by the Tensen's attack, Tenza finds himself slowly dying and believes that he, Nurugai, and Shion will die by the monster's hands. However, Tenza stands back up to fight the Tensen barehanded to make sure that Nurugai and Shion are given enough time to escape. Tenza's attacks become futile as the Tensen remains alive and conscious to blast a hole through the Asaemon's stomach. As Shion prepares to fight the Tensen himself, Tenza tries calling out to him to run. Despite his throat being too damaged to speak properly, Shion manages to understand Tenza's request and flees of with Nurugai as she cries out for Tenza. As he continues to fight off the Tensen, Tenza, in his mind, apologizes to Shion, wishes for Nurugai to live on with the potential she has, and envisions his potential leading up to him to becoming an instructor and marrying Nurugai. Tenza is then grabbed from the head by the Tensen after he passes away, with the Tensen commenting on how tough he was.

After being let down by Shion, Nurugai becomes angry at Shion for abandoning Tenza and prepares to head back, only for Shion to clarify that this Tenza's dying wish. Shion also tells Nurugai that they will soon get their revenge on the monster to not let Tenza's sacrifice go to waste.

At the Yamada dōjō, Tenza becomes overjoyed to have finally landed a hit on Shion. Though this meant that he was free to leave, Tenza humbly request for his master to continue training him in swordsmanship, which Shion gradually accepts. Meanwhile, out on the courtyard, the buds of the cherry tree have shown to have bloomed.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Yamada Asaemon Tenza
* Yamada Asaemon Shion
* Nurugai
* Zhu Jin
* Akaginu (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Eizen (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Sagiri (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Genji (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Kishō (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Fuchi (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Senta (flashback)
* Yamada Asaemon Tesshin (flashback)

## Powers and Techniques Used

**Zhu Jin:**

* Tao

**Yamada Asaemon Tenza:**

* Kenjutsu
	+ Tameshi Ittō-ryū
		- Tameshi Ittō-ryū Ōgi: Shinotsukuame

## Anime Notes

* This is the first episode in which Gabimaru doesn't appear.