Chapter 43

**Chapter 43** is titled "Pandora's Box". This is the last chapter of Samurai Eight: Hachimaruden.

## Short Summary

Using the infinite power of Ann's prayer, Hachimaru is able to avoid being discorporated and transform himself and Ann into adults. Using an all-powerful Kongo-Yasha Technique, Hachimaru destroys Ata at the cost of his connection to the material world. In the aftermath, Daruma finally figures out the location of Pandora's Box, and Ann resolves to continue her partner's mission. After a brief reprieve, the team leaves to continue assembling the Keys to Pandora's Box.

## Long Summary

As Ann continues praying for Hachimaru, she becomes enveloped in light and her hair begins to grow abnormally quickly. Ata tries to attack, but finds that he can't touch her. At the same time, the Samurai Souls of the Spare Keys then fly towards Hachimaru's original Key while Hayataro creates armor around it. Hachimaru then begins to reform from his Key, confounding Ata. Kala reaches out to him, warning him to get clear because space and time around Hachimaru and Ann are shifting. He realizes that time is passing at an accelerated rate in that small area. The light around Ann becomes bright enough to envelop Ryuki, and Niri watches the development in confusion.

In the space they were trapped in by Ata, Daruma and Hanaichi see a hole in space leading back to where they were before opens up. From a distance, Daruma sees an armored Samurai standing proudly next to a long-haired princess. Transformed into an adult, Hachimaru reveals that he has now mastered every Kongo-Yasha move. Ata isn't impressed by his, but when Hachimaru tells him that he has become Fudo Myo-o, he becomes angered, accusing him of still being a child. Hachimaru counters that time is relative: the two of them now live at different paces. Time has also taught him that titles are meaningless words meant to make one feel important. All that matters is how others view a person, and despite all of his titles, Hachimaru only views Ata as his father's killer.

Hachimaru then pulls Ann into his Inner Space and tells her that he disrupted the flow of time and borrowed his brothers' Samurai Souls to return to the material world. However, this is only temporary, and he will vanish in short time. Ann becomes sad that he won't be able to keep his promise to protect her. However, Hachimaru tells her that he will still be a part of the universe, so he'll never truly stop looking out for her. She asks if she will see him again, and he responds that he will always be right in front of her if she looks. With both of them having said all they can, the two prepare to finish the fight with Ata. Ata himself becomes genuinely frightened when he realizes what Hachimaru is doing: using **Kongo-Yasha Style: Shooting Star Sword**.

In another part of the universe, Kala is doing battle with Daruma's master, Yasha. Yasha claims that she has foreseen her foe's defeat in her mind's eye, but he refuses to believe it. Yasha concedes that he can't see it himself because it is still in the development stage. Sh notes though, that the seven true Keys to Pandora's Box are finally beginning to assemble. Though they are now scattered dots, they will come together and form a visible line, like a shooting star carrying the dreams of everyone in the universe.

Meanwhile, Daruma and Hanaichi are freed from the dimension Ata trapped them in to find a destroyed Ryuki and a bright light revealed to be Ann, who is carrying Hachimaru's Key. Once they gather, Ann explains what happened. Hanaichi realizes that Hachimaru has become a being of H-particles. Ann asks Daruma to see if Hachimaru is still inside his Key. He connects to it, but finds only the cube representing the power he gathered from his brothers. Daruma has an epiphany after seeing the holes in the cube. The cube actually represents Pandora's Box, meaning that Hachimaru was never one of the Seven Keys, but Pandora's Box all along. He then sees seven streams of light erupt from the cube, which he realizes points to the Seven Keys. He thanks his student for leaving the map behind.

After gathering their team and parting ways with Sen, the group returns to Hachimaru's homeworld, where they visit Furuta's grave. Ann recounts everything that happened, fulfilling Hachimaru's wish to return to his father's grave after Ata's defeat. As they prepare to leave to find the the remaining Keys, Hayataro presents Ann with Hachimaru's katana. Taking it, she straps the blade to her back and ties her hair in a topknot. Upon asking everyone about her new look, they decide that it makes her look like both a beautiful woman and a noble samurai like her former partner. Hanaichi and Daruma call for the group to leave for their next journey, so they board Nekomata and Yoken and depart back into space.

## Fights and Events

* Hachimaru vs Ata (Concluded from last chapter)
* Yasha vs Kala
* Hachimaru becomes a fully spiritual being, losing all ability to interact with the material world.
* Ann is permanently turned into an adult.
* The location of Pandora's Box is revealed.

## References

1. ↑ Masashi Kishimoto's Manga Concludes at Volume 5