Chapter 17

**The Sword Saint vs. The Living God of Might** is the seventeenth chapter of *Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen* and the second chapter of Volume 5.

## Summary

Mori Ranmaru declares Yagyu Munenori to be the winner of Round One – Match Three.

Ranmaru smiles about what a feast that was and Sasaki Kojiro calls **Unending Cycle** nightmarish. As Hozoin Inshun notes that is the style of Yagyu Munenori, Hozoin In'ei asks him if he feels afraid. Inshun doesn't, and instead, is stoked to see who has more talent – the Hozoin or Shinkage-Ryu. As he walks towards him, Oda Nobutada says to Yagyu that in the end, he delivered a crushing defeat.

He reminds him that this is just one victory, the first step towards a new era of peace, through Yagyu's blade and Nobutada's bloodline. Yagyu claims it was hard-fought, in a sense, and that he still has much to learn. Takuan Soho scoffs at Yagyu saying it was hard-fought and as Yagyu admits he never thought Takuan was the type to come and watch this sort of thing, Takuan points out that Yagyu could've ended all of this in one strike. He asks him why he bothered with the slicing and dicing, and warned him not to let the demon that festers in his mind take over. Or else, it will take him over.

Chuckling, Yagyu says he doesn't understand before declaring he would gladly become a demon if it meant mastering the sword. All of a sudden, Takuan punches Yagyu on the head, much to Nobutada's surprise. Takuan refused to let that happen if it meant losing one of his friends and Yagyu sighs about how it is so difficult to avoid Takuan's fist when it has no killing intent. Takuan teases him by saying the Peerless Swordsman is showing a sore spot, which prompts Yagyu to joke that he feels as if he is about to be taken over by the demon.

Yagyu Munenori, the Reaper. With his victory and his impression strongly left, the battle at sea ended. And so, the ship headed back to land, with the next battleground as its course.

At Ozaka Castle, Hashiba Hideyoshi laughs as he wonders how many years it's been since they've talked face-to-face. Hideyoshi admits he was a little taken aback by this Tenkaichi that Oda Nobunaga planned out but it's turned out to be a pleasant little feast. Hideyoshi then says the man in front of him doesn't seem to be having much fun. With a hood covering his head, Shibata Katsuie confesses that there is no man he despises more in the world than Hideyoshi. He promises to make certain that this debt he's incurred from his lapdog is paid in full. Hideyoshi is glad to see he hasn't changed, referring to him as "Oni Shibata".

Hideyoshi then says it's not like they're heading straight for each other's throats and says they should get along as fellow retainers of the Oda Clan. A maid comes in and informs the two that the stage has been set for their representatives' battle. Furthermore, per Oda's orders, they have prepared a suitable stage for this match. As Hideyoshi questions what the stage will look like, Shibata stands up and removes his hood. With an elaborate eyepatch over his right eye, Shibata says he will see with his own eye where he and Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami have their victory marked.

Later on, Ranmaru says they've returned to Ozaka Castle after a battle atop rough seas. The scene for this next match is the "Twin-Dragon Cage". The audience are surprised the match will take place inside a cage and Nobutada says his father is quite eccentric with all these different arenas. Ito Ittosai appears and says he'd love to try and fight in that cramped area. He's not fond of being spoiled on his opponents before he fights them but this is an exception. Kanemaki Jisai asserts it makes him sick to see Ittosai here but Kojiro points out there's a lot of other people here too.

The Hozoin from before, Togo Shigekata, Ogasawara Nagaharu, Hayashizaki Jinsuke and then, Kojiro points to the side where Shinmen Munisai is dragging Miyamoto Musashi along by the ear. Musashi insists he's fine and says he's gotten the hang of dual-wielding now. After calling his son a genius, Munisai punches his head and tells him that if he wants to be the strongest in the land, this fight is a must-see. A voice comments on how Musashi is here with his daddy and Musashi tells the "lady" that she doesn't have the right to talk. Fuma Kotaro admits she doesn't hate his cockiness but reminds him that the Fifth is her dog, not her daddy. Kotaro then reveals she came to get a taste of this little old man that they all hail as the "Sword Saint". Ranmaru decides to begin the introductions and thinks about how the Sword Saint really is high-profile.

Pumped up, Ranmaru tells the fighter on the east side, representing the Shibata Clan, to enter. As the doors open, Ranmaru says this fighter's very existence is godly as he is the founder of Shinkage-Ryu and the great-grandmaster of both Yagyu and Inshun. As he gets rolled into the stage inside of a cot, Ranmaru says that swordsmanship wouldn't have a history to tell if it weren't for this man. Right here, right now, he'll carve out a new history – the Sword Saint, Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna.

However, Kamiizumi is asleep and dreaming about sucking on a woman's breasts. As he mumbles about how huge her breasts are, the audience is left confused while Kotaro calls him crude. Ranmaru can't believe he's sleeping and Munisai tells Musashi that this reminds him of his entrance.

As Kamiizumi sticks his tongue out and licks an imaginary nipple, Marume Kurando steps forward and tells Ranmaru that if he brings any ordinary martial artist, Kamiizumi will soundly defeat them, even in his sleep. However, if he wishes to see how Kamiizumi fights while awake, Kurando advises that Ranmaru bring him one who is truly strong. Recalling how Kurando is supposed to be a master in his own right, since he put forth such a bold claim, that means Ranmaru can only hope Kamiizumi isn't just an old pervert.

As Ogasawara, Shigekata and Jinsuke look on, Ittosai expresses his regret in coming since now, he really wants to fight and he hates waiting. Yagyu calls Kamiizumi a monstrous old man and wonders if they'll get to see his true form in this match. Since Kamiizumi is the God of the Sword, Ranmaru guesses only one with an extraordinary physique gifted to him by the Gods would be worthy as an opponent. Ranmaru then orders the fighter on the west side, representing the Hashiba Clan, to enter.

As the doors open, Ranmaru questions if the strongest man in the world wields any weapons or is clad in any armor. No. Instead, Ranmaru says that only those who are truly mighty, have no need for weapons or protection, just like this fighter. The unrivalled, undefeated rikishi – the God of Might in the flesh, Hino Choko.

As Choko hisses, Hideyoshi waves around two fans with Japan's symbol on it and says both he and Choko will give it their all to liven up the festivities. Inshun exclaims about how big Choko is and In'ei scolds him for talking while food is in his mouth. Touching his face, Shibata growls Choko's name. After Choko takes another step forward, Kamiizumi suddenly awakens and wonders if it's his turn already. His two attendants greet him as Ranmaru is taken aback that Kamiizumi just snapped right awake, much to Yagyu's interest.

Getting up with Kurando's help, Kamiizumi straps two katana to his waist and walks forward. Guessing Choko is his playmate, Kamiizumi says he looks like a rather nice kid before questioning if he's really human as Choko is over three times larger than Kamiizumi. Shibata sweats over how staggering the difference in their stature is while Hideyoshi warns Choko to give it all he's got, even if Kamiizumi looks weak. As Oda sniggers, Shibata asks Kurando if Kamiizumi can really win against Choko and Kurando insists he cannot possibly lose. However, this is Kurando's first time ever seeing Kamiizumi awaken just from having a man simply stand before him.

Kamiizumi tells Choko they should go play in that metal cage now when Choko looks down at him. As Kamiizumi says he's finally making eye contact with him, Choko keeps repeating the letter "K" before saying "Kill." Smiling, Kamiizumi confirms that's the way.

Round One – Match Four: Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami vs. Hino Choko.

## Appearing Characters

* ⁵ᵗʰFuma Kotaro
* ⁶ᵗʰFuma Kotaro
* Hashiba Hideyoshi
* Hayashizaki Jinsuke
* Hino Choko
* Hozoin In'ei
* Hozoin Inshun
* Ito Ittosai
* Kamiizumi Isenokami
* Kanemaki Jisai
* ***Marume Kurando***
* Miyamoto Musashi
* Mohri Terumoto
* Mori Ranmaru
* Oda Nobunaga
* Oda Nobutada
* Ogasawara Nagaharu
* Sasaki Kojiro
* Shibata Katsuie
* Shinmen Munisai
* Takuan Soho
* Togo Shigekata
* Yagyu Munenori