Episode 9

## Episode Chronology

**Gods and People** (神と人, *Kami to Hito*) is the ninth episode of the Jigokuraku anime series.

## Synopsis

With the thought of seeing his wife again, Gabimaru is driven to head to Hōrai alone to retrieve the Elixir of Life as soon as possible. As a result, Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta become left behind in the village with their hostesses. Upon arriving at the front of the large, gated entrance to the center of the island, Gabimaru encounters the Tensen that killed Tenza.

## Plot

Senta becomes conflicted with how unclear he is with the information he has gathered at Hōko's house and is suggested by Sagiri to take some time to rest after it becomes apparent that he is experiencing information overload. After his decision to take a bath results in him falling asleep in front of Gabimaru as they keep watch for the night, Gabimaru is given the opportunity to leave for Hōrai in light of Senta's warning earlier that it would be unwise to enter the region without figuring things out for a well-thought-out plan, as he believes that he does not have the luxury of wasting anymore time. As he makes his way through the thick mist leading to Hōrai, Gabimaru discovers tree figures who bare resemblance to Hōko as they chant sutras and questions what they are. He then moves on to heading towards his intended destination and is unknowingly followed by Mei.

Gabimaru manages to make it to the gates of Hōrai and prepares to enter. However, he stops after noticing the Tensen who killed Tenza earlier behind him. Gabimaru gets the suspicion that the mysterious woman standing before him is not human and asks for her to identify herself. The Tensen becomes displeased with Gabimaru's sudden appearance and asks for him to leave since she does not feel like dealing with another human to capture. From this statement, Gabimaru figures that she can turn people into the Elixir of Life and goes on the defensive after the Tensen becomes hostile. By her surprise, upon clashing with him, the Tensen notices her arm broken and has her neck snapped after receiving a kick from the shinobi, only to have both repair themselves. Gabimaru takes note of her regeneration ability and her incredible strength to destroy the ground and concludes that she is one of the Tensen. Gabimaru uses Ninpō: Hibōshi to incinerate the Tensen and looks towards the gate to move forward. However, Gabimaru is attacked by the charred Tensen and is sent crashing towards the walls of the gate. The Tensen, now assuming the body of a man, assumes that he has accidently killed Gabimaru, who he believes would have become great for the elixir if kept alive, but sees him still standing and asking if he is one of the Tensens he has heard about, leading to the Tensen questioning if he is really human.

Gabimaru then proceeds to battle the Tensen across the field. While the Tensen becomes curious as to how Gabimaru is able to withstand his attacks, Gabimaru demands for him to reveal the whereabouts of the Elixir of Life but receives no answer. As the fight continues, Gabimaru realizes that blunt and slashing attacks won't work on the Tensen and that he needs to come up with a plan since trading blows with him would be dangerous given his incredible strength and immunity to his attacks. Gabimaru then notices that the impact from a kick he threw had a strange sensation and sees that it was effective in causing actual harm to the Tensen after he cough up blood, causing him to wonder how this was possible. After shifting into the body of a woman, the Tensen takes note of Gabimaru being unaware of the action he made but does not elaborate further as she believes that it did not matter regardless.

The Tensen opts to using her power to attack Gabimaru with a barrage of invisible force from her hands that causes him to take heavy damage. Gabimaru tries withstanding the attacks but takes too much damage and questions if it's possible for him to defeat the Tensen. After receiving an image of his wife in his mind, Gabimaru charges through the fiery of invisible attacks to fight the Tensen up close with a driving will to make it back home no matter what he had to lose. Attacking the Tensen faster than she can regenerate, Gabimaru manages to bring their recovery to a halt as they lay on the ground crippled. Gabimaru then demands once again for the Tensen to tell him where the elixir is, only for the Tensen to laugh as she starts to bloom flowers from her body while thinking about how they will get into trouble with "them" for what she is about to do. From then on, Gabimaru witnesses the Tensen transforming into a flower monster.

Gabimaru tries to remain calm in order to analyze and counter against the monster before him. However, the transformed Tensen releases bolts of lightning at Gabimaru that causes his body to become too strained to perform Ninpō: Hibōshi and to avoid being struck by the monster's relentless attacks. As he begins to lose consciousness, Gabimaru questions whether the events he had to experience on the island are actually real or a nightmare.

Gabimaru then wakes up to find himself in bed with his wife beside him who was concerned after he had an unpleasant dream. Gabimaru sheds a tear after believing that he was dreaming and is brought chrysanthemum tea by his wife to help soothe him. He then smiles realizing that his wife being with him is the real dream but becomes glad that he got to talk to her again and apologizes that he might not make it back home.

In the present, Gabimaru is strangled by the transformed Tensen but attacks reflexively, having been drilled by his former leader into dealing damage to his enemy until his last breath. After activating Hibōshi that burns away the monster's flower tentacle holding him up, Gabimaru becomes too injured to move off the ground and looks to see Mei beside him. Using her power, Mei helps Gabimaru escape from the Tensen by creating a crater leading them down a valley before the transformed Tensen could attack them. After the Tensen's transformation becomes undone, the Tensen questions why Mei did what she did.

Back at the village, Sagiri is apologized by Senta for allowing Gabimaru to leave his side and accepts what had happened. Senta explains to Sagiri that he had tried looking for Gabimaru but was unable navigate through the thick mist, leading to Hōko explaining that it would be impossible for non-inhabitants to travel any further than the region they are in. Sagiri states that their next move should be to go find Gabimaru if he has headed to Hōrai but is denied by Yuzuriha since he made the choice to leave off by himself and points out that an Asaemon should not care for the well-being on their assigned criminal. Noticing Mei gone as well, Hōko offers to guide them to Hōrai since he believes that the girl followed Gabimaru. Having learned that Hōko is capable of navigating through the fog, Yuzuriha changes her mind and tells Sagiri that she will comply to accompany her to look for Gabimaru.

While traveling, Yuzuriha finds that the big problem they will have to face after making it to Hōrai will be Lord Tensen and asks Hōko about them. Hōko explains that Lord Tensen are seven Sennin who were split from a single Sennin after achieving mastery over the mystic arts and proceeds to reveal their monikers. He also tells them about the transformation his people had undergone 1,000 years ago that turned them into trees and how they gathered together in Hōjō in hopes of having their souls enter Hōrai. He then comes across his daughter who he states had underwent the transformation first in his family. Though his safety is not supposed to be of her concern as his monitor, Sagiri thinks to herself that she can't help but hope that Gabimaru is all right.

Meanwhile in Hōrai, the members of Lord Tensen discuss which gender suits them until Fugen Jōtei arrives to have the group discuss matters on the humans on the island. Fugen Jōtei states that the current human travelers present themselves to be an unordinary bunch compared to the humans they have dealt with in the past, having discovered the many dead bodies of Sōshin and a Monshin on the island. Ju Fa reprimands Zhu Jin for their failure to keep watch and for allowing the humans they encountered to escape and reducing them to a weakened state, prompting the Tensen to blow up Zhu Jin's head with an invisible force of his palm. Fugen Jōtei tells Ju Fa to mind his manners since they are a family that sticks together and reminds him that only he is allowed to harm Zhu Jin. Ju Fa complies and gives his report on the humans he sent down the Tan pit but is warned by Fugen Jōtei that he should not underestimate them or the human that fought Zhu Jin, believing that with their capabilities they could possibly escape the Tan pit, which could rile them up and prove to be a problem. Fugen Jōtei also believes that the other humans could be just as difficult to deal with and asks Zhu Jin if they had killed the human they fought and hears them answering yes. In light of these anomalies, Fugen Jōtei states that they will be able to handle whatever comes their way and pours a cup of Tan for each member as they toast to their eternity and to their master. Zhu Jin then regains back their youth after drinking the elixir and gives a look of anger.

Down at the rocky valley, Gabimaru regains consciousness and thinks back to the monster he faced before, believing that he may have a chance at killing them if he were to fight alongside allies. He then turns around to see the criminal Tamiya Gantetsusai and the Asaemon Yamada Asaemon Fuchi. The swordsman takes note of Gabimaru's battered body and asks if it was time for him to die.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Yamada Asaemon Senta
* Yuzuriha
* Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
* Gabimaru
* Hōko
* Mei
* Zhu Jin
* Yui (dream)
* Iwagakure Chief (flashback)
* Mu Dan
* Tao Fa
* Gui Fa
* Ran
* Ju Fa
* Rien
* Aza Chōbei
* Aza Tōma
* Nurugai
* Yamada Asaemon Shion
* Yamada Asaemon Fuchi
* Tamiya Gantetsusai

## Powers and Techniques Used

**Gabimaru:**

* Ninjutsu
	+ Ninpō: Hibōshi

**Zhu Jin:**

* Tao
	+ Tōate

**Mei:**

* Tao

**Ju Fa:**

* Tao
	+ Tōate