Episode 6

## Episode Chronology

**Heart and Reason** (心と理, *Kokoro to Kotowari*) is the sixth episode of the Jigokuraku anime series.

## Synopsis

Gabimaru and Sagiri fight against "The Giant of Bizen" Rokurōta. With her life on the line, Sagiri attempts to unlock the path that will ensure victory. Against the enemy in front of them, Sagiri utilizes her swordsmanship to behead the giant while Gabimaru uses his ninjutsu to support her in making the killing blow.

## Plot

In a flashback, a baby Rokurōta is watched by his parents as he eats and plays with a few rocks. Time then skips ahead to a grown Rokurōta killing his parents and the people of his village.

Genji pushes Sagiri out of the way as Rokurōta comes in to attack with an open palm, resulting in him taking the hit and being sent flying with a deep wound inflicted on his body. Sagiri rushes over to Genji's side but is told by him to flee the area without him due to his deep wound. Sagiri then sees Rokurōta about to attack her but is saved by Gabimaru after the shinobi comes in to kick the giant away. Gabimaru becomes informed by Sagiri on who Rokurōta is, which sadly reveals to her that Yamada Asaemon Eizen is dead since he is no longer with the condemned criminal. Noticing Rokurōta setting his sights on him, Gabimaru determines that escape would be impossible and that he will have no choice but to take him on and kill him. With his kick earlier not leaving any effect on Rokurōta, Gabimaru deduces that he will have to test out how strong the giant is in order to figure out how to bring him down. After jumping out of the way of a tree thrown by Rokurōta, Gabimaru tells Sagiri to leave the area to avoid harm. Gabimaru also demands for Yuzuriha to assist him instead of watching him from above a tree. However, he is rejected by the kunoichi since he is responsible for fighting their battles as per the conditions to their alliance, much to his annoyance as she cheers him on. Though Rokurōta's destructive palm attacks were nothing special, Gabimaru tries to avoid being hit after determining that he will die from a single blow and opts to attacking Rokurōta at a distance with ninjutsu. However, with Rokurōta unaffected by two of his ninjutsu, Gabimaru finds himself having a hard time figuring out which ninjutsu in his arsenal is best suited for this battle.

Believing that it is too late for him, Genji requests for Sagiri to leave him behind instead of trying to patch his wound, only to hear her refusal. Genji then comments on how odd she was acting since earlier she had the tone of man but is now acting like a woman. Sagiri explains to him that it didn't matter whether she acted as either since all that matters to her is keeping him from dying. Hearing this, Genji comes to realize Sagiri's true nature; realizing that she is accepting of opposing concepts that makes her an embodiment of the middle way. He then gives her his sword and requests that she kill Rokurōta as a Yamada Asaemon as his dying wish.

With close-quarters combat and projectiles out of the question, Gabimaru comes to the conclusion that he will have to partner up with someone in order to defeat him. After dodging another one of his attacks, Gabimaru notices Rokurōta crying out in pain after his little finger is cut off and looks to Sagiri standing beside him as she explains to him the method to cutting down a strong body such as Rokurōta's. Relieved with her arrival, Gabimaru asks for her assistance, which she also requests the same for him as well.

While pinned by Yuzuriha, Senta requests for her to release him to help tend to Genji's wounds but is denied since she believed that it is already too late for him and that she could tell that he was not that type of person. She then notices that no monsters have shown up despite the noise being made and believes that they should take this opportunity to observe them and flee once they're dead.

To have Sagiri behead the giant, Gabimaru comes up with the plan to have the two of them split up to cut Rokurōta's legs in order to have him on his knees. After Rokurōta comes in to attack with a punch, Gabimaru deflects it with a kick while Sagiri comes in from behind Rokurōta to slash at his leg. However, after receiving a vision of Eizen and Genji's faces, due them being brought down by Rokurōta, Sagiri's blade becomes unable to cut Rokurōta and is forced back. After correcting herself in that she must put aside her emotions and keep calm in order to succeed, Sagiri and Gabimaru make a second attempt at bringing Rokurōta to his knees. Upon moving out of the way the giant's next attack, Gabimaru notices that his leg is strained after deflecting Rokurōta's punch earlier, while Sagiri becomes unable to leave a cut on Rokurōta again due to his movements closing the gaps between his bone. Sagiri then tells Gabimaru that she needs to have Rokurōta hunch over in order to behead him, which Gabimaru finds to be difficult task to do.

After Rokurōta's loud stomach growl and crying causes him to drop his guard, Gabimaru takes a direct hit from the giant and ends up being badly injured. Sagiri rushes over to Gabimaru's side but sees an oncoming punch from Rokurōta. Sagiri prepares to defend herself by keeping her continuing to keep her composure to the oncoming danger. However, after remembering Genji's interpretating her true nature as following the Middle Way, Sagiri realizes that she needs to accept both emotion and reason and manages to deflect every one of Rokurōta's attacks. Upon seeing this side of her, Gabimaru senses Sagiri displaying the same strength he witnessed when they first met at the prison. While Yuzuriha becomes amazed by Sagiri handling herself against Rokurōta, Senta informs her of Sagiri being ranked 12th in the Tameshi Ittō-ryū due to her gender causing her to lose her standing, while Genji takes note at how Sagiri's strength shines when her mind is set despite her lacking battle experience. After Rokurōta loses his footing, Sagiri sees an opportunity to come in from behind and behead him. However, Rokurōta jumps out of the way before Sagiri could bring her sword down. Though the opportunity was missed, Gabimaru tells Sagiri that he has come up with an extreme plan to have Rokurōta bow his head.

After activating Ninpō: Hibōshi, which alerts Yuzuriha to flee the area with Senta, Gabimaru performs various fire-based ninjutsu directed at Rokurōta but deals him no damage as he deflects them all towards the forest. Gabimaru then ceases after exerting himself and is told by Sagiri that he has done enough for his plan to work. As they run from the area, Yuzuriha informs Senta of Gabimaru and Sagiri's plan to cause a forest fire from the flaming ninjutsu Rokurōta deflected in order to have the giant suffer carbon monoxide poisoning, which ends up working as Rokurōta falls to his knees while suffocating. Sagiri is then given the opening she needed to behead Rokurōta while he is being held down by Gabimaru for as long as he can.

After hearing the ringing from Sagiri's mourning bell, Rokurōta flashes back to his life of wanting to play and fill his stomach. As she holds onto Rokurōta's that starts to shed a tear, Sagiri apologizes for realizing too late that he must have been frightened by them and hopes for him to rest in peace along with the others that he killed. As she flees with Gabimaru before the flames become more intense, Sagiri tells herself that she must be strong but becomes sadden by the deaths of both Genji and Eizen.

Gabimaru and Sagiri notice the monsters becoming attracted to the flames and decide to head in the direction of where they came from. While Gabimaru pushes himself to continue moving forward in order to see his wife again, despite his serious injuries, Sagiri becomes resolute in not worrying about her fellow clansmen in order to quickly put an end to the mission and release them from their roles. Hearing this, Gabimaru believes that they have found common ground but is reminded by Sagiri that she is still his monitor on the mission. The two then catch up with Yuzuriha and Senta as they stare in shock to see a village in the distance, which Senta questions if it is where the Sennin reside if the island is believed to be Shinsenkyō.

Elsewhere, Chōbei, while drinking the blood of the monsters to remain nourished, learns from Tōma of the Sennin that reside in Shinsenkyō but doesn't think much of the legend. Chōbei then senses something up ahead and decides to head towards its direction with Tōma, leading to the brothers finding two women engaging in sexual intimacy on top of a few ruined statues. The two females then spot Chōbei and Tōma upon being interrupted.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Rokurōta
* Yamada Asaemon Genji
* Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
* Gabimaru
* Yamada Asaemon Eizen (flashback)
* Iwagakure Chief (flashback)
* Yuzuriha
* Yamada Asaemon Senta
* Yamada Asaemon Tenza
* Nurugai
* Tamiya Gantetsusai
* Yamada Asaemon Fuchi
* Aza Chōbei
* Aza Tōma
* Ju Fa
* Tao Fa

## Powers and Techniques Used

**Gabimaru:**

* Ninjutsu
	+ Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute
	+ Ninpō: Shinariba
	+ Ninpō: Hibōshi
		- Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute — Hibōshi Bājon
		- Ninpō: Kaze Nui — Hibōshi Bājon
		- Ninpō: Ōtsubute — Hibōshi Bājon
		- Ninpō: Toge Busuma — Hibōshi Bājon