Song * Ninja

Following his boss's instructions, Ōnoki arrived at a street where the Biwa Hōshi regularly performed.

A crowd had already gathered on the roadside, completely blocking the street.

He was so short that when he stood on the outermost edge, he couldn't even reach the shoulders of the people in front of him; all he could see was a sea of dark heads.

So he looked up at the roof next to him and took a few steps back.

He channeled Chakra into his feet and landed lightly on the ground.

My view suddenly opened up.

The Biwa Hōshi sat under the eaves across the street; he was a peaceful-looking man.

Her hair was loosely tied up, and she wore a faded gray-blue Biwa. A Raden Shitan, and the plectrum was polished to a shine. There were several scratches of varying depths on the edges. It was an old lute that had been used for many years.

His singing style was completely different from the Biwa Hōshi that Ōnoki remembered.

The music stopped when I heard those lyrics before.

With the plectrum resting on the strings, the monk squinted and chanted in a drawn-out, indistinct ancient style, each line taking forever to finish, making the listener's eyelids droop.

This one is different. His fingers are constantly moving, and the lyrics he's singing are fast and easy to understand.

The music didn't stop as the lyrics were sung; the plectrum was on the strings, and the rhythm was sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Compared to the rigid and formal court music, this is more like a folk song hummed casually on the edge of a field, very spontaneous, yet inexplicably captivating.

Ōnoki had heard the part he was singing before.

There were Eight-Boat Leap.

This is a piece that Ōnoki likes.

Now, it is said that Taira no Noritsune extremely brave; whenever anyone approached, he would cut them down and throw them into the sea.

Taira no Tomomori sent someone to tell him that the situation was hopeless and it was not worth killing any more soldiers, Taira no Noritsune thought that this meant he should kill the general Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

However, Taira no Noritsune did not recognize Minamoto no Yoshitsune, so upon seeing the ornate armor and white powder on his face, he swung his sword and attacked.

Unexpectedly, they actually ended up on Minamoto no Yoshitsune's ship.

Although Yoshitsune also wanted to fight him, seeing his fierce approach, he was unwilling to confront him head-on and immediately leaped onto another boat.

Yoshitsune brandished his sword and gave chase, forcing Yoshitsune to dodge once more.

He jumped ship eight times in a row.

Kyokyō, exhausted from the long and fierce battle, and not as agile as Yoshitsune, ultimately failed to make the final jump.

With a death wish, he discarded his armor and weapons, his hair disheveled, and shouted defiantly, "If you have the guts, come at me! I will capture a few of you alive and send them to Minamoto no Yoritomo as a greeting gift!"

The Yasuyoshi brothers of the Minamoto clan, hoping to achieve victory against overwhelming odds, had the three of them jump aboard his ship.

Despite the danger, Kyokyō remained calm, kicking his servant into the sea, then grabbing Aki Tarō with his left hand and embracing Aki Jirō with his right.

He laughed as he plunged into the sea, dying a heroic death.

Ōnoki squatted on the roof, his fingers unconsciously pressing against the tiles.

He liked the Taira no Noritsune.

He admired his courage and his stubbornness.

The tide had turned, and he was surrounded by enemies, but instead of retreating, he pressed forward, turning a seemingly hopeless situation into a mutual destruction.

Although it's a tragedy, the kind of drama where a hole is torn open in a desperate situation always gets people excited and makes them wish they could do something like that someday.

After the Biwa Hōshi finished singing the last line, he began playing the interlude.

Ōnoki waited for the next lyrics to be sung.

He knew about Taira no Munemori Taira no Kiyomori, who were cowardly but were rescued by the Minamoto thanks to their swimming skills. He also knew about Taira no Tomomori, who later jumped into the sea with anchor in hand.

Taira no Tomomori was alright, but his two older brothers were really disgraceful. Ōnoki disliked them the most, but he couldn't skip the part and could only wait patiently.

He fidgeted with his fingers, bored out of his mind, wanting the Biwa Hōshi to finish singing this part quickly.

But the Biwa Hōshi's fingers paused on the strings, then plucked them again. The first note left Ōnoki.

--The Ninja wrapped Explosive Tags around his torso.

He remained silent, only his eyes reflecting a profound loneliness.

Broken armor, blood-stained battle robes.

The Higa people have no one to return to their nest.

"Higa Shintarō roared loudly."

"We are merely props--"

"Going forth without a will--"

"He died while holding onto his life--"

"Above!"

The ninjas responded in unison, immediately wrapping themselves in talismans and flying towards the flame like moths to a flame.

In Setsuna, smoke and dust billowed into the sky.

Alas, the life of Ninja is fickle, scattered like fireworks on the sea.

The Biwa Hōshi's fingers stopped. The last note trembled in the twilight, dissipating into the depths of the streets and alleys.

The scene was completely silent.

Ōnoki was stunned.

What's this?

Ninja's song? Did he hear that right?

Did this guy adapt this? Why would Ninja appear in a piece like "The Tale of the Heike," a song that tells the story of the Taira Samurai?

The very existence of Ninjas is abhorrent. Who would want to hear their names in a mournful song? This mage must be insane to make such a change.

Ōnoki squatted on the roof, his hands clenched tightly.

He waited.

When the people around him realized what was happening, they frowned, spat out what kind of rap was that, and then stormed off.

After a moment of silence, someone sighed.

"Well..."

The voice drifted from the crowd. Ōnoki looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman carrying a vegetable basket lower her head and dab her eyes with her sleeve.

A man in a short-sleeved shirt next to him shook his head with a look of regret and shifted the position of his arms that were crossed over his chest.

Further away, a boy tugged at his mother's sleeve, looked up, and asked something.

His mother lowered her head, her lips moved, Ōnoki couldn't hear what she said. He only saw the child turn back to look at the Biwa Hōshi after hearing her, and then remain silent.

There were murmurs of regret and lamentation in the crowd.

Ōnoki didn't understand.

What's wrong with these people? Shouldn't they hate Ninjas?

It's common knowledge just how detestable Ninjas are. If these lyrics appeared anywhere else, they would have been cursed to death, and even passing dogs would bark at them as bad luck.

Yet these people are lamenting and even weeping for such a lowly being?

Ōnoki felt that the world had gone mad, becoming something he didn't recognize.

But he had to admit it.

When he heard that lyric, his eyes welled up with tears for a moment.

--We are merely tools, going forth without a will, and departing with a will. That's all.

Props.

Yes, that's what Ninjas are like.

It's a knife when you need it, but rusty iron when you don't.

No one ever asked them if they wanted to kill or die. They were given a mission, and you did it. If you succeeded, you came back alive; if you failed, you died out there.

He understood this principle when he went to war at the age of four.

Whenever he saw his comrades die, or when he was exhausted from training, he couldn't help but question the meaning of his life.

If life is so tiring, why continue living?

But everyone has a will to survive. As long as there is even a sliver of hope, one cannot simply end it all. One can only tread on blood and tears, continuing down this messed-up fate.

Today, a Biwa Hōshi sang these things clearly and plainly in front of a whole street of people.

And people actually feel sorry and sad for them.

Ōnoki squatted on the roof and rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees.

I felt a bittersweet feeling in my heart, a mix of happiness and sadness.