Eliminated by the Era

Beneath the moonlight, Tetsuzo sat cross-legged under the eaves, a rectangular box resting on his knees. Its texture was ancient yet spotless, clearly indicating Tetsuzo's deep affection for it, as he meticulously polished it often.

At this moment, he watched Murakami practice swordsmanship before him, his eyes a mixture of joy and sorrow, as if lamenting that a sword genius like Murakami was born in the wrong era.

This era no longer needed samurai. After he had perfected his swordsmanship within the confines of a prison, what greeted him upon breaking free wasn't a refined duel between samurai, but an Illusion Technique from a ninja. More terrifying than defeat in battle was the shattering of the spirit.

"Murakami, that's enough. Bring the katana over."

Hearing his master's words, Murakami solemnly wiped the katana in his hand one last time before offering it with both hands.

"Rain Cutter is a treasure sword refined through a hundred stages, while what you hold is merely a Kage-uchi. The Shin-uchi is here."

Tetsuzo gently opened the long box, and a delicate, magnificent katana appeared before Murakami. His eyes immediately filled with adoration, but no greed.

The next second, the box containing the Shin-uchi Rain Cutter landed in Murakami's hands, while the Kage-uchi he had been holding was, at some unknown time, in Tetsuzo's grasp.

"Master, this..."

Tetsuzo raised a hand to stop Murakami's words, carefully examining the young man before him, as if seeing himself from many years ago. "Murakami, your uncle and I have already agreed. You don't need to return. Take this Rain Cutter and the letter to the Land of Iron and find General Mifune. He will tell you the rest."

"The matter is urgent, so you must depart immediately. Remember to write to me once you've settled in the Land of Iron."

Murakami, with his calm demeanor, heard his master's words and didn't notice any flaws or urgency in them. He nodded, took the rations Tetsuzo had prepared, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave.

"The Slaughter Caravan incident was carried out by me and my subordinates. This child was merely sent by Kaneda to lure me out. Your mission has nothing to do with him, can you let him go?"

A desolate voice emanated from Tetsuzo, like an old man begging bandits to spare his grandson.

"Snap."

An object was thrown before him. Tetsuzo looked closely and saw it was the saya of the Shin-uchi Rain Cutter he had just given to Murakami. His expression changed drastically, and his eyes turned red as he stared at the ninja standing before him with arms crossed.

"You actually killed innocent people?"

Genma watched Tetsuzo's agitated expression, feeling a faint sense of nausea. The man truly took him for a fool.

"Innocent? You speak of innocence to me? Setting aside your face, which bears a slight resemblance to his, how many living targets do you think Murakami needed to practice his swordsmanship to this extent? We couldn't possibly let him go."

"Besides, was the resources for his training given to you by the Sage of Six Paths out of thin air? There isn't much blood-stained wealth in your basement."

Murakami was a person who specialized in swordsmanship, but precisely because of this, he had no concept of good and evil beyond swordsmanship. One moment he appeared unsociable, and the next, to improve his swordsmanship, he could plunge a blade into the heart of a living target.

Such a person was even more terrifying than those who were openly wicked. He lacked human emotion; Genma had confirmed this using the Mind Reflection Technique on the road. That's why, when Genma discovered Murakami was about to leave, he had instructed Teacher Genma to intercept him. As expected, it turned out just as Genma had thought.

Murakami was skilled at killing, his swordsmanship extremely sharp, yet his eyes held no trace of killing intent, as if this was something he was born to do.

"Rain Cutter Style, Rain Break!"

"Earth Release, Earth Shore Return!"

Tetsuzo flashed to within a step of Genma as if he had teleported, his sharp blade shattering the earth wall and even bisecting Genma behind it.

"Bang."

Genma's body turned into a log, causing Tetsuzo's eyes to narrow. He reversed the Rain Cutter in his hand and thrust it backward from his waist, simultaneously activating his speed again, retreating rapidly to imbue the blade with terrifying penetration.

"Secret Technique, Goose Return!"

Then he felt the Rain Cutter in his hand forcibly stopped. With his extensive combat experience, he immediately let go of the hilt and stomped his right foot, intending to unleash a rapid dodge.

However, his right foot sent a searing pain through him. Looking down, he saw a thin thorn piercing through his sole, preventing him from moving quickly.

"Damn it!"

His pupils contracted sharply. Tetsuzo's body was hit with the force of a charging carriage. His left side was struck from behind with immense force, and then he was flung forward like a rag doll, crashing into a wall not far away.

"Cough, cough..." Knowing he wouldn't survive, Tetsuzo struggled to turn his body over. He wanted to see why his Goose Return had failed. Dark red blood continuously spurted from his mouth, flowing to the ground with foam.

Genma looked at the Kage-uchi, twisted under the dual ninjutsu of Hardening Technique and Monster Strength, and casually tossed it aside. He walked to a position three meters away from Tetsuzo and stopped.

"Anything else you want to say? Considering this is my first C-rank mission, I'll give you time for your last words," Genma said, lightly dusting off his clothes. "Of course, don't expect any dying wishes to be fulfilled."

Tetsuzo, on the verge of death, found his vision increasingly blurred. He looked at the Kage-uchi twisted by Genma's immense strength and Genma's unharmed hand. He struggled to open his mouth, ignoring the suffocating feeling of blood flowing backward, and a hoarse voice emerged.

"Fi...fifty...years of...training..." As his voice rang out, more blood gushed from his mouth. "...yet...not...accepted...by...the...era...Why..."

Cast aside by the era, he stubbornly clung to the purity of being a samurai, unwilling to use external forces like the samurai of the Land of Iron. He was determined to vindicate the old era of samurai with the sword in his hand.

Decades of such wasted effort, only to find his goal as distant as ever. He had repeatedly survived by the skin of his teeth in the corners of ninja wars. Each narrow escape plunged him into deeper despair.

Yet, the most ironic thing was that as he aged, even his own livelihood became a problem. He eventually resorted to slaughtering ordinary people to sustain himself. Fate played a cruel trick; unwilling to abandon his samurai dignity, he became the most despised bandit, only to be killed here by a young ninja.

Tetsuzo finally looked with great effort at the white-haired youth before him. What a prime age he was. I was like that when I first walked out of prison, he thought. The scene before his eyes gradually blurred into darkness.

A cold glint flashed. Genma sealed Tetsuzo's head as proof of the mission, then turned to leave. As for this place, someone would come to clean up.

Outside the gate, Genma Shiranui had a chest of gold and silver at his feet, idly playing with the Shin-uchi Rain Cutter in his hand, appearing uninterested. Not far away, under a large tree, Murakami leaned back, a senbon lodged in his throat.

A pure sword genius was destined to be eliminated in this era. This was a personal tragedy, but the torrent of the times.

Genma's expression was calm as he placed the Shin-uchi and the gold and silver onto a scroll. He formed a hand seal casually, and the sealing scroll automatically wrapped around the items before he put it away.

Upon seeing this, Genma Shiranui was stunned. Was this child's sealing jutsu so proficient?