"Danzō... I..."
"What... exactly am I?"
Following Musashi's movements, Danzō unconsciously raised her head as well.
She remembered something.
—It had been beneath a blood-red moon.
Upon the castle tower, Kotarou had fought the great serpent while angrily rebuking Mochizuki Chiyome.
At the time, he seemed to have said something.
"[A ninja without a heart is nothing more than a mere blade.]"
She opened her mouth and repeated those words in the softest voice.
"From here on, we'll be merging back onto the main road. Well, at least by mountain path standards, this definitely counts as a main road."
Having reached a winding trail, Senji Muramasa rubbed his neck.
"From here, it'll take about another half hour to reach the summit. You lot should pay a little attention to your stamina and whatnot. Don't push yourselves too hard; we have plenty of time."
Old Man Muramasa had finally regained some of his composure and took the initiative to show concern for the others in the group.
"Pushing myself a little wouldn't be a problem. I'm still full of energy."
Fujimaru Ritsuka answered with ease.
He really was fine right now—like he'd said before, never underestimate the stamina of someone who had crossed North America on foot, all the way from the West Coast to Washington!
But Muramasa clearly wasn't having it.
"Sand piles into a hill. Don't underestimate what builds up over time. Things like illness and exhaustion may seem minor, but once they accumulate and erupt, they'll never be a small problem."
—That sounded rather familiar.
How should he put it?
Ritsuka felt as if this was more like Miss Lawrence nagging in his ear.
"If that leaves you unable to do anything when it matters most, you'll surely die with regrets."
Senji Muramasa said this while giving Ritsuka