Sudden Change

Honda Tadakatsu moved with surprising method when he ran—he looked slow, but was actually fast.

His fat body bounced a few times, and he reached Ryōken in an instant. His longsword came crashing down, brimming with force. The compressed air turned shrill, letting out a piercing howl.

As the longsword descended toward his head, Ryōken narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

No one saw how he moved.

His sword left its sheath. A flash of sword light streaked past, like lightning cutting through the air—swift beyond measure, gone in an instant.

Honda Tadakatsu's excited expression suddenly froze.

The air seemed to stand still.

An eerie silence fell.

Ryōken calmly returned his sword to its sheath. There was not the slightest ripple on his delicate face, as though everything had gone exactly as it should.

Then Honda Tadakatsu suddenly felt a chill atop his head. His frozen expression trembled abruptly.

The crowd erupted in uproar. Honda Tadakatsu's thick black hair had been shaved completely clean, not even his eyebrows left behind.

Clang!

At that moment, Honda Tadakatsu suddenly felt his hand grow lighter.

The longsword he held had split cleanly between the hilt and the blade, the break smooth as a mirror.

Everyone was struck speechless.

Then they sucked in a cold breath.

Honda Tadakatsu stared blankly at the hilt in his hand, disbelief written all over his face.

His trembling finger pointed at Ryōken as his expression shifted repeatedly.

After a long while, he finally lowered his head in wholehearted conviction. He respectfully dropped to one knee and performed a standard samurai salute.

Seeing their boss like this, his underlings naturally did not dare act out. They all looked at Ryōken with respect and lowered their arrogant heads.

Those imprisoned here were all vicious criminals. They only respected the strong.

The people Konoha had sent before were all weaklings. Naturally, they had refused to accept them.

Now that they had seen Ryōken subdue their boss in just a few moves, every last one of them was utterly convinced.

If Ryōken told them to go east, they would never dare go west.

Seeing Honda Tadakatsu perform such a proper salute, Ryōken was somewhat confused.

His understanding of this world was limited to the original work. He knew practically nothing about the profession of samurai.

The only reason he recognized it as a samurai salute was because his teacher had taught him some common knowledge while teaching him Flash.

But he had no idea what this gesture represented.

Honda Tadakatsu raised his head, fervor blazing in his eyes. He spoke solemnly, one word at a time. "I swear to become the sword in your hand, to cut down all enemies, and to uphold this oath in the name of a samurai, even if it costs me my life!"

As he spoke, he offered up the hilt in his hand and stared intensely at Ryōken.

Ryōken could not help feeling creeped out. The guy was kneeling on the ground, yet he was still far taller than Ryōken.

At this moment, Honda Tadakatsu was solemnly pledging loyalty. Yet Ryōken felt none of the gravity of the occasion—only a sense of absurdity.

Still, he looked so serious that the pledge seemed highly credible. Ryōken could not help weighing the matter in his mind.

This fool was built so big. With proper training, he should make a pretty good meat shield. On the battlefield, he would be like a meat grinder.

But he would be hard to feed. With a body that big, he surely ate a lot.

After pondering for a long time, Ryōken finally made his decision.

No. This guy was too ugly.

If only he were a beautiful woman. Even if she were not pretty, Ryōken would accept without hesitation!

At least she would be pleasing to look at.

Ryōken calmly shook his head and sighed inwardly at the pity of it.

When Honda Tadakatsu saw Ryōken shake his head, he was instantly struck as though by lightning, all hope turning to ashes. He abruptly grabbed the blade from the ground, his face resembling that of a worshipper.

The Konoha ninja immediately grew wary and were about to step forward.

Ryōken's expression remained calm. This guy was no match for him at all. It did not matter if he made a move; Ryōken had been thinking his display of strength was not quite enough anyway.

Honda Tadakatsu gripped the blade. Its sharp edge cut open his palm, blood flowing out, yet he did not seem to feel it at all.

The sharp blade suddenly stabbed toward his abdomen. He was actually trying to kill himself.

Ryōken was startled as well. He instinctively drew his sword and slashed. Sword light flashed, and the blade immediately split into two pieces, falling to the ground.

A trace of confusion appeared in Ryōken's eyes as he asked, "Why?"

Honda Tadakatsu smiled, and there was something sacred in that smile. He said calmly, "A samurai's declaration is sacred. Since you will not accept my loyalty, then I can only die to uphold my honor."

Ryōken frowned. So this is somehow my fault?

"Don't samurai pledge loyalty to their daimyō? Or their general?"

At those words, Honda Tadakatsu showed a miserable expression. He said sorrowfully, "The daimyō of our Land of Iron vanished long ago. Though every child born must swear an oath, we have long since had no one to whom we can pledge loyalty."

"As for the general, he is merely the strongest one chosen by the samurai, responsible for deterring other nations and preserving the Land of Iron's permanent neutrality."

"Samurai have long lost their faith."

Ryōken's frown deepened. What am I supposed to do about that?

"Then what was that pledge of loyalty just now? Are samurai allowed to pledge themselves to others?"

Honda Tadakatsu immediately became deeply embarrassed. He stammered, "Your swordsmanship convinced me. Besides, the daimyō has been missing for years. I acted on impulse. Just impulse."

As he spoke, his face was full of shame.

"So your attempted suicide just now was because you realized you had acted on impulse?"

Ryōken did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Honda Tadakatsu was even more at a loss for words, mumbling without being able to say anything.

"Fine, get up. Perhaps your daimyō still has descendants somewhere. Wouldn't it be irresponsible for you to die like this?"

"Really?"

Honda Tadakatsu's eyes lit up. He immediately stood, hurriedly tossed away the sword in his hand, and retreated to the side.

It seemed this guy had been waiting for those words all along. He looked foolish, but he was actually rather shrewd.

Too lazy to bother with him, Ryōken said flatly to the prisoners, "From now on, I'm the warden here. Behave yourselves!"

Though his tone was mild, everyone nodded furiously in unison, like chickens pecking at grain.

After speaking, he looked at Honda Tadakatsu again.

Honda Tadakatsu immediately jolted and spun around with an angry roar. "Get the hell back to work! Anyone who dares slack off will get a taste of my fists!"

Ryōken nodded with satisfaction.

He was teachable.

Now his teacher's assignment was more or less complete. Before long, he could report to the ANBU.

In the shadows, a masked ninja nodded to himself. The surprise in his eyes had only just faded as he praised, "As expected of Lord White Fang's student. His strength truly is extraordinary."

"His methods were a little crude, but not bad."

At that moment, a Konoha ninja jogged over, admiration filling his eyes.

"Lord Ryōken, let me take you to the warden's office!"

As he spoke, he was about to walk ahead of Ryōken and lead the way.

Then a cold glint flashed.

A black kunai slashed straight toward Ryōken's neck, incredibly swift.

The assassin moved with seamless, flawless precision. There was not a trace of presence, not a trace of killing intent, not a trace of expression.

Only a hint of coldness lingered in his eyes, along with... longing.

Yu, I've avenged you.