Chapter 405 Iga Ninja, Attack! [Explosion 7400 words]
[Note]: Japan’s “strategic strategist” and our “strategic strategist” do not mean the same thing.
The Japanese "art of war" can be understood as the "method of weapons."
Therefore, Japanese "tacticians" are similar to our "martial artists".
Japan's "military strategy", "military science" and "grand art of war" are equivalent to our country's "art of war".
Although the term "strategic strategist" was only popular during the Warring States Period and the early Edo Period, in fact, until the middle and late Edo Period, many people still used "strategic strategist" to refer to those who were skillful in playing with weapons.
people.
Because the word "art of war" is mentioned in this chapter, I will explain it to you in advance to avoid confusion.
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As the name suggests, the ninja sword is a sword specially used by ninjas.
The public generally believes that the length of a ninja sword is between a katana and a wakizashi. It is usually straight-edged. Its quality is worse than the samurai's katana sword, and the blade is much blunter, because the ninja sword is not used for cutting.
Instead, it mainly focuses on stabbing.
This view is actually wrong.
The real situation is: different people use different ninja swords.
Ninjas will modify their swords according to their own needs and the fighting methods they are good at.
For example: some people who are good at both the scythe and swordsmanship will connect the scythe to the bottom of the handle of the ninja sword, and then connect the scythe to the other end of the scythe.
Those who are good at "prop fighting" will make major modifications to the handle of the knife, such as hollowing out the handle and installing small props or wound medicine inside the handle.
Some people's ninja swords are basically the same as the katana swords used by samurai. They are swords that are hard, tough, and sharp.
Shuntaro falls into this category.
Shuntaro, who is good at using dual swords, has two ninja swords.
His two ninja swords are both straight-edged, and their length is shorter than ordinary katana swords. The blade length of the two swords is only about 55cm.
Although they are just two unmarked swords without even a sword inscription, their quality is not inferior to those of Izumi Mamoru Kanesada and Nagasone Kotetsu.
In order to make it easier for him to move in the dark, the blades of Shuntaro's two swords were painted as black as charcoal with special ink.
Unlike samurai who usually hang their swords on their waists, Shuntaro carried his two ninja swords across his back.
The hilts of the two ninja swords protruded from Shuntaro's right shoulder, pointing diagonally at the sky.
Because the length is between a katana and a wakizashi, even if it is carried behind his back, Shuntaro's arm length can easily pull out these two sabers.
After learning that a rare and interesting customer came to his door, Shuntaro sped up the speed of wiping his body.
After quickly wiping off the sweat on his body, putting on his clothes, and slinging his two swords, Shuntaro and Shintaro walked side by side, running at a fast pace towards the mansion where Enma lived.
Kitaro went to Yoshihara to have fun tonight as usual.
Therefore, among the Four Heavenly Kings, only Shuntaro and Shintaro can go to meet these guests.
The training ground dedicated to Shuntaro is a bit far away from the mansion where Enma lives. Even if the two of them are not slow, it will take them some time to reach their destination.
In order to kill this boring time on the road, Shuntaro casually asked Shintaro next to him:
"Shintaro, how is your mission to capture the traitorous ninja who is absconding in Edo going?"
Not long ago, another rebellious ninja appeared in their Shiranui.
Although "rebeling a ninja" can be considered a common thing in Shiranui, the ninja who defected this time was unusual. The ninja who defected this time was a jounin.
After all, the jounin is the high-end combat power of Shiranui. The defection of a jounin is far more serious than the defection of middle, genin and karma.
Once a Jonin betrays Shiranui Ri, Shiranui Ri's pursuit of the traitorous nin will often be higher than that of other defecting middle and genin.
After relentless tracking of this defecting Jonin, we finally got reliable information a while ago: he is lurking in Edo.
After receiving this reliable information, Enma sent Shintaro a few days ago to lead a group of ninjas to pursue the rebellious ninja in Edo.
And Enma is also very interesting. At the moment when Shiranui's combat power has declined greatly, Enma still sent 2 jounin, 8 chuunin, and 14 genin to Shintaro as helpers.
"It's nothing." Neither Shintaro's expression nor the tone of his voice showed any emotion at all. "I'm just tracking him in a normal manner."
"Do you need my help?" Shuntaro asked jokingly.
"unnecessary."
Shintaro still cherished his words like gold, and looked like he didn't want to say another word to Shintaro.
Shuntaro was already used to Shintaro's indifferent attitude, so he didn't care.
Except for Enma, Shintaro is quite indifferent to everyone.
He is the type who can use one word to communicate with you but will never use two words to talk to you.
Compared to such boring gourds who don't talk much, Shuntaro still prefers people with cheerful personalities, so the relationship between Shuntaro and Shintaro is also very average, and they can only be regarded as acquaintances.
If it weren't for being bored on the road, Shuntaro wouldn't have taken the initiative to find a topic to chat with Shintaro.
Another reason why Shuntaro and Shintaro have a normal relationship is that Shuntaro thinks Shintaro is weird.
I've never seen Shintaro have a close relationship with anyone. I don't know if he said more than 20 sentences in a day. It's hard to guess what he is thinking.
This feeling of "I don't know what this person is thinking" makes Shuntaro feel very uncomfortable, so this is one of the important reasons why Shuntaro doesn't interact with Shintaro very much.
After chatting with Shintaro for a while, Enma's mansion finally appeared within their sight.
After walking the last short distance quickly and entering Enma's mansion, the two of them walked with familiarity to the room specially used to receive guests.
Balrog has a habit of receiving visitors from outside in the mansion where he lives.
Therefore, in Enma's mansion, there is a spacious room specially used to entertain guests.
Wow...
Shuntaro and Shintaro walked to the door of the guest room one after another and slowly opened the door.
The light in the room was not bright, there were only 2 candles for lighting.
Shutaro had long been tired of seeing all the decorations in this room, so after opening the door, Shutaro's eyes and attention were directly fixed on the large group of people kneeling on the tatami in the room.
On the body.
Shuntaro counted the number of people in this large crowd and found that there were 27 people in total.
These people No. 27 were all wearing ordinary kimonos and did not carry any weapons. They looked like a bunch of ordinary Li people.
This large, dark group of people took up nearly 80% of the space in this relatively spacious room.
What is striking is that among these 27 people, there are only 3 elderly people, and the other 24 people are all young people who are probably in their teens or 20s, and the oldest is less than 30 years old.
These three elderly people are all white-haired, they should be 5 or 60 years old, and they should be the same generation as Enma in Shiranui.
The dark complexions of the three people showed that their faces had been in contact with the outdoor sunshine for a long time, and their sharp and lively eyes were incompatible with their already gray beards and hair.
The arms of these three old guys instantly caught Shuntaro's attention as a warrior.
Although they all wore large kimonos, some of their forearm muscles were still exposed outside the clothes.
Without exception, their forearms are extremely thick.
Not only them, but the 24 young people behind the three of them are like this. Their arms and fingers are those of people who practice the art of war.
They should be the ninjas of Iga...
Shuntaro thought to himself in his heart.
In addition to these 27 people, there were two ninjas from their Shiranui clan kneeling in a corner of the room.
These two people must be responsible for taking care of these guests before Enma and Shuntaro arrive.
Seeing Shuntaro and Shintaro coming, these two ninjas immediately bowed to them and saluted.
After Shuntaro and Shintaro opened the door and entered the room, the Iga ninjas headed by the three old guys also focused their attention on the two.
"First time we meet." Shintaro took the lead in saluting the guests and announcing his home, "I am Shintaro from Shiranui."
After Shintaro finished speaking, Shuntaro immediately followed him:
"I'm Shuntaro."
As soon as Shuntaro finished speaking, low exclamations sounded among the Iga ninjas.
The Iga ninjas, especially the three old guys, will look at Shuntaro with some curiosity.
"Are you Shutaro..." one of the three old guys said, "I have admired his name for a long time. The famous Shutaro is much younger than I thought."
"I don't dare to be famous or anything like that." Shuntaro smiled.
Shuntaro and Shintaro sat in front of the Iga ninjas, facing each other.
After sitting down, Shuntaro looked at the Iga ninjas in front of him with interest.
This was the first time Shuntaro saw Iga's companions.
Because as far as Shutaro knew, Iga no Sato was destroyed due to civil strife 40 years ago.
Iga no Sato was once a place of incomparable beauty.
During the Warring States Period two hundred years ago, in order to maintain development and strengthen themselves, major ninjas would basically choose a master to join them.
The one who took refuge in Fuma no Sato was the Hojo family of Kanto daimyo.
In the early stage, Koka no Sato surrendered to the Rokkaku, Tsutsui, Hosokawa and other families in the Kinki area, and later surrendered to the overlord Oda Nobunaga.
And the master they Shiranui took refuge with at that time was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the "man of the world".
Shuntaro has learned a bit about their Shiranui history.
Shiranui was a rootless tree at the beginning and did not seek refuge with anyone, so it developed extremely slowly and even almost died several times.
It wasn't until Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide and died, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi received most of Oda Nobunaga's political legacy, that Shiranui decided to put his treasure on Toyotomi Hideyoshi and seek refuge with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
With the support of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Shiranui finally ushered in its first period of rapid development.
Different ninjas seek refuge with different masters.
But only Iga Nosato truly made the right bet.
During the Warring States Period, Iga no Sato turned to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The ninjas of Iga made great contributions to the establishment of Tokugawa Ieyasu's hegemony.
In order to thank Iga no Sato, after Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the Toyotomi family, stole the fruits of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's victory, unified Japan, and founded the Edo shogunate, he established Iga no Sato as the royal minister of their Edo shogunate.
Ninja.
The Iga ninjas who made the right bet remained prosperous until they perished due to civil strife 40 years ago.
When Iga no Sato was destroyed due to civil strife 40 years ago, Shuntaro was not even born yet.
Shuntaro never expected that he would be able to see living Iga ninjas in his lifetime, so he couldn't restrain his curiosity and kept looking at the group of Iga ninjas in front of him.
Different ninjas have different styles of behavior and fighting styles.
For example: During the Warring States Period, Koga-no-Sato, which was as famous as Iga-no-Sato, paid great attention to group actions.
Other ninjas are divided into three levels: jonin, chunin, and genin.
Shiranui are a bit special, there is a "Ku" level below Genin.
There is no jounin class in Koga no Sato, only chuunin and genin.
Chuunin in Koganosato are similar to commanders, responsible for commanding genin whose functions are similar to soldiers.
The ninjas of Koga are not good at fighting or assassinating. What they are good at is infiltration and intelligence gathering.
Therefore, most ninjas in Koga do not know any martial arts.
Because if you practice martial arts, especially swordsmanship, spearmanship and other military arts, the forearms and fingers of both hands will become thicker, and there will be a layer of calluses on the palms that only those who practice military arts will have.
In this way, it will be easy for knowledgeable people to see that you are not an ordinary person, and you will not be able to disguise yourself as a monk, a merchant, etc. and sneak into the enemy country to spy on intelligence.
Iga's style is completely different from Koga's.
Iga pays attention to personal fighting ability and is a complete "martial arts school".
This aspect is very similar to their Shiranui.
Shiranui, like Iga, pays attention to personal fighting ability and is a "martial arts" ninja.
Therefore, during the Warring States Period 200 years ago, countless fierce and bloody conflicts broke out between Shiranui Sato and Iga No Sato, who were both "militant factions" and had taken refuge in different lords.
After carefully looking at Iga's ninjas now, Shuntaro found that these rumors were not wrong.
These Iga ninjas all indeed look capable of fighting.
"Shuntaro-san, Shintaro-san." One of the three old guys asked, "When will Enma-sama arrive?"
"Sir, please be patient." Shintaro responded in a polite tone, "Enma-sama will be here soon."
Shintaro's mouth seemed to have been opened. As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the room from far to near.
Wow.
The door was opened.
The person who opened the door was none other than the Balrog.
After Enma briefly glanced at everyone in the room, he walked slowly towards Shuntaro and Shintaro, and then sat down cross-legged.
Even without any explanation from others, the three old guys could recognize from the expressions of Shuntaro and others, as well as the appearance of the Enma they had heard before, that this person was the current supreme ruler of Shiranui.
These three old guys led the young people behind them to salute the Balrog in unison.
"I have admired you for a long time. Enma-sama. I am Hannosuke of Iga."
"I am Iga's Zennosuke."
"I am Shinnosuke of Iga."
These three old guys reported their names one after another.
Balrog nodded slightly, and then said angrily:
"I am the 17th Enma of Shiranui."
After calling home, Enma lightly scanned the Iga ninjas in front of him.
A few chuckles followed.
"I never thought I could see the ninjas of Iga again before I died."
"I heard before that there are still some remnants of Iga still alive."
"It's a shame that you remnants of the gang were able to find us."
"We are colleagues after all." Hannosuke said expressionlessly, "It is much easier for ninjas to find ninjas than for ordinary people to find ninjas."
"Although our search was not easy, it took us two full months to finally find the location of your new base in Shiranui."
"Two months... He didn't hesitate to spend such a long time to find you. It seems he has something very important to tell us."
"We do have something very important to tell you." The person who spoke was still Hannosuke, "Lord Enma, could you please turn away the others?"
In response to Hannosuke's request, Enma without any hesitation pouted at the two ninjas who had been kneeling in a corner of the room and had been responsible for serving the guests.
The two ninjas who understood Enma's meaning immediately stood up and exited the room.
Hannosuke: "Enma-sama, and Mr. Shuntaro and Mr. Shintaro."
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"There's no need for those two." Enma waved his hand, "The two of them are the Four Heavenly Kings in our Shiranui, and they are also my confidants. It doesn't matter if they are left here."
Seeing Enma say this, Hannosuke and the others didn't dare to force it.
"Speaking of which, we Shiranui and Iga no Sato are enemies."
Balrog grinned and sneered.
"Two hundred years ago, the lord we served was Toyotomi, and the lord you served was Tokugawa."
"For this reason, when the world was uncertain two hundred years ago, we had many conflicts."
"When Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still alive and the Toyotomi family began to dominate the world, we Shiranui and you Iga no Sato began an all-out struggle."
"I never imagined that Shiranui Sato and Iga Nosato, who were once enemies, could actually talk to each other face to face and calmly now that the Warring States Period has ended two hundred years ago."
"It's really disappointing."
Hearing Enma's words, Hanosuke smiled slightly:
"Shiranui and Iga no Sato were enemies. This is an old story two hundred years ago."
"Toyotomi has long been destroyed."
"We Iga will no longer serve Tokugawa."
"How about we just forget about these old things?"
Balrog laughed a few times.
"I have no intention of pursuing those stupid accounts from two hundred years ago. It's been so long ago, and I don't know how to pursue them if I want to. Well, let me hear how you, the remnants of Iga, have gone to such great lengths to find them.
, why.”
"Lord Enma."
Hannosuke arranged some of his clothes.
"What we ask for is quite simple."
"We hope Shiranui can help us."
"Help us find the whereabouts of Kinoshita Genichi in Edo!"
As soon as the name Kinoshita Genichi came out of Hannosuke's mouth, Enma's brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
As for Shuntaro on the side, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows after hearing the name Kinoshita Genichi.
Shintaro often heard the name Kinoshita Genichi.
As far as he knew, Kinoshita Genichi seemed to be a great swordsman who had honed his swordsmanship to the pinnacle.
At the same time, he is also one of their enemies in Shiranui.
Their leader Enma's left eye was blinded by Genichi Kinoshita.
10 years ago, it was also because of Kinoshita Genichi's intervention that they were unable to completely annihilate Fuma no Sato and suffered the humiliation of having their base invaded.
"...Why are you looking for Kinoshita Genichi?" Enma said solemnly, "Do you also have a grudge against Kinoshita Genichi?"
"It's not just a grudge!" The person who spoke this time was no longer Hanosuke, but Zennosuke, "If it weren't for Kinoshita Genichi, our Iga no Sato wouldn't have collapsed so quickly 40 years ago.
!”
After saying that, Hannosuke clenched his fists loudly, his eyes turned red, and the hatred flashed in his pupils was so strong that it was frightening.
"...Isn't the demise of Iga no Sato due to civil strife?" Shutaro, who had been silent since just now, said now, "Maybe it was not because of civil strife, but because of that Kinoshita Gen-One
Did you personally dismantle your Iga no Sato?"
"No, it's not." Sennosuke said solemnly, "The reason why our Iga no Sato perished 40 years ago... the main reasons are very complicated."
"Among these many reasons, Kinoshita Genichi's intervention is one of the most important reasons."
"We will never forgive Kinoshita Genichi!" This time it was Shinnosuke who spoke, "After the destruction of Iga no Sato! The three of us have been hiding incognito for 40 years, practicing hard and accumulating strength!"
"All this is just for revenge against Kinoshita Genichi!"
Balrog glanced at the 24 young people behind the three old guys: "Are these part of the strength you have accumulated to avenge Balrog?"
"That's right!" Hannosuke said loudly, "These children are all new Iga ninjas trained by the three of us after the death of Iga no Sato. They are all dead warriors! They are full of strength and courage!"
"...Since you just said that you are going to let us, Shiranui, help you find Kinoshita Genichi in Edo..." Enma then said in a deep voice, "Maybe you have obtained reliable information that Kinoshita Genichi is in Edo now.
?”
"No. We are just guessing that Kinoshita Genichi may be in Edo now." Hannosuke said, "Enma-sama, as far as I know, you seem to have some connection with Kinoshita Genichi."
"Then you should also know how much Kinoshita Genichi is a guy who likes to make trouble and how much he likes to discuss things with others."
Hearing Hannosuke's words, Enma tightened his lips, not commenting on what Hannosuke just said.
Hannosuke also continued:
"Before he integrated with the Wan family and created the damn selfless two-sword style, he traveled far and wide and competed with masters from all walks of life."
"After he created the damn Mugo Two-Sword style, he became even more lawless. In just a few years, he visited countless dojos. If you just ask around, you can find out that Kinoshita Genichi is known as a 'fighting maniac'.
"
"As long as there is an opportunity to fight with someone, Kinoshita Genichi will definitely go up and join in the fun."
"Even if I can't participate in the battle, I will definitely go and watch it."
"Sir Enma, as a guy who loves to compete with others, how would you feel after learning that Edo is now holding the 'Gozen Trial', a large-scale trial where masters of many different schools will compete?"
"...I understand what you mean." Enma smiled softly, "You think Kinoshita Genichi will be attracted to Edo by the 'Gozen Trial Match', right?"
"That's right." Hanosuke nodded vigorously.
"Then you may be disappointed." Yan Mo said, "I don't know if you know that the results of the 'Yu Qian Shi He' literary test have been released."
"There is no name of Kinoshita Genichi on it. Kinoshita Genichi did not participate in the 'Gozen Trials'."
"At the same time, as far as I know, there are no gray-haired old men participating in the 'Imperial Trial Match' this time, and the oldest one is only over fifty years old."
"Enma-sama." Enma's words just now did not shake Hannosuke's expression, "I also said just now, even if that fellow Kinoshita Genichi cannot participate in the battle, he will definitely go to observe it.
Watch and learn.”
"Even if he does not participate in the 'Yu Qian Trial Combination', he will most likely come forward to observe in the subsequent 'Yu Qian Trial Combination' martial arts test."
"In short, as long as there is a slight possibility that 'Kinoshita Genichi is in Edo', we will not let it go!"
"...I understand." Enma sneered, "I never thought that Kinoshita Genichi not only has enmity with us Shiranui, but also with you Iga no Sato."
"Lord Enma." The stern expression on Hannosuke's face softened slightly, "We have heard about the dispute between Shiranui Ri and Kinoshita Genichi before."
"So for us, this is a cooperation that is beneficial to both parties."
"Let's work together to find Kinoshita Genichi in Edo, and then..."
Before Hannosuke finished speaking, Enma interrupted:
"Hannosuke-sama, it is indeed as you said, we have a grudge against Kinoshita Genichi."
"We'd be happy to assist you, too."
"but"
Balrog spoke in a long tone.
"We in Shiranui are not in a hurry about 'killing Genichi Kinoshita'."
"So if you want us Shiranui to help you, just relying on such a frivolous statement as 'We all have a grudge against Kinoshita Genichi' is not enough."
After saying this, Balrog stopped abruptly and did not continue speaking.
But this is enough.
Enma's words just now have made many things clear to Hannosuke and the others.
After Hannosuke was stunned for a moment, he smiled bitterly and said:
"As expected of a ninja, I can't get your help without paying a price."
"You provide the money, and we provide the people." Enma said calmly, "This is a rule that has been established for hundreds of years. You are the ninjas of Iga, so you should also understand this set of rules. ww. We ninjas never do things in vain."
Assistant Hanzhi adjusted his upper body clothes: "I understand. After all, we are also ninjas. Before I came to you Shiranui, I had already guessed that it would be impossible to get your help without paying any price."
"We have been prepared for a long time."
"Lord Enma, as long as you are willing to help us find Kinoshita Genichi in Edo, we are willing to pay a reward: 200 taels of gold. We will pay a deposit of 100 taels of gold first."
As soon as the number 200 came out of Hannosuke's mouth, Shuntaro couldn't help but let out a low exclamation.
After Yan Mo heard the words "200 taels of gold", he couldn't help but look shocked and said:
"You guys, the remnants of Iga, are pretty rich."
"In order to avenge Kinoshita Genichi, we have always had reserve funds for the past 40 years." Hannosuke said calmly, "It's just some money that is not very 'clean'. I hope you don't mind, Enma-sama."
"I don't care about money. As long as it's money, that's fine." Balrog grinned, "Since you can give me a reward, that's fine."
Hanosuke: "Then does this count as a deal?"
"Of course!" Enma raised his hand and touched the scar on his left eye, "Let us Shiranui and you Iga no Sato have a good cooperation..."