Chapter 61: Going Home, Let Your Master's Wife Cook Some Food.
Ryuji tucked the shuriken into his robe, his fingertips brushing against the cold metal edges.
The Ishikawa Family.
Ninjas.
Things seem to be getting interesting.
Well, I wonder how Uzui Tengen's investigation is going. I should probably exchange letters with him. Thinking of this, Ryuji wanted to complain; Uzui Tengen really was something—he clearly interrogated some information out of them.
But in the end, he just told him that the Messenger Crow being captured was an accident and the letters were still safe, before leaving.
He went off to investigate on his own.
Shaking his head, he realized there was no need to rush these things; rushing wouldn't help. He still had to take Kocho Sisters to Mount Sagiri first.
He would set those matters aside for now. The most important thing was still military merit points... Next time he encountered Doma or Akaza...
He would definitely smash their heads to pieces!
Returning to Kocho Sisters, the two clever girls didn't ask any questions. Shinobu Kocho looked at Ryuji's back and quietly gave him a thumbs-up.
That's more like it; bad people should just be beaten to death!
The three continued toward Mount Sagiri, conveniently dealing with a blind little demon along the way.
Well, it really was blind, trying to bypass Ryuji to ambush Shinobu Kocho... [Ding! Kill detected: Pirate. Reward: +100 military merit points.]
Ryuji watched the little demon turn to ash, a smirk playing on his lips. Another hundred military merit points in the bag; not bad at all.
Now he was only 5,650 points away from the azure dragon fruit. It was within reach!
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ryuji asked the System in his mind, "System, after I obtain the azure dragon fruit, does it count as an increase in strength? Also, can Conqueror's Haki be used for Infusion?"
[It counts as gaining strength. Conqueror's Haki can be leveled up, but as for Infusion... Host, please just go wash up and go to sleep.]
Ryuji's mouth twitched. "Everything's in the dreams, right?" After that little interlude, the three finally arrived at the foot of Mount Sagiri.
Before they could even head up the mountain, a familiar figure quickly came down to meet them.
It was Sabito.
With a bright smile on his face, his voice arrived before he did: "Ryuji! You're finally here!"
Ryuji looked at Sabito, who had grown a bit taller, and smiled. "You've grown, haven't you?"
Sabito gave Ryuji a warm hug and patted his shoulder. "Not as tall as you... Long time no see."
"It hasn't been that long, has it? I saw you when I was training you guys last time. By the way, where's Giyu?"
Ryuji said with a smile.
Behind him, Shinobu Kocho's eyes lit up. He had taught them?
Then they must be very strong, right?
Great!
Sabito glanced behind Ryuji and said softly, "Giyu went on a mission... He'll be back in a couple of days. He's been very busy since he became a Kinoe-rank swordsman."
"Is that so? I was hoping to see him... Anyway, the two behind me are Kocho Sisters..."
Ryuji smiled and pointed to the two behind him, introducing them and explaining why they had come.
"Let them learn Water Breathing? That's a piece of cake!"
Sabito patted his chest with grand confidence. "I might not be able to help everyone, but for you, Ryuji, I'll definitely help!"
He lowered his voice and winked. "Don't worry, when that kid Giyu gets back, I'll drag him along to help teach them!"
"Don't mind how quiet he usually is; his talent is much greater than mine. Sooner or later, he'll become your colleague."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked up the mountain, while Kocho Sisters followed quietly behind.
Even the usually lively Shinobu Kocho was quiet, showing no signs of impatience.
Soon, the three met the old man wearing the tengu mask.
Urokodaki Sakonji.
He just stood there quietly, like a silent mountain.
"Is that so?"
After Sabito explained Ryuji's purpose, Urokodaki Sakonji nodded. "Fine. Sabito, take them to get familiar with the surroundings. Make sure the young ladies are settled in separately."
After saying that, he looked at Ryuji. "Ryuji... come with me. I have something to say to you."
With that, he walked toward the inner room.
Ryuji shrugged. What could Urokodaki Sakonji possibly have to say to him?
Most likely, he wanted to thank him for saving Sabito... As soon as he entered the inner room, he heard Urokodaki Sakonji say, "Please close the door..."
"Mr. Urokodaki..."
Ryuji closed the door and turned around, but before he could finish speaking...
Thump.
To Ryuji's astonishment, Urokodaki Sakonji actually knelt straight down before him.
It was a full, formal kowtow.
"Holy crap!"
Ryuji was stunned, even blurting out a common expletive.
"Mr. Urokodaki, please don't! You can't do this! You're going to shorten my life!"
No joke, letting a man in his sixties perform such a grand gesture was asking for divine retribution.
Urokodaki didn't get up. He just raised his head, his voice trembling slightly beneath the mask.
"You deserve it."
He insisted on kneeling on the tatami. He had already removed his mask, revealing a somewhat aged face that clearly showed he had been a handsome young man in his youth. His eyes were red.
"I heard about the Hand Demon from Sabito..."
"It was all my fault... So many good children were eaten just because of me!"
His voice was filled with self-reproach and regret.
Ryuji remained silent.
He knew this was a massive weight that had been pressing on Urokodaki Sakonji's heart for years.
So many children, all because of a grudge from years ago... To the point where he used training that was harsh even by swordsmen's standards to select candidates, thinking they didn't return because his teaching wasn't good enough. But repeated failures made him doubt himself.
He had even considered stopping teaching altogether until Sabito returned and told him what happened.
"Sigh, why bother? It was the demon's fault..."
"No! The demon was certainly at fault, but my lack of ability was also a factor. So, please teach me those scientific training methods!"
Urokodaki Sakonji's voice was resolute.
"I beg you!"
Ryuji shook his head. So that was it.
Did you really need to perform a full kowtow for this?
He helped Urokodaki Sakonji up. "Of course. If I could teach Mr. Kuwajima and Sabito, I can certainly teach you."
"Thank you for your generosity!"
Urokodaki Sakonji looked at Ryuji with disbelief. He hadn't expected Ryuji to agree so easily.
Kuwajima Jigoro had said that Ryuji was difficult to talk to and that learning things from him took a lot of effort.
Sabito had also said something similar—that during training, it was like being in Hell, and they only learned a fraction of it.
He didn't expect to obtain it so easily!
What a good child... "By the way, my training is very tough, Mr. Urokodaki..."
"It doesn't matter! Please, you must be strict with me!"
Urokodaki Sakonji said very seriously, "You must be even stricter than you were with Kuwajima Jigoro!"
Hearing this, Ryuji realized the two of them knew each other. Well, it made sense; they were both former Hashira... It was normal for them to be acquainted.
But you're already sixty years old; why are you still as competitive as a child?
"Alright."
Sorry, Tanjiro.
At the thought of Tanjiro's future training life, Ryuji wanted to laugh!
A few days later.
On the training ground, Kocho Sisters were being worked to the bone by Sabito and Tomioka Giyu.
Ryuji sat on the porch, watching their suffering with a slight, unconscious smirk.
This is the fun part of being an instructor.
"Sabito is really strict."
He said to Urokodaki Sakonji beside him.
"Yeah, your method is indeed quite good."
Urokodaki nodded, muttering as he observed, "No wonder that old fellow Kuwajima's disciples are so strong. So there was a secret..."
Seeing Urokodaki's serious research, Ryuji couldn't help but think of his own Master, Mochizuki Tosaburo.
Counting the time, it had been a while since he last went back.
He wondered how his Master was doing.
It just so happened that there were no urgent missions right now, so he might as well go back and visit.
And while he was at it, he would investigate the Ishikawa Family.
Entrusting Kocho Sisters to the Master and disciples of Mount Sagiri, Ryuji headed down the mountain alone and set off on the road home.
The journey was peaceful.
Occasionally, he encountered some blind little demons or scum colluding with demons, all of whom he cleared out along the way.
His military merit points were skyrocketing.
"Heh, as expected, if you want to get rich, you need a windfall!"
Saying that, Ryuji looked up at the familiar seaside fishing village, only to find that it seemed to have changed.
The village was much wealthier than before, and the villagers' faces were all beaming with happy smiles.
And his Master Mochizuki Tosaburo's old, dilapidated house had been turned into a warehouse for fishing gear.
He was now living with Suzuki Yuriko. Well, it seems helping someone really did lead to their bed... He looked much sturdier than before, and his complexion had improved quite a bit.
That's good.
"You little brat, you actually remembered to come back?"
Mochizuki Tosaburo looked Ryuji up and down, smoke constantly drifting from his pipe, his eyes slightly red.
"Yeah, just checking if you're still alive..."
Ryuji said softly.
"You brat... You've done well, better than your Master. Come home; I'll have your Master's wife cook some food."
"Alright!"
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