01x06 - Heart and Reason

[bunniefuu]

Heart and Reason

He eats so much. It's great.

Grow up strong, Rokurota.

Oh, my. Is it playtime
now that he's had a snack?

Stand back, Sagiri!

Genji-dono!

You need immediate medical attention.

Run, Sagiri.

It's too late for me.

Hurry... run...

Gabimaru...

Is he a condemned criminal or a monster?

He's practically unharmed.

That's Rokurota, the Giant of Bizen.

He's assigned to...

Eizen-dono.

Those are the eyes
of a predator who's located his prey.

It'll be tough for us to escape together.

Then I have no choice.

I'll k*ll him.

That said, how?

If that kick was ineffective,
then he's as tough as an Iwagakure.

Shinobi Rule Number Nine.

Accurately analyze the enemy's abilities.

I'll decide once I see how strong he is.

What?

Stay back. You'll die.

But...

Physically, he's stronger than me.

How long are you going to
sit there and watch, Yuzuriha?

Help me.

You've got your own ninjutsu, don't you?

Fight with me, like you promised you would.

Okay, okay.

Of course I'll keep my promises.

You're responsible for the fighting,

and I'm responsible
for gathering information.

You've got this, Gabimaru.

Don't let him b*at you, Gabimaru.

Go, go. Get him.

You're so strong, Gabimaru.

Get out there.

There's nothing special about his swings.

If I just focus on the
destruction wrought by his fists...

His swings and reactions are fast.

I can feel it instinctively.

It's impossible to defend
against those fists.

Touching them would mean instant death.

In that case...

Ninpo: Stone Storm.

Projectiles are ineffective.

Ninpo: Unformed Blade.

Not even my Unformed Blade, which is
comparable to steel, works against him.

Ninpo: Unformed Blade

Ninpo:
Savage
Headbutt

What else do I have?

Ninpo:
Aqueous
b*mb

Ninpo:
Quilt of
Thorns

Ninpo:
Savage
Headbutt

Ninpo:
Zephyr
Weave

What long-range ninjutsu
would be effective against him?

Ninpo:
Wild
Archer

Ninpo:
Savage
Headbutt

Enough.

This is pointless.

Run, Sagiri.

Don't give up.

You'll survive if we can stop the bleeding.

You're a strange person.

Moments ago, you were blustering like a man.

But now, I feel a woman's affection in you.

Right now, there are no men or women.

I simply don't want my senior, who
studied under the same master to die.

So that's how you've chosen to live.

Rather than dividing everything in two,
such as man or woman, strength or weakness,

you accept opposing
concepts as part of yourself.

You embody the middle way.

That is your conviction.

I finally understand.

A warrior's sword is his soul.

I give this to you.

Rokurota probably k*lled Eizen-dono.

If you're a samurai, then I won't
tell you to run anymore.

k*ll Rokurota,

Yamada Asaemon Sagiri.

Close-quarters combat is too dangerous.
Projectiles are ineffective.

If I could just get the chance
to use Ascetic Blaze...

If it were two against one,
I could find a blind spot.

If you insert your blade at the junction
of extended muscles, tendons, and bone,

even the strongest body can be cut.

No matter how outlandish your opponent,
the principles of execution apply.

Understand the structure of their body
and strike at the gaps.

That is the Yamada Asaemon style.

Gabimaru.

Good timing. I was just looking for help.

Assist me.

Um, I'd like to go tend
my fellow student's wounds.

What? But it's too late for him.

Besides, you're not
that kind of guy, are you?

More importantly, no monsters have
approached despite the noise we're making.

Wouldn't it be more beneficial
to observe them?

We can flee once they're dead.

His bleeding has stopped already.

So that wasn't a serious injury for him.

We need a single k*lling blow.

We'll have to aim for the gaps
between his bones and decapitate him.

But his neck is too high up.

So we'll split up.

Cut his legs from his blind spot
and make him kneel.

You say that so casually.

Huh?

You can do it, can't you?

I'll handle his att*cks.

What?

Are you all right?

Yes.

He's condemned to death
and k*lled my senior.

But if I att*ck too aggressively,
my swordsmanship will suffer.

I must remain calm.

I must push aside my emotions
and rely on reason.

He's coming. Again.

My leg...

I must've strained it
while evading his blows.

Dodging all his att*cks takes
a high degree of skill.

A simple open-palm strike
from him hits like a cannon.

I must remain calm.

If I'm struck by a single blow, it's over.

Cutting through his bones
while he's rampaging about will be difficult.

His movements close the gaps between his
bones, leaving no space for my blade.

Normally, beheadings are performed
on people bowing their heads.

k*lling him with a single blow
requires him to hunch over.

But since our blades
can't penetrate his limbs,

it'll be difficult to make him do that.

This is a tough problem.

Is his stomach growling?

What is this?

He's so loud.

Gabimaru!

His extraordinary strength made me
cautious, but I can withstand this.

I can handle this.

No!

Crap. I need to get back up.

That wasn't a fatal blow.

Stand up.

Death.

Calm down. I must remain calm.

Suppress your emotions. Think logically.

Calm down.

Abandon your passion and remain calm.

The middle way. That is your conviction.

Rather than dividing everything in two,
accept the opposing concepts as they are.

Both emotion and reason.

Turn your emotions into strength.

Use logic to keep sight of the objective.

Choose neither calmness nor passion,

but the middle.

Wow.

Her Tameshi-itto-ryu rank is 12th,

but Yamada clan ranks
aren't determined by pure skill alone.

They're assigned according
to their suitability to lead the clan,

so she loses standing simply
for being a woman.

In terms of pure skill, she's...

Sagiri lacks experience
as a warrior on the b*ttlefield.

But when her duty and goals
are aligned with her heart,

when her hesitation vanishes,

her skill with a sword
is better than first-rate.

She may fear the monsters of the island,

but as an Asaemon, in the face
of a criminal, she shows no fear.

She's one stubborn person.

I was right about her.

That feeling I got when I first met her...

She's strong.

A low-hanging head...

I guess it's not that simple.

Is there any way to keep his head bowed?

I've got an idea.

What?

It might be a bit extreme.

The Giant of Bizen.

Close-quarters combat is too dangerous.
Projectiles are ineffective.

Our only option is to get a blade through
a gap in his body and decapitate him.

Doing that requires more than
exceptional physical abilities.

We need the skills of the Yamada
Asaemon clan, specialized in beheading.

But given his massive bulk
and reaction speed,

a half-hearted effort won't be enough
to reach him with a blade.

In that case...

Crap.

What?

We're getting out of here, Senta.

Ninpo: Stone Storm, Ascetic Blaze Mode.

Ninpo: Zephyr Weave, Ascetic Blaze Mode.

Ninpo: Grand Crag, Ascetic Blaze Mode.

Ninpo: Quilt of Thorns, Ascetic Blaze Mode.

Any more would be reckless.

Besides, this should be enough.

How far do we need to run?

As far as we can, you four-eyed raccoon dog.

They're not just trying to k*ll Rokurota.

They're planning to set
the whole area on fire.

Could it be?

It's the smoke.

The massive amount of smoke
produced by the oils in raw wood.

By setting fire to branches and leaves,

they can instantly fill the area above
with smoke, given smoke's properties.

And if he rampages about while crying,

he'll run short of breath
and inhale a large amount of smoke.

Like execution by fire,

the poison in the smoke
that causes loss of consciousness

when inhaled is more harmful
than the flames or heat.

Poison?

In other words, carbon monoxide.

It binds to the hemoglobin in the blood,

causing the entire body to rapidly reach
an oxygen deficient state.

It is known as carbon monoxide poisoning.

That was tough for me too,

but as long as you stay crouched,
you won't inhale any smoke.

It's safe.

I could burn to death.

Will he reach his limit first?

Or will his head come down first?

Cut him now while we have the chance!

I won't last long in a contest of strength!

Calmly.

Fiercely.

Hungry.

Wanna play.

Wanna play. Wanna play.

Hungry. Hungry.

Why don't I ever feel full?

Why won't anyone play with me?

We allowed you to go on quite a rampage.

We must've frightened you. I'm sorry.

It's my fault for lacking experience.

But it's all right now.

Nobody hates you.

Those who might hate you now are dead.

Like them, I hope you rest in peace.

The flames are getting stronger.

Monsters might approach.

We should get away from here.

Genji-dono...

If we don't hurry, we'll burn to death.

On this island where I can't mourn my
fellow students, much less criminals,

I must be strong.

Strong...

Rather than dividing everything in two,

such as strength or weakness,
you accept them.

That is your conviction.

They're coming.

They're heading toward the flames.

But normally, animals instinctively avoid fire.

They're looking less and less natural.

We don't have a choice.

Let's head in the direction
where the monsters came from.

Wouldn't that be dangerous?

Well, yeah, but we have no other choice.

The monsters' ecology
is our only lead on the Elixir.

I'm still feeling the damage I took earlier.

I need a break. This is such a pain.

Would you rather give up, then?

No.

No matter how small or dangerous,
if it's a lead, I'll follow it.

I'll find the Elixir of Life as quickly as
possible and see my wife as soon as I can.

Are you sure you're not worried about
the safety of your fellow students?

No.

They all took this job
knowing it could k*ll them.

It would be disrespectful
to be too concerned about them.

If I'm worried about my fellows,

then I should find
the Elixir as quickly as possible

and release us from this responsibility.

Our interests are finally aligned.

I'm still your monitor.

What is that?

The vixen and raccoon
dog fled all the way here?

Hey, what about our promise
to fight together?

Is this a village?

Doesn't look like it could be anything else.

If this place really is Shinsenkyo,

does that mean hermits live in this village?

Man, that's gross.

Doesn't even fill you up.

Is that safe to eat?

I'm not eating it, I'm drinking it.

The bodily fluids of animals are the
water you drink in the mountains.

Anyway, what are those
hermits you mentioned earlier?

Well... they're imaginary.

They're a type of superhuman being
according to Shenxian philosophy.

Most resemble old men
and cast mysterious spells.

Allegedly, they're immortal.

They may exist on this island.

It's supposed to be hermits,
not monsters, that live in Shinsenkyo.

Sounds dumb.

Just k*ll the old farts and be done with it.

They might actually satisfy my hunger.

You're joking, right?

Brother?

Something's out there.

These better be good.