02x01 - Dawn and Confusion

[bunniefuu]

CAGED CLAN BRIDGE

Shinsenkyo.

You are the only one who has
made it back from that island.

Explain what exactly happened,

Yamada Asaemon Jikka.

All right, the details, huh?

Well, it doesn't really matter much, but...

Mind if I sit more comfortably?

That's a no? Okay, okay...

Let's see... Where should I start?

By order of the shogun,

to obtain the Elixir of Life,

a group of death-row convicts,
along with us Yamada Asaemon,

headed for Shinsenkyo two days ago.

The convict I was assigned to
was "k*lling Buddha" Horubo.

Before we even landed, he was k*lled
aboard the ship by Aza Chobe.

I figured I’d head ba...

Trembling with frustration
at failing my duty,

I turned back reluctantly, but...

the current carried us in,
and we ended up docking.

Wait!

Did you set foot on the island?

Well... Yes.

Sixty people have gone
missing on that island.

I struggled over whether
to continue my duty, but I felt

it was my duty to convey a condemned
man’s final moments to his family.

And after some stuff happened, I returned.

Wait! You're not gonna explain
what that "stuff" was?

Well, it'd be a waste of time to.

We should stay away
from that island from now on.

That place doesn’t belong to this world.

As they say, only fools
or children poke a beehive.

Y-you b*stard!

Are you implying the shogunate is foolish?

Well, I don't know about "implying"--

I apologize.

This man is ill-mannered,
even by our standards.

The responsibility lies
with the Yamada Clan

and with me, as acting instructor.

Please forgive him.

Hmph! Lowering your head won’t--

Hey!

What is it? You don’t need
to worry about an Asaemon.

D-don’t you know? He was in that incident.

W-well, you must be tired
from the journey back.

We’ll overlook your rudeness.

Now then, I will read
the official order from the shogun.

Listen carefully.

"The Yamada Clan shall,
once again, travel to Shinsenkyo.

You are hereby assigned to oversee
those who have landed on the island.

Select new suitable candidates.

Yamada Asaemon Shugen!"

We samurai are just pawns after all.

No matter where we go.

Lives that are expendable, right?

Jikka-dono!

Your behavior before the shogunate earlier

was rather excessive!

I figured if you were there,
it’d work out somehow.

And it did, didn’t it?

I'm saying that even I can't overlook it!

Even if you are my senior,

you must observe proper samurai decorum!

Oh, really? My bad.

I’m acting in Eizen-dono's stead now.

I can’t stain his seat in his absence.

Oh? How admirable.

But about these reinforcements,

are there even any usable
death-row inmates left?

It seems the next ones
to be sent to the island

will be the Iwagakure ninja.

Oh?

After selecting the candidates
to be sent to the island,

all the condemned criminals were
apparently k*lled by the Iwagakure group.

Pleased, the shogun selected
four ninja present on the spot.

As the leader of Iwagakure,
I’ll gladly assist the shogun.

I also left something
behind on that island.

Leaving it to death-row inmates
in the first place

was a joke taken too far.

Jikka-dono, you'll join the reinforcements
and head to the island in a few days.

Wha... Huh?

No way.

I don’t want anything to do
with that place anymore.

Jikka-dono...

Eizen-dono said that no matter what,

he would report the situation
by the second day.

This is already the third day.

And it’s not just Eizen-dono.

Tenza, Kisho, Sagiri... Are they safe?

When I think about them,

I can't bear to just sit here and wait.

Yeah. I’m worried too.

That's why

we should go to the island ourselves

and complete the mission swiftly.

E-excuse me!

Samurai!

What should we do with this?

Huh?

This... Well...

I thought if I showed this,
the higher-ups would be convinced

it was a dangerous island. But you know,

we never got to show this off.

We went out of our way to haul it up
with an anchor stuck in it too.

Total waste of effort.

Sorry, sorry.

To make it up to you,
I’ll take you to the pleasure district.

Or...

you could come to my bedchamber?

- Either way is fine, right?
- No, um...

Don’t touch it, sir!

That tentacle might still be alive!

No. It’s already dead.

I don’t sense the waves of life.

Let's go, Jikka-dono.

Waves of... life?

Sorry to keep you waiting.
The report to the shogunate is finished.

We’ll head to the island as planned,
just the four of us.

This time, it’s a team
chosen purely by ability.

Jikka-dono will come as well.

Huh? I don't recall agreeing to that.

We will depart immediately...

for Shinsenkyo.

Tao is life itself.

Using Tao is equivalent
to consuming one’s own life.

The more you use it, the more the body,

or the soul, will suffer the effects.

It will show on you.

Aren’t body and soul separate?

No.

They’re both merely forms of Tao.

You're talking about
complicated stuff again!

You said you wouldn’t
do that here, didn't you?

S-sorry!

Just kidding!

Don't bow down!

Lift your head. Come on!

Heads up!

So, Rien? Isn't the new
training hall just wonderful?

Yes. Splendid, Tao Fa.

By learning different movements

and breathing underwater
and on the surface,

it becomes training in daoyin
and embryonic breathing.

Music encourages meditation

and trains you in keeping
your unity and the microcosmic orbit.

That room is good too,
perfect for focusing on Bochu Jutsu.

I know, right?

That’s stupid.

If Bochu Jutsu
are about yin-yang circulation,

then it’s enough to stay
in the middle like me.

That’s not true.

Tao takes on individuality,
depending on the life that bears it.

By mingling with others,

you draw out new power in Tao.

Ju Fa, you're going too far. It's awesome.

You two are so dedicated to training!

Want some Tan?

Huh? Oh, yeah, give me one.

Mu Dan made these!

Freshly squeezed!

Here you go.

I forgot to put in the glowing one.

You know, the one that makes drinks glow.

Where was it again, Zhu Jin?

Who knows? Beats me.

We're inside of the Shinsenkyo castle.

Staying in one place is dangerous.

Let's take a step outside the gate.

Okay.

That outfit...

I can’t even tell what kind
of group we are anymore.

It’s fine. It’s cute.

Bloodstained clothes would stand out.

Just turn a blind eye to it.

Just like sensei!

Anyway,

our immediate goal
is to reunite with Gabimaru and Mei.

If Gabimaru's aim is the elixir,

then this castle
is likely his destination.

If we went outside the gate,

it'd be better
for regrouping too, wouldn't it?

Wait a second.

Do we really need to regroup?

Are we still even doing this whole
"get the elixir" mission thing?

The island’s crawling with monsters,

and there are those total
nightmare Tensen things.

The mission’s basically void, right?

Wouldn’t the best move be
to get the hell off the island?

No. We regroup.

What? I'm saying this
for your sake, my beloved Sagiri!

That’s not how you really feel, is it?

You started acting this way
after learning there’s no elixir.

As a safety net for leaving without it,

you want more Asaemon, who’ll
support us before the shogunate.

You just want to help yourself, don't you?

You saw through me?

Even so...

I still want to leave the island together.

That hasn’t changed.

I even find your rationality reassuring.

If we leave, everyone leaves.

You too. Gabimaru too.

Well, there’s no guarantee
Gabimaru will make it this far.

I think he already has. Probably.

There was a huge burn mark
and a broken wall near the gate.

Only he could leave a mark like that.

If we’re regrouping,
going outside the gate is logical.

Thank you very much.

Once you decide something,
you won't listen to anyone else anyway.

But still,

if we do reunite,
what do we do about that thing?

Gabimaru's wife, I mean.

If we climb up here,

will we really get
to the Shinsenkyo castle?

I can’t see a thing.

I’m not lying.

Miss, you don’t need to copy
my way of speaking.

Now, what should I do?

My memory still hasn’t returned.

From what they’re saying,
this mission is utterly absurd.

Why did I even take it?
Was it just an order?

Or was there some other reason?

No good. I can’t remember.

Are you okay?

You don’t look well.

It’s nothing.

A human, huh?

Then that makes you an ally,
situation-wise, right?

This guy's good.

You could just cooperate.

You won’t cooperate, right?

Cooperate? Pointless.

That was quick.

Gabimaru! That guy’s Tao is huge.

It's insanely huge!

Cooperate? Not interested.

Didn't he snap his neck?

Yes. But he healed.

An immortal monster ruling the island.

Is this what they were
talking about last night?

Restrain him and extract information.

One more.

Huh? Did you laugh?

You're pretty relaxed, you little sh*t.

I’ll just break you in the end,
same as always.

Easy.

No need to even think too much.

Ninja Art: Blooming Needles!

Go for the brain...

- and the eyes.
- Gah!

Taking away perception
should work even on an immortal.

Biting through tendons...

Is that something a human does?

Arteries, nerves.

Pressure points. The k*ll point.

Carotid artery.

Concentrated attacks on vital points.

Rational, but...

It's quite a brutal way of doing it.

It's like how animals fight.

Doesn’t matter what the opponent is.

We of Iwagakure
break things until they break.

That’s it?

You’re nothing special.

Watch your feet!

You looked strong when I saw you
on the mainland,

so I let you land a few hits.

But you’re weak.

Huh?

All you can do is be nasty.

Not that I mind crudeness.

Rational, but dull.

You were clearly stronger before.

What’s going on, miss?

Did getting knocked out make him weaker?

Gabimaru...

Your Tao is strange.

Even when I focus, it won't go away.

That sense of wrongness won’t go away.

You can't just be strong.

You need to be both strong and weak.

Weakness is the seed of strength.

Gabimaru has no seed of strength.

He lacks something important.

This strange sense of loss...

Enough, Toma!

k*ll the others too, all of them!

Yes, brother!

Brother?

I’ll start with the one-armed guy.

Too much muscle-cutting’s a pain.

Hey, jerk.

Why’d you come after me first? Huh?

Because I’ve got one arm?

I looked easiest to k*ll? Huh?

Don’t underestimate me, kid.

Pick it up. I’ll handle the likes of you
without even drawing my blade.

Wait, Blade Dragon.

He seems to have his reasons,
but he’s technically of the Yamada Clan--

Shut up.

Anyone who looks down on me
won’t walk away whole.

This one’s sharp-eyed. And that's not all.

Good instincts. Experience.

Then I’ll use his reflexes against him.

Great coordination and sword speed.

You’ve got talent.

But that’s all. No real skill.

Your form and technique are sloppy.

Just slashing away hastily.

Don’t disrespect the proper form!

Because it’s practical,
it gets refined and preserved as form.

Were you resting on your talent?

In real combat, you relied
on your brother, didn’t you?

I can tell from that unscarred face.

You could’ve begged to cooperate.

You might've made me pity you.

If my brother won’t cooperate,
I’ll follow him.

And besides...

I hate people who flock together.

The bandits we led were all just pawns.

I never once thought of them as comrades.

The two of us,
and only the two of us, are enough alone.

Don't act all high and mighty.

If you’re sticking together as two,
that’s still a group.

I’m a part of my brother.

His grip and center of gravity changed.

He’s improved just while we were talking.

He’s getting better.

What a stupid mindset, half-baked brat.

Whether it’s stupid or not is for
my brother to decide, you old b*stard.

- Come help us, Doshi!
- Oh...

k*ll the runt and the girl!

Okay!

Please keep about 12 feet away.
It's dangerous.

He’s tough, but I can k*ll him.

Thanks to this Tao thing,
I can read ninja movements.

And even regenerate injuries.

Your Tao is exceptionally strong.

Normally, you would’ve
been swallowed up by it.

You haven't

because it’s not something
you attained through training.

He's strong. I have to focus or I'll lose.

I’ll forget that uneasy feeling for now...

and hollow myself out!

A ninja does not simply die.
When facing death,

he must inflict maximum damage
on the enemy before dying.

So, that’s your trump card?

But damn, you look like
you’re really suffering.

A suicide move, huh? As you wish, then.

I’ll k*ll you!

Ninja Art: Fire Bridge.

Ninja Art: Thunder Stones.

My regeneration can’t keep up.

This is bad.

You plan to die with me?

I don’t mind. I couldn't remember
the mission's details in the end,

but even if I die, someone
from the village will just take over.

Ninjas are a collective.
Individual lives have no value.

I have nothing to lose.

But you do.

Can one who clings
to life defeat the dead?

Yeah... That's right.

Thanks.

Normally, you would’ve
been swallowed up by it.

I’ve made up my mind.

I’ll release everything.

I have something to lose.

I don’t care if I lose anything else.

That’s enough.

He alone is enough for me!

All right.

What is that?

B-brother!

I am...

collapsing...

breaking...