Takahashi: Yarimato, if you think you’ve lost, don’t dwell on it and keep fighting even if you die.
The winner is the one who fights to the end, regardless of whether he survives or not.
Only then can you believe that you will win, because you will have no other thoughts and you will be completely immersed in the battle.
Yarimato seemed to see his teacher, and upon hearing him, Yarimato got to his feet and climbed out of the pit.
Yarimato came to his senses and saw Kaitaken holding him by the hair and holding a sword right in front of his neck, saying something to him.
But Yarimato, coming to his senses, grabbed the blade of the sword with his left hand and, despite the pain, began to slowly pull the blade away from his neck.
Kaitaken: Wow, even though you lost, you’re still fighting for your life?
You’re definitely special, but it’s a pity that everything has already been decided.
Kaitaken didn’t notice that Yarimato had already begun to get to his feet and moved the blade aside.
Frightened by this, Yarimato sensed his fear and, grabbing his broken blade with his right hand, which was sticking out of the ground, quickly got to his feet and, clutching the broken blade in his hand, stabbed it straight into Kaitaken’s left eye.
Screaming in pain, Kaitaken let go of his hair, and Yarimato kicked him naked in the stomach.
Falling to the ground, Kaitaken pulls the blade out of his eye in horror and, realizing that he has lost both his left and right eyes.
Realizes that he has completely lost his sight.
Getting to his feet, Kaitaken began to scream and swing his sword around, sometimes losing his balance, falling, and getting up again, continuing to swing his sword to kill Yarimato.
Yarimato, barely getting to his feet and clutching his deep wound, returned his broken sword to its sheath and, leaning on the sword, silently walked back to the dojo, leaving Kaitaken alone.
After walking a short distance, Yarimato could no longer hear Kaitaken’s cries, but it didn’t even matter because Yarimato could barely stand, and the blood continued to flow.
After walking for a few more minutes, Yarimato lost feeling in his legs and fell face down on the ground.
A few hours later, Yarimato woke up and opened his eyes.
He was sitting with his back against a tree, and in front of him was a burning fire with a man sitting behind it.
Yarimato: Where am I?
Am I dead?
Yarimato said in a weak voice.
Man: Oh, you’re awake.
No, you’re not dead.
Yarimato: Who are you and where am I?
Man: I was passing by and saw you lying on the ground. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
I thought you were dead, but when I checked, you were still alive, so I decided to save you because you are still young and have your whole life ahead of you.
Yarimato: How long have I been asleep?
Man: Well, it’s the middle of the night now, and you lost a lot of blood and were very cold, so I decided to warm you up by the fire.
Yarimato looked at his torso and saw that it was bandaged, as were his palms and right arm.
Man: I treated your wounds, then stitched them up and bandaged them.
I used all my bandages on you, but they came in handy.
Yarimato tried to get a better look at the man and suddenly saw his father’s dojo symbol on his kimono.
Yarimato: Where are you from?
Man: I’m from the Kato dojo, and I teach young men like you my art.
Where are you from?
This is very far from Tokyo, because no one lives in these parts.
Besides, you have large wounds from the battle, and even your sword is broken.
Who are you?
Yarimato was frightened and looked around and saw his sword lying next to him.
Yarimato: I live somewhere around here.
The man noticed that Yarimato was hiding something, but he didn’t question him.
Man: Okay, what’s your name?
Yarimato didn’t want to give his name because he was afraid that this man might remember him, so he said, “My name is Takahashi.”
Man: Okay, Takahashi, my name is Yoshi.
Nice to meet you, Takahashi.
Yarimato: Thank you very much, Yoshi-san, you saved my life.
Yoshi: Don’t thank me.
Someone like you can’t just disappear like that.
But you should sleep now, and tomorrow you can go home.
Yarimato was really tired, so he made himself comfortable and fell asleep.
In the morning, Yarimato woke up, got to his feet, and, leaning on his shikimizue, was about to leave when Yoshi suddenly stopped him and said, “Listen, Takahashi, do you want to come with me? I’ll teach you the Kato technique, and you’ll become even stronger. I’ve never met anyone like you before.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Yarimato: Thank you, but someone is waiting for me, so I can’t go with you, but thank you very much for your help.
Yoshi: Okay, be careful.
Maybe we’ll meet again someday.
Yarimato and Yoshi parted ways and went their separate ways.
The man, Yoshi, was about fifty years old.
He looked big and strong, and his face was manly and kind.
He had dark facial hair and long black hair tied back in a ponytail.
Yarimato was glad to have been saved, but he was also worried that Yoshi might recognize him as Ito’s son.
Meanwhile, Yoshi walked away from Yarimato and came to the place where Yarimato had fought with Kaitaken.
Approaching closer, he picked up a bag and opened it to find Kaitaken’s head inside, while his decapitated body lay on the ground.
Yoshi: It was not in vain that I decided to capture you, Kaitaken, because thanks to this, it seems I have found Yarimato Kato.
Yoshi watched their battle because he had to catch Kaitaken alive or dead, but when he arrived, he saw Yarimato fighting him, and after he left, Yoshi killed him, cut off his head, and left it there.
After saving Yarimato’s life, he returned for the head and went back to Tokyo to fulfill his mission of capturing Kaitaken.
It was very difficult for Yarimato to move because the wound was quite large, and if he moved incorrectly, the stitches could come apart and the wound would reopen.
It was also difficult to lean on his sword because his palms were deeply cut from holding the blade, so every step was difficult for him.
After a while, he saw a familiar river and, realizing that he was close, decided to go down to the river and rinse his torn kimono, which was covered in blood.
After going down and putting his kimono in the cold river, Yarimato was able to get rid of the red blood stains, so he wrung out the kimono, rested a little, dried it, and went back to the dojo.
After walking for another three hours, Yarimato finally reached the mountain, and the hardest part remained: climbing all the steps to the top.
Gathering his strength, Yarimato leaned on his sword and began to climb.
After passing through all the steps, he finally reached the top, where Takahashi-sensei was already waiting for him.
Yarimato told his teacher everything that had happened to him, and at Takahashi-sensei’s request, the girls took care of him, changing his stitches, treating all his wounds again, sewing up his clothes, feeding him, and leaving him to rest in bed.
Takahashi was surprised that Yarimato had fought his opponent and, although he had not killed him, had still defeated him.
Looking at the broken blade, which was covered in cracks and chips, the teacher was pleased that Yarimato had not given up and had been able to return despite his injuries.