The group walked from Shimura's to Hanamizaka, and then from Hanamizaka to the vicinity of Konda Village.
"This should be far enough."
At first, some people had tried to follow the two "celebrities," but as the distance grew, their numbers dwindled. In the end, aside from a few curious onlookers from Konda Village, only four or five idlers remained.
Muramasa took off his long mantle, letting it float away on the wind, then stretched his muscles and looked at Naoe Hisamasa. The latter took off his own clothes, revealing a body of powerful, sinewy muscle. It didn't have the extreme definition of a bodybuilder, but it was well-defined and clearly a practical, inverted triangle build that combined aesthetics with functionality.
"Not going to use a weapon?" Muramasa didn't see him carrying the naginata or tachi commonly used by samurai and soldiers.
"No need." Naoe Hisamasa spread his legs into a fighting stance, one hand raised to his chin to protect his vitals, the other extended forward in a ready position.
The size difference between these two… is a fight even possible? Thoma watched the disparity between the two, feeling a sense of dislocation, like a leopard fighting a bear.
Muramasa looked up, his eyes scanning the behemoth's body, taking in his breathing, pulse, and reach. There was no doubt the man was a Vision holder, with a body that surpassed ordinary humans. And since he couldn't use much mana right now, with no significant difference in their physical abilities, trading blows would be highly disadvantageous for him. The man's size further extended his attack range, while his own advantage was…
"Since. You won't attack." Naoe Hisamasa's massive body suddenly closed the distance, his lead arm swinging out in a wide hook. "Then. I will."
Even Thoma couldn't see when the bear-like mass of flesh had moved. All he knew was that the samurai had crouched slightly, and then he was gone.
Muramasa's eyes caught the attack coming with the rush of air. He dropped his shoulder and sank his back, dodging the trajectory of the hook. His right foot, which had been forward, pulled back, and his left knee dropped in time with his right leg. In the instant that Hisamasa's forward momentum had not yet ceased, his huge body still driven by inertia, Muramasa, now within the man's reach, coiled his right arm.
FWOOSH—
The bent arm flipped downwards, turning the outside of his elbow towards the man's head, and drove an elbow strike upwards into his squash-like jaw. The blow connected. Naoe Hisamasa's head snapped back, and his huge body staggered back a few steps.
Muramasa had no intention of letting this opening go. His already drawn lunge was at full tension. The next moment, his body shot forward, preparing to land another blow.
"Hah!" Naoe Hisamasa roared, and with incredible speed, he planted his back foot and stopped his retreat, instead kicking out with his other leg.
Muramasa, in mid-air, had no time to dodge. He could only curl his body and cross his arms to block the kick. The immense force exploded against his arms, sending his entire body flying back over ten meters. When he landed, his feet dug into the grass, sliding for several more meters before he came to a stop.
"Phew…" Muramasa let out a long breath, steadying himself and lowering his arms to look at the still-dazed Naoe Hisamasa.
"Good. Power." He brought his head back to its normal position and commented, "But. Too. Hasty."
"On that point, we're both guilty, aren't we?" While going all out from the start was one way to fight, rushing in without gauging the opponent's strength was indeed reckless of him. As for Muramasa himself, he had paid the price for being careless.
"So, why did you really want to spar with me? It can't just be on a whim, can it?"
The Hatamoto general didn't hide the reason. "Warriors. Befriend. Through combat. Also. Responsible. For Shogun." The Hatamoto were the Shogun's personal guards. When a powerful stranger appeared, they needed to test their strength first.
"This wasn't your own idea, was it?" At least, Muramasa didn't remember this man following him when he left the smithy. "You got here too fast." Like that retainer from the Yashiro Commission, there must have been spies left in the vicinity. But based on his memories of similar organizations in the "Shogunate," their function did not include intelligence gathering.
"Yes." He responded briefly, with no intention of elaborating. He crouched down, and the Vision on his body began to glow. He then leaped into the air, raising both fists.
Thoma was surprised. This was unusual. Even when other powerful individuals came to Inazuma, this kind of thing didn't happen. And he was even using his Vision!
Orange energy gathered in his hands, and then he shot down towards Muramasa like a falling star.
Looks like he's getting serious…
Muramasa poured strength into his legs and dodged diagonally.
BOOM!
A huge explosion rocked the area, even attracting the attention of the farmers in the distance.
I was hoping to settle this with just that, but it seems that won't work…
Well then, I'll just have to find an opening and land one good hit.
Just then, Muramasa's gaze shifted to the ground. The surface was glowing.
"So that's the real attack—"
Still in the air, Muramasa twisted his body and kicked off the ground, launching himself temporarily higher. As he left the ground, a stone spike erupted from where he had been, barely grazing his arm.
"Hmm…" Hisamasa's eyes were fixed on Muramasa. A cut had opened where the spike had hit him. A trickle of blood flowed from the wound, showing no signs of healing.
Could it be… the intel was wrong? A flicker of doubt crossed Naoe Hisamasa's mind. Just then, a series of loud explosions erupted in the distance. A continuous chain of fireworks went off on the ground, drawing his attention. The villagers watching from afar did the same, their bodies flinching at the unexpected noise.
And in his peripheral vision, he noticed that Muramasa had looked in that direction even before he did.
"Since you lured me into a fight with a samurai, I knew you wouldn't just watch from the sidelines."
"Yoimiya already confirmed that no one left after we got here, and no one arrived late."
"The look on that guy's face just now told me you've confirmed what you wanted to know."
"Not being distracted by sudden events is a required skill for you 'ninja,' isn't it?"
"But I brought you all here. To blend in with the crowd, you had to react just like everyone else."
"That makes the person I'm looking for very simple—"
"The one who followed us from Inazuma City, the one who tried to leave the crowd after I was injured, and the one who was a split-second slower to react to the fireworks explosion."
"The one who meets all three conditions!"
After landing, Muramasa dashed forward again. As he charged, one person in the crowd broke away and started to run.
Well, I wasn't completely sure before, but I am now.
Before the man could get away, a thrown projectile accurately struck the ground in front of him. A heavy weight then slammed into his back, and the man was instantly pinned to the ground.
-------
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