"Master Hyougoro, how did you end up being chased too?"
The fight was over.
The three who survived the battle were moving north, heading back to Shimotsuki Ushimaru's base.
On the way, Kenshin asked Hyougoro, puzzled, "How did this happen?"
Hyougoro sighed. "It all started after your fight with Kozuki Oden. By the way, Kenshin, what was that like? Did you kill Oden?"
"..." Kenshin was quiet for a moment. Then, seeing the hopeful looks on Hyougoro and Shimotsuki Ushimaru's faces, he said, "Kozuki Oden kept following me around, wanting to fight. So I accepted his challenge."
"But... I felt that my strike should have killed Kozuki Oden, but I might have misjudged how strong he was. I didn't expect him to live and go back."
Kenshin looked troubled. Hyougoro knew what he was worried about.
As a top swordsman, he shouldn't make the mistake of thinking he had killed someone when he hadn't. He should know if a person was dead or not.
So, he spoke to ease Himura Kenshin's worry.
"Actually, you probably did kill Oden," Hyougoro said slowly.
?!
Himura Kenshin was surprised. He asked, "But..."
"But he's still alive, right?" It was Shimotsuki Ushimaru who spoke this time. He looked up slightly at the dark sky and said softly,
"He's been taken over by an evil spirit, brought back from the dead. Now he's back with anger and hatred toward you, starting a campaign to destroy all of Wano Country in the name of the Kozuki clan. And the one he wants to destroy most is you."
"..." Kenshin's pupils shrank.
"So, we need to defeat Oden," Hyougoro said firmly.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru looked at Hyougoro in surprise, because Hyougoro hadn't thought that way before.
Hyougoro quickly said with a wry smile, "I've changed my mind. Oden isn't the Oden he used to be. The Kozuki clan..."
"Is finished."
Yes, the Kozuki family is basically finished now.
Because Kozuki Oden is the only heir to the Kozuki clan. He doesn't have any siblings or anything. If something happens to Kozuki Oden, it means the whole Kozuki family is in trouble.
If they can beat Kozuki Oden, it means the Kozuki clan's rule over Wano Country, which has lasted for hundreds of years, is over.
"So I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Let me join your rebel army. You're from the Shimotsuki clan, and only you can be the next general of Wano Country."
"Talking about becoming a general is too early," Shimotsuki Ushimaru shook his head. "Who can say what will happen to this country?"
"Maybe... it will be destroyed, who knows?"
If they can't beat Kozuki Oden, then this country will be destroyed by Kozuki Oden.
"Sorry, I should have gotten rid of Kozuki Oden back then," Himura Kenshin said, feeling down.
"...No one could have imagined things would turn out like this," Hyougoro patted Kenshin on the shoulder.
The three of them walked in the dark, talking about what had happened recently as time passed by.
When they were almost at Shimotsuki Ushimaru's base, Hyougoro suddenly said,
"Kenshin, have you thought about staying?"
Kenshin had said earlier that he wasn't going back to his master yet, so Hyougoro asked him this.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru also perked up his ears, ready to hear Kenshin's answer. He really wanted Kenshin to join him.
If he had a powerful warrior like Kenshin, their chances of defeating Kozuki Oden would be much higher.
"I... really don't know where to go."
Kenshin said hesitantly, "I can join you, but I also want to see this country."
"That's no problem."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru said before Hyougoro could speak, "As long as you can help us deal with some important people, we won't restrict you too much."
Then, he took out a snail from his pocket.
"This thing lets us communicate over long distances. If you need anything, you can contact us anytime."
The unspoken part of that was: "If we need anything, we can use this snail to let you know."
Kenshin took the snail and nodded. "Mr. Shimotsuki, Master Hyougoro, I'll go now. If you need anything, you can contact me through this snail."
"Okay... Kenshin, be careful. There are people out there looking for you, especially Oden. He should be stronger than before after coming back from the dead. Don't underestimate him."
"I will." Kenshin glanced into the distance, then stopped.
After watching the two of them enter the village where Shimotsuki Ushimaru's troops were based, he moved in another direction.
After entering the village, Shimotsuki Ushimaru said to Hyougoro, "With you and Kenshin joining, I have a lot more confidence now."
The people in the village were excited to see them come in, but they were also sad when they saw the blood on them and that the people who had gone out with Shimotsuki Ushimaru hadn't returned.
"Someone like me isn't worth mentioning, there's no need to praise me like that," Hyougoro shook his head.
But Shimotsuki Ushimaru knew that Hyougoro was strong, both as an individual and in terms of influence in Wano Country. That's why he had traveled a long way to Hakumai to find him.
His trip was mainly to get Hyougoro. After all, he couldn't see the future and couldn't have known he would meet Kenshin along the way.
"Wano Country is in chaos right now, and we need someone to connect all the rebel groups," Shimotsuki Ushimaru said. "Whether it's me, the Kurozumi clan, or others, we're just fighting the local Daimyo in our own regions. But you can rally the underworld across Wano Country."
"If we can unite, our strength will increase greatly."
Hyougoro nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I'll try."
But before, many of his men and friends had been arrested by the Kozuki family. He just hoped...
They would be okay.
.........
While Hyougoro and Shimotsuki Ushimaru were talking about their plans for the future, Kenshin had found a good place.
Wano Country is a big country in the One Piece world, and it's rich in resources. Even sea stone is created there.
Later, Kaido took over Wano Country to turn it into his own factory, which shows that the country has a lot of minerals.
And now, Genichi is going to start building his own empire.
----
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