Yashiro the Blind

“That’s right. The shadow itself has no fixed form. It can only exist by relying on light and constantly changes its appearance as the light shines on it. This is the former leader of the Transcendental Sect, who called himself Godless and was known as… ‘The Hundred Forms of the Body’.”

……

On the other side, under the bright sunlight, amidst falling petals, a figure stood with his hands behind his back beneath several trees, head tilted back, gazing at the petals scattering in the wind above, seemingly immersed in the beauty of early spring. At a certain moment, he suddenly let out a soft chuckle:

"finally come."

His voice was old, but full of energy.

At the same time, two sets of footsteps approached, one after the other, seemingly forming a pincer movement.

"Kami-na—"

With a low growl emanating from his teeth, Aota Inosuke, standing more than ten steps away, had already drawn his sword and was staring intently at the figure under the tree. He was filled with rage, his teeth grinding together, and his eyes were bloodshot and red.

He was furious: "You actually... you actually dared to dress up like this!"

"Why not? But you, after four years apart, now that we've met again, you won't even call me 'Master'?"

As the sighing words were spoken, the figure under the tree finally turned around. The impression it gave was not much different from the one from behind. It was a thin old man, about fifty or sixty years old, wearing a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt, with two swords at his waist, a full head of silver hair, and wrinkles and age spots on his face. He looked kind and gentle.

At this moment, those gentle eyes, with a hint of reproach, looked at the ronin, shaking his head and sighing:

"How sad... Inosuke."

……

Chapter Sixty-Four: Truth and Falsehood

Cherry blossoms fall, and the spring breeze dances.

The scattered cherry blossoms reflected the sunlight, making the afternoon light seem somewhat illusory, like a phantom of the past sketched by a dream pen, a ghost stepping out of memories, standing quietly under the tree, looking this way with a gentle gaze, yet with a hint of disappointment and reproach.

Because of deep love, the criticism is severe.

That face was so clear, so familiar... yet so strange.

Inosuke involuntarily gripped the hilt of his sword, his breathing becoming heavy. He felt his heart pounding like a drum, and an unprecedented rage surged up, which then fermented into hatred.

"You...you actually dare to show your face to me like this!"

"Inosuke... what kind of tone is that in front of your superiors?"

The old man, however, looked at him with a disappointed expression, shaking his head and sighing, "We've spent nearly ten years together, and you've never once lost your temper or held a grudge against your teacher. With your behavior today, have you completely forgotten what you learned back then... the four words 'respect for teachers' that I taught you?"

His demeanor and voice, from head to toe, in every aspect, were exactly the same as the master in Inosuke's memory. Even if they faced each other face to face, there was not a single flaw to be found.

Then, recalling what Shizu and Mankisai had said earlier, that his real master had been switched with the person in front of him more than ten years ago, and that he had been kept in the dark all along, not realizing it, and had been serving his master's killer with utmost respect for nearly ten years...

Thinking of this, Inosuke could no longer suppress his surging anger and was almost about to rush forward to fight the other party to the death, but at this moment, a voice came from behind to remind him: "Inosuke!"

"Zhijin..."

The woman's voice was like a clear spring, calming Inosuke down a bit. He took a few deep breaths, took two steps back, and together with the shrine maiden holding the naginata, they subtly surrounded the old man under the tree from two directions.

But the old man seemed not to take the hostility shown by the two to heart at all. He still had his hands behind his back and even smiled at the shrine maiden: "As expected, Shizu is the most sensible one. Back then, among all the disciples, only you noticed something was wrong and took the initiative to confront me, forcing me to give up this identity... To be honest, I really miss those peaceful and tranquil times."

"I only regret that I discovered you too late and couldn't kill you on the spot," Shizu said coldly.

"This is not your fault."

The old man waved his hand. “After all, you only have doubts and are not sure, so you are bound to be hesitant when you make a move… Speaking of which, there is something I am quite curious about—even if you know that this person may be an imposter, when you faced this face and this identity, did you have the slightest hesitation when you swung that knife back then?”

"To say there was nothing would be heartless; if there was, then since then, this knife, this scene... must have often appeared in your dreams."

Shizu's fingers tightened around the naginata, his gaze turning cold: "You want to provoke me."

"So, did you get angry?"

He smiled faintly, "I have taught you more than once that anger is like a poisonous snake biting your heart, harmful and useless, especially in the face of weapons and on the battlefield of life and death. Once you lose your composure, you will easily lose your life... It's a pity, a pity, no matter how much I talked until my mouth was sore and my skin was sore, you two just wouldn't listen."

"Very well, considering the master-disciple relationship of the past ten years, I will teach you another lesson today... Come, whether it's for revenge or to vent your anger, since the swords are already drawn, just attack—it'll be a good opportunity for your master to see what progress you've made in the past few years."

The old man raised a hand and gently beckoned to Inosuke, his calm tone nothing less than the ultimate provocation.

"Well..."

Just as Shizu was about to stop him, he saw the ronin grit his teeth and charge straight forward without regard for anything else. His short, fat body bounced and spun around like a ball, then suddenly leaped into the air and slashed down with his sword!

The founder of the Great Floating Clan was named Mu Yuangui. He was originally just a wandering entertainer who was skilled in everything from acrobatics and magic to puppet shows. Later, by chance, he began to learn martial arts and took a shortcut by integrating his magic skills into swordsmanship, making his skills ever-changing and unpredictable.

Just like this leap into the air and strike from above, it seems simple and direct, but it contains no less than ten variations. No matter whether the opponent chooses to block or dodge, advance or retreat, there is always a clever and ruthless counter-attack.

But the old man remained standing, neither dodging nor flinching, not even drawing the two swords from his waist, only lightly slapping out with his bare palms… However, upon receiving this strike, Zhijin, a few steps away, suddenly changed his expression and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"careful!"

This reminder came a step too late.

With a muffled groan, Inosuke's momentum abruptly halted mid-air as the old man grabbed his wrist, which was holding the knife. The old man's withered, thin fingers were like iron claws. Inosuke instinctively tried to break free, but he couldn't budge. The next second, with a flick of the old man's right hand, it looked as if he was about to slam Inosuke to the ground like a broken sack!

Swish!

In a moment of desperation, Shizu raised his right hand and threw the naginata in his hand like a javelin!

The old man looked up, his right hand moving the same way, and with his left hand he grabbed the thrown naginata again. His five fingers, like claws, clamped down on the joint between the hilt and the blade, causing the naginata to vibrate and emit a series of sharp whistling sounds. It was like a snake being pinched at its vital point, shaking its head and tail, unable to break free no matter what.

"It is a grave taboo for a weapon to leave one's hand..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Shizu suddenly stepped forward, gripped the back half of the naginata, and said, "I think otherwise—"

With a press of the mechanism, the naginata instantly split in two. She swept the short stick around, forcing the old man to use the other half of the blade to block the blow. At the same time, Inosuke, who was about to be thrown to the ground, suddenly shrank his shoulders and curled his arms and legs, managing to turn half his body in mid-air and take the brunt of the heavy slam with his back. As he grimaced, blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

But then he opened his mouth, loosened his grip on his right hand, and the katana fell straight down into his mouth. Inosuke caught it with his teeth, then his spine sprang up, his back arched, and he did a clean and nimble carp somersault. At the same time, he flicked his head, and the gleaming blade slashed straight out!

One behind and one in front, one in opposite directions and one in the right, the two cooperated perfectly, switching from defense to offense, using the exquisite moves of the Great Floating Style. The old man chuckled, and the half of the naginata in his hand swayed and spun, blocking Inosuke and Shizu's attacks one after another. Then, with a backhand flick, with a "click", he actually took the naginata back.

"Those two moves were not bad... but unfortunately, they're still a little lacking in skill; they can't kill me."

In just two short exchanges, with lightning speed, the old man remained firmly in place, not moving an inch, and not even a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, displaying an air of complete ease. Meanwhile, the two opposite him were drenched in cold sweat, their hands holding the naginata trembling slightly.

Inosuke was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, his hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly wretched.

"...You were too hasty, so as soon as you 'discovered' my whereabouts and learned that I would be meeting someone at this time today, you rushed over immediately without even calling for help... You two silly disciples, you were so sure that you had caught me by the tail, but why didn't you think that it was possible that I deliberately spread false information to lure you here?"

"Furthermore, Shizu, now that you've discovered I was once the leader of the Tōbō Clan, why didn't you consider that there might still be my trusted subordinates among them? What was the true purpose of those who leaked the information to you? Or perhaps you did think of it, but out of confidence, you still chose two people to come... If that's the case, it can only be said that you underestimated your enemy."

As if he truly placed himself in the position of a teacher, the old man spoke eloquently and earnestly.

Shizu raised his hand to wipe away sweat, his face looking very unpleasant: "Are you trying to say that you are the so-called hunter... and we are just your prey?"

"Wrong, it's not prey, it's entertainers."

The old man chuckled, "A lone shadow cannot make a play, a single tree cannot make a forest. Even the most captivating story requires the cooperation of many characters to come to fruition. In this play I once performed, you were the roles I carefully selected, but now that the song has ended, it's time for everyone to disperse—"

"Actually, I have an idea. If you hadn't come today because of cowardice or some other reason, or if you had called on Tenka Goro's daughter to help you, I might have let you live a few more days. After all, that girl's role isn't over yet, and I still need her to live for the time being. But since you didn't bring her... after today, the Great Floating River will cease to exist."

As he spoke, he gently clenched his hand, his tone gentle, but his eyes held a chilling coldness that penetrated to the bone.

……

Inside the inn, the conversation paused temporarily. Seeing that it was getting late, Yamamoto Kansuke called for some food to be brought over. After eating with Yashiro, Kotomi, and Nagata Tokumoto, although they were a little reluctant to part, they still let Kotomi and Dr. Nagata go aside to catch up. The two had been separated for a long time and must have had a lot to talk about.

He returned to his room as usual, set aside two cups of boiling tea to cool, and continued his conversation with Yashiro about what they had just discussed.

"A hundred appearances are not the body... Judging from your statement, this Shenwu must be a master of disguise?"

"The description of 'disguise' is a bit too... understated for him." Yamamoto Kansuke seemed to be pondering how to begin. "Young lady, have you ever heard of a shadow warrior?"

"I've heard of it."

A shadow warrior, or more simply, a double, is usually someone who looks remarkably like the local lord and impersonates him to participate in particularly dangerous situations. Even if something goes wrong along the way, such as a natural disaster or man-made calamity that results in death, the real lord remains unharmed.

The most famous imposters were probably Takeda Shingen's younger brothers, Nobushige and Nobukazu. These two are historically documented, and both looked remarkably like Shingen. They often appeared in front of others in Shingen's place on certain special occasions.

In addition, there are rumors that famous figures such as Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu used shadow puppets. Compared to painstakingly searching for and training a single double who resembles the original, a person who can change their appearance at will is undoubtedly more suitable for the role of shadow puppet.

"It is said that Lord Shinko initially appointed Shinmu because he valued his ability to transform. Not only could he act as a shadow warrior when necessary, but he could also infiltrate enemy cities in disguise at other times. Whether it was to gather intelligence or to carry out sabotage, he could play a significant role in the battle. But gradually, Lord Shinko and his retainers discovered a problem... Shinmu was too uncontrollable."

Yamamoto Kansuke curled his fingers and tapped his knee, his expression becoming somewhat solemn. "Generally speaking, no matter how convincingly someone pretends, the person in question understands that they are merely a false existence and will not confuse the real with the fake. But Kanna is different... From the very beginning, no one knew his identity or origin, not even whether he was male or female, old or young, where he came from, or how old he was... It was all a mystery. He was like a shadow, only revealing his form when illuminated by light."

"Perhaps it's because no one knows what he originally looked like that it's so difficult to distinguish the real from the fake when he's disguised as someone else. When he's a daimyo, he's a perfect daimyo; when he's a farmer, he's a complete farmer. From the very old to the youngest, with a runny nose, Shinna can portray any character so vividly and realistically that even his closest friends can't tell the difference..."

"Imagine, one day, someone you know is suddenly replaced, and their words and actions are exactly the same as before, without revealing any flaws, and life just goes on like this day after day... Isn't that terrifying?"

“…Indeed.” Just imagining the situation described by Yamamoto Kansuke made Yashiro feel a chill run down his spine. “Possessing a treasure is a crime. Even if this Kanna herself has no evil intentions, her superb skills alone are enough to make her feared and hunted down.”

"If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal. The most troublesome thing is... according to what I've heard, not only others, but even Kanna herself can't tell the difference between truth and falsehood."

Kansuke Yamamoto shook his head. "Before deciding to 'play' someone, he would gather a lot of information, and if possible, even spend months or years getting to know the person in question, including all their habits, interests, hobbies, and preferences. Then, he would transform himself completely into that person. During this time, Kanna truly believed he was the person he was playing. From the smallest things like meals to the biggest things like family, country, and marriage, he could express his love even to a stranger, and he could also ruthlessly wield a knife against his colleagues without hesitation..."

"The shadow warrior that Lord Shinko expected was a puppet who could obey orders, but the performance of Shinno was exactly the same as that of a real person. After realizing this, he was estranged and suddenly disappeared after the exile incident, his whereabouts unknown... Not long after that, a girl named Shizu found me and asked me to help her investigate the murder of the former great ferryman, Maki Ryusai, on the condition that she join the Tōbō Clan and serve me.

"After many twists and turns, it was finally confirmed that the man who claimed to have been killed by Shizu was actually Kami Muso in disguise. Kami Muso faked his death and escaped, lying low for several years before becoming your father, Tenfu Goro, and starting to operate in the Suruga area... That's all the information I have. How about it? Is it helpful to you?"

“I have benefited greatly,” the girl replied. “There is one more thing I would like to ask you—regarding Miss Shizu’s revenge for her master, besides investigating the information, did you provide any other assistance, Lord Yamamoto? After all… the existence of Kanna is probably a considerable threat to you, to the Toha Clan, and to the Takeda Clan. If I were you, I probably wouldn’t stand idly by.”

"Well..."

Yamamoto Kansuke picked up the tea, which was no longer very hot, and gulped it down. His one eye scrutinized the girl, gleaming with a strange light. "A rare opportunity, why don't you take a guess?"

……

Chapter Sixty-Five: Beauty Like a Snake

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

Even if Shen Wu is an honest and simple farmer whose greatest dream in life is to have a wife, children, and a warm bed, his incredible skill in disguise, which makes it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake, is enough to make him a thorn in the side of most people.

His abilities were truly terrifying. If God were willing, he could replace anyone at any time without revealing any flaws. From famous generals to ordinary people, everyone was bound to feel insecure.

After all, no one wants to wake up one day to find their superior, subordinate, or even their closest friend suddenly replaced by someone else, or worse, to be replaced themselves and die an unexplained death—just like Inosuke and his master.

Countless examples throughout history have been of people being envied and ultimately dying. To name just one, Yashiro's cheap senior brother is one such example.

In the original timeline, this guy, relying on his skill and audacity, went to Echigo and performed a bull-swallowing magic trick in front of Uesugi Kenshin, swallowing a large yellow bull whole. This greatly shocked the dragon of Echigo, who immediately decided to make him his subordinate.

After that, Kato Danzo repeatedly performed great feats. His most famous achievement was when he was ordered to steal a famous sword. Not only did he succeed easily, but he also managed to abduct a maidservant who was with the sword's owner. It is said that Uesugi Kenshin was overjoyed and rewarded Danzo handsomely, but in his heart he was both surprised and afraid.

This person is so skilled. If he is loyal, that's fine. But if he becomes disloyal or is recruited by an enemy force, it would be as easy as taking his head from a baby.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became, and finally he secretly gave the order to have Duan Zang killed.

However, Kato Danzo was naturally shrewd and sensed something was wrong early on, so he fled in advance. Not long after, perhaps to vent his anger, he actually went to serve under Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin's nemesis.

Shingen initially valued him highly, but over time, like Uesugi Kenshin, he became wary of him. Kai Taketora was even more cunning than Hiryu. One day, he found an opportunity and, taking advantage of Danzo's relaxed state of mind while he was using the restroom, ordered two highly skilled retainers to rush in with knives and chop the legendary ninja, who was already 67 years old at the time, to pieces amidst a field of reincarnation grains.

The reason why Yashiro is so cautious in everything he does in his life, always thinking that it's better to avoid trouble and to be lenient when possible, is precisely because of these bloody examples in front of him, which make him have no choice but to be careful and cautious.

She wasn't afraid of real weapons; beating the young and getting the old was a part of what transmigrators had to go through. However, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. This world is never short of cunning and ruthless people. Who knows, one day when she's squatting in the toilet, someone might be hiding on the wall with a matchlock gun, secretly aiming at her?

If a shot comes at you and you can't defend against it, the consequences would be unimaginable...

Reality isn't like an anime; even beautiful girls need to go to the toilet!

The thought of those heroes who tragically perished in the toilet filled the young girl with dread. She constantly reminded herself to avoid recklessness and to avoid making enemies if possible. If she had to make enemies, she couldn't be lazy; she had to take responsibility and ensure the family's reunion as soon as possible, even making turtle jelly to help cool down the family. Otherwise, if something went wrong, death was one thing, but the consequences might be severe—her death might be recorded in Baidu Encyclopedia, leaving a lasting stain on her reputation.

It's terrifying just thinking about it.

However, this topic seems to have strayed a bit too far off track... Yashiro shook his head, pulling his thoughts back from where they were about to wander all the way to Java.

The current topic of discussion is still Kanna. No matter how you look at it, this former leader of the Tōbō clan doesn't seem like the kind of person who would behave himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't be making a big move every now and then.

In addition, he had a previous feud with the Takeda family. It's hard to say that Takeda Harunobu's "disappearance" many years ago was not orchestrated by him. It's likely that the Toura clan was involved to some extent. Now that Kanna has returned, these people involved will not be able to sleep soundly until this trouble is resolved.

The question is, what does Yamamoto Kansuke intend to do?

Although Yashiro only interacted with the shrine maiden named Shizu twice, her ability to recognize Kanna's disguise alone is enough to demonstrate her keen intuition. Her resolute act of killing the fake "master" and her subsequent collaboration with Yamamoto Kansuke to investigate after discovering that the other party was still alive proves her decisiveness. Once such a person makes a decision, no amount of effort can change her mind.

Shizu clearly viewed this as a blood feud within his sect, and felt he had to personally kill the murderer of his master. Inosuke, being a fellow disciple, was the only reason he was allowed to join; as for outsiders, they were out of the question. Even Yamamoto Kansuke's silver tongue might not be able to change Shizu's mind.

Since they couldn't persuade Shizu to cooperate, the only remaining option seemed to be to lay a trap beforehand. Once Kanna and the two disciples finished their battle, if Shizu and Shizu won, everything would be fine. If Kanna survived, they would become the fishermen who benefited from the fight between the snipe and the clam.

This is the safest method. Yashiro believes that Yamamoto Kansuke must have made some arrangements. But besides that, as the famous strategist of Takeda, how could he place all his hopes on this one method without having any other backup plans?

If there really wasn't a backup plan, she wouldn't have been asked to "guess what's going on."

The premise of this guess is that the question already has a correct answer—and the clues to deduce the answer are already contained in the series of information mentioned earlier.

Understanding that Yamamoto Kansuke was intentionally testing her, perhaps as a reference for the 200 kan annual salary, the girl didn't think too much about it. She simply closed her eyes, her eyelashes shimmering with the warm afterglow, swaying slightly, her fingertips tapping her cane lightly, and simply pondered the question posed by the other party.

A moment later.

She slightly opened her eyelids, revealing a hint of white, and her expression changed for a moment before she composed herself and smiled slightly, saying, "This humble woman has limited wisdom and dares not compare herself to Lord Yamamoto. These are just some humble opinions, and I hope you will correct them."

"Just speak up." Yamamoto Kansuke waved his hand, his eyes shining with anticipation, seemingly quite interested in Yashiro's next response.

"Well... if it were me, there's a saying that psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare. Rather than going to great lengths and suffering heavy losses, it would be better to try to start with my own weaknesses..."