Chapter 3

As Kuni fell to his death with his belly ripped open in front of the autumn courtyard, it ignited Tanaka Uichi's rage, making him wish to rush forward and tear a few chunks of flesh from Kuni to quench his anger. Although Kuni no Sadahiro did not blame him directly, the death of the young master in front of him meant that the charge of inadequate protection was inescapable. Despite this, he felt an overwhelming sense of shame, and he pulled out the vermilion lacquered and gold-painted wooden bow from his back.

He swiftly drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and to prevent Kuni from noticing and escaping, he hid in the darkness. His teeth were clenched, his eyes bloodshot, and he stretched his arms and waist, drawing the bow and aiming at Kuni. He aimed for Kuni's throat and released the arrow.

Kuni no longer had his bamboo spear and picked up a fallen katana to parry and slash. The fight was intense, but it was no longer as fierce as when he had killed several men in a single encounter. He now had two more wounds, deeper than before, with blood streaming down his body. His strength was waning, and he was breaking out in cold sweat, panting heavily. He looked up in the direction where the bamboo spear had been thrown, realizing that the one who had been injured must have been the leader of the group. Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared.

A cry of "Ouch!" echoed as Kuni was hit in the left eye by the arrow. He staggered back two steps, almost tripping and falling. Tanaka Uichi had honed his archery skills to perfection, hitting his target with every shot within twenty-five meters. Today, due to the darkness, he was about to pierce Kuni's throat, ending his life and the story prematurely.

Kuni, seeing the flash of cold light, instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the arrow that would have hit his throat. Instead, it pierced his left eye. He almost collapsed, the pain making him clutch the arrow, unsure whether to pull it out or leave it in. Pulling it out might take his eyeball with it, but leaving it in caused unbearable pain.

Kuni no Sadahiro, supporting his injured arm and drenched in cold sweat, saw the tide turning in his favor. Kuni was already at the end of his strength, and he felt a slight relief, shouting, "Kill him, kill him quickly!"

Kuni was startled. He could not fight with an arrow in his eye and had to guard against the enemies rushing at him. He gritted his teeth and, in a moment of desperation, grabbed the arrow and pulled it out, the bloody eyeball and arrowhead coming out together. The pain almost made him faint, but he laughed out loud, saying, "Ha ha... Since it's my eyeball, it will always be mine! No one can take it from me!" He then ate the eyeball, swallowing it, and muttered, "Since it's my eyeball, it will always be mine! No one can take it from me!"

His face, now bloodied and grotesque, with a blood-red right eye and a hollow, dark left eye, struck fear into the hearts of the surrounding samurai, who all took a step back. One samurai, already terrified, scrambled up from the field and fled into the dark mountains at an incredible speed.

Kuni no Sadahiro's face turned from pale to ashen, then to black, and back to pale, his anger reaching its peak. He decided that upon returning, he would ensure that the coward who fled in battle would be executed.

The bloody face, the blood-red right eye, and the hollow, dark left eye were all that the onlookers could see. The wild and fierce aura emanating from Kuni was so overwhelming that it drew everyone's attention. Since coming to this world, Kuni had always suppressed himself, living like a puppet, just getting by. His martial arts training was only for survival, and everything seemed out of place in this world. At this moment, he realized he was no longer the carefree and innocent person from his dreams; he had already merged with this world. He understood that it was not the world that had adapted to him, but he who had adapted to the world.

A cold wind blew, dispelling Kuni's unnatural thoughts and reigniting the fierce and wild gazes of the onlookers. Without thinking, they charged at him, not even coordinating their attacks. They all knew Kuni was at the end of his strength, but they did not realize they were also at their limits, relying only on their numerical advantage to see victory.

Tanaka Uichi, seeing his hard-earned battle achievements about to be credited to the surrounding samurai, angrily charged forward with his katana.

Kuni turned and, using a torch as a guide, slashed a samurai's chest open, exposing blood and bone. The attack left him heavily injured, and another samurai's katana cut into his back, leaving a deep, bloody wound.

Am I going to die? he asked himself. I can't die; there are still many things I haven't done. The strong will to survive kept him from collapsing on the spot, but his injuries were severe, and he was on the verge of falling.

Just as Kuni shouted, "Heaven has forsaken me!" and was about to charge into the crowd with his broken katana for a final stand, a group of men wearing bamboo hats and carrying torches appeared. The leader drew his katana and shouted, "To hell with it, save the young master!" It turned out that the newcomers were led by Yama Masahiro and Nijō Shigenobu, who had found out from an old man of the Date family that their young master was staying at the Ume River Temple. They had arrived later than Shinomiya Sadahiro, who had known the details earlier.

As soon as the words were spoken, Yama Masahiro leaped forward, and the others, hearing his call, drew their katana and charged, attacking Kuni no Sadahiro's group.

Their sudden appearance startled the remaining samurai at the temple gate, who turned to look, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Kuni no Sadahiro's samurai were already at the end of their strength, having suffered heavy losses in the battle with Kuni without killing him. Their morale was at a low, and they had only managed to nearly kill Kuni due to their numerical advantage. Seeing a fresh group of Date family samurai charge in, they were terrified and began to retreat, moving to the side of the road, ready to flee into the fields.

Tanaka Uichi shouted, "Charge!" and rushed forward. Yama Masahiro blocked the katana that came at him, but Tanaka Uichi immediately spewed blood from his mouth and nose. It turned out that Nijō Shigenobu's katana had already pierced his chest, slicing him open. Yama Masahiro, seemingly not angry at the interruption, kicked Tanaka Uichi to the ground and leaped over his body to charge into the crowd.

The sudden fall of several familiar faces terrified Kuni no Sadahiro's samurai, who were already exhausted and lacked the courage to fight. They turned and fled into the fields and mountains, no longer daring to attempt a counterattack.

As the saying goes, "As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood," and "A gentleman can wait ten years to take revenge," and "A true man can bend and stretch." Thinking of these sayings, Kuni no Sadahiro wanted to flee into the fields, but his arm, pierced by a short spear, was too painful, and he could not bear the pain, crying out in agony.

Nijō Shigenobu had already targeted him and, with several others, surrounded him. Seeing no way to escape, Kuni no Sadahiro was terrified and shouted, "You are samurai of the Date family! I am Kuni no Sadahiro of Yachi Castle. If you treat the Shinomiya family like this, the Nishizawa family of Unshū will not allow it! You cannot kill me; you cannot make the same mistake again. Take me back to Yachi Castle, or else..."

"Kill him..." Kuni said before fainting.

Kuni was still lying in bed, his mind in a daze. At this moment, someone beside him asked, "Young master, are you feeling better?" The voice was sad but steady.

"My eye?"

Kuni tried to reach out but found his body wrapped in thick bandages and splints. His left eye was completely blind, and he could not accept this reality. At the time, his berserk state had numbed the pain, but now, as he relaxed, the pain was unbearable. He paused for a moment and asked, "What is your name?"

"Yama Masahiro!"

"Nijō Shigenobu!"

"..."

"Um, I understand the situation. Since my brother is already gone, the Date family's bloodline now rests with me. From now on, I will be known as Date Masahiro, Date Fujijiro Masahiro. Inform Bitchū no Kami Shō Masahiro in Matsuyama Castle of this news and bring Kuni no Sadahiro's head. I believe he will know the best course of action."

"Yes, my lord!" Yama Masahiro and Nijō Shigenobu exchanged glances, both seeing hope in each other's eyes.

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