SAMURAI

Chapter 13; Sibling

    I was not wrong. They were both students of the ninja ruler Koga and ninja Iga. The two of them dropped their bodies onto the dirty ground, shaking their heads many times. 

    "Teacher…." hissed the big body.

     The short body was incubated. "It is impossible for a teacher to give his valuables to someone else." The growl of the short stature turned into a rage that exploded. “You must have killed my teacher! Hell! I'll kill you right now!”

    Not caring about the anger of the two college brothers, I put Moroshige's sword back into its scabbard.                     "It's up to you. I don't have time to deal with your anger. Senior brothers," I answered lightly.

    "Let's get out of here before the other guards arrive!" I coded all the samurai to follow me.

    All the prisoners walked out of the room, staring at me in disbelief.

    "How did you get here?" asked Goro.

    “There isn't much time to tell stories. As you said, Master Bokku Shigen found me. He taught me a little meditation, the generation of inner energy and waka," I replied smiling.

    A handsome and well-educated samurai I didn't know, stepped forward accompanied by three bodyguards. His face was smooth, handsome, his movements full of politeness. His eyes glinted sharply in the torchlight. He lowered his body ninety degrees followed by the three samurai guards.

   “I, Shiraishi Michiyasu, come from Hizen. Thank you very much. If I may know, what is your name, great Samurai? "

    My body bent according to the degree of his body tilt, greeted this young samurai in a friendly manner. 

    "Call me Genta. I'm not a samurai. I'm just a foreigner who happened to be stranded in this country. At one point, I was fortunate to be helped by Mr. Goro-Takezaki Suenaga and Mr. Saburo-Mitsui Sukenaga." I glanced at the two samurai in front of me who replied with a smile on their lips.

    "Incidentally I also got a very meaningful lesson from Guru Bokku Shigen, a Zen priest, and Guru Harima no Kami Masashige along with Hayamichi no Kami Moroshige teacher, the ninja ruler of the Koga region and the Iga region."

    Shiraishi Michiyasu's voice chuckled in awe. "You are very fortunate to be friends with great samurai and learn lessons from those teachers."

    “You have already known me, fake Zen Priestess,” interrupted Goemon from behind.

    I laughed. "I'm sorry, dandy samurai," I replied in response to his sarcasm.

    Goro took over the conversation. His voice is firm, but a smile always greets his lips. His once thin, neatly trimmed mustache turned dark against his lips. "All right, everyone knows each other. How did you find us? And what do you know? "

    “I forced one of the pirate soldiers to tell you about your detention room. I still don't know much. At least, four pirate groups are celebrating the wedding party of the golden skull pirate group."

    A short groan came from Hizen's samurai, Shiraishi Michiyasu. Then Goro's sigh sounded heavy. “I, Saburo, and two of my friends from Koga and Iga, Jiro and Taro, were caught by that bastard pirate three days ago. And immediately arrested in this rotten room. Mr. Goemon, Mr. Michiyasu, and his three bodyguards followed yesterday early morning. 

    We are still not clear about what is going on. Why didn't they kill us? I don't know what reason they gathered at this time? I'm not sure if I just fulfill an invitation to a wedding. Everything is mysterious. There must be something big behind their meeting."

    "Yes. Only one way to find out. We get out of this cursed place, then report to Kyushu, and return to bring troops to beat up the pirates," I suggested impatiently.

    Goro nodded his head. "I agree. But, how do we get out of this island? "

    "The ship I was traveling on is still in a state of proper use. It's on the west coast, two hundred fathoms apart from dozens of pirate ships. "

    "The problem is, who can pilot the ship?" Goro sounded desperate.

    Jiro, a ninja from Koga, popped. “My brother Taro and I can pilot boats. You can act as a screen manager."

    Goro was happy. "Very nice! The rulers of Koga and Iga are all versatile." He patted Jiro and Taro on the shoulder several times.

    The pounding of the feet sounded loud in my ears. The underground passage was bustling with dozens of steps. "There is no more time. We have to fight them to get out of this place,” I insisted.

    I put my head cover back on, leaving only a pair of eyes behind the black ninja suit. Jiro and Taro gave me envious glances.

    Half running, we got out of the detention room. The two guards who were experiencing the fate of being ready were still lying covered in blood. The red puddle absorbed the ground. Jiro and Taro nodded their heads at me. They knew very well what moved and the weapons I used to knock down the two guards.

    There was no time to boast about Koga-Ryu and Iga-Ryu's current swordsmanship. Michiyasu took the two machetes belonging to the guard. Goro was given one machete. The other one was crossed across his chest, protecting his three guards. 

    In Goemon's right hand was an iron fan which was not confiscated. I handed the black bag and its contents to Jiro.

    "We have to split up. Jiro, Taro, you guys look for another direction. Use the contents of this black bag."

    Jiro who was big like his teacher, Masashige, received the bag with respect. He distributed the contents of the bag to Taro, Moroshige's student. I could imagine the two faces of my teacher. They were cute. Even taking their favorite students according to their respective body shapes. Jiro was big, Taro was short and stocky.

    "We are looking for another way!" Jiro said without asking for our approval. 

    The two ninjas without black clothes immediately left us. I walked side by side with Goro. Moroshige's sword slain gleamed in my right hand. Michiyasu with Saburo followed by three bodyguards and Goemon lined up behind us.

    Right at the first passage, weapons met followed by an inevitable burst of blood. I and Goro kicked off in the same rhythm. Four pirates lost their lives at once. Their long, samurai sword changed hands to Saburo and Michiyasu's three bodyguards. Goemon stuck with his iron fan.

    The pounding of footsteps along with the screams of dirty screams filled the compressed air. The two meters wide passageway was too narrow for a fighting battle. Like a flood, dozens of pirates were endless. They filled the empty spaces between us like water looking for a passable path. In a moment, we were busy with our enemies.

    There's nothing to worry about except for Michiyasu's three bodyguards. The ability to cultivate the three samurai swords was still far below us. Several times they heard screams of pain.

    Goro was indeed a great samurai. Even though his body looked frail, the power and speed of playing a machete are truly ferocious and deadly. Each time his cleaver flashed, one pirate died. The narrow space did not make the Kyushu ruler's special envoy samurai difficult to move. He's like an eel. Slippery, sneaked in, then took a bite when the machete he was holding found an opening.

    Saburo was no less great than Goro. The quiet foster brother fought without a cry. His lips pressed tightly together. His eyes wide opened. He's a two-swordsman. The swords in both hands moved to peck, stabbing, slashing with great force. The two swords he was holding were bleeding. I didn’t know how many lives he took.

    Michiyasu and Goemon seemed to be competing. The two handsome samurai did not look like they were weak and lithe. Behind their hospitality, there was a creepy ferocity. Mercilessly, Michiyasu's sword raced with Goemon's iron fan, taking the lives of his enemies as if a farmer was pounding rice stalks with his sickle.

    Step by step we were able to master the course of the battle. The pirates became increasingly frustrated. Their guts shrank even more. Their attacks gradually receded backward. Slow but surely our steps were getting closer to the outer gate. If we make it through the outer gates of the underground, the open space could be a great alternative to finding a way out.

    I hoped that Jiro and Taro could also find a way out of the other door. Hopefully, without getting stuck, which means that both of them could reach the ship. Because without Jiro and Taro, even arriving on the ship safely would be meaningless.

    My sword and Goro's machete moved together. Two, three, four of the front attackers fell. Their blood-soaked my black shirt and the clothes of the haori kimono of other samurai. The clothes and pants of the samurai changed color. Soot and dirt seem to have rubbed off in a splash of blood. 

    Goro's war cry at once opened the door to the horizon. Our bodies were like water escaping from a dam, rushing out of an underground passage. However, in front of us, pirates with various flags waiting. There was no way out but to break through the surrounding burly bodies with a creepy face.

    Goro gave instructions for gathering. We turned our backs to face the encircling dozens of pirates in the front row. They snorted, shouted madly waiting for orders to attack. Behind them, tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of pirates shouted with the same fervor. Swords, machetes, axes, held high. Lively battle chants intertwined with profanity. Hundreds of bamboo poles with skull flags in mixed colors of gold, red, green, blue. 

    Facing a group of golden skull pirates, we are already overwhelmed, especially if the four pirate groups are united. It was only a matter of time before the waves of their attack hit. My prediction was that we would initially be able to survive the attack. However, as time goes by, the waves would not stop coming. That's when our energy ran low. And, without the helped of the other party, we would all gather again in another world.

    Goro stood beside me. Next to him, Saburo brandished his sword as if protecting his adopted brother. “Brother, time to say goodbye. Thank you for everything,” Goro hissed from the side.

    "Thank you also for being my friend and brother. I will remember you in another life." For the first time, I heard Saburo's voice. Low, hoarse, a little scary.

    Goro turned to me. "It's a shame we can't be friends for long. I still want to know you better. Want to hear stories about the beauty of another country."

    I was amazed. Goro remembered the conversation in custody before my beheading. I nudged his left shoulder. "I'll tell you everything in another life," I said, imitating Saburo's "other life".

    Goro chuckled bitterly.

    I directed the next parting line at Saburo. The veil came off when parting ways at the end of his breath. “Saburo! Nice to know you, my friend! " I said with a friendly smile.

    The young samurai smiled back at me. My eyes are looking for Goemon and Michiyasu. We exchanged smiles, nodded at each other to say goodbye.