(Dog-Shooting Competition) Four points apart!
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) If Lord Tokiyuki wants to win...
...he needs five more!
(Grrr) Hey! What's up with that?!
(Grrr) He's deliberately trying to sabotage!
Lord Tokiyuki only has two arrows left.
He needs to hit the head or neck to win this!
Give it up.
Trying to turn the table by scoring more than four points against me in this state?
Good luck with that!
Young Master!
Looks like we've got a winner already.
Run, Chojumaru!
Do you really think you have a chance by relying only on your bow?
You must shoot while running!
Shooting... while running?
Lord Yorishige, do you think he'd get the message?
Oh...
It's all clear.
When I am fleeing, my mind is clear and I can see everything.
If I aim for the dogs, Sadamune will always get in the way from my blind spot.
It's impossible for me to hit a small target,
whose movement is unpredictable while avoiding interference.
Wait...
There's one!
There's a target that even I can hit at a certain moment!
Turning his body back?
A backward shooting technique...
Fool.
It's called a blind spot since you can't aim at me even by turning your body.
You can't twist your body any further in the position you're in astride the horse!
For I... am the elusive Hojo heir!
I can do anything while running!
Neck shot from up front, two points!
All right!
I get it!
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) If he aims for the dog,
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) Sadamune will always approach him
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) from a blind spot!
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) His angle and distance are fixed, too!
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) Sadamune's also a bigger target than dogs!
That split-second, spur-of-the-moment decision...
His sense of balance and flexible body that allows him to shoot an acrobatic shot...
His potential will only blossom when he's running away!
It's settled now.
His specialty is back shots.
In the future, they'll be called by a more juvenile nickname.
Not yet...
I'm still two points ahead!
His arms are on the left side!
As long as I protect my head, he won't be able to turn the table!
It has become a synonym with attack on the run.
The name is...
(Parthian Shot)
Parthian shot.
Before Christ, the Middle Eastern nation of Parthia...
...defeated the mighty Roman army, the most powerful in the world,
by shooting behind.
They'd approach the enemies, go past them, as if running away, and then shoot behind.
The Roman heavy infantrymen were unable to do anything
and ran out of power.
Headshot from up front, three points!
Final score, 6-5! Chojumaru wins!
All right!
This is for the girl you shot in the ear.
It was a coincidence that I hit him in the ear, though...
Well done, my lord!
(A wild Yorishige has appeared!) It must be fun to fight while running away!
(Tokiyuki - Fight - Run) It must be fun to fight while running away!
(>XXX while running) We'll be developing your skills even more now!
All right, Sir Sadamune.
Time for your promise.
You will leave Suwa,
and never lay hands on our lands anymore.
Don't get cocky!
Shooting dogs is just a form of entertainment!
You who have joined the rebels will soon forfeit your territories!
I'll go find the remnants of Hojo slowly after that!
(Here>)
Curse you, Yorishige...
Why did you bring out that little boy?
I doubted very much that there was a solid chance of his winning.
And the way he was acting...
There was an upper-class elegance that didn't rub off so well on me at his age.
Could he be...
He's one of Hojo?!
No, he would never bring out a VIP like him to me!
I can't tell Yorishige's intention!
Sadamune has good eyes.
Hence, he must have been too aware of everything and got confused.
We have arranged with a certain person...
...to spread rumors throughout the country that a person...
...who seems to be a member of Hojo is hiding out there.
Both gods and people will think you're there when they think you are.
That's how great your power is.
If you are suspected to be anywhere in the country,
the attention of the enemy will be dispersed.
In the meantime, both you and I will build up our strength.
Grow strong, okay?
This is the battle to advance while running away!
We're already sprinting toward the throne!
They were deemed dastardly techniques, useless to a warrior.
The skills I learned for my lord were so condemned.
The more I honed my skills, the more I lost the trust of my lord,
who suspected me of stealing and banished me from his house,
after many years of service.
Look.
You have inherited my skills.
Take on my name and principle.
Trust nothing but money!
Trust and loyalty cannot return to where they are lent!
Sell your skills and believe only in the money you can get now!
Genba!
Keep at it, Young Master!
One, two!
One, two! Keep it up!
Why do I, the heir to the Shogunate...
...have to perform hard labor?!
Your current identity now...
...is Chojumaru of the Suwa Grand Shrine.
If you don't work on a regular basis,
you'll look suspicious when the enemy arrives.
Although, the only one who'd come here is Sadamune.
We really embarrassed him yesterday.
Bet he won't show his face around for some time...
Heya.
And he's here with a smile...
Formidable, I must say...
Kept you waiting, huh, Suwa!
I brought the Emperor's decree.
Decree?
Didn't he bring one just the other day?
(Commentator - Moritaka Suwa) The last one was a decree to appoint him
as the governor of Shinano...
This one has to be...
Suwa and their retainers' lands north of Lake Suwa,
are confiscated for their support for Hojo,
and the lands become the Ogasawara domain!
(Confiscated)
N-No way!
Within ten days,
we will ask all of you who live on the lands in question to leave.
Be sure to convince them solemnly as their lord.
What should we do now?!
This land has been painstakingly cultivated by our ancestors!
We can't just hand it over to Ogasawara!
We have no choice but to fight them.
Lord Yorishige.
Awaiting your orders.
If we go against the decree and wage a war,
we will be deemed traitors.
It is not the time for that.
You should return home now.
Chojimaru.
Yes!
There are chores to be done now, so you will stay.
I hear you call your group the Elusive Warriors.
Truly fits you at best.
That doesn't sound like a compliment.
Anyway, what should we do now?
Hm?
At this rate, the Suwa people...
You are a reasonable and righteous person.
But that alone won't cut it.
Hm?
Actually, there's someone I want to introduce to the Elusive Warriors.
Huh?
He's a thief who goes by the name Genba Kazama.
A thief?
He uses every trick in the book to sneak in anywhere and steal anything he can.
Whoa...
But, why a thief?
I have a favor to ask of you.
Use him to steal the Emperor's decree from Sadamune's mansion.
According to the information from the capital,
it takes an awfully long time to issue the decree letters.
If we make them disappear,
(End of the Line) this will buy us some time.
We can't do something so evil...
Yes, however...
From now on, being right alone is not enough to do what is truly right.
You can use criminals as your retainers,
and be the general with everything at his disposal.
Will he be okay, Lord Yorishige?
We can't just send children, including Lord Tokiyuki...
Even so, Lord Tokiyuki is a child of a ruler.
You'll definitely see a glimpse of him as a vessel for the empire.
(Kikyogahara)
He should be somewhere in this village.
Um, excuse me.
May I ask you something?
What is it, little ones?
We are looking for someone.
Oh, do you know their name?
Yes, it's Genba Kazama.
Genba Kazama...
That's his name...
Huh?
Whoa...
Now I know he's really hated here.
Nobody can revolt against me.
If you do...
...you'll be seeing hell on earth.
Above!
And somehow Young Master's also on the tree!
Name's Genba Kazama.
I heard my name from three miles away, so I came.
What's your business?
My name's Chojumaru of the Suwa Grand Shrine.
I want to have you as my personal retainer.
Chojumaru, my ass.
You's gotta be a Hojo kid.
Wonder how much I'll get if I sell you out to Ogasawara...
Stay back, Young Master!
Damn! I knew we couldn't trust thieves!
Take it easy, plonkers.
We're just about to start our negotiations.
My wallet!
Such fast hands...
My skills don't come cheap.
As payment for me to shut my mouth, it'll be a hundred mon.
(100 mon = 5,000,000 Japanese yen) And another hundred for a job!
So expensive!
M-Money?!
Not a dime less.
You want my help?
Then you know we're only connected through money, eh?
Money...
If he's so shocked with this, this won't be worth much.
You can't move people without money.
No matter how prestigious your family might be,
you're now just a normal kid without anything.
The vessel for an emperor, my ass.
Time you face reality, boy!
I just have to pay you, right?
Yeah.
Only if you can!
Trying to get into debt?
Are you sure?
You don't want a land?
Huh?
Land?
To be honest, I was surprised.
If you become my retainer
and help me reclaim the throne with your unusual abilities,
you will be my genuine and meritorious retainer from the time of my banner raising.
It's only natural that you'd be given a province like Kai or Musashi.
How selfless of you!
You don't want the land, but only money!
Kai...
Musashi!
Down you go, slowly...
Well, even I would get confused.
Don't worry about your living expenses for now.
The shrine will cover for them.
But are you sure you want to be paid upfront?
Hm?
If Big Brother reclaims the whole nation,
you can get more than tens of thousands mon.
E-ve-ry-year.
I feel you. Sounds like a gamble, isn't it?
You can either earn a few coins for the moment,
or you can serve Young Master and bet on the future.
But you know...
I guess you won't get aboard with this promising gamble, eh!
But then again, you won't find another heir at wits' end seeking your help...
For-e-ver.
Don't tempt me out of both ears!
Let me decide for myself!
Darn... I was going to wind you up by teasing you as I pleased...
Oh, fine.
I wonder if it will stain...
Hey, boy.
You said you wanted to steal the Emperor's decree?
I have a condition.
(Ogasawara Residence)
The Emperor's decree is so effective!
We will cut off Suwa's territory and eventually it will all be ours!
I'm not willing to risk my life for an irresponsible employer.
I'll take this job only if you tag along.
So that warehouse's where the decree is.
Just like what the shrine girl said.
I thought you'd be scared.
It's only natural that I accompany you.
I'm the one asking you to steal the decree.
Very auspicious of you.
But be careful.
Mess this one up, and you'll end up like them.
(Thieves)
Can we trust him?
He might sell out Young Master by taking him to an inescapable place...
Oh, you worry too much.
That boy was recommended by Lord Yorishige.
He's the same as us.
We just became Young Master's retainers out of the blue one day.
And it's fun now, right?
Well, yeah.
Can never get bored of him.
Just casually locking the door with three locks, eh?
Can you unlock them?
I eat those for breakfast.
The problem is the two guards in front of the warehouse.
After all, there is no better lock than a live human being.
But I can open them. That's my skill.
If you're not too scared, come on over.
(Excited)
He's really excited...
Do you do whatever you are told to do?
Have you no shame for being the son of a great warrior?
Shame...
I threw most of it away when I fled Kamakura.
And I do things not because I'm told to.
I want to repay the people in Suwa.
If I can repay them for their warm welcome,
I won't feel any shame.
Pathetic.
Look, you ignorant boy.
A debt of gratitude or obligation will always be taken away sooner or later.
What you can't see is as good as nothing.
However...
Show them money or fear and people will comply.
Money... or fear?
For example,
a woman didn't want to pay for an affair investigation.
And then...
I sneaked into her house.
Then I mixed roaches and piss into her rice,
and cooked it!
Eventually, no one could defy me anymore.
Oh, so that's why he got hated.
People only believe what they can see.
Genba?
Stay put.
Hey.
Sadamune?!
I can't be here.
But where should I go?
But Genba told me to stay put...
Genba...
Don't tell me...
He was planning on luring me out here...
M-My lord?
Several nails on the north fence are loose.
Fix them right now.
B-But...
We were ordered to not leave the warehouse...
Fools!
What if the enemy attacks tonight?!
You want to redeem it with your heads?!
Th-That was careless of us! We're on it right away!
M-My lord...
What's up with those ears...
It's my cute charm!
Did it strike your taste?!
Y-Yes!
It struck my taste like a night assault!
It's a fox mask covered in secret clay.
I can turn into almost anyone.
He knew who I was because he had already infiltrated the Suwa Grand Shrine?
By turning into someone I know...
Hey...
You thought I was betraying you, eh?
Oh, this the one?
The decree you's looking for?
Genba?
I can steal anything and turn into anyone.
Anyone would be suspicious if they had a guy like me under their command.
Are you sure you can employ me without any doubt?
You, the young master who got betrayed by hundreds of warriors?
I can hear voices in the warehouse...
Whispering voices... Two boys?
What happened to the guards?
The north fence?
Why so far away?
- Goro. - Yes!
Wake Sir Sadamune up.
Hikohachiro, wake up the retainers. Setaro, contact the gatekeepers.
Yes!
If only I hadn't been here in the dark of night today,
we wouldn't have had to expose those kids.
(Episode 6: Steal the Imperial Command from Ogasawara's Residence at Night!) Coming forth!