Shinsengumi! (3): The Stone Buddha's Fury
"Heh, not only did he stand up to our chief, he even landed a hit on him."
Okita giggled mischievously.
"What on earth is this kid's deal?"
"He's gotta be from the Hokushin Ittoryu, at least. He used Chiba Shusaku's sixty-eight techniques."
"Ah, from the most prestigious of prestigious schools. A disciple of the Genbuguan, the pinnacle among them?"
Izuki was still lying there unconscious. Okita peered at his face with keen interest.
"We've got Hokushin Ittoryu folks in the Shinsengumi too, you know—Yamanami and Todo. Should we call them over and ask who he is?"
"Don't call Yamanami. If you're calling anyone, make it Todo."
Okita grinned impishly and beckoned to a Shinsengumi member passing by.
"Could you fetch Yamanami for me, by any chance?"
"Okita!" Hijikata growled.
Just then, Todo Heisuke returned from patrol. He was blunt and terse in everything, earning him the nickname "Stone Buddha Todo." But in the heat of duty, no one was more aggressive; he served as the Shinsengumi's charge captain.
"Oh! Todo! Over here!"
Okita waved with a beaming smile. True to form, the stoic man merely nodded in greeting.
"Do you happen to know this kid? He's no ordinary guy. He used Hokushin Ittoryu swordsmanship, just like you."
Todo stared down at the boy on the futon with an expressionless gaze. A youthful face, but a solidly trained physique. Even unconscious, an upright aura emanated from him.
"……."
Todo's eyes widened as if they might pop out.
"Chiba... no, Ishihara-san?"
Todo dropped to his knees in haste. Moments later, he bowed his head low, leaving a stunned Okita blinking in surprise.
"Why is Ishihara Izuki here? What the hell happened?"
Todo looked flustered.
"Well, our chief was up to his usual nasty business, and this kid tried to stop him..."
"Ahh, of course—Ishihara-san, ever unable to tolerate injustice, stepping up to enforce justice...! As a fellow Genbuguan disciple, Todo Heisuke is ashamed, deeply ashamed. I should rush right now and exact bloody vengeance on that repulsive madman."
"...? Hold on, Todo. Todo!"
Okita blocked Todo, who looked ready to bolt out the door.
"Umm... where... is this...?"
At that moment, Izuki stirred and opened his eyes amid the commotion.
"Ah! You're awake, Ishihara-san?"
Todo immediately knelt beside him.
"...Ah, Todo Heisuke?"
"To think you'd remember me. As expected of Izuki-san... How could I ever forget the warmth you showed every single Genbuguan disciple?"
Hijikata was thrown into utter chaos watching Todo rattle off praises. Todo had always seemed the epitome of a steadfast, quiet man—someone he respected. Who knew he was hiding this side...?
"Well, anyway, this is the Shinsengumi barracks. This is Vice-Chief Hijikata Toshizo. That one's... well, you probably know—Charge Captain Todo Heisuke. I'm First Unit Captain Okita Soji."
Izuki bowed his head politely at the brief introductions.
"I'm Ishihara Izuki. Thank you for saving me."
"...Huh. I figured you'd say something like, 'Urgh, why'd you interfere! If you hadn't jumped in, I could've won!'"
"I already felt the gap in our skills during our exchange."
Izuki gave a wry smile.
"If we'd kept fighting, there's a high chance I'd have lost."
"No way! Even if Serizawa Kamo's a monster, Ishihara-san of the undefeated legend would've had the edge! Your skills are at Menkyo Kaiden level in everything except iaijutsu...!"
"That's why I ended up like this—because of my iaijutsu."
Izuki raised his broken right hand. In his unconscious state, the Shinsengumi members had bandaged it and splinted it. Todo, who had been babbling, fell silent.
"The instant I gripped the hilt to draw, he grabbed my wrist."
The second time his iaijutsu had been stopped, after Kenshin. Serizawa's mocking words still echoed in his ears.
'Your iaijutsu's too slow. He waited till your sword was halfway out, then dozed off for a split second.'
"Ah, so you're the legend of a hundred battles, undefeated."
Okita, who had heard the tales, widened his eyes.
"They say after receiving your kirigami, you never lost a single match. Not figuratively a hundred wins—literally won all hundred fights. Is it true?"
"...Haha. Nothing to brag about."
"Hmm~ The humility unique to geniuses. Kinda annoying?"
Hijikata shot Okita an incredulous look. You saying that?
"Anyway, Vice-Chief! First Unit Captain! How long do you plan to sit idly by while Serizawa's gang runs rampant?"
Todo Heisuke, who had been kneeling, shot to his feet in righteous fury.
"We must bide our time. Wait a little longer. But what about the suffering people of Kyoto in the meantime? Who takes responsibility for their ruined lives?"
Todo's impassioned shout echoed through the room.
"We need to wipe out those vile scoundrels right now and bring peace to Kyoto. Isn't that the Shinsengumi's mission?"
Hijikata and Okita stared at him in bewilderment. They'd known this man for nearly seven years, and he'd never uttered more than "Yes," "Understood," or "Got it." Who knew he was such an eloquent speaker?
"...You know that full well. Serizawa's still the chief, no matter what. Even if we kill him, it'd be seen as mutiny."
The chief was the Shinsengumi's top commander. In rough organizations like this—especially ones wielding weapons—the hierarchy was ironclad. Defying a superior, no matter how evil, was insubordination or outright rebellion. If word reached the Kyoto Guard Command that Shinsengumi members attacked their chief, they'd be branded rebels and executed without a chance to explain.
"The best path is to elevate Kondo as the new chief and pull Serizawa down."
Kondo Isami—currently out on assignment—was from the same Tennen Rishinryu lineage as Hijikata and Okita. Precisely, Kondo was the head of the Tennen Rishinryu dojo, with Hijikata and Okita as members, and Todo Heisuke as a guest student there. In short, the Shinsengumi was split between Serizawa's Shindo Munenryu faction and Kondo's Tennen Rishinryu faction.
"Serizawa can't keep committing atrocities forever. The Kyoto Guard Command has probably heard the bad rumors by now and is mulling stripping him of his position. We wait for that moment."
Todo's face fell in despair. Was endless waiting truly the only answer, as Hijikata said? How many more crimes would Serizawa's gang commit in the interim?
"...If I may say something presumptuous?"
At that point, Izuki, who had sat up, spoke quietly. All eyes turned to the boy.
"What if I take down Serizawa?"
A beat of silence. Hijikata, Okita, and Todo exchanged glances, then looked back at Izuki.
"You... take down the chief...?"
"Yes. If someone outside the Shinsengumi beats Serizawa, there'd be no issue, right?"
"...Well, that's true, but..."
Okita looked dazed.
"Without Serizawa, the rest of his gang are just regular troopers, aren't they? You can handle judging them yourselves."
Todo was thrilled—Ooooh! As expected of Ishihara-san! Again!—but Hijikata remained skeptical.
"Nice idea, but it hinges on you beating Serizawa one-on-one."
Sword marks could be investigated to trace the wielder roughly. If any other Shinsengumi helped Izuki—even once—that trace would be proof of mutiny.
"Can you win? Against Serizawa."
Hijikata pierced Izuki with a sharp gaze, one blending wild instinct and strategist cunning.
"I have to."
Yet the boy met it with a serene smile.
"......Hoo."
A glint sparked in Hijikata's eyes. He straightened up and lowered his voice.
"We can't normally rely on outsiders, but if even the Stone Buddha Todo is praising you to the heavens like this, you must be trustworthy."
"Believe me, if only for my sake."
"Don't push it."
Hijikata clicked his tongue.
"When the chance comes, we strike hard and fast. In one week—we'll crush Serizawa's gang in one fell swoop."
Everyone around gasped in surprise.
"One... week already?"
"Serizawa's throwing a big bash at a pleasure house in the city center, calling in courtesans. His whole crew will be there, no exceptions. And drunk off their asses flirting with the girls."
Hijikata laid out the plan point by point.
"Deepest hour of night, our Tennen Rishinryu group surrounds the place and storms in all at once."
The entire barracks was now hanging on his every word, entranced.
"Once we've got Serizawa's gang tied up, Ishihara—you enter one breath later and find Serizawa. You're the key, so stay out of any other fights except with the chief."
Izuki nodded quietly.
"Everyone understand?"
"Yes, Vice-Chief."
The Shinsengumi in the barracks replied.
After hearing more details on the plan and the pleasure house's location, Izuki—having somewhat recovered—prepared to leave.
"I'm sorry, Ishihara-san."
Then Todo Heisuke approached and bowed deeply.
"For dragging you into our Shinsengumi mess..."
"No need. This isn't just the Shinsengumi's problem anyway."
Izuki shook his head slowly.
"As you said, leaving Serizawa unchecked means everyone in Kyoto suffers. I was one of them."
Izuki half-jokingly lifted his broken arm. Todo fidgeted even more awkwardly.
"And... lately, more than ever, I've wanted to protect Kyoto's peace."
Seeing Todo's curious glance, Izuki smiled brightly.
"My new master is on the outskirts of Kyoto."
The boy turned his head as if gazing toward distant hills.
"She's still frail and secluded, but... someday, I want to see her walking Kyoto's peaceful streets."
Late March in Kyoto brought blooming cherry blossoms. Not shrouded in dark shadows indoors, but under fluttering pale pink petals—breathing freely, laughing freely. Somehow, that's what the boy now wished for.
"To make that happen, Kyoto needs to become a safe place where even a fragile girl can enjoy the cherry blossoms without worry."
Todo gazed at Izuki with renewed wonder.
'A look I never saw back in the Hokushin Ittoryu.'
Izuki had an excellent character. Upright, pure, just, virtuous. Kind to everyone, always helping, always protecting. That's why everyone loved him. Todo was one of the many drawn to that nature.
But ironically... Izuki felt inhuman.
'Not sure if that's the right word.'
Todo, never one for words, struggled to pin it down. But something—something—was missing in Izuki.
'A matter of the heart.'
Chiba Shusaku's words when Izuki hit a wall at chumokuroku.
Deep in thought, Izuki one day met a girl like fate itself. Soon, he resolved to take her as his master.
'What I couldn't find at Genbuguan, I can find there.'
On the day he announced his departure, every Genbuguan disciple clung to his robes begging him to stay—but Chiba Shusaku alone smiled warmly and nodded.
'Yes. You're no longer Chiba's—you're Ishihara now.'
He waved him off with evident relief.
'Go. You're expelled.'
Izuki performed his final bows, then left Genbuguan. Todo recalled that scene, lost in thought.
"How's your new master...?"
Todo asked casually.
"You left Genbuguan over iaijutsu issues. So, how's her iaijutsu?"
Izuki had sought a new master because Hokushin Ittoryu's iaijutsu offered no answers. So, how formidable was she...?
"She's strong."
Izuki answered without hesitation.
"The strongest in the world."
Then he beamed.
And that was that. Watching that flawless smile, Todo—after much deliberation—finally tilted his head.
'...So she's frail? Or strong?'