Chapter 143: The Grand Feast
New Tokyo.
In a small office, Sanada Ryoichi had hardly slept throughout the night.
He spent the entire night releasing his emotions, punching the punching bag for a full six hours. He burst more than ten punching bags with his fists, yet his body was still brimming with endless strength. The junior gangsters looked at their leader's muscular lines and the giant tattoo of a burning wheel on his back, their faces filled with an admiring expression.
In the eyes of these followers, the leader should always maintain great ambition and strength.
Only Tsuyoshi Goto, who had been following Sanada Ryoichi for the longest time, knew that he was feeling unhappy.
As the young leader of the Sanada Group, Tsuyoshi Goto lost to his opponent. Normally, as a group focused on fighting, the Sanada Group should have accepted their defeat and made peace with the other group, shaking hands. In the future, they would have to timidly flee with their tails between their legs whenever they met, which was the creed of a underworld organization surviving in a tight spot.
They always showed respect to the strong and bullied the weak. That's just how they were. They would do anything for their own gain and to instill fear.
But to everyone's surprise, Sanada Ryoichi's attitude underwent a tremendous change.
Ever since returning from the Fujiwara residence, something had changed. It's not like he completely transformed into a different person, but he became wilder and even more arrogant.
Sanada Ryoichi, who was known as an ambitious man, had a heart full of dreams and desires.
After facing several setbacks, Tsuyoshi Goto thought that he might quit being a member of the underworld. But little did he know, not only did he return, but he also led the organization towards a rapid rise.
In just ten short days, he quickly elevated the Sanada Group from a lesser group within the Kanto Federation.
Within seven days, he devoured three organizations and absorbed three others of equal size, even surpassing the size of the previous underworld groups.
It is very difficult to devour an underworld group.
It takes great effort to defeat the other side and to take over their organization's territories. It also requires significant effort to protect and hold onto these territories, so as to prevent any attacks.
How did Sanada Ryoichi manage to do it?
He simply invited the leaders of these groups to have a meal, and they agreed to merge. They handed over their resources and even their group symbols. The members of these underworld groups were all reorganized and became part of the Sanada Group.
The original separate underworld groups, the Izumi Group, the Red Demon Group, and the Gōwa Group, all became subgroups of the Sanada Group.
The territory of the Sanada Group immediately expanded to seven times its original size, and the number of members, including the underworld figures and errand boys, increased to 1,200 people.
This was not just a great victory, it was something beyond belief.
Tsuyoshi Goto didn't know how Sanada Ryoichi managed to make these people bow to him. He asked, but couldn't get an answer. All he could do was guess that it had something to do with Fujiwara.
Sanada Ryoichi wasn't so skilled on his own, there must have been someone secretly supporting him, giving him enough help to easily absorb these three groups. He didn't have to worry about losing control and being overpowered by them, which would result in these groups taking over his power instead.
"Are you really planning to invite him?" Tsuyoshi Goto asked, standing outside the shower room.
"You've asked me this five times already. I've already sent out the invitation, and there's no way I can withdraw it now," Sanada Ryoichi said, wiping sweat from his body. The water trickled down his back, highlighting the contours of his muscular frame, revealing his tattoos.
"These days, are you in a hurry to take over these groups, just to prepare for a feast?"
"Haha, do you think I would go through all this trouble for just one person?" Sanada Ryoichi laughed heartily.
"Yes," he replied.
"Why?" Sanada Ryoichi squinted his eyes. "Is it because I lost a few gangster underlings? But don't forget, I have absorbed three factions and have become a top-tier force within the Kanto Federation! I'm not inferior to those second-generation organizations, and I'm getting closer to being a direct lineage!"
Tsuyoshi Goto said solemnly, "It's not because you're not strong enough now, but because you're angry inside. You feel it's shameful to be defeated by this person, so you want to reclaim your honor in front of many people."
Sanada remained silent for a moment, then asked coldly, "Don't you feel ashamed?"
Tsuyoshi Goto said, "I don't feel ashamed. I fought against him before, and I lost. I couldn't even force out just a fraction of his abilities." Gritting his teeth, Tsuyoshi continued, "Leader, by doing this, you are pushing yourself into hell."
Sanada Ryoichi swung his fist, smashing it into the wall. The wall's tiles shattered immediately, and he let out a cold sneer. "You have witnessed my current strength with your own eyes. Even so, do you still think I can't win?"
Tsuyoshi Goto remained silent, but his silence was the best response.
"Leader, you have never confronted that man..."
"Joke!"
Sanada Ryoichi opened the door to the shower room and stared at the muscular Tsuyoshi. "It seems like you've truly lost your courage. If you're scared, why don't you leave this line of work? As a show of our many years of friendship, I'll give you a larger retirement bonus! Hand over your position as the head!"
Tsuyoshi Goto swallowed a bitter taste and turned silently. "After tonight's banquet, if you don't chase me away, I will leave... The Sanada Group as it is now is not the Sanada Group I once knew."
Sanada watched as his loyal subordinate walked away. His face gradually transformed from being icy cold to dark and menacing.
He swung his fist and slammed it against the door frame, instantly causing the sturdy metal frame to bend and twist. The twisted section even became black and scorching hot due to the high temperature.
"Tsuyoshi, you made a mistake,"
"This is a world where big fish eat small fish. There is no tenderness, and the rule of survival is that only the strongest ones can prevail!"
"You are scared, so you want to retreat, but I cannot retreat. I want to win in the end! So, I will hold onto everything I can grasp and reach the summit!"
"When I defeat the man who seems unbeatable in your eyes, you will know naturally..."
"I am not wrong!"
...
Ding!
In front of the shrine, Yagyū Simozi, with her hands clasped together, quietly prays to her parents' spirits.
As the incense burned, its fragrance slowly faded away.
Her heart grew calm and clear in the midst of this prayer, like still glass, without the slightest ripple.
She waited until a stick of incense burned completely.
She reached down and opened the shrine with her hand.
This special shrine had two layers. On the first layer, there were containers holding the ashes of her parents. And on the second layer, there were...
She reached out her hand and took out a dusty old sword that had been stored for many years.
This sword was left to her by her mother.
Ever since the closure of the Yagyū family's Mugen Shinmyō-ryū school, this sword has merely become a forbidden ornament for display.
The Sword Hunt Decree doesn't prohibit people from keeping swords as personal collections, it simply forbids their use.
After many years, Yagyū Simozi retrieved this sword. It was stored within simple wooden scabbard and hilt, made of plain wood. The hilt and scabbard, made of wood, lacked even a guard, making it appear like an ordinary, unremarkable stick.
She grasped the handle of the sword and slowly pulled out the sword that had been sealed for over twenty years. The shiny and enchanting blade reflected in her eyes, illuminating the entire room with a glimmer of blades, as if moonlight had spilled over.
The sword bore the engraving "Muramasa."
In Yingzhou culture, naming a sword is also significant, as the inscription on the sword is akin to a surname for the weapon. For example, "Ichimonji," "Sazumushi," "Katate-uchi," "Yasunaga," "Tsuneji" - these are the names or family names of the craftsmen who forged the sword. The name represents the first part of the sword's name, for instance, "Tōshirō Yoshifusa" where "Tōshirō" is the true name, while "Raizan," "Ichigo Ichie," "Shishi-ō" are more like titles given to swords. Without an inscription, there is only a title.
The inscription "Muramasa" means that it came from the Muramasa family.
Long ago, Muramasa was given a fearful nickname as a supernatural sword because it was incredibly sharp, causing injuries to the Shogun and his followers. As a result, the entire sword-making family was banned from forging swords.
But later, as a new Shogun came to power, the Tokugawa prohibition was abolished. However, Muramasa swords went from being highly popular several hundred years ago to becoming extremely rare in today's times.
The Yagyū family had a total of three Muramasa swords. All three swords were made by the same person and they were collectively called the "Snow, Moon, and Flower Muramasa."
They were named respectively "Sasa-no-yuki" Muramasa, "Yoi-kuraki" Muramasa, and this one is called "Tsukiyo-ken" Muramasa.
"Sasa-no-yuki" Muramasa, in the hands of Yagyū Simozi's father, was broken and defeated in the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament. The broken sword was thrown into a furnace and melted.
All the swords of those who were defeated in the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament would be thrown into a furnace. Eventually, the shogunate's craftsmen would forge new swords that combined the weapons of all the defeated participants. These swords would then be given as prizes to the top three winners.
The "Yoi-kuraki" Muramasa, unfortunately, was sold off.
Now, only the "Tsukiyo-ken" Muramasa remains. It is also known as "Tsuki-yomi," named after the revered moon deity.
Yagyū Simozi had now taken it out because she also needed a real sword. Although she felt that she wasn't skilled enough to use it yet, there came a time when she had no choice but to draw the sword. She knelt in front of the Buddhist altar, carefully disassembled the sword, and retrieved the stored hilt and scabbard. She skillfully disassembled and reassembled the sword, gradually getting used to its weight during this process.
In her dreams, the real sword she used was called Tengu Cut. It was lighter compared to the one she had now, which made it more agile. Of course, this one couldn't compare to it.
Tengu Cut, the enchanted sword, had been bathed in the blood of countless supernatural creatures. This Muramasa itself was not considered a renowned sword.
The sword needs to be nurtured, just like many other swords that rely on their owners' valor. They have accumulated countless achievements, fought in many fierce battles, and have been tempered repeatedly, just like enduring a thousand hammer strikes and a hundred fiery furnaces. Only then can they become renowned swords. Nowadays, the swords carried by the swordsmen of the Shogunate are feared just by their names alone. But, is this sword capable of instilling fear in people's hearts?
She sheathed this "Tsukiyo-ken" Muramasa.
"The Yagyū family will handle the matters of the family itself."
"I should have done this earlier, I can't cause any more trouble for my older brother."
Yagyū Simozi closed the Buddhist altar, her heart calm like still water, but soon ripples stirred once again.
"Finally, I can now fight in the real world..."
