11 - True Strength

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:02] Hijikata
    Could you be...
[00:04] Hijikata
    Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi?
[00:06] Okita; Todo; Nio; Taro; Hajime; Granny
    Th-The Shogun?!
[00:10] Hijikata
    We'll escort the Shogun to the safety of
    Nijo Castle with only the forces we have here.
[00:16] Nio
    I have an idea.
[00:26] Assassin C
    Huh? They split up.
[00:28] Assassin C
    Which way did Iemochi go?
[00:29] Assassin A
    Don't let anyone escape! After them!
[00:38] Nio
    There they go.
[00:39] Kikuchiyo
    I see. Quite the stratagem.
[00:42] Granny
    The Shogun! The Shogun!
[00:44] Okita
    I love the courtly laugh.
[00:47] Nio
    We'll count to 30, then take
    the backstreets to Nijo Castle.
[00:52] Kikuchiyo
    Right.
[00:55] Naozumi
    So both groups were decoys?
[01:00] Naozumi
    Luck really wasn't on your side.
[01:03] Nio
    Kikuchiyo-san!
[01:05] Nio
    Let's go.
[01:06] Naozumi
    One.
[01:08] Naozumi
    Two.
[01:10] Naozumi
    Three.
[01:18] Naozumi
    Go on. Run.
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
SIGN    Blue Miburo
[02:55] Assassin A
    Halt!
[03:11] Assassin B
    Hold it!
[03:12] Assassin A
    Go inside! Circle ahead!
[03:13] Assassin B
    Don't let 'em escape!
[03:21] Assassin B
    Perfect. We've got 'em boxed in.
[03:23] Assassin C
    Say your prayers, Iemochi!
[03:26] Hajime
    Haven't we bought enough time, Hijikata?
[03:28] Hijikata
    No.
[03:30] Hijikata
    I hate to disappoint you,
    but we can't surrender the Shogun.
SIGN    Conquer
[03:35] Granny
    The Shogun. That's me.
[03:36] Hijikata
    Damn it, old woman.
[03:38] Assassin A
    Damn. He's not here.
[03:41] Assassin A
    Go after the other group!
[03:42] Hajime
    Not so fast.
[03:46] Hajime
    I'll take you on.
[03:48] Hajime
    This farce was never my style.
[03:51] Assassin B
    Little shit.
[03:52] Assassin A
    Have it your way. I'll teach you
     how a grown man uses a sword.
[03:57] Assassin A
    First, you wear it on your left side.
[04:01] Assassin A
    Come on, draw. I ain't got all day.
[04:15] Assassin C
    You...
[04:16] Assassin C
    You'll pay for that!
[04:25] Hajime
    Remind me. Who's teaching whom about what?
[04:30] Hajime
    When I draw, it's already over. That's iai.
[04:35] Assassin A
    C-Cocky brat.
[04:36] Assassin A
    Retreat! Retreat!
[04:38] Hajime
    What? You're turning tail already?
[04:40] Hajime
    Try with your short swords! Well?
[04:42] Hijikata
    Wait, Hajime.
[04:44] Hajime
    What's your problem, Hijikata?
[04:46] Hijikata
    Was that man there?
[04:50] Hajime
    No. Why?
[04:51] Hijikata
    Then, as we speak—
[04:55] Hijikata
    What is it now, old woman?
[04:56] Granny
    I was scared stiff!
[04:58] Hijikata
    Get off! Enough, you old bat!
[05:04] Okita
    Hey, he dodged it!
[05:08] Taro
    O-Okita! Get these guys!
[05:11] Okita
    We promised to buy all the time we could
     so that Nio's group could get to Nijo Castle.
[05:17] Todo
    That we did.
[05:18] Taro
    We've already done plenty!
[05:20] Todo
    I am your Shogun.
[05:22] Taro
    When are you gonna drop that act?
[05:26] Assassin E
    This guy's a fake!
[05:27] Assassin F
    He's not Iemochi!
[05:29] Todo
    They caught on.
[05:30] Taro
    H-Hurry up and clobber these guys.
[05:34] Todo
    I am your Shogun. I do not brawl.
[05:36] Taro
    Give it a rest. You're plenty tough!
[05:40] Okita
    Guess I've got no choice.
[05:42] Okita
    I'll make them talk.
[05:44] Taro
    Hey, at least put down your lantern.
[05:46] Assassin E
    You think you're hot shit? Die!
[06:03] Okita
    I cut your tendon,
    so you're not going anywhere.
[06:06] Okita
    You see, a guy I knew in Edo
    always went for the lower legs.
[06:11] Okita
    I put my own spin on his style.
[06:13] Okita
    Yamanami-san told me
    they used to punish criminals this way.
[06:18] Okita
    I call it Ashigiri: "Leg Cutter."
[06:22] Taro
    He's a demon.
[06:25] Okita
    Oh, dear. Your friends ran off without you.
[06:28] Okita
    Not very nice of them.
[06:30] Assassin E
    Damn it all.
[06:31] Okita
    Oh, well. I'll get you to tell me
     all about who you guys are.
[06:39] Taro
    He just bit through his tongue.
[06:42] Todo
    Staunch it somehow.
[06:44] Taro
    It's no good. It's too late.
[06:45] Okita
    Wh-Who in the world are these people?
[06:50] Taro
    This crap's not normal.
[06:52] Taro
    They're all crazy. They have to be.
[06:57] Nio
    We're almost at Nijo Castle.
[07:00] Kikuchiyo
    Indeed.
[07:03] Kikuchiyo
    No! No more! I'm exhausted!
[07:05] Kikuchiyo
    I demand a palanquin!
[07:06] Nio
    Didn't you just say, "Indeed"?!
[07:10] Kikuchiyo
    Wh-What is it?
[07:12] Kikuchiyo
    What's wrong?
[07:13] Nio
    I hear voices.
[07:15] Kikuchiyo
    What?
[07:16] Underling H
    Where's His Lordship?
[07:18] Underling I
    Leave no stone unturned!
[07:19] Underling H
    Yes, sir!
[07:20] Kikuchiyo
    They're from the castle.
[07:21] Nio
    Thank goodness. They're here to save you.
[07:24] Nio
    Hey! Over here!
[07:29] Underling H
    Is that you, My Lord?
[07:30] Underling I
    Is Your Lordship hurt?
[07:33] Kikuchiyo
    I am unharmed.
[07:35] Nio
    He's right as rain!
[07:55] Nio
    I don't believe it.
[07:59] Naozumi
    I'm here for your head, Iemochi.
[08:03] Nio
    Run for it, Kikuchiyo-san.
[08:08] Kikuchiyo
    I do not understand.
[08:11] Kikuchiyo
    What do you call yourself?
[08:16] Naozumi
    Naozumi.
[08:18] Kikuchiyo
    Naozumi, what drives you to do such things?
[08:22] Kikuchiyo
    To "expel the barbarians"?
[08:24] Kikuchiyo
    Taking my head will not
    change our land's predicament.
[08:31] Naozumi
    "Expel the barbarians"?
[08:33] Naozumi
    "Expel the barbarians," he says.
[08:37] Kikuchiyo
    Am I wrong?
[08:40] Naozumi
    I couldn't care less about them.
[08:43] Nio
    He doesn't want to expel the foreigners?
[08:46] Kikuchiyo
    I do not understand.
[08:48] Kikuchiyo
    I ask you, then: what is it that you desire?
[08:58] Naozumi
    To bring back the age of the samurai.
[09:01] Nio
    Bring it back?
[09:04] Naozumi
    You lot stole it from us.
[09:08] Naozumi
    You Tokugawa.
[09:12] Kikuchiyo
    What are you talking about?
[09:14] Kikuchiyo
    You claim the Tokugawa robbed you?
[09:17] Naozumi
    That's right.
[09:19] Kikuchiyo
    And what did we steal?
[09:22] Naozumi
    A place to do battle.
[09:27] Naozumi
    The founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate,
    Ieyasu, ended the Age of Warring States.
[09:32] Naozumi
    He robbed us samurai of a place to fight.
[09:36] Kikuchiyo
    You mean peace displeases you?
[09:51] Naozumi
    Stay still.
[09:56] Naozumi
    It does displease me.
[10:00] Kikuchiyo
    Why shed blood if it can be avoided?
[10:09] Naozumi
    Why keep samurai around, then?
[10:13] Naozumi
    I'm strong as hell.
[10:15] Naozumi
    I was born strong.
[10:17] Naozumi
    Daily training made me stronger.
[10:19] Naozumi
    I toured the provinces, honing my skills.
[10:24] Naozumi
    What did we work ourselves to the bone
     strengthening body and spirit for?
[10:30] Kikuchiyo
    To defend the people in times of crisis.
[10:36] Naozumi
    And when will that be?
[10:38] Naozumi
    I come from a long line of samurai.
[10:40] Naozumi
    My granddad and his granddad
     before him died
[10:43] Naozumi
    between threadbare sheets without
    ever getting to show what samurai are for.
[10:49] Naozumi
    For 260 years, you Tokugawa have lorded
    over the samurai and kept us useless.
[10:58] Naozumi
    Tell me, boy...
[11:00] Naozumi
    What's the way of the sword?
[11:04] Nio
    I... I don't know.
[11:09] Naozumi
    Tell me, Iemochi. What's the sword to you?
[11:15] Kikuchiyo
    The sword...
[11:19] Kikuchiyo
    is mere decoration.
[11:22] Nio
    He won't like that answer.
[11:25] Kikuchiyo
    The sword is insurance
    lest the worst should happen.
[11:34] Naozumi
    The way of the sword is blood.
[11:36] Naozumi
    An unbroken lineage,
    passed down since Genji fought Heike.
[11:42] Naozumi
    Why don't you try to fight?
[11:44] Naozumi
    Why don't you try to show off your strength?
[11:50] Kikuchiyo
    Fighting is synonymous with dying.
[11:54] Kikuchiyo
    I suggest you mistrust any who urge battle,
[11:57] Kikuchiyo
    no matter what pretty phrases
     they dress it up in.
[12:04] Naozumi
    This is the lord of all samurai? What a joke.
[12:08] Naozumi
    When the great rot, the lesser go hungry.
[12:13] Naozumi
    There's a big war coming.
[12:15] Naozumi
    We, the Blood Risshidan,
    are going to start it.
[12:19] Nio
    "The Blood Risshidan"?
[12:22] Naozumi
    Iemochi, your head will do nicely.
[12:26] Naozumi
    It will make the perfect centerpiece
    for the coming festival.
[12:30] Naozumi
    Your death will throw the city into chaos
    and the country into violence.
[12:34] Naozumi
    The Warring States will come again.
[12:37] Naozumi
    That's when we'll find the
     place where we belong.
[12:41] Nio
    Damn it. It's hopeless.
    He really means it.
[12:45] Kikuchiyo
    Listen, Naozumi.
[12:48] Kikuchiyo
    Even so, I will not allow you to make war.
[12:51] Kikuchiyo
    That is my verdict as
    leader of the samurai clans.
[12:56] Kikuchiyo
    I will not die.
[12:58] Kikuchiyo
    I cannot die now.
[13:01] Naozumi
    No.
[13:03] Naozumi
    You're gonna die.
[13:06] Naozumi
    Right here. Right now.
[13:12] Kikuchiyo
    Nio?
[13:17] Nio
    We need to escape, Kikuchiyo-san.
[13:18] Nio
    Please run!
[13:24] Naozumi
    How feeble.
[13:27] Naozumi
    Playtime is over.
[13:31] Kikuchiyo
    What's your plan?
[13:32] Nio
    I have an idea.
[13:55] Naozumi
    So you've dropped your sword in surrender?
[14:12] Nio
    Naozumi-san...
[14:16] Nio
    You're weak.
[14:19] Naozumi
    Where's Iemochi?
[14:21] Nio
    I won't...
[14:23] Nio
    give him up!
[14:32] Hijikata
    The man in white wasn't with
    the group that chased you, either?
[14:36] Taro
    Not a chance.
[14:38] Taro
    I was so relieved we didn't have
     to deal with that nightmare.
[14:42] Taro
    But nobody scares me more than Okita.
[14:47] Okita
    In that case, I'm worried about
    Nio-kun and the Shogun.
[14:51] Todo
    What now?
[14:53] Todo
    Do we head back to the dango shop?
[14:54] Taro
    C-Can I leave now?
[14:57] Granny
    Taro! You should be ashamed of yourself!
[15:00] Taro
    But you said I was
    more cut out for business!
[15:03] Granny
    Even shopkeepers have to
    stand their ground sometimes.
[15:13] Hijikata
    We'll go to Nijo Castle.
[15:16] Hijikata
    The man in white may have rallied
    the men who fled to beat us there.
[15:22] Okita
    That seems likely.
[15:24] Okita
    I mean, the Shogun has
    to go there eventually.
[15:29] Hijikata
    We'll check every likely spot
    for an ambush near the castle.
[15:34] Todo
    That's more like it!
[15:35] Granny
    I'll lend you a hand!
[15:38] Granny
    Come along, Taro. Shape up, will you?
[15:41] Taro
    Seriously?
[15:43] Hijikata
    Hurry.
[15:43] Todo
    You got it.
[15:51] Taro
    Sure, I'm worried about Nio,
    but what can I do?
[15:55] Taro
    Can't I just go home?
[15:58] Taro
    What do you say, Hijikata?
[16:00] Taro
    Huh? What?
[16:03] Taro
    Hey! Hijikata's gone!
[16:05] Todo
    Well, yeah. He ran on ahead.
    We'd better catch up.
[16:10] Taro
    Huh?
[16:11] Taro
    Ah, of all the...
[16:16] Okita
    No fair, Hijikata-san.
[16:25] Naozumi
    So Iemochi's through here?
[16:31] Naozumi
    By the way, unless my ears are playing tricks,
    I think you just called me weak.
[16:37] Nio
    I did.
[16:38] Nio
    Kikuchiyo-san is stronger than you.
[16:43] Naozumi
    A mighty man like me?
[16:47] Nio
    Calm down.
[16:48] Nio
    Don't let him see you feeling hopeless.
[16:51] Naozumi
    Did I scare you out of your wits?
[16:54] Nio
    I've watched the Miburo enough to tell...
[16:59] Nio
    just how terribly strong
    and dangerous he is.
[17:03] Nio
    I came into this with only one goal:
[17:06] Nio
    to fight with the weapons I have!
[17:10] Nio
    You say you want to fight a war.
[17:13] Nio
    You say that's what samurai do.
[17:15] Naozumi
    That's right. Samurai fight
    and die on the battlefield.
[17:20] Nio
    That's why you're weak.
[17:22] Naozumi
    I don't follow.
[17:25] Nio
    Don't you think it's selfish? What about
    the people who get dragged into your war?
[17:30] Nio
    The women? The elderly? The invalids?
[17:36] Nio
    The children?
[17:40] Nio
    Kikuchiyo-san is putting himself
     in all of their shoes,
[17:43] Nio
    and wondering what he can do
    to make things better.
[17:47] Nio
    He's looking at the bigger picture.
[17:50] Nio
    Clinging to your samurai status
    makes you weaker than he is.
[17:55] Nio
    You can't beat him!
[17:58] Naozumi
    That's enough chitchat.
[18:01] Naozumi
    A counterweight? Don't tell me
    he has a chain and sickle.
[18:05] Naozumi
    He's bluffing.
    No kid could handle one of those.
[18:10] Naozumi
    Still, he did throw away his sword.
[18:12] Naozumi
    It makes sense to assume
    he has a better weapon.
[18:18] Naozumi
    He has been hiding his left side
    ever since I caught up to him.
[18:24] Naozumi
    And it's too dark to get a good look.
[18:29] Naozumi
    Of course, none of that matters.
[18:32] Naozumi
    My sword can reach him.
[18:36] Naozumi
    And kill him.
[18:37] Nio
    Now!
[18:40] Naozumi
    A rock?
[18:45] Naozumi
    A rock? A rock, huh?
[18:48] Naozumi
    Bluffing to buy time, are you?
[18:50] Naozumi
    I admire your guts.
[18:53] Naozumi
    And you know, it's not so easy to swing
     my long sword in this narrow alley.
[18:59] Naozumi
    You've really thought this through.
[19:04] Naozumi
    But I don't have to swing it.
[19:09] Naozumi
    How do you like this?
[19:19] Nio
    I've been waiting for this!
[19:21] Nio
    I've got you!
[19:23] Nio
    Now you can't use your sword!
[19:28] Naozumi
    What's your game?
[19:30] Nio
    Kikuchiyo-san is stronger than you!
[19:34] Naozumi
    What'd you say?
[19:38] Nio
    I barely felt that.
[19:43] Nio
    It... It won't work.
[19:45] Naozumi
    Looks like it's working to me.
[19:56] Naozumi
    Will you die by my fist?
    Or let go and die by my sword?
[20:01] Nio
    I'll never let go. Never.
[20:09] Naozumi
    I'll knock you out for good.
[20:18] Nio
    I'll never let go.
[20:21] Nio
    I'll never let go!
[20:23] Nio
    You'll never beat me!
[20:26] Naozumi
    You're still saying that?
[20:29] Nio
    You really...
[20:33] Nio
    are strong.
[20:37] Nio
    I could never beat you.
[20:42] Nio
    But...
[20:45] Nio
    If I let go now,
[20:49] Nio
    I won't be able to prove...
[20:52] (Flashback) Hajime
    She's tough.
[20:54] (Flashback) Hajime
    I guess the sword isn't
    the only way to be strong.
[21:00] Nio
    I know, right?
[21:02] Nio
    Hajime-kun, I feel the same way.
[21:07] (Flashback) Kikuchiyo
    But I believe there are steps only a
     powerless, incompetent Shogun can take.
[21:17] Nio
    Something tells me...
[21:19] Nio
    that deep down, Kikuchiyo-san's
    strength is a lot like Granny's.
[21:25] (Flashback) Kikuchiyo
    Even so, I will not allow you to make war.
[21:27] (Flashback) Kikuchiyo
    That is my verdict as
    leader of the samurai clans.
[21:32] Nio
    I have to prove that.
[21:37] Nio
    Prove the truly strong one...
[21:42] Nio
    is Kikuchiyo-san!
SIGN    True Strength
SIGN    Next time
[23:21] Hijikata
    Hijikata Toshizo here.
[23:23] Hijikata
    We managed to drive off
    the assassins on our tails,
[23:27] Hijikata
    but that man in white wasn't with them.
[23:31] Hijikata
    I don't like leaving
    Lord Iemochi in Nio's charge.
[23:34] Hijikata
    Making for Nijo Castle is our best move now.
[23:38] Hijikata
    That said...
[23:40] Hijikata
    Sorry, Soji. My mind's made up.
[23:44] Hijikata
    Next time: "Eight Heads."
[23:46] Hijikata
    Watch. That's all.
SIGN    Eight Heads