Gifuu Doudou!! 2

*Only for I-C.

tl by molokidan

69)
Chapter 2 - The Stray Dragon of Echigo!

70)
1: This is Azuchi Castle, which is still under construction.
2: The castle town at its foot is home to tens of thousands of laborers, Oda Nobunaga's vassals, and merchants and prostitutes who prey on them--
3: The town was lively and prosperous.

71)
1: Hey, that's the guy who made that scene at noon...
2: You idiot! Don't look at him!
3: munch munch!
4: Hrm?

72)
1: That monk...I've seen him somewhere before...
2: Where was it...just where was it...?
3: Ehhhh?!

73)
1: Ohhhh!
2: Y-you're really amazing!
3: Carving out that slave merchant's eye out with your crosier...where did you receive your spear training?
4: Nowhere.
5: When I was a temple boy, I had to protect my food from the flies daily, so I naturally got good with my hands.

74)
1(2b): Hahah!! You're a funny guy, you know that? Here, have a drink!
2: Alright then.
3: Don't mind if I do.

75)
1: Echigo, Kasugayama--
2: Uesugi Kenshin's quarters--

76)
1: Our Lord, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, is ceaseless in his urges that we subjugate Nobunaga and Master Kennyo at Hongan-ji Temple.
2: He believes the time is right for us to proceed to the capital...
3: Naoe Yamato-no-Kami Kagetsuna (67)
4: It is about time we act, sir.
5(2b): An elder vassal who had served the Uesugi family for three generations, working directly for Nagao Tamekage, Nagao Harukage, and Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin). Skilled in government administration, he was greatly trusted by Kenshin to gain intel on internal politics.
6(2b): So...what is Nobunaga up to?

77)
1: According to the Nokizaru, the construction of Azuchi Castle is being hurried along.
2: Nokizaru was the name of the Uesugi house's ninja group.
3: He built that castle to try and block the capital off from us, didn't he?
4: I believe so...
5: However.
6: The castle town is rather strange...
7: It is apparently overflowing with ninja sent there by all sorts of daimyo...but the police there seem to have no intention of rounding them up.
8: There's even a rule in the town that states "Whoever passes through Azuchi must spend the night here." It's designed to welcome in outsiders.

78)
1: ...truly strange!
2: Mmm...
3: Yoroku...bore your eyes into Nobunaga's soul!!
4: What you see is what I see!!

79)
1: What?!
2: Nobunaga's been mixing in with the laborers daily and helping out with the rubble work?!
3: Yeah!
4: He even drinks and dances with us, too!
5: Well...
6: This complicates things.

80)
1: What?
2: Did I say something out of line?
3: The aura of a lord is resonated through his people.
4: You're all cheerful.
5: This entire town is smiling.
6(2b): Nobunaga is a war general feared as a demon incarnate.
7: But the cheer I see in this town
8: makes things seem a lot more complicated.

81)
1: Hahaha! You should go meet him, then!
2(2b): What?! Is that even possible?!
3: Sure! Just dress up as a laborer and go to the castle, and you can meet him anytime you want!
4: skitter
5: Woaaaah!
6: ...interesting...

82)
1: This sounds fun!
2: And you know what they say, seeing is believing!
3: Those eyes, glowing with innocence...
4: ...ahh!
5: Those eyes...
6: He's...

83)
1: Ahh! He's Untouan!
2(2b): He's Untouan from Echigo Sakato, the boy I met when I tried to escape from my monk training...
3: Oooh, it's so cold...
4: I wanna run away from this place.
5: Wh-what's that?!

84)
1: H...
2: Hey, what are you doing?!
3(2b): The Hoke sutra is inscribed on the back of these stones, so they say that if you step on the soil of Untouan, you'll be blessed! I'm going to see if it really works or not!
4: S...stop it! You damned fool!
5(2b): Higuchi Yoroku was 8 years old at the time.
6: Why am I damned?
7: You can only know how hot fire is by touching it! Truth must be seen with your own two eyes!
8: You're
9: going to Hell!

85)
1(2b): How can you be a warrior if you're afraid of Hell?!
2: Wh...what?!
3: I'd even cut off Enma's head if I had to!!
4: It...it's that boy...

86)
1: He's going to meet Nobunaga...
2: There's no telling what's going to happen!!
3: This man is the Lone Dragon of Echigo!! Higuchi Yoroku!!

87)
1: Nnn...
2: Ha...
3: Fufu...

88)
1: Do you know why female ninja
2: are called "Kunoichi?"
3: If you take apart the kanji symbol for "woman," you'll see it's made up of the sounds ku, no, and ichi.
4: But that's not why...
5: Men have mouths, eyes, noses, ears, belly buttons and buttocks...
6: Nine holes in all.
7: However.

89)
1: Women have one more hole.
2: Ah...ahh...
3: That's why they're "Kunochi," or "9 + 1!"
4: Shinooooo...don't take your eyes of the man you devoured today with this hole...
5(2b): Ehhh?! Are you talking about Cloud?
6: That cloud's name is Higuchi Yoroku.

90)
1: Echigo is the son of the elder of Sakato castle.
2: But now, he's a favored attendant whom Kenshin personally taught the art of war to!
3: B...
4: But...
5: I don't think he's the kind of man you would need to worry about, my lord...
6: I think I'm picking up on the scent of a huge mystery.
7: "If we are to fight with Kenshin, then we must not take our eyes from that man!"

91)
1(2b): Those are the words of Lord Konoe Sakihisa.
2(2b): Y...you mean the previous chief advisor to the Emperor spoke of Cloud?!
3: Kkkh...
4(2b): Yes. He's now working as Lord Nobunaga's right-hand man...
5: Smells fishy, doesn't it?

92)
1: Remember that Lord Sakihisa once sealed a blood pact with Uesugi Kenshin in order to restore the authority of the shogun and the Emperor.
2: He knows Uesugi inside and out!
3: Kkkhh...

93)
1: The battle with the Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin, is near!
2: But I'm getting a whiff of some manner of trickery.

94)
1: I, Hashiba Hideyoshi!
2(2b): The leader of Nagahama castle in Konoe, Hashiba Hideyoshi (40). This man later came to be known as
3: Toyotomi Hideyoshi.