The Rusty Sword
You've improved more, haven't you, Tsubaki?
I haven't lost just yet!
That spirit of yours is impressive.
I can smell the aroma of the rice that's finished cooking.
Our training session is over.
Will I ever become strong like you someday, Sazanka?
You must be diligent
and continue to hone your skills.
I must hone my skills much, much more!
Why did I dream about that now?
Is that him?
Yeah.
He's part of the group of merchants
who were attacked by bandits.
He's the only one who regained consciousness.
His injuries seem rather serious.
Will he be able to talk?
Let's give it a try.
Sorry to bother you while you're hospitalized.
We were sent by the Leaf to investigate the incident.
Would you mind telling us what happened yesterday?
You can tell us anything.
Do you remember anything about the bandits who attacked you?
Unfortunately,
it seems like it's still too soon to question him.
Since it just happened yesterday, it's not surprising.
What's the matter?
Samurai!
Someone, help!
It's a samurai!
Hold on, please calm down!
We're just here to ask some questions.
A samurai...
is coming after me again!
A samurai?!
Are you all right?
I don't think it's going to be possible to talk to him today.
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave!
I feel bad for doing that to him.
He was terrified after seeing Tsubaki.
Perhaps...
The perpetrator just might be a samurai.
If that's the case, this is a serious situation.
If I'm not mistaken,
they were attacked around here.
Hey, aren't these—?
The results of a sword slash.
And it was done by someone quite skilled.
Looks like that this is definitely the place.
As expected!
This is frustrating.
Your strength is truly formidable, Sazanka.
At this rate,
the Kurosawa will be yours.
Are you talking about that rumor?
Yes.
It's said that the winner of the upcoming swordsmanship tournament
will inherit the Kurosawa when Lord Mifune retires.
Hey, Tsubaki.
Do you remember when you first saw the Kurosawa?
No.
I remember when I did.
It was when I was a child,
and Lord Mifune performed a test cut.
The sound of the sword being drawn,
the smell of the straw being cut,
and the gleam of the Kurosawa.
Even now, I still remember it clearly.
Since then,
the Kurosawa has meant everything to me.
I have continued to hone my skills
to become a samurai worthy of wielding the Kurosaki someday,
like Lord Mifune.
I see.
I hate to admit it,
but I have no choice but to acknowledge you.
Aside from Lord Mifune,
no other samurai is more worthy of the Kurosawa than you.
Hearing you say that means more to me
than hearing it come from anyone else...
Tsubaki,
can you tell anything from the way it was cut?
Tsubaki?
Apparently, there was another incident.
What?!
It happened while we were in the middle of investigating.
Since we've narrowed down the scope of the attacks,
let's put a plan into motion in that area tomorrow.
Let's totally solve this case!
Is something the matter, Tsubaki?
Before we carry out the plan,
there's something I need to tell the both of you.
The samurai who is doing this, is most likely...
a senior pupil and disciple of my master.
A senior pupil and disciple of your master?!
Is this disciple strong?
Sazanka was said to be a genius of the sword.
He was called the second coming of Lord Mifune.
In that case, we need to prepare ourselves a lot more.
But why has such a powerful samurai become a bandit?
Sazanka was a genius.
But at some point, he strayed from the path of the sword
and started to only pursue strength.
In the end,
he tried to steal the Kurosawa, Lord Mifune's favorite sword.
When he was caught in the act,
he cut down his fellow disciples who had surrounded him...
and ran away.
I had no idea.
Thank you for telling us, Tsubaki.
Will you be okay?
Will you be able to fight
a fellow disciple?
Yes.
That will not be a problem.
NINJA AH-UN
I'll let you choose.
Your money or your life.
What will it be?
All right, give up already.
It's useless.
Huh?
We hired that guy just in case this happened.
Never expected to run into you here of all places...
Tsubaki.
Sazanka...
You've changed, haven't you?
Such bloodthirst!
Since that day,
I've been honing my skills, pursuing only strength.
But there was one thing I forgot to do.
That's right.
I didn't kill you.
I've prepared myself for this.
I won't hesitate to cut you down, Sazanka.
We'll restrain the bandits.
Namida, you assist Tsubaki.
Tsubaki, I'm counting on you to deal with Sazanka!
Uh-huh.
Are you listening to me, Tsubaki?!
He's fast!
– Tsubaki! – Tsubaki!
I'm fine.
It's just a scratch.
A samurai who can't draw her sword. How comical!
We finally have the chance to confront each other head-on.
Don't disappoint me.
Sazanka!
Let's withdraw for now.
Why didn't you draw your sword?
What are you doing?
Please drop me from this mission.
I'm...
unable to cut Sazanka down.
Tsubaki, what are you saying?
Is it because he's a fellow disciple?
That's not the whole story.
It's all my fault
Sazanka turned out this way.
What do you mean?
Please give up, Tsubaki.
Hitting you any further
would just make me feel horrible.
I'll put you out of your misery.
The winner is... Tsubaki!
What?!
No way!
He had an intense desire to possess
the Kurosawa, Lord Mifune's favorite sword.
And there were rumors that the person
who won the swordsmanship tournament would inherit it.
But I happened to win by pure chance.
That was the day he started to change.
I may have beat Sazanka back then,
but there is a clear difference in our strengths.
But losing that one match for the Kurosawa changed him.
It's all my fault.
That's not your fault at all!
Are you sure
you want to drop out of the mission?
Yes.
If we gather up a group of Leaf shinobi,
we might be able to capture Sazanka.
That'll put an end to these incidents.
But your regret will continue to linger.
In fact, I'm sure it will continue to grow stronger!
Then what should I do?!
Isn't there only one thing to do?
You need to face Sazanka head on once more and cut him down.
You need to make him acknowledge the result of your match.
Not just for him,
but more importantly, for yourself as well.
But I don't think I can cut him down.
Who are you?
Why are you asking that right now?
You're Tsubaki Kurogane, right?
The Tsubaki I know isn't a weakling!
When you first came to the Leaf,
you were so confident
and constantly boasted about the samurai.
Honestly, I was surprised that
I had to team up with someone so problematic.
That's right.
You acted as if you had nothing to learn from the Leaf.
W-Why are you bringing this up now?!
Now, we know that your competitiveness
is part of your strength.
Tsubaki Kurogane isn't a coward
who would run away from an important challenge.
Don't worry.
You're strong.
We know that more than anyone.
Thank you very much!
The Land of Fire is starting to be a thorn in our side.
I think it's about time we move to another nation.
My time with you ends here.
What do you mean by that?!
There's something I need to do
that's more important than money.
Damn it! Annoying brats!
I'm counting on you, Tsubaki.
You saved me a lot of time.
I never expected you to come here of your own volition.
I finally understand
that my duty is to cut you down.
I see.
You're no longer the coward I saw earlier.
But don't think too highly of yourself.
You're gonna cut me down?
Do you really think that miracle will happen again?
I'm no longer the person I once was.
I've continued to hone my skills since then
and I've become stronger.
Why are you laughing?
You were living such a comfortable life
in peaceful surroundings.
You were only pretending to train!
What is the purpose of a blade?
It's meant to cut people down.
Since that's the case,
what better training is there than doing just that?
When I was pursued by the Land of Iron,
I constantly cut people down and honed my skills...
leaving countless corpses in my wake.
And now, I'm grateful that the Land of Iron chased after me.
As a result of being alone and continuously cutting people down,
I've gained incredible power!
You are a pitiful soul.
I don't care about the Kurosawa anymore.
I've already obtained power.
I want you to become one of the corpses I've been piling up, Tsubaki.
He was already quite strong,
but he's honed his skills even further!
His strikes leave no openings!
In that case...!
That stance!
This is the only thing I can use.
Secret Sword: Snowstorm Slash!
Impossible!
An all-or-nothing attack like the Snowstorm Slash
won't work on me!
Is this all you've got, Tsubaki?!
Even if it was just a coincidence,
I can't believe I lost to such a weakling!
Do you remember
that day when you miraculously won?
This is the same as before.
I was beating you one-sidedly
and was telling you to give up.
This time, I want you to admit defeat, Tsubaki.
If you do that,
I'll kill you painlessly.
"I've lost..."
If I could say those words,
how easy it would be!
I made a vow to my friends
that I would stop you.
Do you really think you can do that?
I'm not sure.
But I've decided to put my trust in...
my friends who trust me!
Mingling with others will only dull your skills.
Since you've pursued strength in solitude,
I'm sure you wouldn't know...
how much power you can gain from those who trust in you!
I've learned that during my time in the Leaf!
In the path of the samurai, people are the blades themselves.
Your blade has turned rusty with blood, Sazanka!
Sazanka!
I used to look up to you.
I didn't want to cut you down
under these circumstances!
I finally understand.
You're...
quite strong, aren't you?
You're amazing, Tsubaki.
I might not have been able to handle it like you did.
I respect you a lot.
Uh-huh!
What are you talking about?
I've always been amazing!
Please show me some more respect from now on.
What?!
I regret saying that now.
Thank you very much, Wasabi and Namida!
Th-Th-Th-Th-This is serious! Iwabe! Metal!
What happened, Denki? Why are you rushing around?
This isn't like you.
Did we get an insane mission or something?
That's right!
We finally got tasked with a B-rank mission!
Next time on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations:
CAPTAIN DENKI'S FIRST MISSION
"Captain Denki's First Mission"
– Ooh! A B-rank Mission!! – Ooh! A B-rank Mission!!