Introduction
After the Yoshiwara incident, Shinpachi and Kagura wish to become stronger and want Gintoki to be their instructor.
Plot
Diligently practicing with his sword at his dojo, Shinpachi is visited by his sister Otae. Concerned that his sword practice awoken her, she reassures Shinpachi that wasn't the case. So he continues practicing, but with more oomph. Flashbacks of his encounter with Abuto reveal Shinpachi's desire to become stronger out of fear of being inadequate. Elsewhere, Kagura is seen running by the river path feeling resentment of her own weakness and a desire to become stronger. The following day the two speak to Gintoki about starting a training arc. This is because of recent encounters facing off against strong enemies. Although Gintoki brushes the notion off, Kagura and Shinpachi are adamant. So Gintoki uses narration to make 3-months fly by, although technically only 3 seconds past by. Due to Gintoki's lack of ambition to do any training, Kagura tries to inspire Gintoki with the 3 principles of JUMP. However, Gintoki still lacks any interest in doing any training.
Gintoki then inquires if they have an itinerary of their training plan. Kagura chimes in and elaborates on her training plan. It involves going to a mountain, finding a bear, and then have it help you do sit-ups. This is argued to be ridiculous by Gintoki, so Kagura switches roles with the bear, and is then replaced by a gym instructor. Believing her plan is innovative, Otae arrives and offers to help train them all. She first asks that they write down how they want to become stronger on a blank piece of paper. Gintoki writes on his paper that he wants to have straighter hair. Kagura draws a bear with emphasis on its claws and has blood dripping from its mouth. Shinpachi flabbergasted by Gintoki and Kagura's goals, asks his sister for her opinion. Otae then notes that it's crucial to have a goal that's reachable or else why even have one. Her goal is to become a winged angel and lead the bloody gym instructor to nirvana.
Hasegawa then arrives and complains that drawing lessons won't make them stronger. Sequentially he reveals his own drawing of a bunch of buildings up in flames. He then goes onto lecture the two on his experiences of being on top and falling to the bottom. His advice is someone who instantaneously gains an abundance of power cannot beat someone who earned their power thoroughly through arduous training. Hasegawa then tells a story about a dirty and a clean person. The clean person always sits down when he pees to avoid making a mess. The dirty person stands up, not caring if he makes a mess. Because of this, the clean person's legs become thinner and thinner as the years go by. Vice-versa happened to the other person. Because of this slight difference, the dirty person won against the clean person when he was kicked in the legs in the battle of Sekigahara. Shinpachi snaps at Hasegawa for his asinine story of bolster and attrition of leg use. The story continues on how Ieyasu learned a secret form of training from a monk known as Tenkai. However, his true identity was really his... fitness instructor. Once again, Shinpachi snaps about the fitness instructor and then Katsura arrives.
Katsura tries to mediate the tension and has in his hand a picture of a ruined city. In his own opinion, training your psychical strength is not the necessity but rather discovering your true self. Deeply amazed by the flourishing words spoken by Kastsura; Shinpachi and Kagura watch on in awe. Katsura then tells the tale of a man who lived his repetitive life with diligence. It's until a series of small events that change his lifestyle dramatically, so he could find his true self. That, of course, being a bear with blooding dripping from his mouth. Although Kagura was inspired by the tale, Shinpachi was perturbed by it. So Katsura gets to the point at hand and claims he'll personally train the two in the way of the samurai. Which is having them wear heavy turtle shells and then have them retrieve a rock he throws with his name written on it. Kagura and Shinpachi both dropkick Katsura and Shinpachi chastises him for his plagiarism. Gintoki hits him too and echos Shinpachi.
Gintoki reveals that instructors were used instead of turtle shells, which changes to see who can retrieve one of the thrown instructors the fastest. Having enough of the shenanigans, Kagura and Shinpachi go off to do their own training to become stronger. Gintoki and the others congratulate Kagura and Shinpachi for passing the first hurdle of their training. It's noted that the only true way to train yourself is to find your own way to train as you're your own instructor.
Characters
- Shimura Shinpachi
- Shimura Tae
- Abuto (flashback)
- Kagura
- Kamui (flashback)
- Sakata Gintoki
- Instructor
- Hasegawa Taizou
- Katsura Kotarou