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Introduction[]

As Gintoki's group and Hijikata's group tries to run away from the enemy, Kondo encounters Sasaki on his path to reach a certain someone.

Plot[]

Both Gintoki and Hijikata's groups are bombarded by the attacking Naraku. As Hijikata, along with Elizabeth and the injured Katsura, fights them off, Katsura realizes that they may not make it while they search for Kondou and Isaburo. Hijikata asks why the Joui patriot was still following him despite the injuries. Katsura answers that, like everyone else, he wishes to fight and die alongside people that he trusts. Meanwhile, an injured Isaburo is also attacked by the assassins and he thinks back to when he formed the Mimawarigumi. He gave the older Mukuro the position of second-in-command and the new name of "Imai Nobume". He played off the teen's questions about the strange name by stating he quickly made it up (though Nobume was meant to be given to his deceased newborn daughter). After defeating his pursuers, another arrives to attack him but he is saved by Kondou.

Meanwhile, at the cliffs, the remaining Shinsengumi, Tae, and patriots were overwhelmed by the influx of injured men. When Isaburo asked Kondo why he rescued his enemy, Kondo responded that he was asking for help to save the injured black- and white-clothed policemen. He believes enemies and allies mean nothing when it comes to wounded. Isaburo berates the Shinsengumi chief for being soft-hearted even during dangerous times like this. Kondou responds that he was doing this to protect the ideal known as "Kondou Isao" for his men. The Mimawarigumi chief is reminded again of Kondou's charisma and tells him that influenced by said charisma, Isaburo tried to be a true samurai, but ended up being neither a samurai nor a father, which resulted in pain and suffering. The ideal known as "Sasaki Isaburo" died, and a "dead man" had no one to protect and no ideals to uphold. But Kondou asked him who he was desperately trying to protect, and said he still has one person that he cherishes, that has enabled him a second chance at being a samurai and a father. Isaburo denies that the person he cares for is the murderer of his family. But he concedes to his counterpart, admitting that the girl he kept by his side for revenge ended up as the "only contact left in his address book". However, he believes that even if he tried to send her an email now, she would not be able to receive it. As the two are surrounded by more Naraku, Kondou believes that this person, Nobume, had already received his email and was aware of his feelings. He believes that Nobume and everyone else is fighting to protect them, and that they should stay alive so that they could meet one another again.

Gintoki and Hijikata's group meet in a forest clearing, but encounter more Naraku surrounding Isaburo, whom they just struck down but not before the man had killed Kondou, leaving his body leaning on a tree. This shocks everyone and causes the Shinsengumi to suffer a collective breakdown. Oboro arrives, tells them that their rebellion is finished with their leader's death and sends his assassins to attack them. Gintoki commands his allies to continue fighting and galvanized, they do so in Kondou's honour. Then the assassins are hit by cannon fire, coming from the approaching Mimawarigumi ships containing both police groups and lead by Matsudaira. Oboro watches the officers disembark and attack and realizes what happened; Isaburo was not dead and had secretly sent a text to his officers to cooperate with the Shinsengumi. Oboro strikes to kill him but Hijikata arrives to block the strike and the two men fight. Isaburo watches while thinking that he had once again let himself be influenced by Kondou's charisma and the aura of a samurai. When Oboro stabs Hijikata in his sword arm, he was shocked to see an alive Kondou behind the Naraku leader; Kondou and Hijikata both take down Oboro. Earlier, before being surrounded by the assassins, Isaburo slashed Kondou across the face and tells him to take the suspended animation pill Katsura gave Kondou earlier so they could both pretend to be dead and trick the Naraku. With both chiefs secured, the groups flee towards the ships.

Hijikata, carrying Kondou, wonders why Isaburo, being carried by Nobume, protected Kondou. Isaburo was actually jealous of the country-born swordsman turned samurai and struggled to one-up him in this one-sided rivalry. But with that plan, he was able to finally defeat Kondou even if only temporarily. They are then hit by laser fire from the Naraku ships led by Utsuro. The injured Nobume struggles to her feet and tries to carry Isaburo, demanding that he did not die until she finishes her task of killing him to fulfill his revenge. He tells her to forget the plan but Nobume asks why he cares for his family's murderer. He tells her that he was aware that Nobume did not kill his family, and that the Naraku did and Nobume had arrived too late to save them, attacking the assassins in revenge before some of them fled. Despite this, he kept this to himself and still used her as a pawn for his revenge. He tells Nobume to leave without him, but the girl refuses, admitting that the duo were lost souls who decided to stay by each other's side after losing so much, even if it meant that she would remained Isaburo's enemy. This time, instead of being alone, there were others who can help them. Tetsunosuke helps carry Isaburo while the Yorozuya and some of the Shinsengumi fight off some of the Naraku to reach the ships. Hijikata waits by the entrance and calls out to them to hurry as the ships are bombarded by enemy fire.

Sasaki Episode 315

Isaburo thinks back to when he first tried to name his daughter. His wife listed him a few meaningful names (that held meanings like being affable, cooperative, gentle, strong-willed) that to Isaburo just did not feel were right. There were many qualities that he wanted his daughter to have and many meanings that he wanted in a name. After a long while of struggling, he decided that it did not matter and that he would simply believe in her; he named her "Nobume" meaning "Girl of Faith", and trusts her to grow up strong. He starts to craft the text to his wife about the name. In the present, the ship takes off with Nobume, Isaburo and Tetsunosuke the last on the ramp. A group of injured Naraku still on the ramp suddenly spring up to attack the group. Isaburo pushes the two forward before being stabbed from behind. Under everyone's shocked gazes, Isaburo quickly kills the assassins but the ramp is destroyed by the Naraku ship's laser fire with Isaburo still on it. As he falls to his death, he sees Nobume screaming out for him and thinks how proud he was that the former assassin turned surrogate daughter had become the person he wished for her to be, someone who was surrounded by friends, could get along with everyone, was gentle but strong-willed; Isaburo was glad that he believed in Nobume after all.

Characters[]

  1. Shinsengumi
    1. Hijikata Toushirou
    2. Kondou Isao
    3. Okita Sougo
    4. Yamazaki Sagaru
    5. Saitou Shimaru (cameo)
    6. Sasaki Tetsunosuke (cameo)
  2. Jouishishi
    1. Katsura Kotarou
    2. Elizabeth
  3. Mimawarigumi
    1. Sasaki Isaburo
    2. Imai Nobume
  4. Tenshouin Naraku
    1. Oboro
  5. Sakata Gintoki
  6. Kagura
  7. Shimura Shinpachi
  8. Shimura Tae
  9. Matsudaira Katakuriko
  10. Utsuro

Trivia[]

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