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Introduction[]

The arc comes to a close. Takasugi vs Oboro and Oboro's past is revealed.

Plot[]

Umibouzu stands in a field of flowers with Kouka also standing across from him. Seeing her confirms his own demise and he walks towards her. Stopped by a chasm between them, he recognizes that his wife still believes that there was something for him to do but the hunter admits that he can no longer embrace or discipline his children, due to losing both his arms. He pleads to her retreating figure on what should he do. He awakens from his dream to find himself in a sick-bay room in the Kaientai's Kaienmaru. A voice nearby speaks about Umibouzu's tendency to survive dangerous and deadly situation and then later telling her those adventures. The voice, Mutsu, wishes to know about this latest interesting tale; the older Yato counters if she minded if the story was just complaining.

Mutsu then recites what happened after he was taken away from the fight with his son by Sadaharu. The defeated Kamui lays on Kagura's lap while the injured Shinpachi, Gintoki and Abuto watch on. The Yato vice-commander was annoyed that the Yato siblings were passed out while the rest were about to as well and Gintoki wholeheartedly agrees. They then find themselves surrounded by the Harusame and prepare themselves to fight. But the injured Shoukoku stops them and the equally injured Batou reveals that they were some of the Harsame were abandoned by Utsuro after losing against the humans; Abuto counters that they abandoned Utsuro. The monkey Amanto admits he never liked the immortal and believed him to be a poor example of a pirate; the humans looked more free-spirited and interesting. Batou then wonders if Kamui, the Harusame's 7th division "Thunderbolt", was okay; Abuto was not sure if the Kamui before him was his boss or a sibling but remarks that the teen was never one to stay down even after being defeated. Kamui raises an arm to Abuto and declares that he will never lose again to anyone. As Abuto picks him up and they and the rest of the Harusame remnant leave, Kamui states that he had spent far longer as a "pirate" than as a "son" or "big brother" and plans on continuing moving forward, to the point where his sister cannot reach him, where he could look down on his father and where he would be able to reach his mother. It will only be at that point that he can catch up and return.

After hearing the tale, Umibouzu admits that despite their resolve in wanting to kill each other, he and Kamui were not able to do so, thanks to their familial bonds. He and Kamui never needed the resolve to cut those ties but instead needed the resolve to hold on to the ties closer. He thanks Kagura and her Yorozuya bonds for making him realize this and for not letting go of her family ties. Kagura quietly overhears her father's talk before walking into the ship's deck where a bandaged Shinpachi, Gintoki, and Sadaharu stood. She apologizes for acting selfishly as she did not want them to get involved. Gintoki interrupts by wondering what kind of place Kagura's hometown was; he answers that it was a filthy town, just like Kabukicho, and that he had been a worthwhile "vacation". He tells her to put the envelope in her hand away. Shinpachi adds that they knew she could not leave her father's side but they would not accept the resignation letter; they will instead accept a leave letter and will wait for her to come visit them.... except Kagura shows that the envelope was actually a paid leave letter. Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Sadaharu throw Kagura into the ocean in retaliation. She berates them for throwing her and tells them that it was for frivolous expenses and medical bills for Umibouzu. Gintoki counters that Umibouzu will be fine, though his hair was still a lost cause. Suddenly, he and Shinpachi are attacked from behind by a missile (Sadaharu jumps out the way). The perpetrator was Umibouzu in a wheelchair, carted by Mutsu. He was testing out his new mechanical arms then continues to maliciously blast the two humans, letting Mutsu know to send the bill to the Yorozuya. On the docks, Sakamoto and Katsura overhears the explosions and the Kaientai leader declares that his ship's damage will be billed to the Yorozuya too. Three people stop on the docks in front of them and Sakamoto asks them, the Kiheitai members, what happened after the three of them separated. One of the men, Takechi, answers he had a message from his boss.

When Takasugi, Sakamoto, Katsura and their groups separated (and Sadaharu was running away with Umibouzu), the Kiheitai continues to fend off Naraku's persistent attacks. Takechi notes that they were separated from the others but Takasugi states they were never allies to begin with; he was already indebted to them for saving him and he will return the favor someday. But he must deal with one other person first; the group runs towards a clearing where on top of a ruined building stands Oboro. He thanks the assassins for leading them to his location but commands them to retreat with the Harusame. Matoko wonders what was happening yet the Naraku leader admits that their survival was unexpected but did not change Utsuro's plans at all as they, the "insects", meant nothing to him. Takasugi wonders why Oboro was here and Oboro responds that he knew that insects will never give up and will continue to fly until reaching the heavens; after all, he gained the same wings as them through the same man. Slightly surprised, Takasugi insists that Shouyou was dead and the person responsible for his death was in front of him. The two pull out their swords as Oboro declares that he will use the last of his life to pluck Takasugi's "wings".

In the past, a child hides quietly in a storage shed, the only survivor of a household massacre. The perpetrators, the Naraku, then finds and fatally wounds him while setting the building on fire. The child, Oboro crawls not far from the shed and collapses, wondering if this was what death felt like. A figure that appeared next to him, the Naraku's leader, Utsuro. Utsuro pulls out his small sword and instead of finishing Oboro off, stabs his own arm, allowing the blood to enter the child's wounds and revive him. Utsuro apologizes for being unable to die for the child's revenge, so he hoped that he will grow up to hate him forever instead. Surprisingly, Oboro decided to serve Utsuro to repay him for reviving his meager existence until the donated blood he gained runs out. Weeks later, Utsuro tells Oboro he should leave before he will be officially trained as a killer, though the child refuses, believing him to be a great teacher that deserves respect. Utsuro refutes this, he would much rather learn to clean his bloodstained hands. Oboro suggests that he open a school where student and teachers can learn together. Utsuro wonders what could he teach except killing and the child counters that Utsuro had refused to teach him assassination techniques so he was not truly evil. Oboro asks to be Utsuro’s first student in his new school. In the present, Takasugi and Oboro fight but when the Naraku corners the Kiheitai leader to a wall, he thrusts his left arm at him which Takasugi barely dodges, revealing that hand to be actually mechanical.

Back in the past, Oboro learns that Utsuro has run away and must be punished under the Naraku's law. Oboro stumbles across Utsuro hidden on a tree branch. The Naraku leader admitted he had long since planned on running away but meeting Oboro gave him the push he needed to go through with it; he also did it to lure the child, his first student, out of the group. He wanted to atone for his sins and fight the shinigami within him. In the present, Oboro uses his fake arm for a chi thrust, knocking Takasugi down and rushing at him with his sword; Takasugi thrusts his sword at him. Oboro grabs the opponent’s blade and continue his thrust but Takasugi kicks his own sword, breaking it and continuing his thrust. In the past later that night, Utsuro gives the name of his new school, Shoka Sonjuku, referencing the two of them under the pine tree forming the school just now and a promise to have more students under the same tree. A while later, Oboro sees a group of searching Naraku down a cliff and realized that they were about to be caught. He hatches a plan to use himself as bait and used a trap set up by Utsuro, meant to delay their pursuers, to get rid of them. He stabs himself with Utsuro’s sword and walks towards the pursuers telling them that he helped Utsuro escape but was then betrayed by him. But the assassins did not fall for it and stab the child as Utsuro watch on in shock. Oboro states that Utsuro will never kill again and he will make sure of it, and activated the trap. Large boulders roll down the cliff, crushing both the pursuers and Oboro. Before being crushed, the child apologizes for breaking his promise but he was happy to sacrifice his life to protect him, his future school and his future juniors.

Thanks to Utsuro’s blood, Oboro survives but Utsuro never realizes this at the time. Oboro formally joins the Naraku to make sure that they stay away from Utsuro, fully embracing being a killer. He did not mind being away from his teacher or dirtying his hands with blood, as long as he could protect his teacher and their ideals. But when an older Oboro walked past Utsuro, now known as Shouyou, smiling alongside his three students Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi, he realized that he actually wanted his teacher back and he ended up reporting Shouyou’s location to the Naraku, leading to his arrest and his school being burned down.

In the present, he reveals his transgression to the downed Takasugi, admitting how similar they were - one who swore to never betray Shouyou again, even if a different personality now inhabits the body, and the other who swore to bring Shouyou back, even if it means killing his body again. Oboro pulls out Takasugi’s broken sword from his neck while Takasugi pulls out Oboro’s sword through his cheeks and rises. The two strike while the assassin notes the core strength of Shouyou’s students: to keep fighting until the spirit Shouyou had given them runs out. In the past, at the moment of his execution, Shouyou walks past Oboro. He thanked Oboro for allowing him to meet the rest of his students and for allowing him to become Shouyou, but apologizes to him, wishing that his other students could have met "his pride and joy and his first student" under different circumstances.

Takasugi manages to defeat Oboro; as he collapses, Oboro admits that he was proud to see his junior disciples and how strong they have become. He remarks that Utsuro's blood in him had finally dried up but that his pain was nothing compared to Utsuro’s. He asks Takasugi to listen to his information on Utsuro. At the same time, Utsuro meets with his fellow Tendoushuu members.

Characters[]

Trivia[]

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