"It has been 32 years since the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate." "Iemitsu, the third Shogun, now rules a seemingly peaceful nation." "There remain, however, numerous problems still left unsettled." "Many forces are seeking to overthrow the Tokugawa government... and another cause for concern is the clandestine Christians." "Are you sure that the clandestine Christians have a meeting tonight?" "We're certain, sir!" "Don't just stand there!" "Capture this monster!" "Why, you!" "Ring the bell!" "We must warn the Lord!" "Don't panic, men!" "It's just an overgrown tiger that's escaped from a freak show!" "Calm down!" "We must protect the princess!" "Guns ready!" "Fire!" "Who's there?" "Princess Mayu!" "Intruders!" "Guard the princess!" "I'll get you." "Don't go, sir!" "The thing is a monster!" " There is nothing we can do to stop it!" " Let go of me!" "It's heading in the direction of Edo Castle!" "We must protect our Lord!" "Let me go!" "If I must give my life to save the Lord, I will!" "Out of my way, beast." "Thank you, sir!" "You have saved our Lord from this monster!" "Out of my way, sir." "What is your name, sir?" "That's the crest of two scythes crossing each other." "It's known as the "Scythes Of Death", sir, and is rarely used." "It should be quite easy to find out who that man is, sir." "Roll up!" "Roll up!" "Come and see the amazing snake woman!" "A snake that's lived for 200 years." "You'll never have seen anything so strange as the amazing snake woman." "Hey, did you hear?" "That tiger broke out of its cage and killed 50 police officers." "Wish it could've eaten my wife, too!" "Your wife?" "Nah!" "Not even a tiger would be hungry enough to eat HER!" "Excuse me." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Wait, sir!" "You bear the crest of crossed scythes." "You must be Shuranosuke Sakaki." "I am." "We have orders to kill you." "Let me Warn you." "If you wish to stay alive, don't draw your swords." "Fools." "Amazing!" "I'm very impressed." "Six men down in a single instant." "It's more than I'd expected." "So, these men were sacrificed to test my power." "That's right." "They were loyal servants." "And I suppose you're a loyal servant, too." "Gunbei Tashiro, of the Nakura clan." "I have my orders." "I have been taught by Master Katori in the Divine Shinto style." "I have no master." "I know no god." "What?" "I think I deserve some explanation for all this." "After our bout is settled." "You may not be alive to tell." "The silent blow." ""Phantom"." ""Phantom", you say." "So brief is human life." "Sakaki!" "Sir!" "Wait, please!" "The man who slew a killer tiger in a single blow." "I had my men look all over Edo... for the man bearing the "Scythes of Death"." "It's an honor to meet you, sir." "I am Daizen Imura." "I am in charge of overseeing the affairs of the Nakura clan in Edo." "Intruders in the house!" "Intruders!" "There is something we must ask of you." "The tiger was probably used as a decoy... to draw the guards away from the Princess." "The intruders succeeded in taking her away." "Princess!" "The Princess will be returned safely... in exchange for the Ginryu Sword." "Send one man to bring the sword to the Benten Shrine in Ueno... tomorrow night at the hour of the Boar." "If our demand is not met, the Princess will be raped and killed... and her body will be exposed for all to see." "The notorious group of Ninja that served Motonari Mouri." "Unfortunately there is no one in the Nakura clan... who can fight them single-handedly to rescue the Princess." "Please, Sakaki!" "Save our Princess!" "You're back early today, Shuranosuke." "That's one year's advance payment of the rent." "Ah." "Business is booming, eh?" "Petty job." "Oh, yes." "You have a visitor." "A visitor?" "Well, hello." "How did you find me?" "Ha." "That crest on your kimono." "The "Scythe of Death" is considered very unlucky." "It is rarely used." "A handsome fella wearing the "Scythe of Death"." "It wasn't too hard to find you, Sakaki-san." "What do you want?" "You know what I want." "Embarrassing a girl in public like that." "It seems I've fallen in love with you." "My name's Oren, the Kishibojin Goddess." "This is why I got my nickname." "Hey, Sakaki-san." "You do more than kill tigers, don't you?" "Do you hate me so much that you want to kill me?" "Any man I sleep with has to be hateful, so coldhearted... and so dangerous that he could kill me anytime." "Oren, huh." "I like you." "Heaven and hell both exist on earth." "I'll take you to them." "I love you, Sakaki-san!" "Hey, send me to hell one more time." "You'd better go now." "Otherwise you might end up going to hell for real." "What?" "Come out." "Kill one, kill two, it's the same to me." "This is a graveyard for lost souls." "What better place for you to die." "I'll get you!" "Opium is made by drying the sap of poppies." "It has been used over the years as a sedative, and as a narcotic." "Any order given under the influence of a drug... is said to have strong suggestive powers." "The Mizari cult is known to have used drugs... to control their assassins." "The Ginryu Sword, the treasure of the Sugawara household... is about to fall into the hands of the Seki Ninja." "Mio." "Pretty Mio." "Bring me the Ginryu Sword." "Yes, Okuni." "Yes, I will..." "get you the Ginryu Sword." "The Eikanji Temple at Toueizan Mountain in Ueno... was built to ward off demons from the Edo Castle." "The Shinobazu Pond is located on the southwest corner of Eikanji Temple." "There are no bridges to Benten Island." "Welcome, Shuranosuke Sakaki!" "I am Dogan, the leader of the Seki Ninja!" "Have you brought the sword?" "Where is Princess Mayu?" "Are you Princess Mayu?" "Yes." "And you are?" "Just a hired hand." "Thank you for coming." "Ah." "The Ginryu Sword." "The way I figure it, you used some kind of drug to excite that tiger." "And while all attention was focused on the tiger... you kidnapped Princess Mayu, daughter of the Nakura clan leader." "Why go through all this trouble?" "Why do you so desire the Ginryu Sword?" "It seems like an interesting enough tale... to tell over a bottle of sake." "Too bad." "You won't be able to drink sake in hell." "Why did you kill the boatkeeper and his family?" "No one sees the Seki Ninja and lives to tell about it." "They were unlucky, that's all." "Why did you have to kill the boy?" "Whimpered like a pup when I stabbed him." "Shuranosuke." "Shuranosuke." "You louse." "Die!" "Stop right there, Shuranosuke!" "Throw down your sword." "Let her go." "I promised to bring her home safely." "You'll be bringing back her dead body." "Try it, and the Nakura clan will also receive YOUR head... as a special gift from me." "How interesting." "What are you waiting for?" "Kill me now!" "Will you answer just one question, Sakaki?" "Yes?" "What is love?" "I shall die without ever experiencing it!" "Love is like the morning dew." "It stays in this world only for a fleeting moment." "Perhaps it does not even belong to this world." "I see." "Now I am ready to die." "Take my head off, you lout!" "Wait!" "Go on, throw down your weapons!" "No, don't!" "Come!" "After them!" "Kill them both!" "Who are you?" "Who are you?" "You're not the Iga or Koga ninjas!" "We've come for the Ginryu Sword!" "Out of our way, you monster." ""Kunoichi" ninjas!" "No." "You must be the Himiko Ninja!" "Finish him!" "Let's go!" "Not so fast!" "They don't call me "Dogan the Invincible" for nothing." "Give me back the Ginryu Sword." "Come back here!" "Is heaven a place like this?" "You're not" "Don't you ever think about dying?" "Love is like the morning dew." "Is human life like that, too?" "I wonder." "Sakaki!" "Shuranosuke Sakaki!" "We've been sent by the Nakura clan to retrieve Princess Mayu." "Here, take my hand, Princess." "No!" "Get down!" "You monster!" "No!" "Murakami!" "No!" "Shinbei, Kota..." "Koichiro." "They all died for me." "Hold on tight." "Death is in the air tonight." "The smell of blood." "Many lives have been lost." "The streets of Edo can be dangerous at night, sir." "You must take caution." "How much longer?" "How much longer do we have to go?" "Just a little further, sir." "I've been ordered to guide you to Lord Tsusaka's mansion, you see." "Stop here." "Stop here." "This seems like a good spot." "You smell of blood, too." "The blood of many men." "It's difficult to hide who you are." "You must be quite confident that you can beat me." "Otherwise, you wouldn't turn your back to the enemy." "Tsusaka must have hired you to kill me." "You'd be smart to call the deal off now." "Why waste your life for a no-good embezzler like that?" "Thanks for the offer, but... it's my policy to carry out any contract to the end." "I'd even kill my own brother if it came down to it." "I see." "And I might not be the one to end up dead." "Kazuma Utsuki." "Superintendent officer for the Okayama clan!" "I am Marouji, the assassin." "Where is your weapon?" "Have you a dagger hidden somewhere?" "Ah." "Jujitsu, eh?" "Kamui-style martial arts." "I see." "You're the third assassin sent by them, and by far the most intimidating." "Are you married, Marouji?" "Any children?" "How about you?" "I have a daughter." "She just turned three this spring." "She's going to grow up into a beautiful woman." "Ah." "That's something to look forward to." "Don't worry about me." "No one's going to cry for me when I'm dead." "Mika." "Your daughter's name?" "Where are we heading?" "There's an inn near the Suwa Shrine that's run by a friend." "We'll hide there for tonight." "Hmm." "It seems a little early for the festival of the dead." "The lanterns will soon be carrying YOUR spirit to hell." "This is the gateway to hell, the River Styx." "I am Kagairo, a Seki Ninja." "Lanterns to greet the spirits, lanterns to carry them away." "In hell, there's nothing but darkness." "Shuranosuke." "Who is it at this hour?" "We're closed already." "Oh!" "It's you, Shuranosuke!" "You should've told me you were coming." "Oh, look." "You're all wet." "Who's your friend?" "We'd like to stay the night." "Oh, come on!" "How old is she, anyway?" "You sure know how to hurt a girl's feelings." "Please!" "Come in, young lady!" "You're very welcome here!" "One minute you think he likes you, and the next" "And to think I believed him when he said he preferred older women." "You liar!" "What's the matter?" "I can't sleep." "Please, let me hold you for a while." "Just as I thought." "You're really a very warm person." "I killed my parents... and my younger brother." "How can a man like that be "warm"?" "But" "Shuranosuke." "Get some rest." "Princess Mayu!" "You're all right!" "Princess!" "Princess Mayu!" "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." "Here's the rest of your reward." "Please." "You have earned it." "Words aren't enough to express our appreciation." "Go on." "The money is yours." "Why are you dressed like that?" "Well, Sakaki... we must ask you for just one more favor." "What?" "You must give your life for us..." "right now." "I am sorry." "If you want my life... you can have it." "But I'm going to take your head with me!" "Of course." "That's why I'm dressed to die." "To protect the Nakura clan, I'd give up my wretched life any day!" "Prepare to fire!" "Remember, men, shoot us both!" "Through the heart!" " Stop!" " Princess Mayu!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Daizen!" "What is the meaning of this?" "Sakaki saved my life!" "I will not allow such absurdity!" "Princess, this is for the good of our clan!" "Please understand!" "No!" "It goes against all human decency!" "Princess Mayu!" "Go on, shoot!" "But you will have to kill ME first!" "Princess!" "Princess Mayu!" "Take her to her room!" "And call the doctor!" "Put your guns down!" "Go!" "You're not needed here!" "Forgive me." "This is yours." "Throw a stone at a stray dog... and it'll never take food from you again." "Goodbye." "Shuranosuke." "Ah, I see it." "So, the white tiger has been slain." "One of god's four incarnates has been destroyed." "So be it." "It's an ordeal we must undergo." "It's a test to see whether the Tokugawa will rule... for generations to come, or be overthrown." "This is all a test!" "Wow, it's bad." "I don't know who you are, sir, but it's bad." "Really bad." "What is?" "The smell of blood." "I can smell it from a mile away." "Yeah, you stink of blood, sir." "Maybe I stink of blood too." "I wonder." "We need to find a place to die." "Pretty soon." "That's what I've been thinking." "What else can we do?"