Previous thread (Chapters 64 and 65):>>269199347
CHAPTER 66 - The Dignity of a Kabukimono>Oh, there's no more water...>Take this.>Oh! Thanks...>Ih?!>You're welcome.
The Dignity of a Kabukimono
[At Shijogawara...]>Hey, have you heard?!>Yes, I heard.>They say that the decapitated madman has appeared again. His head turned into a spectre. All the women and children of Kyoto are trembling with fear...>That's ridiculous! The head is here and we keep it under very close surveillance!>Well, if he could at least grow his legs, I could understand all this malarkey too...>Ah ah ah!>Hey!>Di...did you call me?>N...no.>Hey, you!
>It can't be...>Gulp>Iih!>Hey, I'm very thirsty...>Can you go and get me a bit of sake?>Eh?!>It...speaks...>Quickly!>Bring it to me!
>Aaah!>Ah ah ah ah!>H...help...>He...he really appeared![At Odawara Castle, residence of the former head of the Hōjō family of Odawara...]
>Ah ah ah ah ah![Ujimasa Hōjō, the fourth head of the Hōjō family...]>Ah ah ah! Fusai is really clever!>Everyone trembles with fear because they believe that Gessai's head is running wild in the sky![Leaving the position of head of the family to his son Ujinao, he retired from the active scene. In reality, however, even after retirement, it was always Ujimasa who held the reins of politics. Even after Hideyoshi's national unification, Ujimasa did not allow Ujinao to obey Hideyoshi, and continued undeterred to defend the Hōjō family from rivals. He was the most powerful daimyo of the Sengoku era, coming right after Hideyoshi, who boasted ownership of 200,850,000 koku distributed across eight regions.]
>Those Kamigata faggots deserve it!Translator's Note #4 - Kamigata was a term for the Kansai region, which Kyoto and Osaka belong to.>What a fortunate event! Come on, Ujinao! You drink too! Drink![Ujinao Hōjō]>Y...yes...[He is the fifth head of the Hōjō family of Odawara. He would have liked to take initiatives in favor of peace with Hideyoshi, but his father never permitted him.]>I would have loved to see that face of Hideyoshi's. I'm sure he almost got a stroke.>...>Fa...father...>Ca...can I tell you something?>Mh?!>Tell me everything! Don't be shy! Ah ah ah!>W...well...I believe that we are in trouble.>We have exaggerated a bit too much. If we continue to move like this, sooner or later everyone will realize that it was us Hōjō...
>You still don't know who Hideyoshi is. I'm sure he's already noticed.>!>T...then how come you want Hideyoshi to attack our provinces?!>Ah ah ah! You mustn't be afraid of a monkey like Hideyoshi!>Not even Shingen Takeda was able to destroy Odawara Castle, and his army was defeated by us!>It's time to make Hideyoshi aware of our true power!>Fa...father...>Eh eh...but Lord Ieyasu was probably stunned more than the others by this series of riots.>Maybe because he's your father-in-law.>Eh eh eh...but don't worry about this.>Lord Ieyasu is on our side!
[Kanetsugu's residence...]>What's the matter?>It seems that you have your head in the clouds.>Oh...[Mitsunari is troubled. Kanetsugu Naoe, who is both his relative and his closest friend, is the only person to whom he can confide all his difficulties.]>...I'm sorry.>Eh eh...I believe you're tormented by a spectre who loves to prank people, huh?>Uhm...that's the case.>Those annoying Fūma...I don't understand why they want to provoke these riots so insistently...and yet they know that we've already understood their plans for a while.
>Eh eh...Mitsunari, I believe you should start learning how to interpret the enemies' thoughts.[They became friends because both were in the same situation, despite being born into low-ranking families. When they were young, they were chosen as head vassals by the most important daimyo, and this unleashed the antipathy and jealousy of others.]>What do you mean?>They're having fun.>?!>They're having fun?!>But how?! You're saying they're having fun at the cost of their lives?>Yes.>I know you can't understand them. To tell the truth, I was also like you once.>These Fūma ninja are also probably a kind of kabukimono.>Kabukimono?
>Speaking of kabukimono...you personally know that Keiji Maeda very well, don't you?>Yes, I had also never seen a real kabukimono before meeting him.>Mitsunari! You must meet Keiji again, and try to open your heart.
>But does Sir Maeda really live in such a place?>...>Ugh!>Gonta!>I can't find Gonta anymore! Where'd he go?!>What?!>...>Excuse me.>I'm looking for a person.>Eh?! But who are you?!>I heard that Sir Keiji Maeda is around these parts.>Aha, I saw him a little while ago.>Oh, so he comes here often?!>Not only does he come here often, but at this point he's one of our family.
>Family...>Do these perpetually traveling artists treat him like one of their family? But what sort of person will he be, in reality?>Oh, thanks.>Eh eh...tasty...>Mh?!>Sigh...
>It's Mitsunari!>What's that loudmouth Mitsunari come to do this time?!>I apologize for the other day.>Eh?>I heard that Sir Maeda can be found here.>I came to pay him a visit. May I see him?
>Aha?>E...ehm, Lord Mitsunari...thank you for coming from so far away, but I believe it's better to do this some other day...>Uhm...It's natural that Sir Maeda is angry with me. But this time I wanted to speak to him, heart-to-heart.>E...ehm, that's not what I'm talking about, but...>...well...anyway, wait a moment.>My Lord!>Lord Mitsunari wishes to meet you!>Oh, Lord Mitsunari?!>Alright, let him through!>Eh?! Y...you're serious?>Very well, then I'll let him through!>C...come on in...>Thanks very much.>Be careful...>?
>Oh, welcome, Lord Mitsunari!>How about you drink too?>Si...Sir Maeda! But that's a bear!
>Oh, no! If you're afraid of Gonta, he'll attack you!>Ugh...ugh...>Drink, Gonta!>I know you ran away from home because you wanted to drink.>Blearp>Quak!>Aah!>As you are afraid of him, he is also afraid of human beings.>After all, it's well known that humans are the most ferocious animals in the world.>Aha...>Leave the swords there and make yourself comfortable. Let's drink together!
>Y...yes...>Uh!>I...I'm here...>What are you saying! It's not fair that one of my guests remain in the corner.>Come on, take a seat here, please.>...>Aaahh!>S...Sir Maeda, you're not afraid? How can you drink in this situation?!>Honestly, I'm very afraid! Especially when I imagine that bear tearing me apart with its huge fangs!
>Eh eh eh...>If you're lucky, you won't die even if you get poisoned. But if you're not lucky, you can die just from a tile falling on your head.>!>This is a game.>When the games are more dangerous, there's more fun to be had, don't you think?
>Ah!>T...then those Fūma ninja...>Oh, yes! That's exactly right!>Lord Hideyoshi is the ruler, and you're his right-hand man. You're much more dangerous than this bear! Think about it carefully.>There's no one else who amuses those ninja like that. You're better than toys, for them!>Ah ah ah ah![Mitsunari finally realized that he was fooled by the Fūma men. At that moment he clearly understood the enemy's intentions!]
>Eh eh eh...>Washing the donkey's head is a waste of cloth and soap...>I'll never go searching for the Fūma ninja again!>Now I'm certain of the place where they'll be!>It's here! Because there's a much more interesting man than His Highness and me that they'll want to play with!
Chapter 67 in 6 hours 39 minutes.
>>269220056Thank you for posting and translating.
>>269220021>lavare la testa all'asino ci si rimette il panno e il sapone / washing the donkey's head is a waste of cloth and soapThis might not have been in the original Japanese. It's a proverb that's more common around Italy and Greece. It's not uncommon in other countries but they may use different animals rather than donkey. I think Spain says pig instead of donkey in a similar proverb.The donkey is supposed to be a stubborn farm animal that doesn't change its ways. So it's pointless to give it a bath. Why bother giving the donkey a bath, when it's going to get dirty as soon as you're done washing it? Giving the donkey a bath is just going to set you back water/soap/cloth.The point is not to put so much effort into a useless endeavor. In Mitsunari's case, he realized he wasted too much effort taking his ninja all the way to Nagiri and back to Kyoto to put a stop to the Fūma ninja. After talking to Kanetsugu earlier this chapter, Mitsunari seems to think Hōjō/Fūma will be attracted to a kabukimono. So Mitsunari intends to have Keiji set up as bait, in order to attract the Fūma ninja.
>>269220466Naruhodo.
A bump for Keiji.
>>269219878This manga is great for moments like this.
After Hana no Keiji is fully translated, what should be translated next?
>>269225188Don't ask me. I know nothing.
>>269219437are we still italian?
>>269226518Naturalmente.
Reading bump
>>269220056CHAPTER 67 - Ninja in Bloom[In a late autumn of the sixteenth year of the Tenshō period, around 1588...][Mitsunari had Keiji's mansion surrounded by the best men of his army.][He decided to challenge the Fūma ninja who underestimated the Toyotomi government. He wanted to display his military prowess!]
Ninja in Bloom
>...>Lord! I am still not convinced!>If we blatantly surround the place where they will arrive, the ninja of Fūma can't even come close!>Indeed!>This tactic seems absurd to me!>They will definitely come.>They'll come precisely for this!>Eh eh...I've prepared such a gaudy stage that any kabukimono could enjoy...>Since kabukimono love danger, they can't help but show up on a stage like this!
>That Mitsunari hasn't noticed us yet.>If we attack now, we can kill Keiji easily, Sir Fusai.>Eh eh...it seems that Mitsunari has learned how to read the thoughts of other people...>But Mitsunari and his army don't satisfy me enough as spectators for my show.
>So when will you kill Keiji?>...>You go back to Hakone.>Eh?>From now on, I'll take care of it alone.>Report the current situation of the Toyotomi government to Lord Ujinao Hōjō.>Tell him that opposing Hideyoshi no longer serves any purpose.[Hideyoshi's army is an ensemble of combat experts, while Hōjō's army is made up of warriors who work in the fields during peacetime. The technical difference is evident. Furthermore, Hideyoshi's army is backed by a truly frightening financial power. Fusai only found out about it when he arrived in Kyoto.]>R...really...>...But how could we go back home, leaving you here alone?>Our pride won't allow us to abandon a companion...>How would we have the nerve to present ourselves in front of our Commander Kotarō?>...>Ehe...>Kotarō is truly a lucky man.
>Urgh!>But...y...you're...>...Commander Kotarō![The Fūma ninja were a contingent that dominated the entire Kanto region, and Kotarō was the commander. He never revealed his identity in public and commanded his men by impersonating fictitious figures. For this reason, many legends about him were born, such as "the legend of the giant."]
>Oh...>Lord Kotarō!>Lord Kotarō!>Now that I've heard your words with my own ears, there is no need for me to continue pretending to be Fusai.>Listen to me carefully. Hideyoshi's domain is now sterile. So when a peaceful time without war arrives, we ninja will be useless and cumbersome objects.>From now on, we no longer have to follow the path of the ninja, nor even that of warriors.>Wh...what did you say?!>Until today, I lived believing that reaching the pinnacle of the ninja arts was my only purpose in life.>And precisely for this reason, I, one of the most skilled ninja, can't refrain from taking that man down!>I'm well aware that asserting oneself in this manner is not befitting of a family leader.>However, this has nothing to do with our family! There's no way I can involve you!>Lord Kotarō!
>Eh eh eh...>I will defeat Keiji Maeda with the best arts of our family! So the time of the ninja will finally come!>U...ugh...>What's the matter, Iwabe?!>Do you still hear the voices in the hearts of the men surrounding this mansion?!
>No...it can't be! I've never felt an air as menacing as this before!>J...just now...a ninja from Fūma is watching us! I feel a hitman's eyes that have the intention to kill Lord Keiji!>Wh...what did you say?!>This is not a threat that comes from the deepest darkness!>It is truly transparent...as if it were a silent autumn breeze!>How...how terrifying! I've never felt a threat like this before!>L...Lord!
>This is where he'll try to call me!>How are you going to manage, Lord?>I will accept his challenge on the grandest of stages.
[A few days later...][Chacha announced a public competition to recruit a new Noh theatre artist who will replace the late Goheita for the autumn consecration festival. Keiji has decided to participate in the competition!][There is no better stage for a duel between two kabukimono than that of the Noh theatre, where Chacha and the vassals of the Toyotomi family also attend.][Chacha, who was completely unaware of the situation, is really happy about Keiji's participation.]
[Next to Chacha, Kanetsugu Naoe can also be seen. Mitsunari has kindly asked Kanetsugu to serve as Chacha's bodyguard.]>Eh eh...>Lord Kanetsugu...>Sir Keiji is a kabukimono authorized by His Highness the Kanpaku...>...I'm sure he'll look terrible...just like an ogre.>Ah ah ah!>Perhaps!>Lady Chacha, it's now Sir Keiji's turn, which you've been waiting so impatiently for.>Oh!>!>It's time...
[Damn that Keiji! Lady Chacha has become involved thanks to him! I will have to guard her with my life!]>Begin!>Heave!>Heave!>Heave!
>Ah!>But...>...What?!>Ah?!>It's taking her away from the stage![The stage where Chacha and the others are is a guard tower mounted on a boat. A thick net has been placed under the boat to defend against attacks from the water. Naturally, Mitsunari's ninja are also hidden underwater.]
>But...that's Lord Mitsunari's troop! How come they've distanced themselves from our stage?!>If we stand too close to the stage, we won't be able to defend Lady Chacha from bandits. Please be patient until the end of Sir Keiji's performance.>That's why everyone calls him a perfectionist. But I didn't believe it to this extent...>Ah?!
>Aaah![The theme of Keiji's show is the egret. For the prosperity of the emperor, even a bird that doesn't understand human feelings dances to felicitate this world. And Keiji's white costume amazed all of the spectators.]
>Oh...what a beauty...>He looks nothing like what they described to me. It's a wonderful dance...>The white costume is the symbol of determination for men who deal with war. Let's see how Sir Keiji will fight.>I'm ready! Show yourself, man of Fūma!
Next three chapters tomorrow.
>>269231811Arigato, OP.
>>269231707>>269231741What an outfit.
>>269219542>SakeThat's not healthy of you, mr. head.
>>269219769Filthy gaijin.
>>269219878Rude! That bear is a paying customer.
>>269219979>When the games are more dangerous, there's more fun to be had, don't you think?Keiji is a GOOMBLER.
>>269225188Hopefully something quaint
>>269231707Holy ENTER.
>>269231811Thx mate.
See you next chapter.
