free samurai's blood #1 from benaroya publishing and image comics
DESCRIPTION
In an era when lineage defined you, three teenagers must make their way through the world hiding their identities in order to find their destinies. As their village burns behind them, they are headed for a city they’d heard about only in stories. The three young samurai must now struggle to stay alive and take vengeance on the evil usurper who has destroyed the rest of their clan and the only world they’d ever known. Will they rise on the tides of vengeance, or they will they fall on the swords of fate?TRANSCRIPT
Some men move through the worldleaving as li le trace as a drop of
water moving through a stream.
Other men do not.
Ot�r men are ro�s, r�olute againstt� cu�ent, forng a tho� m�e
drops � �rn a�de and pa� t�m by.
Dewa Province, Japan.Early Edo Period.The middle of the 17th Century.
Not water nor rock nor manhas any choice in the ma�er.
it is a question of fate.
Inside Yamagata Castle.The stronghold of the Sanjo Clan.
Yet youstand a�used
of slaughtering thewi�ers of a duel, after
two members of yourhouse were fairly
beaten.
So instead Ithrew my life away.
I beg you toexecute me.
Matsudaira-san,you have a true
samurai in your service.Please take him home
and treasure him.
Your Lordhas come to stand
in your defense, whichspeaks we� of your
character.
How amI to ensure
Justice?
To hearthat one's friendsare involved in afight and pretend
not to hear isshameful.
To refuseto take vengeancewould surely have
lengthened mylife, but this alsowould be against
the Way.
Ujimori-san,this man murderedone of your own
retainers. Wi youaow him to escape
punishment?
There isalways use in my
lands for honorablefoowers of
the Way.
Yes, my Lord,but how wi the
people respond ifsome are aowed to
violate the ruleof law and
order?
if a crimeswere punished with
death, s�n there wouldbe no men capable of
great things.
Ofcourse, my
Lord.
it is not the lawle� ones whobetray. How can one betray whenone has offered no aegiance?
instead beware the man obse�ed with law.Fear the man who admits no space betw�n
law and honor. Such men are deficientbecause they have never truly lived.
Mywishes for
safety on yourjourney.
The sword is the weapon of thehero and the murderer alike.
With such glancesdoes fate do its work.
The first order of a Samurai is to servehis master. A single betrayal is moreshameful than a thousand murders.
The frown and the fu�owedbrow are the t�ls of betrayal.
Are yousti� troubledby my decision,
Gakushi?
I mustdisagr�, my
Lord. The manwas guilty.
NowMatsudaira-
san knows he isexempted from your
rule, my Lord.Next time--
Enough.Matsudairais loyal.
Therewas one piece
of your le on Itk to heart,
my Lord.
Nothinggreat is
a�omplished,except bycriminals.
Betrayal makes widows of women andmonsters of men. The lives of those who
suffer it and the souls of those whoco�it it are but rice for its table.
The following dawn.Atop the castle walls.
Betrayal is destruction, as pureas it can be found in the world.
Betrayal is the atavisticspirit of man laid bare.
H���g...
...
and yet a� the glorious rise of man has b�nan upward spiral of betrayal and vengeance.
Araku,Wipe the
rest of theSanjo Clanfrom theearth.
I holdyou to your
promise, on painof death. As longas I serve you Ido as I please. Iam a law unto
myself.
Sanjo ichiwara, long retired to a peacefulcorner of the world, was the first to faafter his son. Gakushi's first strikes t�k
the head and the heart.
So it was with the story of theSanjo Clan. The weakne� that hadaowed evil men to ray to the
Falcon Ba�er destroyed the Clan.
Oga Peninsula.Northwest cornerof the Sanjo dominion.
You arethe last one.You wi� come
with me.
A thousand tendril echoes of Gakushi's betrayalspread through the realm, and reduced the SanjoClan into the ashes from which a Samurai would rise.
Elsewhereand everywhere.
Sendsome men to
finish it.
Yourname is SanjoGoro. You are
the fifth son ofSanjo Terotomi.
it is wrienhere, plain
as day.
Therest of
Sanjo is dead.That means youare now the
Daimyo.
No,Gakushi-san. I am
Michikawa Nobunaga. Iwas ma�ied to Sanjo Ayame,but she was adulterous and Idivorced her a decade ago.
I owe no aegianceto Sanjo.
Please,Sanjo Goro
lives in Eiwa! Hehasn't returned
in twentyyears!
No,Gakushi-san,
please!
With that stroke the dice were cast.But those whose lives hung on
their tumbling could not hear themclacking acro� the fl�r.
Back inside the main Donjonof Yamagata Castle.
Yes!Mark me down,Yuko, that was a
g d one!
Yous�m to bewi�ing.
Didyou expectanything
le�?
Wheneveryou finish makingm n-eyes at my
sister, I amready.
Not yet.
The Villageof Eiwa.
Yes! Markme down,
Yuko!
You'retaking that?
I'd hardly havego�en
cut!
I haven'tbeat you in
five years. Whatare you trying
to prove?Again?
Your songrows by leapsand bounds. I'venever s�n oneso ski�ed at
his age.
Youhaven't b�nout of Eiwain twenty
years.I sti know
greatne� when Is� it. Every dayhe grows more
determined.
I havemade himswords.
Wi youte him the
truth?
T�ls withoutknowledge are a
dangerous thing. Once hehas swords, how much longerwi he be satisfied as the son
of a blacksmith? His bl�dcries out for his mindto awaken. Te him,
my friend.
if I dohe wi not
stop until hehas a mysecrets.
A manmust know
who he is in thisworld. if you ca�otte him the truthabout his father, atleast te him the
truth abouthimself.
Theseare for you,
son.
For me?But...
They'rebeautiful,father.
Thank you.
Later. In the homeof Sanjo Goro.
Thatdepends onhow quicklyyou learn,
Katashi.
Howlong wi� we
be gone?
A swordis a weapon of
honor, because touse it, you must a�roachyour enemy close enough
to f�l him blow hislast breath. Think
on that.
Tomo�ow,we leave for
the mountains. Youhave a long road
ahead before thoseare put to their
best use.
Katashi,you work
quickly andwithout fear.
There is no wastedmotion. Veryg�d for a
wa�ior.
Mayuko,exce�ent sm�th
curves. Sharp curvesin a woman's writing areunpleasant. Yours have
the flavor of a spa�ow'sf�tsteps. Feminine.impermanent. Very
g�d, ind d.
My son,you are an artist.
My brother himselfwould be envious, and
Ujimori has mastered somany styles of writing
he can use themas a code in
ba�le.
You shouldbe careful. You
can hurt yourself ifyou don't know
what you'rdoing.
Perhapsyou should give
me some le�ons. Ihave b n told thathay is a g�d thing
to practiceon.
Still later.After the rice.
I'vedecided I'm
not le�ing youleave. You'� have
to te� your fatheryou've changed
your mind.
I'mwaiting
for him tochange his
mind.
Heknew when
he let you trainthat you wanted
to be asamurai.
My father'spermi�ion ca�otmake it so, and
neither canswords.
Whenwe get to
Ujimori's court,you wi� be a
samurai... if yousti� want tocome with
me.
Wi� youwait for me?Wi� you waituntil I get
back?
You'�get in
trouble.
ThenI'� get in
trouble. Juststay with me...
please.
Of courseI'� wait for
you! Only... stayhere with me
tonight.
Very late that night. Afterthe village is asleep.
You two!Sentries!
A� things g�d and evil are under theWay. Even betrayal is but a ri�le
through the weave of human destiny.
Dawn.
Wemust wake
Jun.
SanjoGoro!!!
A Samurai's fate is determined at themoment of his birth. But, since theSamurai ca�ot know this fate untilit a�ives, his life is sti� under his
own control.
Please,wait here. I
must know youare safe. Iswear I wi
return.
Sanjo Goro!Come face your
death!
Comequickly,
Jun.
A that wi be is alreadydone, but that does notrelieve us of the doing.
Go out theback, Jun. And
take this.
if you'regiving me this,
that means they'rea� dead, doesn't
it? We're a�that's left?
Yes, myson. And s�n
there wi� onlybe you.
I wi�find who isresponsible.
Sanjo wi� live.I swear itto you.
And Iwi� smile inmy next life,knowing that
it is so.
Thus understanding the nature offate, the first principles of the Wayof the Samurai fo�ow natura�y.
You wantme?
Youwant mydeath?
HereI am! Take
it! M�t death with the same heart andthe same mind as one uses to do
anything else. The moment of deathis no different than any other.
Youmust bethe son.
I amSanjoJunichi.
Come on,then...
Wh?
So t� m�t life in thissame spirit. As if death
were always at hand, yetas if one were an i�ortal.
Minoru-san?
Your sisteris in the barn.
Take her and run.There's nothing you
can do now butsurvive.
Show no mercy to one's self, but even le�to one's enemies, for your fate and his have
both b�n wri�en since before the first dawn.
Come on!Are none of youman enough to
finish me?!
Katashi!
ug�!
Even a corpseshould not retreat.
At the moment of death,resolve to die facing
one's enemy.
There!in the shadows!
Get them!
I haveno time toexplain, but
you must k�pthis always,
Katashi.
I loveyou, father.I wi� makeyou proud.
I knowyou wi�, son.I love you.
it iswhat you are.
it is whatwe are.
Honor the wisdom of the past and planagainst the troubles of the future,
a� from the present moment.
Do not become unbalanced bythe swirling of a foregone fate.
At leastyou are men
enough to putdown your bows
and face mewith stl!
Come on,then! We wi� diein each other's
arms!
A man exists for a generation.His name lasts for a� time.
By doing this, you wi�awaken from your dreams.
He plunges reckle�lytowards an i�ational death.
Even if it sms certain thatyou wi� lose, retaliate.
Neither wisdomnor technique has
a place in this.
A real man doesnot think of
victory or defeat.
Careful.There are
two sentries.Stay low.
We're athat's left. The
entire Clanis dead.
Thenyou're the
Daimyonow.
Fromthis moment,
you are my samurai.Your first order is
to get us tosafety.
Whenthe sentriesdie, foowme throughthe field.
We wialways be
behind you,my love.
Do not break thebonds of family.
Asyou say, sister,so do I swear.Until my last
breath.
Wemust haveour day ofvengeance,
Jun.
You've setus a dangerous
path. My love knowshe is your samurai, buts�n he wi� discover
he is no longeryour friend.
That'swhy you musthelp me guide
him.
Ki�him!!!
give it.
in a� things, doeverything thatis required, anddo nothing else.
When vengeanceis required...
Take it.
When comfortis required...
L�k for Destiny and it does notexist. Focus your mind on living,
and destiny wi� disa�ear.