With his idol victorious, Gian was exceptionally excited.
He pushed off the ground with his toes, leaped into the air, and lunged towards the tree, his fingers grasping the slanted branches.
With a swish, a perfect "Holy Sword" was freshly forged, leaving nothing but barren land within a ten-mile radius.
"Heiya!"
"Face, waist, hand!"
Holding a sturdy branch, he waved it forward, imitating a swordsman.
"What's wrong with Gian?"
Xiao Fu turned his face, shielding it with his hand, and spoke cautiously.
"I don't know. Maybe he's possessed."
Nobi Hiroshi shook his head, slowly tidying the stray hairs at his temples.
Looking at Gian in front of him, he must have fallen into his own fantasy world, currently engaged in a duel with someone.
"Good, it's decided! I'm going to find Miyamoto Musashi to become his disciple and have him teach me kendo!"
After a while, Gian's mind returned to normal. He pulled Nobita over, telling him to use the Time Machine to take him back to the past to see Miyamoto Musashi.
"Nobita, as a close friend, you'll help me with this, won't you?"
"Of… of course, Gian. I'll go back and ask Doraemon right away."
Nobi Nobita chuckled dryly as he led everyone home. Little Duo La used the Dressing Camera to change the five of them into Edo period ronin outfits.
"Alright, let's go!"
Doraemon, still bald after changing clothes, led the group into the magical drawer.
The Time Machine was bearing an unbearable weight, constantly on the verge of crashing.
Nobi Hiroshi sat on the edge, looking at the mysterious time tunnel, which seemed like a phantom yet was truly real, stretching endlessly.
What would happen if he accidentally fell out of the Time Machine? A question popped into Hiroshi's mind: would he fall into a time vortex, or would he randomly travel to a certain time and space?
"Click!"
The space tunnel opened a circle, and Nobi Hiroshi poked his head out.
Outside was an ancient, charming country path, with a post station not far away, and shops he had never seen before.
Walking on the street, Hiroshi curiously observed his surroundings. The Edo period courtesans, bah… the Edo period clothing, truly had a charm.
"Hey, wait, you haven't paid me yet."
"Old man, are you trying to demand money from our Horse-Face Clan?!"
"No… no, how would I dare…"
"Haha, I'll be back."
A burly, bearded man, carrying a large bag of goods, swaggered away, leaving the timid shop owner standing there at a loss.
"Hey, Gian, why don't we go back first? It looks dangerous here."
"How can we? I haven't even seen Miyamoto Musashi yet. If you don't want to keep going, I'll leave you here alone."
"Don't… I was just joking, hahaha."
The unsettling scene filled Xiao Fu with a sense of unease. Perhaps coming here was a mistake; this was a chaotic era, with villains everywhere.
If they were unlucky enough to run into one, it would be over.
"Grandpa, do you know a man named Miyamoto Musashi?"
"Miyamoto Musashi? Never heard of him…"
"Is that so? Thank you for your trouble."
Hiroshi helped inquire about Miyamoto Musashi's whereabouts, but after asking down a whole street, there was no news.
Even if this was a remote area, there shouldn't be no news at all. How strange.
"How is it? Do any of you have any news?" Gian scratched his head anxiously. "Did we come to the wrong place?"
"We shouldn't have come to the wrong place. Perhaps the people here don't know. Let's go to other villages and ask."
Saying that, Doraemon prepared to set off for the next village.
Suddenly, a scene of bullying appeared ahead on the road: a thin young man prostrate at the feet of a burly man.
"Unforgivable! How dare you laugh at my face? I must teach you a good lesson."
"No… no, it was just a misunderstanding. I really didn't laugh at your face."
The strong man held a pure iron spiked club in his right hand, which was terrifying. Passersby around them kept their distance, watching from afar, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Except for one carefree person.
"Excuse me, what happened?"
"Pfft, ha ha ha, that face is so ridiculous! Doraemon, you guys come and look!"
Nobi Nobita walked over curiously, and when he got to the front and saw the big man's face clearly, he couldn't stop laughing.
His nose hair was exposed, his lips were thick, his skin dark, and his eyes were like spirals. It was hard to imagine such a person standing in front of him.
"Ah! You hateful brat!"
"How dare you mock our Horse-Face Clan? I think you're tired of living."
Hearing the piercing laughter, the big man instantly turned red with rage, forcefully swung the spiked club in his hand, and brought it down on Nobita.
"Ah, help!"
Upon hearing the words "Horse-Face Clan," the surrounding passersby were all terrified, fleeing into their houses, tightly locking their doors, scattering like birds and beasts.
The slow-witted Nobita also realized the seriousness of the situation. His legs went weak, and he couldn't dodge the spiked club coming down towards his face.
"Telekinesis…"
The rapidly descending spiked club suddenly stopped. The big man looked surprised, and Nobi Hiroshi took advantage of the two-and-a-half-second gap to pull Nobita away.
"Ah, thank you, Hiroshi. You truly are my good friend."
"Alright, alright, I know. You go wait by the side."
After being rescued, Nobi Nobita cried and clung to Hiroshi's leg, while Nobi Hiroshi pushed Nobita away with a look of disdain.
Saving his half-son was only natural, after all, one day in the future, Nobi Nobita would call him godfather.
Everyone calling their own, that's good.
"Doraemon, do you have any tools we can use now?"
Nobi Hiroshi stepped back, evading the second mace attack. With his half-baked superpower, it wasn't enough to cope with the immediate danger.
"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?"
"Got it! The famous sword, Hikari-Denko!"
Fumbling through his Fourth-Dimensional Pocket, Doraemon pulled out a light sword and threw it to Hiroshi.
As long as he held the sword, it would automatically counterattack when the opponent attacked.
"You infuriate me! Take this!"
Golden light flashed, and the mace was parried back. The burly man looked at Nobi Hiroshi with a face full of disbelief.
He hadn't expected to be repelled by a mere boy who hadn't even fully matured.
His figure was like lightning, his movements swift, leaping like a bird in flight, like a fleeting shadow.
Hikari-Denko controlled Nobi Hiroshi's body, its agile footwork always evading every attack and counteracting it.
"Done."
Nobi Hiroshi leaped and struck with the sword. The burly man's forehead was hit by the hilt of the sword. Hikari-Denko had a safety mechanism, so it couldn't kill anyone.
"Just who in the world..." With that, the burly man's eyes saw stars and he fainted. The residents peeking through the window crack watched this scene in shock.
"Wow! Hiroshi, you were so cool just now."
Gian and Xiao Fu, who had been hiding nearby, excitedly walked over, not expecting Nobi Hiroshi to have the courage to duel such a burly man.
"Oh, it was nothing. It was all thanks to Doraemon's tool."
Hiroshi smiled faintly.
Actually, he was a little scared just now. A mace weighing tens of kilograms wasn't a toy. Fortunately, this sword was powerful enough.