As Kutcher wandered around the outskirts of the village in search of Tuziku, he suddenly realized he forgot something important...
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Suddenly, he came to a stop.
"Hold on a second..."
"Where exactly is Tuziku training?" he asked himself.
Crap!
I forgot to ask Prīōra for Tuziku's location...!
"Tch!"
He wore an annoyed expression.
"Guess I just have to search this entire area..."
He let out a huge sigh.
"What a pain..."
After a while of searching, he decided to check near the base of Mount Yakushi.
Then, suddenly—
FWOOOOOOOSSH!!
Large gusts of wind erupted from behind a giant boulder.
Kutcher thought to himself...
Was that a burst of wind?
...
Could it be Tuziku...?
He slowly approached the source of the sudden burst of wind.
As he peeked behind the boulder...
Tuziku stood perfectly still with his eyes closed as powerful winds surged around his body.
Fwoooooo!
Suddenly—
Fwoosh!
The surge of wind surrounding Tuziku suddenly dispelled.
"This isn't enough!" he shouted.
"I need more control... more understanding of the nature behind this technique!"
He clenched his fist.
Suddenly, Kutcher revealed himself.
"What the hell are you doing out here, Tuziku?!"
Kutcher stormed toward him in a fit of rage.
Tuziku turned toward the voice.
"Kutcher..."
Upon seeing Kutcher's furious expression, he immediately realized where this confrontation was heading.
"Uh—Kutcher..."
"What's wrong?" Tuziku asked nervously.
Then—
Kutcher stood face-to-face with him.
"What are you doing out here, Tuziku?" he asked.
Tuziku tilted his head in confusion.
"What am I doing...?"
"I'm training," he replied.
"I can see that you're training! I meant, why are you still out here when Prīōra needs you by her side?!" Kutcher snapped.
"Surely you're aware of what has happened..."
"Ohh..."
Tuziku lowered his head.
"Prīōra doesn't need me in order to get better," said Tuziku.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Kutcher grabbed Tuziku by the collar of his shirt.
"In case you forgot! You're the Captain of the Black Scabbards!" he shouted with an infuriated look.
"How could you possibly say she doesn't need you?!"
He tightened his grip on Tuziku's collar.
Fwoosh!
A gust of wind blew Kutcher's hands off Tuziku.
Kutcher's face lit up in shock.
However, Tuziku gazed at him with a look of sadness.
"Nēgus came here earlier..." he said.
"W—What?!"
"So you let him escape as well, Tuziku?!" Kutcher shouted.
Tuziku turned his back toward Kutcher.
"The old man was too soft to scold his grandkid, but I..."
"I wanted to beat the crap out of Nēgus right then and there!"
Tuziku clenched his fist.
Kutcher stepped forward.
"Then... why didn't you—"
"Don't be ridiculous, Kutcher!" Tuziku interrupted.
"Have you forgotten where we are?"
"This is the land of the proud Hakashi tribe, known for its powerful wind technique that has been passed down and honed for over a century!"
Tuziku gazed at the palms of his hands.
"Maybe it's because I've started learning the technique as well, but..."
"Despite his shitty personality, I can tell that Nēgus has excellent mastery over the Hakashi Technique!"
"Like I said, I was willing to fight him right there and then, but..."
"I would've certainly lost."
He lowered his head in guilt.
"The old man realized this and stopped me before I got the chance to attack," Tuziku explained.
As Kutcher gazed at Tuziku in shame, he thought to himself...
I see...
Why did I assume that Nēgus couldn't use the Hakashi Technique...?
"If that's the case..."
"Then I apologize for accusing you of letting him escape..." said Kutcher as he lowered his head in guilt.
"But that still doesn't explain why you haven't gone to visit Prīōra!"
Tuziku clenched his fist.
"Before Nēgus left, he threatened that he'd tell the entire village that the old man is teaching an outsider their sacred technique."
"Apparently, it's taboo to teach outsiders..."
Kutcher gasped.
"If that happens, everyone in the village could turn against the old man... not to mention he's the Chief of this village!" Kutcher panicked.
"Exactly!" said Tuziku.
"Nēgus is an absolute scum who has no respect for his family!"
"I won't forgive him for what he did to Prīōra... but in order to defeat him, I must grow stronger as quickly as possible!"
Tuziku lifted his head toward the sky.
"I see..." Kutcher mumbled.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for Prīōra, and I'll be sure to let her know..."
"But Nēgus is definitely going to return to this village soon. When that happens, I must be strong enough to fight—not just against him, but future enemies as well!"
"...That is why I decided to stay behind to continue my training!"
Kutcher clenched his fist as he thought to himself...
Now it makes sense...
I completely misread the entire situation!
"So, it seems like you've got this covered... because I was about to personally deal with Nēgus myself!"
Kutcher grinned maliciously.
Tuziku chuckled.
"I never planned on letting him get away for long!"
He grinned.
"Tuziku... I'm sorry I misunderstood you..."
Kutcher clenched his fist.
"It's just—Prīōra and I have come a long way together since we both became crew-mates in the Casoltins..."
"We never got along much, but now that Sailou is gone... I feel like I have to protect the people closest to him!" he explained.
"The rest of the crew may have split up, but since I have Prīōra with me in this crew... I'll ensure I protect her!"
Kutcher rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Suddenly, Tuziku lifted his fist toward the sky.
"I swear... on the hopes that the late Captain Sailou placed in me..."
"I'll grow stronger so that I'll be able to protect my crew!" Tuziku shouted with determination.
Kutcher wore a bright grin as he nodded in approval.
"You better!"
"...After all, you'll need more members in your crew if you really intend on heading to Nekōbashi in the future."
Tuziku glanced at him with a look of burning determination.
"What are you talking about, Kutcher?"
"Of course I intend on heading to the Underworld..."
"After all... I plan on ruling the damn place!"
Tuziku let out a confident grin.
CHAPTER 51 END