Kozaru gets Jubei's dad, Sai, to open the door and tells him Jubei collapsed and the others are taking her to a doctor. Sai yells that he wont let her go to a doctor and runs out of the house. He follows Kozaru and stops Bantaro from going any further. Bantaro, for once, has a good idea and asks Jubei's dad if going to Shiro's mom's house would be okay because she is a nurse and is much more reliable than anyone else anyways. He grudgingly agrees. Mama has no idea what is going on because Jubei has an incredibly high fever, but it doesn't seem to be bothering her since her pulse is normal and she is lying calmly. Once again, Sai refuses any doctors. Although water boils once it touches her, Sai douses himself in water and clings to her, hoping to cool her down. Long ago, Jubei's mom was very sick. Sai was always working long hours to please his boss who he looked up to as a mentor, and did not come home when little Jiyu asked him to. Doctors said it was a cold, and her mom would be okay with medicine and rest. However, she died while Jiyu was at her side and her dad was still at work. He said it was all his fault and he swore he would be a better father and always, always be there for her. They grew very close after that and did everything together while Jiyu grew up. A huge army of ninjas, lead by a man named Hattori, surround Jubei's house. Jubei opens her eyes and finds her father asleep at her side. She asks her father what to do if, hypothetically, an army of ninjas attacks you. He mumbles that ninja armies are gullible. So Jubei dresses up in a robe and a pretend eye-patch and tricks Hattori and the ninjas into retreating. Shiro awakens in an old man's house.... |