A Man's Back 2: Two Alike is the two hundred twenty-ninth chapter of the Rurouni Kenshin manga.
Synopsis[]
Early the next morning, the Hiruma Brothers await to ambush the father of the girl wiht a bow and arror in the open, only for the father to easily catch the arrow to the Hirumas' surprise. He reads the note attached to the arrow as the Hiruma Brothers scamper away, heads bowed in shame. Uki, the daughter, sticks her head out and asks what's going on. The father tells his children that he'll be stepping out for a while. Uki argues that they have to finish up with their straw hats, since the deadline is the following day, but the man of the house leaves on his own free will.
Near a riverbank where Sanosuke is waiting, the father and menace to Fudosawa, Kamishimoemon, arrives and to each other's surprise, they recognize each other as father and son. Kamishimoemon looks over Sanosuke a bit, then gives him a good punch. The father explains that he did have a son named Sanosuke at one time, but has never heard from him after he had joined the Sekihō Army. In resposne, Sano introduces himself with his new current name, and his nickname, Zanza the street fighter.
The two men go at it, fist-to-fist all the way into the late afternoon. No winner is declared, since neither man wishes to admit defeat. However, Kamishimoemon gets to his feet and begins heading back home. It seems as though the two have accepted the fact that they are father and son. Before he goes, Sanosuke questions his father on why a farmer like himself is getting into the business of a man like Fudosawa. Kamishimoemon explains that Fudosawa had destroyed their farmlands, and since he doesn't want Uki and Outa to live in poverty, they've been making straw hats to survive. Slowly, Fudosawa is destroying the town that prospered because of the Meiji Revolution and nobody can do anything about it due to the "Ishin Shishi" as his background support.
Kamishimoemon swears that he will take the stand to prevent anymore lifestyle changes to his family and the town. Before he disappears out of his son's sight, He invites Sanosuke over to his home, if he can still remember where it is. Sanosuke stays put and doesn't follow his father, a bit upset with hearing the name of the Ishin Shishi even in his own hometown.
Characters[]
- Sagara Sanosuke
- Hiruma Gohei
- Hiruma Kihei
- Tani Jūsanrō
- Higashidani Kamishimoemon
- Higashidani Uki
- Higashidani Ōta
- Fudōsawa