General Info

First Issue: CRITTERS Volume 1, Issue 7

Comics Which Contain This Story

This story can be found in the following comics:

	CRITTERS Volume 1, Issue 7
	USAGI YOJIMBO Book 1

Characters

The following characters are mentioned in the story:

• Miyamoto Usagi
• Zato Ino

Story Synopsis

A blind pig feels his way toward a village, his sense of smell leading him better than his cane. With thoughts of settling down in mind, he soon finds that this town has heard of him, the wanted poster on the town's outskirts seems to cement this and the people of the town attack him.

Hours later, Usagi wanders through the very same town, wondering what destroyed the entire town. Stopping a villager he learns the slightly exaggerated tale of Ino's allegedly unprovoked attack on the village. He sets out immediately after the villain. As he walks, he passes a deep pit with a cry for help coming from within it.

Usagi helps the pit's occupant out of the hole and introduces himself. The pit's ex-occupant is Zato, a blind Masseur who travels the countryside as his profession leads. Ultimately, he seeks somewhere to settle down.

As they travel, Usagi and Zato become firm friends, and as night falls and they make camp, they exchange stories. Zato stops mid sentence at one stage, but claims only to be confused by his own scent.

In the morning, Usagi wakes to find Zato gone. Continuing on alone, he spies his friend up ahead surrounded by armed men. By the time Usagi arrives on the scene, the four men surrounding Zato are dead. Usagi looks at his friend, incredulous. Picking up a poster one of the dead men was holding, Usagi realises that Zato is the outlaw that has been creating so much fuss in the area. Vowing to bring him to justice, Usagi draws his blade on Zato-Ino. Ino in turn charges Usagi.

A flash of steel and Ino is blinded again. His nose lays in a pool of blood at his feet and Usagi offers to take Ino to a doctor. Ino rejects the offer of help, swearing his eternal hate for Usagi and vowing to hunt him down and kill him. Usagi, saddened, leaves.

Months later in a woodcutters shop, Zato-Ino ties on a wooden nose, his sense of scent returned to him, albeit tinged with pine.