Vagabond, Volume 11 by Takehiko Inoue

Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means - by way of the sword - makes mere survival an even greater challenge.

After single-handedly defeating seventy bloodthirsty men from the Yoshioka clan, Musashi is at the greatest crossroads of his life - will he head toward the light and live a life among men, or will the allure of the darkness be too strong for him to resist? A chance encounter with the ferocious master, Ito Ittosai, may make the decision to live by the sword inevitable.