The traveller returned to Mount Ashigara wearing a warrior’s travelling cloak. His name was Usui Sadamitsu, and he served Minamoto no Yorimitsu, whom many called Lord Raiko.
He found Kintaro beside the river, racing Monkey across the fallen-tree bridge.
“Lord Raiko needs brave young warriors,” Sadamitsu said. “Will you come to the capital?”
Kintaro’s eyes shone, but his mother did not answer at once. The mountain was the only home he knew.
Before they could decide, the bushes exploded. A frightened boar rushed onto the path with a broken branch tangled around its neck. It could not see where it was going.
Sadamitsu reached for his sword. Kintaro ran straight towards the boar.
At the last instant, he sprang aside, caught the branch and held on. The boar dragged him through leaves and mud. Bear grabbed Kintaro’s red bib. Monkey grabbed Bear’s tail. Hare grabbed Monkey—and immediately wished he had chosen a safer place in the line.
The branch snapped free. The boar vanished between the trees, unharmed and extremely surprised.
Sadamitsu put away his sword. “You had the strength to stop it and the sense not to hurt it. Lord Raiko will want to meet you.”
Kintaro’s mother smiled. “Then go and see how large the world is.”
His mountain friends escorted him to the lower path. Monkey packed nuts. Deer showed him the quickest trail. Hare requested dumplings when he returned. Bear demanded one last wrestling match and claimed the goodbye hug as a victory.
In the capital, Kintaro learned to ride, use a sword and read a map without turning it upside down. He trained beside Lord Raiko’s other warriors. At first they laughed at the mountain boy’s red bib. They stopped laughing when he lifted a practice log with two of them still sitting on it.
Lord Raiko gave him the warrior name Sakata no Kintoki. Kintoki went on to serve among his trusted companions, but he kept the old red cloth folded inside his armour.
Years later, he returned to Mount Ashigara. The bridge was covered in moss. Monkey’s children played in the branches, and Hare arrived before anyone mentioned dumplings.
Bear came lumbering out of the trees.
“Are you stronger now?” he asked.
“Let us find out,” Kintoki said.
They wrestled on the same patch of grass. Bear slipped. Kintoki rolled. Monkey’s children shouted advice that helped nobody.
At last the two friends landed side by side, laughing at the sky.
“I won,” said Bear.
“You always do,” said the warrior, and handed him a dumpling.