Knowing how strong Kenshin was when he was the Hitokiri Battosai, Jine takes Kaoru hostage in order to fuel Kenshin's anger. The two engage in a fierce battle. However, Jine, believing that Kenshin has not yet regained his former strength, inflicts the Nikaido Heiho "Shin no Ippo" on Kaoru, causing her to stop breathing. With only two minutes until Kaoru dies of asphyxiation - Kenshin's anger reaches its peak.

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko scramble to take back Megumi from the Kanryu residence. They are confronted by Han'nya, a spy of the Oniwaban Group. He trifles Kenshin with his martial arts skills and his "Arm-extension Spell", but Kenshin successfully conquers him when he uncovers the secret of the technique during the fight. Just when it looked like the battle was up, Han'nya removes his mask and reveals his startling true face.

Yutaro sustains a heavy injury from Raijuta's sword, and it is so severe that he will never be able to swing a sword with that arm ever again. Although Yahiko was constantly disagreeing with Yutaro until now, he understood very well what swordsmanship meant to him. He takes Yutaro's hand and leads him out of the medical room, so they could witness the final battle between Kenshin and Raijuta.

Deep in the night on a woodland path, Kenshin and Raijuta's duel begins.

Kenshin sees a dream recalling the Shinsengumi, who he faced off against back when he was a Revolutionary warrior. The Shinsengumi was a group of highly skilled swordsmen who he fought on equal footing back when he was the Hitokiri Battosai. He feels unsettled and ponders why he is suddenly remembering them. As the tension persists, a mysterious man with very unique-looking eyes pays a visit to the Kamiya Dojo while Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko are not home. When he meets Sanosuke, who just happened to be at the Dojo, he claims that he is Goro Fujita, a medicine seller, but...