Raijuta, who wants to revive the murderous sword, considers Kenshin, who denies his idea, as an enemy. Raijuta initiates a fight using his actual sword, but Kenshin lands a blow that breaks Raijuta's sword and stops the situation from escalating further. After some time has passed, Yutaro, a boy who claims to be Raijuta's apprentice, arrives at the Kamiya Dojo. He claims he has come to challenge Yahiko, with whom he doesn't get along, to a match, but the way Yutaro holds his bamboo sword is no good...

Sanosuke is visiting the sukiyaki restaurant Akabeko, where he always leaves his bill on a tab. One of Akabeko's workers, Tae, asks him to go buy a Nishiki painting from the painting shop on her behalf. Though Sanosuke had no interest in paintings, he finds one at the store that catches his eye. It was a painting of the man he looked up to as his master back when he was a member of the Sekiho Army, Captain Sagara. With a gleam in his eyes, Sanosuke makes his way to meet with the artist of the painting.

Tsunan is seeking to clear his decade-old unresolved regrets surrounding the Sekiho Army. Empathizing with him, Sanosuke joins Tsunan in conspiring an attack on the Home Ministry. However, Kenshin was waiting for them inside the building to stop them. Seeing the former Revolutionary warrior standing in their way, the same way they faced off against Revolutionary warriors when they were in the Sekiho Army, Tsunan's fighting spirit burns. A flurry of explosives are hurled at Kenshin.

After defeating Arundo Akamatsu, Kenshin returns to the Kamiya Dojo and sees Hajime Saito. Hajime had introduced himself to Kaoru and Yahiko as Goro Fujita, the police officer, and they had invited him into the Dojo without any suspicion. Hajime criticizes Kenshin and the others for their naivety. Over the past ten years that Kenshin had washed his hands of manslaying, Hajime had honed his killing intent and skills as a hitman, and now Hajime's ferocity was aimed at them.