Rin announced that she will go meet with her father's friend Souri, the painter, in her journey for revenge. Souri cannot lend her a hand, but instead gives her funds. Rin, now with a full wallet and no leads, finds her father's sword at the blacksmith from which it was supposedly stolen. However, its wielder is a swordsman of the Ittou-ryu, 'Taito Magatsu.'

After seeing Kagehisa, Rin becomes weak at the knees. Lost in thought over her circumstances, Rin and her guard Manji are approached by a Buddhist monk. The monk is 'Eiku Shizuma' of the Ittou-ryu. He fights with Manji but is swiftly cut down. However, despite the lethal blow, Shizuma stands back up, his wound mending itself completely. Shizuma possesses an 'immortal' body, just like Manji.

Discussions of the task of naming the instructor at the Ittou-ryu school, allotted them by the shogunate, have begun. They will make the Ittou-ryu's sword known to the world. Taito Magatsu vows to make that a reality, but decides to leave from Kagehisa Anotsu's side. At the same time, Ittou-ryu leaders start to be targeted. The tip of that blade is also pointed at Magatsu.