Ep. 5: Magatsu leaves Ittou-ryuu while Manji fights him for Rin's sword.
Taito Magatsu of the Ittou-ryuu attempts to leave for a normal life, parting with his lover O-Ren. Rin asks Magatsu to sell her a Western sword, seeking the daughter of the Asano dojo in exchange. She explains the blade belonged to her father Kurose before the Ittou-ryuu raid. Magatsu is ambushed and stabbed by two men carrying him to the dojo but kills them. At the dojo, Anotsu informs Magatsu that the Ittou-ryuu will become a shogunate branch, but Magatsu insists on quitting. Manji sees Rin crying over her parents' death and decides to retrieve the sword. He confronts Magatsu in a forest, where Magatsu uses a three-section sword to defeat and stab Manji. Manji recovers enough to stab Magatsu, retrieves the sword components for Rin, and collapses.
Episodes
- Ep. 1 · Manji confesses to a priest who attempts to kill him, then vows to kill one thousand evil men.
- Ep. 2 · Rin Asano seeks Manji's aid to destroy the Ittou-ryuu after revealing her family's tragic history.
- Ep. 3 · Rin meets Sabato Kuroi who reveals his twisted love and connection to her mother's death.
- Ep. 4 · Manji and Rin seek Master Sori’s help for revenge against Ittou-ryuu.
- Ep. 5 · Magatsu leaves Ittou-ryuu while Manji fights him for Rin's sword.
- Ep. 6 · Kusano Kene is betrayed by a disguised assassin while Manji faces a poisoned immortal rival.
- Ep. 7 · Rin attempts to cure Manji while Shizuma sets a deadly trap involving a disguised old woman.
- Ep. 8 · Manji and Rin search for Anotsu in Fukagawa while Makie Otono-Tachibana defends herself from attackers.
- Ep. 9 · Makie defeats Manji in Anotsu while rejecting her past as a geisha.