Kauro, Kenshin and Yahiko accompanied by Ayame and Suzume, have decided to take a break from their daily troubles and go to visit the circus, hoping to have some good time, and they really do seem to enjoy themselves. However, there's a group of other people who aren't as happy about the circus's success- The manager of the rival circus doesn't seem too pleased about the fact that he has no costumers anymore, he blames it all on some "cannon girl"...

Back to the KenshinGumi, they are now watching the main attraction of the Ebishu Cannon Circus- Marimo, the human bullet. In front of their amazed eyes, a cute girl (or at least that's what Yahiko says ^_^) enters the arena and crawls into a cannon located behind her. The show's manager, who is also the girl's father, lights up the cannon and begins the countdown. After three seconds the girl comes shooting out of the cannon and hits the bullseye of the target stationed above her. The crowd cheers in disbelief, as the girl lands on her feet and runs to her father. Suddenly, two other men enter the circus arena, one of whom is Mr. Sumidaya, the other circus's manager mentioned earlier. It appears that Marimo's father used to work for Sumidaya but then went independent. However, he still owes Sumidaya money for helping him start his new business. Marimo's father promises to pay by the end of the following day, which was their original deal. But Sumidaya isn't convinced and says that if he doesn't pay up he must return to his circus with no complaints. The other man who came with Sumidaya uses his pipe to create a fire on the arena as a warning to Marimo's father as both men leave, laughing. Before Kauro and Kenshin could even notice, Yahiko was down at the arena giving Marimo and her father a hand in putting out the fire, which also gave him a chance to introduce himself to Marimo who, while thanking him, called him Yahiko-chan, and we all know how he dislikes that...

At the Kammiya Dojo, Sanosuke is surprised that Yahiko can fall for girls so easily, what with both Tsubame and then Marimo. Yahiko, who doesn't seem too pleased with Sanosuke's embarrassing words, stands out and goes on a walk, but the gang knows that the real reason is that he's is worried about Marimo.

As Marimo and her father are walking down the street, a thief approaches them and steals the money supposed to be used as payment for Sumidaya.
When Marimo's father attempts to chase the villain, a bunch of large planks fall on him. Marimo stands next to the pile of wooden boards covering her father and screams for help after being threatened by the man who stole her father's money and his two friends. Luckily for her, Yahiko, who was just passing by, comes to the rescue and attacks all three men, causing them to run away with the money. Now, with a little help from Yahiko, Marimo manages to take her father to the Kokuni clinic where he will be taken care of by Megumi.

Here a problem arises... Marimo needs to have another performance the following day in order to get the money back, otherwise the circus will be closed. But the thieves, who obviously work for Mr. Sumidaya, took the money while making sure that Marimo's father will get injured from the pile of planks... And after all, the key to their show is a perfect synchronicity between father and daughter, seeing as how a slight miscalculation of the amount of gunpowder needed could lead to a total disaster. So Megumi volunteers to mixing the gun powder instead of the injured father, saying that it's probably similar to mixing medicine.

The following day at the Ebishu cannon circus, Marimo discovers that the gunpowder is missing! So Yahiko and Marimo run off to a local fireworks store in order to buy some gunpowder while Kauro, Kenshin and Sanosuke help out by stalling the crowd. They do a good job at first, making the audience laugh with their clumsy performances (like Kauro throwing daggers at Sanosuke and almost killing him, or Kenshin trying to stand still on a giant ball but falling down) but eventually, the crowd gets sick of them and want the famous cannon girl.

After having a little encounter with Sumidaya and his assistant, Marimo and Yahiko manage to arrive safely back to the circus but with Sumidaya's entire staff chasing them. Kenshin warns Sumidaya's so-called "warriors" that their skills aren't meant for actual fighting but for performances so they shouldn't battle hit. Foolishly, they insist. Using nothing but an umbrella, Kenshin manages to defeat all three performers within seconds, leaving Sumidaya's assistant to Yahiko. But Sumidaya is escaping and one of Kenshin's victims broke the cannon. Fortunately, Sanosuke comes to the rescue. He picks up the cannon on his shoulder and shoots Marimo up above, eventually landing on Sumidaya's head. Sumidaya's assistant isn't very loyal and tells the police all about the crimes he has committed, leading to Sumidaya's arrest.

After the show, Marimo asks the gang if they are interested in continuing to perform with the circus. Kauro says that she'll be delighted and that she's sure that Kenshin and Sano would love to be her dagger-throwing targets, a sentence which sends both Kenshin and Sano running like there's no tomorrow.

After failing his mission to assassinate yet another politician, Toma must face up to his employer and give explanations as to what happened that night. He promises that he will never fail again, explaining that he has no real problem since Sasaki is a coward who cannot hold a sword and Sanosuke is nothing but a ruffian. When asked about Kenshin, Toma says that there is nothing to worry about, but you can detect some hesitation in his voice. The boss tells Toma that the final stage of his plan is about to unfold and that, once over, he will give Toma a key position in the government.

Back at Sasaki's school, Sanosuke and the teacher are having a discussion. Sasaki is worried that either Sano or Kenshin may get in trouble for helping him. Sanosuke reassures him, telling him that there is no reason to worry since Kenshin is on their side. Sasaki is not as sure as Sano and tells him that Toma's swordsmanship is superior to Kenshin's from what he had seen the previous night ).

While doing laundry, Kenshin notices a rather suspicious character watching him. He follows the man, realizing that it's Toma, and meets him in the middle of the woods. Toma attacks Kenshin, identifying him as Hittokiri Battousai, but stops when he sees that Kenshin isn't drawing his sword. Kenshin asks Toma about the Jinpu Tai and about their numerous assassinations. Toma says that he will change the world with his sword, but Kenshin knows too well that the world cannot be changed with manslaughter. Toma disagrees and prepares to attack Kenshin again, using his customized Shiden No Tachi, but is interrupted by his fellow Jinpu Tai members who tell him about the plans for the next assassination. Toma and the rest of the Jinpu Tai run off, leaving Kenshin standing in the middle of the forest, where Kauro, Yahiko, Sasaki and Sanosuke later find him.

Back home, Kenshin tells the group about what he had heard and that the Jinpu Tai have a new target. Sasaki blames himself for Toma's ruthlessness and explains that he was once a role model for young Toma, pledged to save Japan with nothing but his sword. He declares that he is the one who must stop Toma, but since he threw away his sword, Kenshin and the others agree to fight for him.

It appears that the Jinpu Tai's next target is non other than Yamagata Aritomo, as told in a meeting between Mr. Hashisume (the man behind the Jinpu Tai) to two of his comrades. When asked what he is going to do with the Jinpu Tai after the scandal is over, Hashisume replies that when there is no need for them anymore he will simply have them all killed.

A group of Jinpu Tai members storm into the Kammiya Dojo to get Kenshin, Sasaki and Sanosuke. Kenshin is nowhere to be found and Sasaki can't fight, but Sanosuke easily defeats all of the men. After a few threats from Sano, one of the men tells the group that the rest of the Jinpu Tai are on their way to assassinate Yamagata Aritomo.

Waiting to find Sir Yamagata on the carriage riding towards them, Toma and his men jump in front of the carriage and stop it. The carriage door opens and Kenshin pops out. Kenshin tells Toma that even though he is unhappy with the world and is trying to make it a better place, he is only a tool in the hands of politicians, trying their best to win dirty power struggles. Toma refuses to believe him and commands his men to kill Kenshin. After Kenshin defeats one of Toma's men, Sasaki and Sano arrive to help. All three men are now fighting against the Jinpu Tai and all three manage to defeat them with no extra trouble. Now challenged by Toma, Kenshin must do his best to win against the all powerful Shiden No Tachi. Toma storms forward with his sword at the Shiden No Tachi stance, only to have it blocked by Kenshin. To everyone's surprise, Toma takes his sword and attempts to deliver another Shiden No Tachi from up-close. Kenshin dodges it and hits him from behind, sending him flying and hitting a tree.

In complete disbelief Toma collapses. Sasaki explains to him that his special Shiden No Tachi, The Shiden Renga No Tachi, is actually completely useless. While the idea of delivering two powerful hits is all well and good, it is impossible to perform right- The fact that Toma knew he was going to have to hit Kenshin for the second time naturally made his first blow weaker, which ultimately led to his defeat.

Senator Hashisume's carriage arrives, surrounded by police officers who arrest all the Jinpu Tai members. The police chief knows that Hashisume is the mastermind behind the Jinpu Tai since the only people who were murdered were his adversaries. Hashisume denies any ties with the Jinpu Tai and says that what the police chief is saying is just foolish. Hearing these words, Toma finally realizes that he was indeed just a tool in the hands of dirty politicians. He picks up his sword and prepares to kill Hashisume. Kenshin stands in front of the senator and stops Toma from murdering him. Hashisume tells the police and Yamagata Aritomo (who has just arrived) that he will confess as long as they keep Toma away from him, in his words he says that Toma is 'a bloodthirsty murderer.' Not believing what he's hearing, Toma decides to commit suicide as a way of honoring himself with a warrior's death. Sasaki catches Toma's sword just when it was about to hit him, he says that death is too easy of a solution and that Toma has committed far too many sins which he should repent for. Overwhelmed with emotions, Toma begins to cry, as if silently agreeing with his former master.
(This is not the correct spelling of Hashisume because it has a bad word inside of it)

The episode begins with a clip of some politicians at a meeting, one is taking bribes from the other in exchange for his support. The meeting is suddenly interrupted by a group of people wearing black clothes that call themselves 'Jinpu Tai.' The say that in the name of Tenchuu they will murder all corrupt politicians who believe they are entitled to bribes. They proceed to murder both men and their bodyguards without hesitation.

At the Kammiya Dojo, Kauro tells Yahiko about the Jinpu Tai from what she's read on the paper; They are a group of assassins who kill politicians that take bribes and whatnot. Some people even think what they're doing is heroic, Sano disagrees with that and says that people who get credit for killing is a stupid thing indeed. Megumi makes lunch and everyone is pleased, until the peaceful lunch is interrupted by a man carrying a boy who rushes inside the dojo. This man is Sasaki, a teacher who lives close by to Sanosuke, one of his students fell ill and he came to the dojo hoping to get treatment from Dr. Genzai, but he isn't present as he is visiting a patient so Megumi treats the child. Megumi tells Sasaki that the kid has diarrhea and that he should be alright. Outside, Sanosuke tells the group that Sasaki was once a samurai but these days he works as a teacher for the underprivileged. Kenshin takes a peek to the room where Sasaki and Megumi are. It looks as if he recognizes Sasaki from somewhere...

A man, which it's safe to assume is the Jinpu Tai boss, asks another man, which we've seen earlier in the opening scene wearing a Jinpu Tai uniform, to find a professional assassin that will join the group. He explains that after all the assassinations they've committed security is much tighter, so they need someone extraordinarily strong (he give Himura Battousai's name as an example) to help the Jinpu Tai. The man wearing the uniform says that he knows such man and that he is probably just as strong as Himura Battousai is.

As Kenshin and Yahiko walk back home from grocery shopping, they see the sensei working the land on some construction site. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the man from the Jinpu Tai runs towards Sasaki-sensei and tries to kill him. Sasaki quickly lifts his working tool and blocks the attack. Both men make an attempt to hit each other with some sort of horizontal thrust attack but both fail. The Jinpu Tai member greets Sasaki, telling him that his skill has not dulled. Sasaki recognizes the man as Sakaki Toma and asks why he attacked him. Toma doesn't answer and walks away, saying that they will meet again soon. Yahiko is very impressed with Sasaki's abilities, he was so fast that he barely managed to see what happened. Kenshin tells Yahiko that both men were using the Hinoha Ittou Ryu technique called Shiden No Tachi. He continues to tell Yahiko about the time he fought someone who used this technique in Kyoto, his name was Sasaki Heihachiro.

Sanosuke, a bit drunk, is walking back home at night. He wants to invite Sasaki-sensei to go out drinking with him some more. To his surprise, he finds the Jinpu Tai coming out of Sasaki's building accompanied by Sasaki himself. They arrive at a meeting place where Toma is waiting for them. Toma apologizes to Sasaki for what he had done earlier and, not surprisingly, asks the sensei to join the Jinpu Tai in order to help assassinate all the corrupt politicians one-by-one. Sasaki says that no matter what, murder is never the answer. He says that after he put down his sword he finally found true happiness in teaching children and that he is not interested in ever picking up a sword again. He tells Toma that he does not want to see him ever again and walks away. However, Toma notes that now that he knows about the Jinpu Tai he can't just let him walk away freely and that he has to join them no matter what. With that said, Sasaki-sensei continues to walk away without even looking back.

A day later, Sanosuke tells Kenshin everything that went on in that meeting. As usual, Sano sits around lazily while everyone else is cleaning and working. After a few days of absence, Dr. Genzai returns home and gets a warm welcome from his granddaughters. Seeing Genzai with the girls makes Sano think about Sasaki and his students and makes him realize that Toma is probably planning to hurt the students. He stands up and runs to the school where Sasaki is teaching.

In Sasaki's class, he is teaching the students how to write. When one of his students stands up to show the teacher his work a tiny knife flies directly to his direction. Managing to catch it just at the last second, Sasaki stands up with the knife in his hand and goes outside where Toma is waiting for him. Toma orders him to come with him in order to assassinate their next victim. Sasaki, fearing the safety of his students, has no choice but to follow Toma. By the time Sano gets there it is too late.

It's nighttime again. The Jinpu Tai, with Sasaki-sensei, stop a carriage with a politician inside. They begin to ruthlessly murder all of his bodyguards until the politician they were targeting is the only one left alive. Toma decides to give Sasaki the honors of killing the petrified man, but just as Sasaki was about to take the sword, Sanosuke pops out of nowhere and beats the living crap out of everybody, allowing the politician to run away. A few Jinpu Tai members begin to chase the man but they are stopped by non other than Kenshin, who volunteers to fight Toma instead of the unarmed Sano. They begin to fight for a while and it appears that Kenshin has the upper hand, until Toma uses his Shiden No Tachi and scratches Kenshin in the process. A police whistle is heard and Toma must flee the scene, not before promising Kenshin that he will cut his head off next time.

Sasaki-sensei can't believe that Kenshin really was Hittokiri Battousai, whom he fought against ten years ago. Sanosuke tells Sasaki not to worry because it is not his fight anymore. Sasaki thanks Sano and promises never to touch a sword again.\

It's a normal morning at the Kokuni clinic. Dr. Genzai has just woke up and is preparing to wash himself with a bucket of fresh water. However, as he spills the water all over his body, his back is strained and he can no longer move. Naturally, the job of running the clinic has now been handed down to his assistant, Megumi. Helping Megumi are Yahiko and Kauro, who volunteer out of good will... But it seems like they are causing more harm than good. Sanosuke and his friends suddenly enter the clinic, carrying an injured man on their shoulders. It appears the guys from the Hishimanji gang attacked him with a wooden cannon! The man is all bruised up, but after a long night of treatment, Megumi had managed to save his life. Word spreads throughout the area about the talented, beautiful lady doctor working at the clinic.

As Yahiko and Megumi walk back to the clinic after treating a rich girl named Kanekura Kaeda, they come across a man who falls down, claiming to have intense stomach pains. After hearing all of the rumors, the crowd surrounding the man is sure that Megumi's going heal him. But to their surprise, Megumi just touches his forehead and leaves, saying that she can only heal the sick. Kauro, and later on Sanosuke, arrive at the scene just in time to see all the commotion; A tall man called Raikou has managed to put some kind of a spell on a cup of water, and using the water he healed the sick man. The crowd's response is overwhelming: After seeing such act of magic, everyone insist that Raikou would come to their house and heal the sick people there!

At the Hishimanji headquarters, Raikou and the hoodlum gang are sitting in front of a fire, discussing their secret plan. It appears that they are planning to use Megumi's current popularity against her and spread lies about how she does not treat those in need (like that guy with the stomach ache earlier). Obviously, they will charge money for Raikou's alternative treatment and make themselves a hefty profit on the account of needy people.

Exactly as the rumors about Megumi being a great doctor spread earlier, the rumors of her being a quack spread just as fast. Over at the Bronze, Gold and Silver Exchange, where Megumi recently treated Kaeda, the Hishimanji decide to go against the lady doctor's advice of not moving Kaeda and decide to transfer her to a secret location, where Raikou will give her his special holy water treatment. Both Megumi and Yahiko try to resist the Hishimanji men, but they are just too many and too powerful for a woman and a 10 year old boy to handle. As the Hishimanji's carriage leaves with the sick child, Yahiko follows it in order to find out exactly what's going on.

Megumi and Yahiko track the Hishimanji at some mysterious house, where Raikou was just in the midst of his worthless prayer. Megumi tells Kaeda's worried parents that what will heal their child is not the power of money. They ask her about the sick man she abandoned in the street and she tells them that he was faking it. That same man, who was pretending to be sick earlier, just entered the room, wearing a Hishimanji uniform. Soon enough, more Hishimanji join him and stand at the door, ready to kill Yahiko and Megumi. However, Sanosuke stops their fun as he beats them all to a bloody pulp as revenge for his friend they nearly killed with their wooden cannon. Inside, Yahiko manages to kick some booty as well. And as the last of the Hishimanji falls, Megumi starts treating Kaeda with real medicine. But it's not over yet! More Hishimanji men arrive, and this time they have their notorious wooden cannon with them to boot! They shoot a few cannonballs at Raikou's mansion, but luckily they don't hit anyone... But if things continue the way the are they will hit somebody eventually. Just at the nick of time Kenshin arrives, determined to save the day. They shoot a cannonball at him, which he manages to cut in half using his Sakabatou and then proceeds to defeat the entire group with the greatest of ease. After all the mayhem, Raikou asks Megumi for help because he feels his stomach aching. Megumi agrees to help him only if he admits publicly to being fake. He gives her a document, confirming that he is fake, and Megumi gives him his promised treatment; A cup of water for an imaginary stomach ache.

It seems that now Megumi's popularity has skyrocketed. Even though Dr. Genzai can now stand up and deal with patients, nobody wants to see him. They all want a visit from the beautiful lady doctor.

It's a bright, sunny day. Kenshin, Kauro and Yahiko are walking back to the Kammiya Dojo after a day of shopping when they see the Ozeki, Senryou Yama himself, walking through the busy street with his sumo posse. Being somewhat of a celebrity, the Ozeki seems to have quite a lot of fans. An old man asks him to hold his grandchild so that, in the future, the child could be as powerful as an Ozeki. Senryou lifts the kid up in the air and tells him that in order to be a powerful man he must not cry as he is doing right now (the kid was scared). The little boy's toy pinwheel falls from his hand just as we see another big-boned man running from a restaurant- This man is called Toramaru and is also a sumo wrestler. It appears he enjoys dinning at restaurants without actually paying. The Ozeki yells at Toramaru for not paying the bill, he lifts him in the air and throws him on the ground, where the boy's pinwheel toy is. Toramaru misses the toy and falls flat on his face. He picks up the pinwheel and gives it back to the child with a big smiling face... He doesn't look too bad for a guy who just skipped paying the bill. Senryou Yama and his group of sumo thugs begin beating Toramaru up as a lesson. Kauro tries to stop them but gets slapped by one of the wrestlers who says that little girls shouldn't interfere at such matters. Equipped with only a large pole and two buckets hanging from it, Kenshin manages to take out all the wrestlers without any problem. The wrestlers leave Toramaru alone at the command of the Ozeki and as gratitude to them, Toramaru runs off without as much as a 'thank you' to the Kenshin group. Tae tells the KenshinGumi that Senryou and Toramaru used to go to the same sumo stable. However, because Toramaru was always picked on by his senior, the Ozeki, he was driven out and forced to steal food in order to survive.

On the way back, the KenshinGumi spots Toramaru on a bridge, ready to jump. Kauro runs towards him in order to stop him from jumping but eventually they both fall into the water, which are very shallow. It appears the big guy can't even commit suicide right...

At the dojo, Sanosuke joins Kenshin, Kauro, Yahiko and Toramaru for dinner. Yahiko warns Toramaru that Kauro's cooking is beyond bad, but Toramaru doesn't seem to mind as he keeps asking for more and more. When asked about his situation with Senryou Yama, Toramaru says that his senior really was quite strict, but he ran away after he realized that he doesn't have enough strength to compete in sumo wrestling in Tokyo. Kauro sees Toramaru's potential and decides to train him. Even though she isn't a sumo wrestler herself, she says that in basis, sumo and kenjutsu are not all that different.

The very next day, Kauro begins training Toramaru in the back yard of the Kammiya Dojo. Toramaru is tired and says he can't go on, but after a quick cheer from Ayame and Suzume Toramaru regains his strength. He also requests that Kauro pinches his butt, just like his mom used to motivate him back home. Kauro pinches his fat full behind and quickly energizes him to work out as hard as he possibly can.

Back at the Akabeko, a fellow sumo wrestler tells Senryou Yama that he heard about Toramaru practicing sumo at some kenjutsu dojo. The Ozeki gets very upset and asks every one of his comrades to go look for Toramaru. Tae overhears them and rushes to the dojo to tell Kenshin and Sano about what's going on. Meanwhile, Senryou Yama and his group find Toramaru, training with Kauro, Ayame and Suzume at a shrine nearby. They say that if he comes back to their stable he will harm their reputation, so they will prevent him from practicing sumo at all costs. Toramaru takes Ayame and Suzume and runs to safety while Kauro follows him. They both run down a long staircase leading to the ground, but what they don't know is that Senryou and his men are pushing a big statue down the stairs and it's headed right towards them! With great agility and strength, Toramaru leaps into action and moves one part of the statue out of the way so it won't hit Kauro. However, a second part of it is going to hit little Ayame and Suzume! As if out of nowhere Kenshin appears and cuts the statue using his Sakaba sword. Senryo sees Kenshin and tells him that unlike before he won't be a nice guy. He commands all of his men to attack Kenshin, obviously, Kenshin beats them to a bloody pulp (not literally, after all he can't kill ^_^) without any trouble. Sanosuke also does his fair share of ass kicking and manages to dispose of several sumo wrestlers as well. It seems like there is only one battle left to settle now; It's Toramaru versus Senryou Yama in the first ever (and only) Rurouni Kenshin sumo match.

Senryou Yama appears very cocky and self confident while Toramaru can hardly move from fear. Kauro takes things into her own hands and pinches Toramaru's buttocks (let's see how many synonyms for ass I can use in this summary) again in order to give him energy. Like expected, Toramaru gets motivated by that sadistic act and prepares for battle. As the battle begins, Toramaru runs straight toward the Ozeki with great speed. Senryou Yama grabs Toramaru's loincloth and throws him in the air. Somehow, Toramaru manages to balance himself and land on his feet. He runs toward the Ozeki again, catching him by surprise, and then delivers the final blow, sending Senryou Yama to the ground.

An old man, who is apparently the wrestlers' master, appears. He watched the battle all along and now he understands why Senryou Yama picked on Toramaru. He says that as an Ozeki, Senryou had to have noticed how skillful Toramaru was and in order to maintain his title and remain undefeated, he reduced Toramaru's confidence and drove him out of the stable. The old man tells Toramaru that he is welcomed back to the training stable whenever he wants but that he is not sure what to do with Senryou Yama, who has disgraced him. However, Toramaru forgives the Ozeki for what he has done and so the master decides to accept him back to the stable as well.

A few days have passed. The gang sits at the front yard of the Kammiya Dojo, discussing what had happened and wondering how Toramaru is. And what a coincidence that Toramaru suddenly appears! He brought the group two bags full of rice as a gift for all they have done for him. Kenshin takes the heavy bags from Toramaru and falls straight on his face due to the enormous weight of the rice. Sanosuke notes that Kenshin might be the strongest person in Japan if you give him a sword... But if you give him a bale of rice he is nothing more than an ordinary person...

It's a sunny summer day. Outside, Yahiko is training with his Shinai. He is attempting to copy one of Kenshin's moves, but it doesn't work out too well. Instead of hitting the board, he accidentally gets hit by the board himself and gets knocked to the ground. A girl passing by rushes to help him. She notices that his shoe is broken and fixes the strap using a piece of cloth that she had with her. She wishes Yahiko the best of luck with his Kenjutsu training and leaves. Only then does Yahiko realizes that he forgot to thank her.

At the Akabeko, Kenshin, Kauro, Sanosuke, Ayame, Suzume and Yahiko are having a nice lunch. The girl from before is apparently a waitress there and her name is Tsubame, she's been working at the Akabeko for about a week and everyone seems to be pleased with the job she's doing. When she goes to the back in order to fill a bucket with water, Yahiko decides to follow her to give her his thanks. Next to the well outside, Yahiko meets up with Tsubame and thanks her for fixing his shoe. After he introduces himself and Tsubame walks away, he is shocked to find out that Tsubame is working for a man who plans to rob the Akabeko and only uses her as an inside spy (even though it appears it is completely against her will). Tsubame hesitates to give the man a key imprint to the Akabeko's owner's house, saying that he will disgrace his family's reputation by stealing. Mikio (the man's name) slaps her away, saying that she has no right talking back to him because her family are merely servants of his family. She still tries to persuade him not to steal, but when he threatens to kill the employees she is left with no choice but to give him the key. Just when all seems to be lost for little Tsubame, Yahiko springs from his hideout in order to save the day. He tells Mikio and his men that they have no right to treat Tsubame as a slave, since it's the Meiji era and stuff like that don't exist anymore. He begins battling Mikio's men, and it actually looks like he has a chance of winning! Then one of the men manages to catch him by surprise- because he was already fighting another man- and knocks him down. Like hungry vultures the men begin to kick Yahiko while he's down on the floor. Kauro and Sanosuke, who are watching all this while in hiding, attempt to put a stop to the horror before their eyes, but Kenshin tells them not to do it because if one wants to get strong, one must taste defeat and learn from one's mistakes. In any way, Yahiko won't approve of help, as he is determined to keep this fight his own exclusively. After the men leave with the imprint, Yahiko stands up and asks Tsubame when the men are planning to rob the Akabeko. Tsubame replies: "tomorrow evening" and says that he will put a stop to them at all costs.

Yahiko knows that he could take them all out one by one, but since they are so many he doesn't know what to do in order to defeat them all. Instead of training on one board, like he did before, Yahiko now hangs a whole bunch of boards from the tree, attempting to come up with a technique that will allow him to defeat a few men at once. Kenshin "bumps" into Yahiko and when asked about a theoretical situation where there are multiple opponents against only one swordsman, Kenshin tells Yahiko about an old trick that the Ishin Shishi used often during the Bakumatsu when they were outnumbered; The warrior would run, causing his opponents to chase him... Obviously not all people run at the same speed so when the opponents chased the swordsman it was one at a time, allowing him to simply turn around and slay the person who was closest to him. However, you must have excellent running abilities in order for this to work. As they walk back home, Kenshin reminds Yahiko that because the Kammiya Kasshin Ryu is a style that protects people, not only his fate is dependant on his success but the fate of the people he protects as well so defeat is not an option.

It is nighttime. Mikio and his men are outside the owner's house prepared to break in. Mikio takes the keys out of his pocket and commands his men to move on, but before he knows it the keys have disappeared from his hand. Yahiko, using his pickpocketing skills, took the keys right out of Mikio's hand. He starts running forward just like Kenshin told him. He enters a closed alley and it seems like he has nowhere to go. However, the alley is very narrow so the men can't get to him if they move together. Mikio tells the men to get the kid one at a time. Yahiko's plan worked! A man approaches him alone and gets defeated. Mikio quickly understands Yahiko's plan and decides that "no more mister nice guy." He commands his group of thugs to kill Yahiko, so they drop their wooden staffs and take out their knifes. Kenshin and Sanosuke, who are standing on a rooftop nearby, would obviously never let something like that happen to Yahiko. They grab the men's attention by throwing a small rock at them and then stare at them with deadly eyes. The men recognize Sano as Zanza and Kenshin as the incredibly powerful swordsman with the X scar from the rumors and quickly run away, scared for their lives. It is now a one-on-one battle between Mikio and Yahiko. However, there is a very significant difference between the two battlers- Mikio carries a real Katana, while Yahiko has to battle with his wooden Shinai. So with that advantage, Mikio storms towards Yahiko, managing to scratch his shoulder. Mikio continues on attempting to hit Yahiko a few times but fails. Nevertheless, Yahiko is now completely cornered. Mikio tries to hit Yahiko but meets his Shinai instead, cutting it in half. Without a weapon it doesn't look like Yahiko has a chance of winning, but then he hears the voice of Tsubame who's been looking at the fight with Kauro where Yahiko couldn't see them. She tells him not to give up and encourages him to continue on fighting. Yahiko is reminded of Kenshin's words about how he cannot lose because the fate of others lies on this battle as well as his. Yahiko tells Mikio to come and attack him. Mikio runs towards him with a thrust attack, scratching Yahiko's cheek barely and sticking his sword through the wall. Yahiko runs to the back and picks up the staff that one of Mikio's men threw away. Mikio releases his sword from the wall and runs towards Yahiko, but before he could land a hit, Yahiko hits his leg with the staff, causing him to fall down for a moment. Yahiko then uses that moment of weakness and delivers the final blow on Mikio's shoulder, causing him to faint.

After finding out that all of the KenshinGumi was spying on him, Yahiko and the group say goodbye to Tsubame. She tells Yahiko that she feels a new kind of strength now, after she had watched him, and that she won't be afraid of petty things anymore. They wish each other the best and the episode ends. Now.

Megumi is still up on the third floor of the Kanryu mansion, considering whether she should kill herself or not, unaware that downstairs Kenshin and Aoshi have engaged in a deathmatch.

Aoshi tells Kenshin that he has no grudge against him, but because he was the strongest of the Ishin Shishi he must kill him in order to prove the Oniwabanshu's superiority over all warriors out there. After a short speech from Aoshi about how he's on the mission of gaining the ultimate strength, Kenshin realizes that he must put a stop to this man at all costs. They engage in combat, but Kenshin just can't touch Aoshi, who doesn't seem to be challenged at all, blocking all of Kenshin's attacks with his Kodachi and, just as he did before, uses his Kempo to fence Kenshin off. Kenshin stands up after being punched in the face, saying that he now knows how to avoid Aoshi's Kodachi... Instead of holding the sword by its hilt, he grips the the Sakabatou by the base of the blade, thus shortening the length of the blade and allowing himself to mimic the length of Aoshi's Kodachi. With a similar-sized sword, Kenshin has no problem landing a hit on Aoshi. Because he is very impressed by Kenshin's abilities and thinking, Aoshi decides to kill him with an attack worthy of such enemy... Aoshi begins circling around Kenshin in, what appears to be, a liquid-like flowing motion, this is Aoshi's ultimate move, Jissen Kenbu. Kenshin fights frantically in order to hit Aoshi, but he can't quite see where he is. Suddenly, Aoshi leaps in the air and strikes Kenshin with his finishing move- Kaiten Kenbu, he delivers three slashes to Kenshin's chest, which, at least in theory, should be enough to kill him.

Aoshi declares Kenshin as dead. Yahiko threatens to kill Aoshi for what he has done to Kenshin, but a very weak voice stops him. Kenshin stands up on his feet, saying that there is no reason why Yahiko should die here tonight, nor is there a reason why he himself should. Once again, Aoshi is amazed; during the moment when Aoshi attacked with his Kaiten Kenbu Kenshin raised his sheath so Aoshi's attack would be delivered on the sheath first, and only then will it reach his chest, that caused the attack's power to be reduced by at least half! But what will Kenshin do now? He has no sheath to save him from another Kaiten Kenbu and he is aching all over due to the last attack. Aoshi begins his sword's dance again, and, just like before, Kenshin can't hit him. However, just before Aoshi hits Kenshin with his Kaiten Kenbu, Kenshin grabs the Kodachi's blade with his bare hands! He tells Aoshi that he has no desire to carry the title of "the strongest" and that he has no problem giving it to him, shortly before directing the Kodachi's hilt towards Aoshi's neck, causing him to faint.

Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijo and Hannya walk through the door, only to find their Okashira on the floor. Aoshi stands up and asks Kenshin to finish him off now, if he won't Aoshi will continue to target him as many times as it takes until he will finally kill him. Kenshin refuses, saying that he is only a Rurouni and not a Hittokiri like he once was. However, Kenshin asks that he does not involve anyone else in their fights. Aoshi and Kenshin stare at each other for 2 seconds and suddenly another door opens. In comes Kanryu with a high-tech Gatling Gun, he threatens to shoot everyone in the room for their lack of respect towards him.

Kanryu's first target is Hannya, but before the bullets could reach the skull-masked man Aoshi jumps in front of him and lets the bullets hit his legs instead. Since Aoshi can't move now and because he was so rude to him earlier, Kanryu decides to shoot the Okashira in order to prove that he is, in fact, the strongest. Before any of the bullets could meet Aoshi's body, Shikijo leaps in front of him and uses his huge muscles as a shield to protect his leader from Kanryu's fiendish attack. Seeing what Kanryu did to his comrade, Hyottoko proceeds to attack Kanryu, but not surprisingly he gets shot before he could do anything. Beshimi now jumps up in the air from behind Hyottoko, where he was hiding. He shoots one of his darts at Kanryu, but misses. The only Oniwabanshu left standing is Hannya, he tells Kenshin where to find Megumi and requests that he pick up his Sakabatou (which is located in the other side of the room). Without hesitation, Hannya begins running towards Kanryu, prepared to meet his death. While he is running, Kenshin begins to run as well, in order to reach his sword on time. Hannya bids farewell to his leader while being shot ruthlessly. But things aren't completely hopeless: Kenshin is now standing at the other side of the room with his Sakabatou, ready to attack! Kenshin begins running towards Kanryu, dodging all bullets that are being shot at him, but how long can he last? Suddenly, Kanryu stops shooting... It appears Beshimi's dart is preventing the bullets from being shot! Kenshin jumps in the air and cuts the Gatling Gun's handle. Kanryu begs for mercy but it is of no use, Kenshin hits Kanryu's face and sends him flying to the ground.

Up in the third floor, Megumi is sitting with her dagger, prepared to kill herself. But before the dagger could touch Megumi, Sanosuke storms in the room and catches it with his bare hands. Kenshin tells Megumi that dying is not the answer... It is living and helping other people that truly repents for one's sins. "That is how Hittokiri Battousai lives everyday," he adds with a smile.

At the Kammiya Dojo, Megumi tells Kenshin and the group the good news: She is going to be Dr. Genzai's assistant and is going to live right next door to the dojo, so she could visit at any time. Things are looking good for Megumi, but one thing remains a mystery: Where is Aoshi? After the KenshinGumi left Kanryu's mansion the police didn't find the four bodies of the Oniwabanshu, nor did the find Aoshi... What is he up to now? Is he still after Kenshin?

In the middle of a forest, Aoshi stands in front of the four graves he had made for his comrades. He says that he can't put flowers on their graves just yet, but he will be sure to do just that, someday.

Kenshin uses his Sakabatou to cut the gate of Takeda Kanryu's mansion into pieces. Within seconds Kenshin and Sanosuke storm ahead, beating the crap out of Kanryu's men, with Kauro and Yahiko not so far behind.

In a fancy room, Kanryu is sitting on a chair looking comfortable, with Megumi standing next to him and looking suspiciously unworried. He welcomes her back and requests that she continues to make opium for him right away. She just looks at him and grins. She thinks back about what Sano told her, she knows he is right but she can't live on like this, making opium. She quickly pulls out a dagger that was hidden behind her back and prepares to kill Kanryu. She attacks him but the dagger disappears from her arm as if it there was magic involved. Hannya stands behind Megumi with the dagger in his arm. Kanryu slaps Megumi and tells her that he will now torture her to get the secret of making the new opium and then kill her, no more mister nice guy! Suddenly Kanryu hears noises from outside, our heroes are making their way towards the mansion.

Outside, Kenshin and Sano easily beat up everyone in their path and leave Kauro and Yahiko to deal with the 'leftovers.' After a lot of ass kicking, the KenshinGumi is now faced with an artillery squad, without even flinching Kenshin passes through them as if he was a knife cutting butter. Sanosuke does even more and throws Yahiko on them, like the young boy was some sort of human weapon or something. From above, Kanryu watches the events in his yard with horror, he doesn't understand why the legendary Hittokiri Battousai would possibly want to act for Megumi. Hannya explains to Kanryu that Battousai isn't like him, and that his life doesn't revolve solely around making money. Kanryu doesn't seem to understand what Hannya is saying and starts offering Kenshin money so he will join his bodyguards instead of working against him. Obviously Kenshin doesn't care at all and just continues to walk towards the mansion without hesitation, Kanryu freaks out and tells Kenshin that he will surrender Megumi in an hour, knowing that an hour is enough time for him to force Megumi into telling him the secret of the new opium. Because of Kanryu's cheep trick Kenshin gets even more mad, he cuts through a full sized lamp post and directs it so it would hit very close to Kanryu's window. The panicked Kanryu tells Hannya to do his job and go fend off Battousai before he could get hold of Megumi. Hannya lifts Kanryu in the air and tells him that the only person who can order him is Aoshi and that he would never take orders from a man like Kanryu. Just then Aoshi enters the room, he orders Hannya to leave Kanryu alone and go finish Battousai off, he tells Kanryu that defeating Battousai has nothing to do with protecting him and that the only reason he is doing this is to prove that the Oniwabanshu is the strongest. He takes Megumi and closes the door behind him.

Aoshi locks Megumi in a room on the third floor of the mansion. Just as she wakes up after being fainted for a while Aoshi tells her that the people from the Kammiya Dojo came to rescue her. He gives back her dagger and says that there is no way they could actually save her, her choice now is between committing suicide, which would be quick and almost painless and waiting for Kanryu to torture her, which would obviously be much less pleasant. He locks the room and leaves the decision up to her.

Back on the ground floor of the mansion, Kenshin and the group encounter Hannya, who tells them that he is ready to die in order to protect his post. Kenshin kindly asks him if there is any way of avoiding battle, but it is of no use... This battle is inevitable. Hannya runs towards Kenshin and punches him in the face! He then continues to punch Kenshin again in the same place as before! Kenshin drops on the floor and Hannya attempts to hit him for the third time, but this time he fails. Not realizing why Kenshin is getting beaten up, Yahiko gets frustrated and asks him what happened to the prediction skills of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Kenshin tells Yahiko that he was able to predict the attacks perfectly, however, right before his eyes... Hannya's arm stretched! Hannya tells Kenshin that he doesn't have a chance against him if he doesn't understand his technique and that right from the very first moment they saw each other he was already under his spell. In reply, Kenshin holds his Sakabatou in a horizontal stance in chest-height. Hannya knows that this is the Shin-Ken stance and that it is a defensive stance only, meaning it's almost impossible to attack. After calling him a coward, Hannya runs towards Kenshin and attempts to punch him again. Surprisingly, Kenshin manages to dodge his attack and hit Hannya's skull mask, shattering a small piece. Kenshin understands that Hannya's spell is nothing more than the sideways stripes on his uniform- they cause his arms to look shorter than they actually are. Apparently, Kenshin used his Sakabatou as a ruler and measured Hannya's real arm length. Hannya realizes that he has underestimated Kenshin so he pulls out his hidden metal claws (that look identical to the ones Wolverine from X-Man has...) and prepares to attack. Both he and Kenshin jump towards each other. Hannya is down and Kenshin receives a small scratch. Just before fainting, Hannya tells Kenshin that even with his skills he is no match for Aoshi. The KenshinGumi runs off towards their next opponent, Shinomori Aoshi... In front of a staircase leading to the second floor a couple of Kanryu's men continue to make trouble- Kenshin and Sano leave Kauro and Yahiko to deal with them and go up to face Aoshi in the next floor.

Sano and Kenshin enter a large room where Shinomori Aoshi is waiting for them. Kenshin tries aimlessly to ask Aoshi where Megumi is, but Aoshi tells him to ask with his Sakabatou. In return Aoshi will reply with his weapon, he pulls his coat and shows Sano and Kenshin what appears to be a very short sword. Sano mocks Aoshi for trying to defeat Kenshin with such a worthless weapon, he runs towards him, attempting to punch the Okashira, but instead, with just one touch, Aoshi sends Sano flying to the door. Just then Kauro and Yahiko arrive, they are surprised that Aoshi was powerful enough to defeat Sanosuke as easily as he did. Aoshi takes out his sword, a Kodachi (a sword between the length of a Katana and a Wakizuchi)- A Kodachi stresses defense rather than attack, so Kenshin assumes that Aoshi would rather defend himself than attack, or is it some trick? Before Kenshin could think, Aoshi attacks him with his Kodachi, Kenshin blocks his attack but gets a kick to the face and a few punches in the stomach. Kenshin tries to attack again, but, as said earlier, a Kodachi is very defensive and could be used as a shield. So Kenshin can't even hit Aoshi once! Kenshin's wounds, caused by Aoshi's Kempo, cause him to cough blood and drop on the floor from the pain. This doesn't look too good for our heroes!

After some treatment from Dr. Genzai, Yahiko is finally all right. Dr. Genzai is impressed with the knowledge of the person who wrote the prescription of Yahiko's medication and says that whoever that person is, he must be an expert doctor.

The following day it seems Yahiko is back on his feet. Megumi made delicious ohagi (Japanese candy type thing made of rice and red bean paste) for everyone to thank them for their hospitality. Everyone is delighted with Megumi's cooking but one person is missing... Oddly enough Sanosuke, the biggest freeloader known to man, is not present. After being asked about her family Megumi leaves the table to make some tea, answering that she has no family. Megumi is in the kitchen making tea for the gang, she thinks out loud about how Kenshin and his friends are all such good people... Sanosuke suddenly enters the room and asks her how she is going to explain to all these good people why she has this kind of thing in her possession (he throws an Opium baggy on the floor). Megumi tells Sanosuke and Kauro (who just left the table to see how Megumi was doing) that she is the one who made the Opium. Sanosuke gets really mad at Megumi, he figures out that she is the one who made the Opium that killed his friend. Kauro asks for an explanation, when Kenshin suddenly arrives and asks Megumi if she is the daughter of Takani Ryusei. Megumi asks Kenshin how he knows her father's name.

Kenshin, Megumi, Sanosuke and Kauro are sitting in a room while Kenshin explains to everyone about the Takani clan of Aizu: The Takani family is a family of doctors spanning many generations... But when they got involved in the Aizu war only the youngest daughter of the Takani family was left alive. The others were declared missing. Kenshin realizes that Megumi must have lived through many hardships... Megumi told him that what happened afterwards was much more difficult for her: She came to Tokyo 5 years ago to become an apprentice under a certain doctor, but that doctor was Kanryu's partner and made Opium for him. After an argument, Kanryu killed the doctor before Megumi's fearful eyes. She was forced to make Opium in his place. So finally, after being asked to make a new kind of stronger Opium for Kanryu, she escaped... But Kanryu won't let go of her, since she is the only one who knows how to make this new kind of Opium. Kenshin and Kauro tell her that she could stay at the dojo for a while and that she should stop blaming herself, however, Sanosuke is not so forgiving, he suddenly leaves the room with an angry look on his face. Kenshin tells Megumi that Sanosuke will eventually understand and forgive her.

After receiving a note, Megumi leaves the dojo towards the forest. Sanosuke, who just happened to be there, follows her without her noticing. A man (who looks exactly like Hiruma Kiheh from the manga!!!) suddenly appears and greets Megumi, but it seems to be a trap as the man suddenly sheds his skin and we find Hannya from the Oniwabanshu standing in his place. He grabs Megumi and takes her to where Takeda Kanryu is waiting for her. Kanryu tells Megumi that is she won't come back under peaceful terms and make more Opium for him he will be forced to set the Kammiya Dojo ablaze. Kanryu and Hannya leave Megumi alone to make her decision and continue to walk through the forest. Aoshi is standing behind a tree waiting for them, Hannya tells him that there was a rat hiding (he means Sanosuke), but Aoshi tells him that all he cares about is Himura Battousai.

Back at the Kammiya Dojo, Kauro looks for Megumi but doesn't find her... All she finds is a note from Megumi, saying that she is returning to Aizu. Kenshin realizes that it is a lie because there is no one waiting for her in Aizu.

Megumi heads towards Kanryu's estate, where she finds Sanosuke waiting for her. He tells her that she has nothing to worry about because she has Kenshin and him at her side so there is no need to hurry herself to death. He also tells her that everybody is waiting for her back at the dojo and that, somewhere, her family is waiting for her as well. Megumi says that it's all right cause even is she would find her family there is no way she could face them after making Opium. Sanosuke tells her that everyone has something in their past they wish to erase and that she needs to repent instead of wanting to die. Before Megumi could reply Sanosuke grabs her and jumps away from a huge iron ball on a chain thrown at them from above.

On one of the poles next to the gate stands a large, muscular man named Shikijo. Shikijo tells Sano that if he doesn't surrender Megumi at once he will kill him and turn his bones into dust using his iron ball. He throws the ball at Sano once again, but unbelievably Sanosuke manages to catch the huge thing with his bare hands and disconnect it from the chain that was holding it. Sanosuke yells at him to stop playing with toys, Shikijo is offended and jumps down from the pole preparing for a man-to-man fight. Sano starts punching Shikijo all over, but it has no effect! Shikijo throws Sanosuke on the wall and headbutts the hell out of him, he is impressed that Sano's skull didn't shatter under the pressure of his invincible strength and tells him that he will kill him with only one hit, to show mercy. Shikijo tries to punch Sano but Sano catches his fist, Shikijo attempts to punch him again with the other hand but Sano catches that as well. Sanosuke tells him that the Oniwabanshu, who are working for a craphead like Kanryu, has no right to brag about "invincible strength." Shikijo gets really mad and tries to punch Sano again, Sano grabs his fist, yet again, and punches him very hard in the face. The battle is over. And just when Sanosuke prepares to take Megumi back to the Kammiya Dojo, Beshimi appears and kidnaps Megumi back to Kanryu's mansion. Sanosuke, who is still tired from the fight, can't summon enough strength and fails in stopping Beshimi.

Kenshin, Kauro and Yahiko arrive at the scene. Sanosuke, who can't even stand on his feet, tells them everything that happened. They all decide to head on to Kanryu's mansion and stop him at all costs. Meanwhile, Sanosuke, using his amazing stamina, stands on his feet and prepares for the new battles up ahead.

After seeing a short scene where a woman is running away from two thugs we are immediately transferred to a gambling hall where Sanosuke, Kenshin and a couple of other guys are playing dice. Sanosuke, relying on the prediction skills of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, asks Kenshin to tell him where the dice are going to land... Kenshin gets it wrong every single time. Kenshin tells Sano that Kenjutsu predictions and dice predictions are two separate things and that what he's doing is illegal anyway. Sano replies that it is just a game between friends on some spare change, nothing serious. After another unsuccessful roll Sanosuke asks his friends where Yoita, the candy man, is... They tell him that Yoita died of an opium overdose. Sanosuke's mood changes from cheerful to sad and angry, he can't believe what just heard. "Who in the world would sell opium to Yoita," he wonders. Suddenly, a woman enters the hall. She notices that Kenshin has a sword and runs hysterically towards him, asking that he help her. The two thugs who chased her enter the room. Sanosuke doesn't want to be disturbed right now as he is pissed from the news about his friend dying. He punches one thug in the face, sending him flying into the hands of the second thug. The second thug warns him that they are personal bodyguards of Takeda Kanryu and they are not to be messed with. Sano throws a plate at his face. Sano's friends warn him that this Kanryu is no match even for him. Takeda Kanryu is a young entrepreneur, but in actuality he runs his most profitable business underground and has dozens of bodyguards. Megumi, the woman who's been asking for help, doesn't seem to know him, but a voice from behind claims otherwise. A very short and ugly man named Beshimi suddenly appears, he tells Megumi that she shouldn't lie. Suddenly, Beshimi shoots two darts, hitting Ginji and Tomo, two of Sano's friends! And now he shoots another two darts, preparing to hit Megumi's legs. Kenshin then quickly leaps in front of her, blocking the spiraled darts using the floor mat. Sanosuke and Kenshin proceed to hit Beshimi hard at he same time, sending him flying through the wall.

Back at the Kammiya Dojo, Kauro is amazed to find out that Kenshin and Sano brought home a woman. Kauro, in a jealousy tantrum, starts beating Kenshin up. Megumi just grabs Kenshin and hugs him, asking him if he prefers her over "that violent girl."

It's nighttime. Takeda Kanryu is sitting on a rooftop having a juicy steak for dinner while his two bodyguards, who failed their mission of capturing Takani Megumi, are being murdered by a mob of Kanryu's men on the ground. Kanryu is talking to a tall man, standing beside him- The Oniwabanshu okashira (leader, boss), Shinomori Aoshi. He tells him that as long as he gets Takani Megumi he has no complaints... A man called Hannya (who we can't see) is reporting that Takani Megumi is staying at the Kammiya Kasshin Dojo downtown. Aoshi commands that he, Beshimi and another Oniwabanshu called Hyottoko go to the dojo and get Megumi back.

Back at the dojo, Megumi is talking to Kenshin about the situation. She explains that Kanryu has about 60 bodyguards and that the worst are Aoshi's Oniwabanshu. But no matter how Kenshin tries to ask, Megumi refuses to give him information about why Kanryu is chasing her... Megumi and Kenshin leave the shed where they talked, only to find Kauro, Sanosuke and Yahiko outback waiting for them. Suddenly the wall of the dojo breaks apart. A huge man enters, asking for Megumi, he tells them that his name is Hyottoko, a member of the Oniwabanshu. Sanosuke decides to tale this battle for himself: He jumps up in the air, dodging Hyottoko's punches and starts punching Hyottoko's stomach repeatedly. It has no effect. Hyottoko grabs Sanosuke and laughs. Suddenly, outside of Hyottoko's mouth comes a huge wave of fire, burning Sano's legs! Kenshin doesn't seem impressed, he tells Hyottoko that his little trick won't work on him. Hyottoko gets annoyed with Kenshin for calling his 'lethal fire breath' a trick and decides to kill him. Kenshin spins his sword rapidly, blocking the flames coming out of the giant's mouth until Hyottoko's oil runs out. But Sanosuke won't let Kenshin finish him off, he thanks Kenshin for his help and decides to attack Hyottoko himself. Hyottoko just drank another bag of oil and he is ready to fire away (bad pun). Instead of trying to dodge it, Sano runs straight towards the flames coming out of Hyottoko's mouth, thus reducing the burns received from the fire and making it easier to attack as well. Sano punches Hyottoko in the mouth, shoving his hand through his throat and pulling the bag of oil out. Sano jumps in the air and kicks Hyottoko directly in the face. The battle is over. Megumi is amazed with Kenshin and Sanosuke's power, even though Sano is injured and burned she still can't believe he won at all. Just then one of Beshimi's darts, who sitting on a tree nearby, comes flying towards Megumi!

With quick thinking, Yahiko leaps towards the dart, blocking it with his arm. Yahiko tells the worried Kauro that it is only a scratch and that he could hardly feel it, but he suddenly faints. Beshimi explains that his darts are filled with poison and that poor Yahiko won't even last an hour. Annoyed, Kenshin jumps up in the air and prepares to hit Beshimi but a freaky masked man snatches Beshimi from behind. He takes Beshimi and Hyottoko on his shoulder and escapes, not before telling Kenshin that he is looking forward to battling him. "He's strong," Kenshin thinks to himself... Meanwhile, Yahiko is dying! Kauro prepares to suck the poison out of Yahiko's wound but Megumi stops her. She tells Kauro that sucking the poison may cause infections and won't do any good. She sits next to Yahiko and examines him, she realizes that Yahiko has been poisoned with mandara (thorn-apple) poison! She tells Kauro to go buy medications, Kenshin to boil some water and Sano to buy as much ice as he could. The group is in disbelief from the amount of experience Megumi seems to have. Megumi carries Yahiko into a room and just before leaving to buy ice, Sanosuke finds something odd that fell from Megumi's pockets... Opium.