Taito Magatsu, a member of the Ittō-ryū, decides to leave and lead a normal life. O-Ren, his prostitute lover reluctantly wishes him well. When Rin takes Manji's unusual weapons to a blacksmith for sharpening, she sees Magatsu's Western sword and begs Magatsu to sell it to her. He agrees if she can tell him where to find the daughter of the Asano dojo, suspecting that she is that girl. Rin explains to Manji that this sword was once in the possession of her father Kurose before the Ittō-ryū raided the dojo. Later, when two men carry Magatsu in a covered litter toward the Ittō-ryū dojo, they stab him, but he retaliates and they die before revealing their employer. After he arrives at the dojo, Anotsu tells him that the Ittō-ryū will be a branch of the shogunate, regaining their former status, however Magatsu tells Anotsu that he wants to quit. Manji sees Rin crying in her sleep over the death of her parents, and he decides to retrieve the sword for her. Manji later encounters Magatsu in a nearby forest, and demands the sword. Magatsu, using the sword which separates into three sections, defeats Manji after stabbing him multiple times. However Manji recovers enough to stab Magatsu and recover the sword components which he takes back for Rin, before collapsing.