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Story Synopsis

Usagi, Gen and Sanshobo travel east following Chizu. Without a real trail to follow, they can only go on what she told Usagi and they make for the coast. As they travel, Usagi asks Sanshobo about Lord Ikeda and his apparent history with the neko ninja clan. Sanshobo explains that during his reign, Lord Ikeda favoured a consort who turned out to be a neko ninja agent. She passed on military secrets to his enemies during the civil wars, almost leading to his downfall. His brilliance in military stragegy saved him and his fief. When the trail of evidence led him back to his favourite consort, he put her to death himself.

Not long after, they happn upon the scene of Chizu and Saru's short lived duel. A little further on and they spy the corpse of a komori ninja. Not far away, Chizu and Saru try to use the trees to keep the komori ninja at bay. Breaking from the treeline, they head toward the nearby sea cliffs. They sprint toward them, knowing that the strong current will prevent the sword's retrieval if only they can get there.

The komori ninja assail them as they run and no matter how many they cut down, there seem to be more. They are quickly surrounded and Chizu takes a shoulder wound, damaging her sword-arm. She drops grasscutter and stands to defend it. All seems lost as the komori ninja dive in for the kill when a familiar long-eared samurai appears in their midst, his sword already bloody. Usagi picks up grasscutter and joined by his companions, they hold the komori ninja at bay - for the moment.

Hopelessly outnumbered, Chizu is resigned to her death, but sees a way to still come out victorious. With a vicious kick to Usagi's back, she steals grasscutter once more and makes a sudden dash to the sea cliff. Gen is unable to stop her and with all her strength, she hurls grasscutter from the clifftop. Only to see it snatched up inches from the waves by a komori ninja.

Saru surprises all by flinging herself from the clifftop to grab the gloating komori ninja. Saru neatly disembowells him and the pair plunge toward the sea, taking the sword with them. Another Komori ninja plunges in after them but after many minutes, none of them resurface; The strong current insuring that they and the sword are lost forever.

Chizu looks to the leader of the komori ninja for his next move. He compliments her on her fighting ability and introduces himself as Kurokaze (Blackwind), before flying away with his comrades. Chizu bids Usagi farewell, ignoring Gen's ranting and shutting him up by giving Usagi an unexpected kiss.

Several days travel later finds Usagi, Gen and Sanshobo back at the hut of Lord Ikeda. He receives Usagi's news that the sword is lost with some amusement before producing a long, thin bag and producing grasscutter from within. Not trusting the neko ninja, he replaced the sword with an iron bar from his fire-pit as the other three slept. Sanshobo is as amused as Gen is not. In any case, they have another chance to deliver grasscutter to Atsuta shrine.