Kidnapped and bound by three Itto-ryü warriors, Rin is unable to warnher bodyguard Manji, the immortal swordsman, that he's heading into atrap. To make matters worse, the Itto-ryü possess a large dose ofkessen-satsu, the only poison known to damage Manji's blood and severelycripple his regenerative abilities. And is Mugai-ryü assassin Giichifollowing Manji in order to help rescue Rin... or will he just stick around longenough to finish off any survivors?