Tokyo, Downtown, 11th year of Meiji (1878)
A young lady stopped a man whom she called “Battousai the Manslayer”. She tried to fight him because she accused him of killing 3 people. To prove his innocence, the man showed his reverse-edged sword and said he couldn’t slay anyone with it. Suddenly, they heard some noise. A man who claimed to be Battousai was attacking the policemen. The young lady tried to stop him but “Battousai” was able to cut her wooden sword. The wanderer with the reverse-edged sword helped her. They heard more policemen coming so “Battousai” ran away. He said that he’s using the Kamiya Kasshin style. The young lady said that Kamiya Kasshin is her family’s style and she wants to clear its name. She passed out and woke up in her home, also the school for Kamiya Kasshin style. She found out that the wanderer brought her back home.

The lady’s name is Kaoru and she introduced Dr. Gensai and his two granddaughters to the wanderer. Dr. Gensai was the Kamiya school’s family doctor. He was left to take care of Kaoru when her parents passed away.

Kaoru told the wanderer that he could stay there until he leaves town. Later, three of Kaoru’s students came to tell that they’re parent wouldn’t allow them to study the style of the murderer “Battousai” which was taught in her dojo.

While she was taking a bath, the wanderer heard some noise in the bathroom and thought she was going to kill herself. He went in and saw Kaoru half-naked.

As for his punishment, she locked him up. The wanderer asked Kaoru if she knew a former student who’s left handed with paralyzed right thumb. Kaoru didn’t want to think that the man claiming to be “Battousai” was one of their students. She said their style was not for killing and she would risk her life to protect the style. The wanderer said that her father surely wouldn’t want her to do that. Kaoru left to rest.

She went back to apologize to the wanderer but he was gone.

While Kaoru was sleeping she had a dream. One of their students was hurting the others. She was a little girl back then. His father came and the wicked student tried to attack him and so the sensei broke his right thumb so he wouldn’t be able to hold a sword again. Before the student left, he saw Kaoru.

When Kaoru woke up, she searched their list and found the name Godhei Hiruma and while she was looking at it, Godhei with his gang broke into Kaoru’s house. He said that he wanted revenge so he used the Kamiya Kasshin style to kill people and then he wanted Kaoru dead.

Kaoru picked up a wooden sword and attacked Godhei but she was defeated. Godhei said he would make her suffer. Suddenly, the wanderer came and Godhei remembered him. He told his men to attack but the wanderer knocked them all down. The wanderer said that Battousai’s style wasn’t Kamiya Kasshin but instead he used Hiten Mitsurugi. Kaoru and Godhei realized that the wanderer was the real Battousai.

Godhei raised his sword but the wanderer was already above him. He hit Godhei’s fingers so he wouldn’t be able to swing a sword again.

The wanderer apologized to Kaoru for not telling the truth about himself. Kaoru asked him to stay and help her build the Kamiya Kasshin. The wanderer whose real name was Kenshin Himura accepted the offer.