Facing starvation at the hands of the Nobuseri, the farmers of Kanna Village make a desperate decision: hire samurai to wage war. The village's Water Priestess, Kirara, her little sister Komachi, and a heartbroken man named Rikichi journey to a giant merchant city. Navigating dangerous streets filled with ronin, they must find willing samurai before their village is lost.

In an unpredictable mix of heroics and political maneuverings, the rescue team finds a way out of the Capital alive, and takes refuge at the Firefly House. With Kambei pardoned, Sanae and Muzuki freed, and peace promised to Kanna, it seems the samurai's work is done. But the merchant Maro has a warning: the true struggle has only begun.

The group has gotten the Magistrate's attention--never a good thing. Viewing samurai "relics" as a threat to merchant authority, their scuffle with his son makes a convenient excuse. He orders the group's execution, farmers and samurai alike. As they battle a string of assassins, Kambei encounters one silent, incredibly skilled samurai he is determined to recruit.

Frustrated by their inability to find willing (and capable) samurai, Kambei's group stops at a teashop to recharge. There, they are told of a wandering, moneyless man who chops wood with his sword to pay for meals. As they soon learn, that is only the start of this nomad's peculiar, rice-loving, philosophizing ways. But his uniqueness could prove invaluable.

After the mysterious murder of the Imperial Envoy in the Magistrate's home--with a bloody sword as the only clue--a citywide hunt for all samurai begins. With a high price suddenly on their heads, the band of samurai must escape the city fast. Kikuchiyo, the erratic and blundering machine, seizes the moment to prove himself to the team.

With Kikuchiyo's fate uncertain, Kambei leads the samurai into a city of relaxation--and pays a visit to a trusted friend. Shichiroji fought with Kambei in the Great War, but has settled down to a peaceful life with a woman he adores. Can samurai truly abandon the warrior way? Will Shichiroji leave his love, and take up his sword again?

The samurai escape a merchant raid, only to find themselves in a cavern city under the watchful gaze of the Shikimoribito. Who are these mysterious "Guardians"? Man or machine? Ally or enemy? A new friend tries to explain, but she is hiding something, too. Will these secrets mean trouble for the samurai, and the farmers they've sworn to protect?

Kikuchiyo has been foolishly captured by the Bandits, and the samurai must leave the caves to rescue him. But as soon as they reach daylight the towering machines ambush them. Clearly a traitor is in their midst. Can Kambei and the others survive their first clash with the Nobuseri? And how should samurai deal with betrayal?

Knowing legions of Nobuseri will be searching for them soon, Kambei decides the group must go to Kanna immediately, though the team of seven is not yet complete. Dividing into smaller groups to avoid detection, the samurai and farmers embark down three separate paths to the village. To survive the trek, new bonds of trust must be quickly forged.

Katsushiro has taken a step on the samurai path he can never take back: he's made his first kill. Kirara is guilt-ridden, feeling she's pushed Katsushiro into spilling blood before he was ready. Meanwhile, the village is thrown into an uproar, debating what to do with the traitor, Manzo. Only a surprising revelation from Kikuchiyo can reunite the splintered group.