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Story Synopsis

The story opens with Usagi on a forest path shortly before nightfall, nearing Sanshobo's temple. He soon finds a number of brigands have surrounded the temple and are after a rich merchant who has found sanctuary within. Usagi decides it is worth the risk to scout the brigand's camp to find out their plans and how strong their leaders are.

Hoping to blend in with the large group of brigands in the darkness, Usagi gets close enough to overhear their plans to scale the temple walls that night and to slay all inside. Curiously, Usagi notes the brigand's leader is not present. Usagi is then finally found out by one of the brigands. He is able to make a mad dash away from and through brigands to the temple entrance, where Sanshobo pulls him inside before he is mobbed.

Once inside the temple compound, Sanshobo explains a merchant and his two porters sought sanctuary after being attacked by the brigands outside. Usagi relates to Sanshobo and Gen what he found out spying on the brigands, including that they were ordered to slay all the priests by their boss, who seems is to meet them soon. This arouses suspicions in Sanshobo who orders his priests to find the merchant and the porters. While the priests search for the merchant, Usagi takes Gen to "have a look" at the merchant's treasure chest.

A short while later, the priests bring the merchant and his porters to Sanshobo, saying they were found in a storage area, which is now a "huge mess." The merchant claims they were frightened and were simply looking for a place to hide, and he now wants Sanshobo to open the gates and let the bandits have the gold so they can keep their lives. Sanshobo is not convinced, and at this point Usagi and Gen return to reveal the merchant's chest is filled with only worthless rocks. The fake merchant and his porters then attack, but are quickly defeated by Usagi, Gen, and Sanshobo.

After the fake merchant revives, he is interrogated by Sanshobo with Gen and Usagi present. Sanshobo sees "It's obvious he's the leader of that gang of brigands outside." The gang leader refuses to reveal what he is after at the temple, but Gen and Usagi simultaneously realize he must be after the sword Grasscutter. Before Usagi, Gen, and Sanshobo can finish discussing how to handle the situation, the brigands begin to attack the temple, scaling its walls with grappling hooks.

After a fierce melee, the brigands are all either killed, unconscious, or have surrendered. Usagi, Gen, and Sanshobo return to question the leader further, only to find he has committed suicide by swallowing his tongue. Sanshobo wonders what kind of people they are up against, and then decides "Tomorrow we'll begin our journey to Atsuta shrine!"