Amado defects from Kara. Desiring to seek asylum in the Leaf Village, he takes Shikadai hostage. If granted asylum, Amado promises to provide the Leaf Village with every bit of knowledge that he has about Kara.

Traveling merchants have been attacked by vicious robbers. Wasabi, Namida, and Tsubaki of Team 15 are sent to the site of the incident to investigate. Tsubaki finds a clue that seems to point to samurai from her homeland, the Land of Iron. Furthermore, the clue belongs to a certain person that makes Tsubaki tremble in fear. That person is someone that she respected long ago, a fellow apprentice with whom she trained and honed her swordsmanship with—someone with whom Tsubaki shares a certain fate!