Sugimoto Saichi, called "Immortal Saichi" for his incredible powers of survival, is panning for gold in the far north when he hears a story about buried treasure, hidden by a death row inmate. He decides to go after the treasure, but it will be a journey far longer and far more dangerous than he'd ever imagined...

Saichi and Asirpa head to Otaru, the largest town in the area, in seach of the tattooed prisoners. They quickly find out that they're not the only ones after the treasure. The army is looking for it too! Saichi has to face off against a deadly sniper, and a horrible cold front is setting in too...

Sugimoto and Asirpa are pursued by soldiers from the 7th Division. Private Genjirō Tanigaki finds Asirpa, but is fought off by Retar. Sugimoto evades capture after diving into a bear cave, whose occupant charges and kills the soldiers before succumbing to its wounds. Sugimoto and Asirpa take a baby bear found in the cave to Asirpa's village, and visit Asirpa's grandmother ("Huci"). Lieutenant Tokushirou Tsurumi, the leader of the 7th, mounts a search effort for the missing soldiers. Meanwhile, at a brothel in Otaru, Hijikata ambushes the tattooed prisoner Ushiyama Tatsuma, and offers to work with to him collect the tattooed skins.

Shiraishi meets Ushiyama and Ienaga, who survived the explosion, but does not disclose this to Sugimoto. Sugimoto’s group encounter Inkarmat, a traveling Ainu fortune teller who Asirpa does not trust. Shiraishi takes Inkarmat to a horse race, where they win two races on Inkarmat’s predictions. Kiroranke meets old friends at the track, who ask him to ride a horse and throw the race at the behest of a yakuza boss. Shiraishi bets all his money on the last race, but it is won by Kiroranke, who defies the yakuza boss. In Barato, Ogata meets with Hijikata and joins his group.

While searching for the body of a tattooed prisoner stolen from his grave, Tsurumi encounters Edogai Yasaku, a taxidermist who creates clothing from human skin. Tsurumi wins Edogai's affections by praising his skills, and commissions Edogai to create fake tattooed skins to confuse the other treasure hunters. At Asirpa's village, a recovered Tanigaki promises Huci that he will bring Asirpa home safely. He is joined by Inkarmat, unaware that she is working for Tsurumi.

The collected groups search Edogai's workshop for a way to identify the fake tattoos, but are attacked by the 7th. The groups split up, with plans to reunite in Ashibetsu. Elsewhere, Tanigaki and Inkarmat agree to travel with the orphan Cikapasi. Hijikata makes plans to break into Abashiri Prison to question Nopperabo, utilizing Shiraishi's escape skills. After a dream where Sugimoto kills him for his betrayal, Shiraishi flees, but encounters the 7th.

Shiraishi is captured by the 7th, though Hijikata and Kiroranke attempt and fail to rescue him. Tsurumi meets his old friend Lt. General Arisaka, a weapon designer who gives Nikaidō a false leg that can fire buckshots. Hijikata introduces his companions to Kiyohiro Suzukawa, a con artist and tattooed prisoner. Suzukawa disguises himself as Shirosuke Inudō, the warden of Abashiri Prison, in an elaborate plan to rescue Shiraishi.

Under the guise of quelling a prison riot, Tsurumi leads an assault on Abashiri Prison. Tsurumi corners Sugimoto in Nopperabo's cell, but Kadokura releases the master prison lock to save himself, freeing all of the prison's inmates. Hijikata and Anji take Asirpa and follow Inudou to a chapel where Wilk is being held, but Asirpa flees. Sugimoto escapes, but is badly wounded by Nikaidō. As Sugimoto drags himself away, he encounters a crippled man with blue eyes.

The blue-eyed man confirms he is Wilk after seeing Asirpa's makiri[b], but says he will only reveal the location of the gold to Asirpa. Wilk tells Sugimoto that he wished to raise Asirpa to be the guerrilla leader of the Ainu, and that he did not kill the Ainu to acquire the gold. Sugimoto and Wilk are suddenly shot in the head by Ogata, killing Wilk. Tanigaki pulls them out of the line of fire, but finds Inkarmat stabbed, who warns him that Kiroranke has betrayed them. Shiraishi flees with Asirpa, where they are joined by Kiroranke and Ogata, who tells them that Wilk and Sugimoto are both dead. Sugimoto awakens heavily bandaged, while Inkarmat recovers nearby, watched by Tsurumi. Assuming that Kiroranke is taking Asirpa to his associates in Karafuto, Tsurumi sends Tsukishima and Koito with Sugimoto and Tanigaki to intercept them. Asirpa has a dream in which Sugimoto tells her that he is still alive.

Asirpa negotiates with the American trader Mr. Eddie Dunn for the return of a sealskin wedding garment worn by her great aunt, but he will only sell it to her if she kills a huge bear which has been attacking his horses. Asirpa, Sugimoto, Kiroranke and Shiraishi and one of Dunn's men track the bear, but Asirpa realizes that there are three bears. The group take shelter in an abandoned house, but Dunn's man is grabbed through a window and killed by a bear. The situation is dire as they have not ammunition and Asirpa no longer has her bow and arrows

Saichi Sugimoto and his group arrive in Karafuto to search for Asirpa and Kiroranke. They meet a Karafuto Ainu girl and with her help reach a Russian village, where Kiroranke's group has been seen lately. By chance, another tattooed prisoner is found in the same village...

Sugimoto, Tanigaki, Cikapasi, and Ryu get lost in a blizzard. Meanwhile, Kiroranke is taking Asirpa to see an old friend of her father's.

Asirpa reaches Kiroranke to witness his final moments and tell him that she has remembered something important. The group leaves Ako, but before going back to Hokkaido they need to find a doctor take care of Tsukishima's and Ogata's wounds.

As Sugimoto and the members of the 7th Division head back into Japanese territory, they're attacked by a sniper.

Kadokura challenges Sekiya, one of the tattooed prisoners, to a deadly game in order to save the life of Hijikata.

The members of the 7th hunt a strange man at the Noboribetsu hot springs.

Asirpa comes face to face with the 7th Division, and doesn't like what she sees.

The steamship that Sugimoto's party is riding on is attacked by Botaro the pirate.

Usami and Kikuta remain on the hunt for the killer as Botaro tries to unravel the mystery of Asirpa and Sugimoto's relationship.