This narrative opens with a tragic event in which 26 individuals, including the lord of the castle and his relatives, were slain in the Takeda territory of Bungo Province. The sole survivor of this massacre is the young Jiromaru, who sharpens his swordsmanship in Edo and later adopts the name Yamakawa Saijiro. Driven by an intense thirst for vengeance, he pledges to eliminate his uncle, the current lord of the castle, Tamada Kozaemon. However, upon their reunion after some time, Kozaemon is rumored to appear as a disheveled and eccentric figure who shows little regard for status or honor, often referred to as a "stray crow."