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Introduction[]

As the escapees and the alliance try to meet, they must contend with the combined forces of the Naraku and the Mimawarigumi. We are also shown the beginnings of the Shinsengumi.

Plot[]

Groups of ruffian swordsmen enter a building to apply for the Roshigumi police force, including a younger Kondo, Hijikata and Okita and the rest of Kondo's students. Kondo tells them to not worry about the other men and strive for their own dream, to become samurai in Edo. They walk past a younger Isaburo who stares at them and the scene switches to the present, showing that this was a memory. Isaburo is snapped from his thoughts by his subordinate, who points out the coming ships of the Shinsengumi. As the Mimawarigumi ships fire, the new commissioner wonders whose dreams will shatter, the Shinsengumi or Isaburo's, though he admits he will not go down without a fight.

Matsudaira, Kondo, and Katsura stop running through the forest when they hear the explosions from the bombardment. Kondo panics when he realizes that their groups were in danger, but Katsura reassures him. When the Mimawarigumi ships reach the burning enemy's ships, the men are shocked to see them empty. Suddenly, they all explode, taking some of the police's ships with them. Katsura states that the exploding ships were a common tactic Gintoki liked to use during their Joui War days and it helped alert the trio to where the alliance was actually stationed; a small beach leading to a large, tall rocky cliff face in the back of the island. Gintoki himself tells the Shinesengumi-Jouishishi alliance that this undefended area was the only other way to enter the island. Okita adds that they had limited time despite adding more decoys around the island, but the cliff had no footholds until halfway. Kagura suggests that someone climb to the halfway point and lower a rope to the rest and she volunteers... by throwing a tied -up Okita into the rock face as a makeshift rope anchor. Unfortunately, the rope is bloody and short so Kagura decides to throw a protesting Hijikata but "misses". Gintoki then decides to use some of the other men as stepping stones to the ropes, earning Hijikata's and Okita's wrath and devolving into their usual arguments. Meanwhile, Tae is watches them from afar, telling Shinpachi that she is surprised that she is able to smile despite the dangerous situation they were in. Shinpachi tells his sister to maintain her smile and wait at the boat while they save Kondo.

Back with the escapees, Katsura and Kondo sense the Naraku assassins approaching them and Katsura tells the ex-cops to flee while he buys them time. Kondo decides to help Katsura and tells Matsudaira to flee. As Matsudaira runs, he thinks back to the past, when he talked to the new Roshigumi recruits, who were hooligans or wandering samurai with no other skills other than swordsmanship, about their task to defend Edo from their similar swordsmen, the Jouishishi (a disguised Katsura overhears the speech). Although he knew that in reality, the government wanted to make use the Roshigumi and Jouishishi to destroy each other, what the government deems as stray dogs, he admits that these same stray dogs are the new hope for this new era. He adds that these strays have become noble wolves. Kondo and Katsura easily defeat the assassins, declaring that their only enemy had always just been the other. However, the Jouishishi leader realizes that the assassins were there to stall the two men while the full force of the Naraku were after the alliance, who are still climbing the cliff. As they run, Katsura sees Isaburo in the distance and pushes Kondo out the way before the Mimawarigumi leader shoots, hitting Katsura in the stomach. The two men quickly hide and sees themselves being surrounded by the white-clothed cops.

Back at the cliffs, the alliance sees the Naraku archers on the top as the assassins begin firing. Kagura angrily climbs the cliffs to fight them but an arrow dislodges a foothold and Kagura falls. She is caught by Okita but the two become vulnerable as the second arrow barrage is ready. Before they fire, they are caught off guard when Elizabeth drills out the earth behind them followed by Saito and the other men. Oboro realizes that Gintoki, Hijikata, and some of the alliance had made themselves bait and a distraction while the others were approaching from underground, a plan concocted by experienced spy Yamazaki. With the plan successful, the bait group reach the top (including Okita throwing Kagura up the cliff). Oboro concedes to their strength of making it this far before hitting both enemy and ally with another arrow barrage, with one of the arrows injuring Yamazaki. The group finds themselves surrounded by Naraku led by Oboro on one side and the Mimawarigumi led by Nobume on the other. Both Gintoki and Okita tell Hijikata to find Kondo while they confront Oboro and Nobume respectively. Stunned, he agrees, and running with his group, including Elizabeth and Saito, tells everyone that the final Shinsengumi Code was to survive.

Back in the forest, Isaburo tells Kondo that he is surrounded and so he will be able to save his comrades by letting himself be killed. The injured Katsura tells the ex-cop to leave while he distracts them. Kondo refuses, propping up Katsura. He thanks Katsura for making him realize his will to live and to see his Shinsengumi comrades again as well as seeing Katsura as a friend. As long as they work together to live, they will be able to see their friends again. Isaburo watches Kondo and thinks back to the Roshigumi's beginnings, reminded of Kondo's unique personality. The Roshigumi was actually Isaburo's idea but it appears to be a failure, as since the gathering of the hooligans, they have been fighting one aother to be the boss, one of them a group lead by a mohawk - haired man calling himself Mountain Zaki. He grew angry at Kondo's indifference at his threats and badmouthed him and his group, who were the only one not participating in the in-fighting. Despite Kondo's warnings, Mountain Zaki and his small band attacked but are stopped cold by the show of strength of Hijikata and Okita's simple swings, breaking the ground. Kondo suggested that they should train together sometime and the mohawk man reveals that his real name is... Yamazaki Sagaru.

Characters[]

  1. Shinsengumi
    1. Kondou Isao
    2. Hijikata Toushirou
    3. Okita Sougo
    4. Yamazaki Sagaru
    5. Saitou Shimaru
  2. Mimawarigumi
    1. Sasaki Isaburo
    2. Imai Nobume
  3. Jouishishi
    1. Katsura Kotarou
    2. Elizabeth
  4. Sakata Gintoki
  5. Kagura
  6. Shimura Shinpachi
  7. Shimura Tae
  8. Tenshouin Naraku
    1. Oboro
  9. Matsudaira Katakuriko
  10. Takasugi Shinsuke (flashback)

Trivia[]

  • The Japanese word for "mountain" is "yama" (山), so Mountain Zaki, in Japanese, is Yama-zaki.
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