At KONDO's suggestion, HIJIKATA told Kuwajiro that KONDO had entrusted to him something so important but also so terrible that he wanted Kuwajiro to share responsibility for it, that thing being IMAI's life; and if anything happened to IMAI, both HIJIKATA and Kuwajiro would have to commit seppuku.
そこで近藤に意を含められた土方が「自分は近藤から大切な預かり物をしたが大変な物なので大石にも共同責任を負ってほしい、その預かり物とは今井の命であり、今井に万一があれば土方・大石両名は切腹せねばならぬ」と釘を刺した。