There is a theory that Takamori SAIGO, Toshimichi OKUBO and other activists, who aimed for the violent overthrow of the Shogunate, intentionally leaked Ryoma's whereabouts to the Shogunate side because they became cautious about such Ryoma's changed attitudes.
武力倒幕を目指していた西郷隆盛、大久保利通らが、こうした龍馬の動きを看過できなくなり、故意に幕府側に龍馬の所在を漏らしたとする説。