Shortly thereafter, Hidetora and his samurai retinue are besieged militarily by Taro and Jiro's combined forces. As Taro and Jiro's forces storm the castle, Taro is killed by a bullet fired by Jiro's general, Kurogane. In a short but violent siege, Hidetora's defenders are slaughtered and the Third Castle is destroyed by fire. Hidetora is allowed to survive though without any supplies or bodyguards and he succumbs to madness after wandering away from the decimated castle. Hidetora is discovered wandering in the wilderness by Kyoami and Tango, who are still loyal to him, and stay to assist Hidetora. In his madness, Hidetora is haunted by horrific visions of the people he destroyed in his quest for power. They take refuge in a peasant's home only to discover that the occupant is Tsurumaru, the brother of Lady Sué, Jiro's wife. Tsurumaru had been blinded and left impoverished after Hidetora took over his land and killed his father, a rival lord.