Ina soon runs into a small group of bandits who threaten to kidnap her. These bandits are stopped when Yorikiro Wataro, the idealistic elder son of Hirotomo Wataro who has left his clan to live as a wandering samurai, appears to save Ina. Yorikiro manages, through luck, to kill two of the four bandits, but his katana is broken in the process. With no means to defend himself, Yori picks up Ina and attempts to escape. The two are forced to jump off a cliff and into a river below. After gaining consciousness from the fall, Ina grudgingly accepts Yorikiro's offer to follow her as a body guard. During introductions, both characters, for different reasons, avoid mentioning their clan names.