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Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his na ve, diffident nature has time and again caused him to be let go by the lords who have employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called Five Leaves. Although disturbed by the gang's sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi's motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he's drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.

Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke was persuaded to join the kidnapping ring "Five Leaves" after drawing the interest of its charismatic leader, Yaichi. At Yaichi's prompting he becomes employed as a guard for Katsuraya, a house of ill repute. However, after succumbing to illness he withdraws to the country villa of Goinkyo, an associate of the Five Leaves, to recover. While there, he inadvertently learns more about the history of the gang--particularly the gruff but kind Ume--and about the cords that bind each of the members to their pasts. But the more Masa learns, the more the mysteries deepen...