In the middle of a rainstorm, Ichi overhears a man being killed by a group and then dragged off into the brush. Tired of wandering, he decides to visit his hometown not noticing until later that the townspeople are living in fear of a local yakuza gang. At a teahouse, he meets Umeno, a former love interest. In the meantime, the boss's eldest son returns from university expecting a large sum of money to be paid to him, but the boss refuses. The youngest son, who is also wanting the money, hires Yojimbo (Toshiro Mifune) to assassinate him as he is the boss's top enforcer. Yojimbo, however, is more than happy to bide his time drinking and making him wait. Eventually, another rōnin armed with a double barreled pistol wanders into town, wanting the bounty on Zatoichi's head. While Zatoichi makes short work of him, eventually the boy grows tired of his father's apparent unwillingness to hand over the gold and begins to build an army to combat him. Caught up in the middle of the conflict, Zatoichi battles both sides until every one falls dead. Taking his opportunity, Yojimbo catches the weary Zatoichi and fights a quick duel, which he wins by slicing him across the back. Directed by Kihachi Okamoto Produced by Shintaro Katsu Written by Kihachi Okamoto Tetsuro Yoshida Starring Shintaro Katsu Toshiro Mifune Ayako Wakao Music by Akira Ifukube