The time for reconnaissance, planning, and waiting is over! Rin and Döa, desperate to be reunited with their friends (or even reassured that they’re alive), take their first bold steps in penetrating Edo Castle’s defenses and foiling Kagimura’s foul "immortality" experiments! A trip to an old doctor, a chance encounter with a high-strung peasant, and an appearance by a strange, all-new Itto-ryü warrior combine to make this volume an important series of encounters in persistent Rin’s quest to find Manji and Isaku—and in her own growth as a warrior! The "Badger Hole" is a dank passageway that leads to an underground tunnel system beneath Edo Castle. With some new skills and tricks, these two young ladies brave darkness and the promise of death to run headlong towards Kagimura’s cruel prisons, where Manji hangs drugged and helpless!