For the story so far, simply watch all 13 episodes of the anime and then read my summaries of the previous manga chapters. I'm assuming that you're reading this to find out what happens next, so the following are packed with spoilers. Since this page contains some large pictures, please be patient with the slow loading.

This chapter introduces Hijiri, who can be seen as the Chichiri of the BASARA world. He's the calm and collected foil to Nachi's boisterous persona. Basically, Hijiri does all the thinking and Nachi does all the talking. They're pretty cute together ^_^.

Where we last left off, Sarasa & Co. finally hiked up to the Motomiya Shrine thanks to Nachi's excellent guidance. The Emperor's procession - including Kazan & Chigusa - has not arrived yet, but the place is already crawling with soldiers. So the whole gang needs a place to hide. That's when Nachi introduces them to his pal, Hijiri, and everybody gets sheltered at the Tengu Hall, which is sort of a local gang.

By the way, Hijiri is probably the first person to instinctively guess that Sarasa is a girl upon meeting her. Too bad his (correct) assumption is immediately shot down by Nachi.

"Dumbass! Are you blind?! ... Girls are supposed to have big boobies."

At the Tengu Hall, everyone gets better acquainted, and Sarasa explains her rescue mission to the Tengu Group. But Hijiri isn't impressed. He questions Sarasa about her ultimate objective, and finally forces her to admit to herself what she really wants: that is to overthrow the Emperor of Japan and establish a new country. Until now, Sarasa's mission has been a personal one. All she wants is to rescue her mother, kill the Red King, and set up a new village for her people. But now, she has set her sight upon a loftier goal: revolution.

Hijiri is pleased to hear these words from Sarasa, and gladly offers his assistance. Him and Nachi are both rebels at heart. They immediately start planning the rescue mission.

Hijiri quickly sends one of the Tengu members to go guide Sarasa's men from the ship to the Shrine. However, Asagi also sends his henchman Ranmaru out to prevent Sarasa's remaining followers from reaching the Shrine. To do this, Ranmaru quietly disposes of the Tengu guide so that the rest of Sarasa's company is stranded in the middle of the forest.

Meanwhile, Kazan and Chigusa are slowly making their way to Motomiya Shrine. They're followed by Chacha and Zaki, who survey their every move.

At the Nachi Waterfall (yes, the character of Nachi is named after the waterfall), Kazan tells Chigusa to blend into the crowd and escape. Naturally, Chigusa contemplates escaping. But she's torn by conflicted emotions:

"Will this man be killed by the Red King for saving me? Then, will that be my revenge...? Why does he have to be a 'good person'? Any man who can kill my son with that cruel sword cannot be a 'good person'! It would be easier for me to hate him if he was simply a cold-blooded demon...!"

In the end, Chigusa decides to stay with Kazan. Her reasoning? She wants to be there to witness Kazan's death. Chacha saw the whole thing and she's devastated. How can a woman willingly stay with the man who killed her husband and son? A tearful Chacha decides not to tell Sarasa about this, because she knows it would be too much for Sarasa to bear.

Back at Tengu Hall, things are looking bleak. The Emperor's procession has finally arrived at Motomiya, but the rest of Sarasa's company are nowhere to be found (they're still lost in the forest). On the bright side, Sarasa is reunited with Chacha and Zaki. But even with their help, there are not enough men (and women) to fight General Kazan and his army.

That night, Chacha infiltrates into the place where Kazan and his men are staying, and pours the sleeping draught into their dinner. At the same time, Asagi walks by Kazan's window and slips him an anonymous note warning him about Sarasa's attack. The evil boy just can't help himself ^_^;

Before the attack, Hijiri offers his alliance to Sarasa and tells everyone about the local Nagi tree, which is said to be a protection charm.

But thanks to Asagi, things do not go as planned. Rather than ambushing Kazan, Sarasa gets ambushed instead. All the Red Army soldiers only pretends to be sleeping. So once Sarasa's team enters the house, they soon find themselves surrounded.

Meanwhile, Hijiri is standing by outside of the house with Miki, a little Shrine Maiden who can speak the words of God. Suddenly, she goes into a trance and foreshadows the coming of a third party.

Basara is not available in English. What you see here are manga panels I scanned and modified - meaning I erased the Japanese writing and typed in the English translation. Keep in mind I translated this manga chapter myself, so there are bound to be mistakes. But it's all for the fans' enjoyment, and I get no profit whatsoever. It's also tedious work, so I would appreciate it if you don't rip them off and call them your own.