"The Withered Field"
Usagi waits his turn at a fight school to test his skills, when a curious stranger defeats all of the students, each in turn, then demands a match against the sword-master. The staff at the school are outraged, and send everybody away. Usagi later befriends the man, Nakamura Koji, and is with him when a group of students ambush Nakamura. Usagi joins forces with Nakamura, slaying the students. Nakamura tells his story of how, long ago, one swordsman bested him, and his life-long goal had become to best this swordsman in a rematch.
Nakamura sees Usagi's style, and deduces that the elusive swordsman must have been Usagi's sensei, Katsuichi. Nakamura demands a duel with Usagi, and bests him. Nakamura tasks Usagi with telling Katsuichi that, in one year, their duel will be at Kitanoji Temple.