Kenshin has always believed that he was not all that instrumental to the Revolution. He feels that his blade was merely a tool of death that served only to kill men--the Imperialists could have fought on without him. What he doesn't know...is that he is very, very wrong. On a typical day in Tokyo, Kenshin manages to knock himself silly in his usual clumsy fashion. But when he awakens, he finds himself in a familiar world so altered he can scarcely recognize it. What has happened to the clean, bustling city of Tokyo? Where have his friends gone? Why is he hunted by swordsmen who are not police, who want him dead for reasons he barely understands? Welcome to a world where Battousai the Manslayer never existed. Welcome to a Japan that never stepped into the Meiji Era, beleaguered from without by the Western world it will not allow near. Welcome to a land warring with itself against poverty, starvation, and rebellion. Welcome to a Japan still firmly in the grip of the Tokugawa Regime, where law, caste, and tradition rule the daily lives of men. Kenshin soon discovers that the Battousai never fought for the Revolution in this world. A young red-haired boy was rescued by a legendary swordsman and left to starve, only to be recaptured by slavers. Kenshin finds himself living the life of Shinta Himura, a timid, fearful slave in the house of a powerful Samurai--a Samurai whose son he knows all too well. But...this is all a dream, right? A concussion-induced nightmare he's suffering due to the blow he took. A former manslayer is more than welcome in a Japan that still lives by the sword. "Shinta's" remarkable transformation into an invincible swordsman has not gone unnoticed. Now shadowy figures are asking him to help them start another rebellion...to do what he was not there to accomplish ten years ago. Kenshin is caught between caring for his young Samurai master and a heartfelt duty to free the other slaves and peasants. He sees their suffering...just like so long ago... Will he stand and battle? Or will he resign himself to living in a world in which he never had to draw blood? What will happen to his friends if this world remains the same? But if he chooses to fight, is this world ready for Hiten Mitsurugi?