(cont'd - Saitou) Married to a woman named Tokio, he lived as a police captain for several years, doing jobs that required the skilled touch of a Mibu's wolf. However, when Shishio Makoto began to make his presence felt by the new Government, Saitou was assigned to find and 'test' Himura Battousai. He succeeded at finding Himura rather easily, and then paid a visit to the dojo that he was staying at. But what Saitou's superiors had hoped to be merely a test, however, turned into something much more deadly when the two warriors slipped back into their blood-thirsty selves. Only the arrival of one of the four men who paved the way for Japan's newfound peace could stop the two clashing titans, and Saitou and Kenshin had to be once again contented with a tie.

The two eventually become allies on their way to Shishio's fortress, and together (with Sagara Sanosuke) they managed to defeat Shishio and his Jupon Gatana. Tragedy struck, however, when the bridge crumbled just as they were leaving the burning fortress, leaving Saitou on the other side. Faced with no other choice, Himura and Sagara made their way out of the fortress without him. Presumed dead by the members of the Kenshin-gumi, Saitou surprisingly resurfaced sometime around the beginning of the Revenge arc. Offering much help to the struggling friends, he proved a valuable ally against Yukishiro Enishi during the Jinshuu Arc.

Hiko Seijuro As the 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi school, Seigiro Hiko served as Himura Kenshin's teacher and trainer. He is very physically strong, and possesses a cunning intelligence almost unmatched

by all. He believes strongly in the Hiten Mitsurugi principles, and believes that they should only use its power to a certain extent. He refused to allow Kenshin to join the Bakumatsu because he knew that to make a difference, Kenshin would have to choose sides-- something that went against the grain of everything the Hiten Mitsurugi taught. Kenshin disobeyed him, however, and the two did not part well. The next time Hiko saw Kenshin was several years later, when Kenshin had returned to Kyoto in order to defeat his successor, Shishio Makoto.

At first, Hiko refused to teach Kenshin the final, secret techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi because he thought that Kenshin had not changed after the Bakumatsu. He was convinced by the arrival of Misao, Kaoru, and Yahiko, however, because they told him that Kenshin had been busy for the past 10 years trying to atone for the lives he'd taken by becoming a Rurouni. They also spoke to him about his new mission; defeating Shishio Makoto, and how he would surely die if he did not learn the new techniques. At this, Hiko finally acquiesces to training Kenshin once more, and after much hard work, Kenshin learns the school's most deadly technique: the Ama Kakeru Ryuu No Hirameki! After teaching him this, Hiko sends him off to fight Shishio with his blessing, while promising (not quite) to keep Kaoru, Yahiko, and the others at the Aoiya safe.