Shino, Sosuke, and Genpachi go to the Imamura doll maker to pick up a set of dolls for the elite church member's order. As they walk toward the house, they meet an old man enjoying the flowers and also hear a voice of a boy, singing to the Sakura trees. Confused, they continue on to the house, where they meet Daikaku and Hinaginu, the children of the doll maker. For some strange reason, the doll maker had disappeared without finishing the dolls. Shino demands that Daikaku, his heir, to finish the dolls, but he refuses, saying that he is unable to capture the expression of the doll. Angry Shino mutters to himself while walking in the backyard, where a young boy chucks a decorated ball at his head, telling him to leave Daikaku alone. Confused, Shino picks up the ball and goes to beg Daikaku to finish the dolls, also noticing the many cat dolls around the room. Shino continues to check out the house, where he finds a room full of live-sized dolls.

Shino confronts Nachi about the magical barrier around Daikaku's house. Meanwhile, the young boy runs off and Shino chases after him. Daikaku stands in the room, slowly remembering the day of his "murder." Shino confronts the boy, which he realizes is Daikaku's cat. The boy falls off a Sakura tree, because his constant begging for blooms had begun to take its toll on the forest. Shino reverts the forest to its original state by breaking the barrier, and the boy begins fearing the return of the "murderer" that had tried to kill Daikaku. Daikaku realizes that his father had actually died and that the man who killed him is coming for him too. When the man killed Daikaku, his cat gave him the Bead of Etiquette, which kept him alive. He wonders back in the present day on how he is still alive. A sudden visitor visits them, muttering over and over -- "Daikaku is my son." Daikaku almost gets eaten, but the cat boy saves him.

When Shino learns Ao’s current whereabouts, he runs off to find him.

Ao breaks the anti-Tengu barriers that have been keeping Shinobu hidden from the Tengu that had spirited him away. Hazuki is quick to retrieve his “son” once he finds him. While on the other side, Shinobu’s sealed memories resurface.

Shinobu is fatally injured when trying to protect Hazuki from Ao! Now it is Hazuki’s turn to save Shinobu at the cost of half of his own life.

Shino is desperate to get Sosuke’s gem back, but neither Ao nor Tamazusa is going to make this easy. All of his friends are willing to help, but is it really wise to gather all eight of the Dog Warriors in one place...