Kenshin stumbles into their lives when he stops a gang of opium thugs from seizing Kaoru’s land deed. He does not kill them. He simply redirects their strikes—using the sakabatō to break wrists and knock men unconscious. One thug slashes his back. Kenshin does not flinch. He smiles, says "oro?" —and ends the fight.
In the autumn of 1880, Tokyo is a city of brass bands, silk top hats, and festering shadows. Former samurai, now destitute, drift into crime or drink. The police are undermanned; the government, paranoid. The Rurouni Kenshin
"Then I'm coming with you."
They clash. Saito's gatotsu thrust pierces Kenshin's shoulder. Kenshin's sakabatō snaps Saito's ribs. Neither wins. Both bleed. Kenshin stumbles into their lives when he stops
Saito: "You call yourself a protector. But a wolf who wears a sheep's mask still has fangs. The only difference between us, Battosai, is that I admit what I am." One thug slashes his back
Their first duel is not a fight. It is a philosophy lesson.