The Sasaki family is as elite as it gets, and one of its members, Tetsunosuke, has joined the Shinsengumi.  He would have joined the Mimawarigumi, a police force with pedigree, but he is considered a troublemaker, which is why he was sent to the Shinsengumi.  Kondo assigns Tetsu to Hijikata as an assistant, so Hijikata is forced to endure the new recruit...
Penniless beggars with no 
pedigree or training to speak of
Un grupo de pordioseros sin un solo yen
Mendigos sem status nem 
treinamento propriamente dito