while he tries to do his best for the people of yamato, his high position frequently puts him at an inability to act and so he sometimes uses the disguise of ukon (in which he removes his mask and puts on a fake beard) and the employment of haku to do so. in the climax of "mask of deception", he is accused of assassinating the mikado and attempting to assassinate princess anju and imprisoned, but rescued by haku. when they are pursued by vurai, however, he remains behind and the two duel in their transformed forms. due to nekone's interference, he fails to land his first finishing blow and takes a hit meant for her, and though he still manages to defeat vurai this costs him his life, and he hands his mask to haku.