Naraku sets a trap for Sango's village by luring the five best fighters (including Sango, her father, and her brother Kohaku) into leaving the village to go on a mission (which in turn is yet another trap). After the five leave, Naraku lets slip to nearby yōkai that the village is in possession of shards of the Shikon no Tama and that the village's best fighters are away. The yōkai are angry with the village because of their profession and a huge hoard storm the village without second thought. The villagers fight hard but eventually everyone is killed.

Meanwhile, the five who left the village defeat the spider demon terrorizing the Lord's castle and Naraku takes control of Sango's younger brother Kohaku, and uses him to kill the two men accompanying the siblings and to kill their father. Next he orders Kohaku to kill Sango, and the boy wounds her in the back with his kusari-gama (chain-sickle). Naraku releases his control on Kohaku, and the boy realizes what he has done, and runs to Sango only to be shot with four arrows by the Lord's guards. Sango goes to him and is in turn shot by three arrows and blacks out. The castle people believe all of the slayers to be dead and bury Sango. Later, Sango regains conciousness and crawls out of her grave to be found by the young Lord Hitomi Kagewaki who briefly tends her wounds.

Back at the village, the demons left alive are fighting over the jewel shards they've found. Naraku appears and absorbs the remaining demons, taking the Shikon shards.

Later, Naraku comes to the young lord and tells him that Sango's village was raided by a yōkai named InuYasha. Sango overhears this from where she lays inside and immediately gets up, despite her wounds. Enraged she demands her weapon and swears to kill InuYasha at all costs. Naraku is told to guide her to Inuyasha and she changes into her battle gear and leaves with him. They use horses for part of the journey, but soon they must walk and Sango has a hard time. Naraku offers to lend her a Shikon shard for the pain of her injuries and she accepts.

Sango meets Inuyasha and the group not long after she leaves the castle. She immediately engages Inuyasha in battle, though he is reluctant to harm her once he learns that she is being misled by Naraku. Miroku tries to use his Kazāna to draw Sango's Hiraikotsu away from her, but Naraku is watching with a yōkai puppet and sends the Saimyōshō to deter Miroku from using his Kazāna. Sango keeps battling Inuyasha until he knocks hiraikotsu away. She uses poison gas to keep him away. Naraku, meanwhile, has stolen Kagome's shards and orders Sango to remain and slay Inuyasha, then leaves. Suspicious, Sango sends Kirara after him with orders to watch him. Miroku runs after Naraku as well. Sango attacks Inuyasha again, using more poison gas, and this time Inuyasha knocks her mask off. She becomes very confused when Inuyasha grabs her and leaps out of the cloud of poison. She convinces herself that he isn't trying to save her and stabs him in the arm as soon as they land. InuYasha, rather nonchalantly removing the katana from his arm, bluntly points out that Naraku is tricking her and that she is bleeding badly. Sango is shocked to see that he is right, as she had felt no pain, and passes out. She wakes up on Inuyasha's back with Kagome and Shippo as he runs after Naraku and is at first suspicious of his intentions. Kagome reassures her and she decides to trust Inuyasha for the moment.

Inuyasha fights Naraku with Miroku and Kirara. As they fight, Naraku reveals the truth about the attack on Sango's village and the death of her comrades and family. Sango is shocked, but soon stands up to fight him. He laughs and the shard in her back falls out and is stolen by a saimyōshō. Sango falls as her pain returns and curses Naraku as Kagome tries to comfort her. Inuyasha and Miroku continue to fight Naraku, but when they cut off his head, he regenerates and Sango realizes he is only a puppet. She tells Inuyasha how to defeat it, and he goes in for the killing blow. The only things left are Kagome's Shard, the shard in Sango, and a strange wooden doll wrapped in a strand of hair.

Later, the group returns to Sango's village, and Sango realizes they have already buried the villagers. Kagome asks her to join their group. Sango asks her about Kagome's shard and then decides to join them when she realizes Naraku will go after the shard.

The group learns from Sango that the Shikon no Tama has close ties with her village and she takes them to a cave, where the learn about Midoriko and her battle with the demons (and thus the creation of the Shikon no Tama).

Sango does indeed join the group, but it is obvious that she is uncomfortable with them at first and would rather be alone with her sorrow. However, she does realize that staying with the others will give her the best chance of finding Naraku and avenging her friends and family, and later, she appreciates the others for the support and kindness they offer her.