Chapter 122: The Ninja

Ninjutsu is a complex concept. To be a true ninja, martial arts represent only a tiny fraction of the discipline. Beyond that, there are five mandatory subjects known as the "Five Paths of the Ninja": food, scent, medicine, energy, and body.

Ninjas primarily engage in espionage and assassination. As the saying goes, "wood hides in the forest." To conduct intelligence operations without being noticed, or to take a life when one is off-guard, the most important thing is to blend in as an ordinary person, ensuring no suspicion is aroused. While movies and plays often depict ninjas clad in black from head to toe, in reality, the colors used by ninjas are by no means limited to black.

Long Fei did not want to give these ninjas another chance. He launched himself into the air like a great roc spreading its wings, pouncing toward the three. Seeing this, the ninjas immediately drew their signature weapons: ninja sickles.

According to ancient methods, a ninja sickle should have a 12-centimeter blade and a 15-centimeter handle. Later, for portability, both were designed as 18-centimeter folding versions. When used as a sickle, the blade is pulled out at a right angle to the handle and secured with a pin. When used as a machete, the blade is pulled out in a straight line with the handle and secured with a pin.

Long Fei was too fast. Before the three white-clad ninjas could extend their sickles, he was already upon them. They attacked from high, mid, and low levels simultaneously, as if pre-arranged. Their coordination was so seamless that an ordinary person would have been unable to fend them off.

Of course, Long Fei was no ordinary person. While still in mid-air, he kicked toward the two ninjas on his left and right, while his coiled punch blasted straight at the unfortunate one in the middle. The ninjas on the sides took the bait; seeing the kicks coming, they prioritized self-preservation and dodged backward. This maneuver left their companion in the middle exposed. With the threat from the others gone, dealing with the center ninja became easy. As Long Fei landed, his fist had already sent the ninja, along with his sickle, flying into the wall behind. The man hit the ground, twitched twice, kicked his legs, and died.

The remaining two ninjas attacked again, using their sickles as machetes. The sound of the blades whistled through the air. Long Fei scoffed, flipped backward in mid-air, and cleared their attack range. They slashed at him, but he dodged, nearly causing them to strike each other. Reacting quickly, they shifted positions and stood back-to-back, facing Long Fei.

Long Fei didn't hesitate. He shot forward again like a sharp arrow. Sensing they couldn't withstand the blow, the ninjas threw something at the ground. A flash of white smoke appeared, and Long Fei paused. By the time he looked to strike again, the two had vanished into the smoke.

Long Fei stopped, feeling frustrated. He regretted being affected by the smoke; he had been a hair's breadth away from finishing them. Still, he wasn't overly anxious. He knew these mid-level ninjas hadn't truly disappeared; they were surely hidden behind one of the marble pillars. They lacked the magical illusions of someone like Abe Hiroaki and couldn't conjure decoys to distract him.

Walking toward the corpse of the first ninja, Long Fei quietly picked up a four-pointed caltrop from the ground and clenched it. He held his breath, sensing the location of the remaining two with his mind.

One step, two steps, three steps.

He finally sensed a faint breath behind the third marble pillar to his rear-left. It was so light that it was easily ignored, but Long Fei was focused. He turned his head to the right while snapping his hand backward, hurling the caltrop. A muffled groan followed. Long Fei looked back; the white-clad ninja stood behind the pillar with a blowgun in his mouth, likely preparing to fire a hidden weapon. He would never move again; the caltrop was embedded firmly in the center of his forehead. Blood poured out, and he collapsed, dead.

Suddenly, a slight sound came from behind the second pillar to the right. Long Fei, having no more weapons in hand, lunged toward the source. He was met with a thrown caltrop. He narrowly dodged it, and the ninja, drawing a short blade from somewhere, stabbed at him like lightning.

As long as the opponent didn't rely solely on ninjutsu, Long Fei was unconcerned. He retreated and advanced in a flash, his left hand reaching for the throat while his right foot kicked toward the crotch. The ninja was skilled, changing his blade’s trajectory to intercept Long Fei’s hand.

Long Fei pulled his hand back and accelerated the kick. A groan echoed. Ninjas are human too, and this one clearly hadn't practiced any internal iron-body arts. After taking a brutal blow to the groin, he writhed in agony. Long Fei didn't waste time; he crushed the man's head with a single stomp. Seeing blood leaking from the ninja's orifices, Long Fei withdrew.

Looking around, there were thirty-five corpses, but not a soul in sight. Having lost too much time, he ran to the iron door, only to find it locked tight. No matter what he tried, it wouldn't budge.

Channeling his inner strength, he struck the door with his palms over a dozen times. His palms burned, but the door remained unmoved. Looking closely at the door, he nearly fainted: it was five centimeters thick and made of alloy. No wonder he couldn't smash it.

Long Fei began to regret his bravado in entering the hall, though he knew that given his personality, he couldn't have stayed away. He had come to cause chaos for the Black Dragon Society, but instead, he had ended up trapped. He grumbled to himself in frustration.

Just as he was out of options, a series of clicks sounded, and the iron door opened from the outside. Once the mechanism was triggered, the heavy door pushed open with ease.

Phoenix rushed in. Seeing Long Fei was unharmed, her eyes settled. Long Fei hurried over, excited and curious. "How did you get here? How did you find me?"

He felt Phoenix tremble and realized he had instinctively grabbed her hand in his excitement. He let go awkwardly, pretending not to notice the flicker of loss and sadness in her eyes. He turned away and headed for the door. "Let's get out of here first!"

Seeing the black-clad corpses scattered on the ground, some still twitching, Phoenix explained what had happened. She had arrived at the Black Dragon Casino earlier, using ninjutsu to hide in the first-floor lobby. When she saw Long Fei being led away, she followed, but missed him. She checked the sixth floor, then the fourth, but couldn't find him.

Eventually, she tracked down the man who had led Long Fei away. Just as she found him, he was watching Long Fei slaughter thirty-two of his men. The man ordered dozens of elite Black Dragon members to support the others, but Phoenix assassinated him immediately after the order was given. She destroyed the surveillance equipment and rushed to the third basement level, where she decimated the remaining elites in just two minutes.

The two reached the fourth floor, where Phoenix vanished into stealth again. Long Fei took the elevator to the sixth floor.

The sixth floor, being the core area, had fewer men, but they were the absolute elite of the Black Dragon Society. Two guards blocked the elevator.

"Who are you?" one asked, his expression hostile.

Long Fei, already fuming, decided to stir up as much trouble as possible. Without a word, he grabbed the man and drove a knee into him. It wasn't a normal strike; the man's internal organs were likely displaced, leaving little chance of survival. The other guard threw a swift, powerful punch.

Long Fei scoffed and delivered an elbow strike to the guard's chest, immediately following up with a lightning-fast kick to the groin. The guard, like many others, didn't even get a chance to show his skills before being knocked down. A final kick to the head sent him flying, and he lay still.

These actions alerted the rest of the group. Two men with samurai swords charged, but Long Fei moved like a shadow. He grabbed one, slammed him into the wall, and used the man's own sword to slit his throat.

The second man raised his blade to strike, but Long Fei snatched the first guard's sword and thrust it into the second man's abdomen. Long Fei retreated as blood gushed out. The man stared at his wound in disbelief, his sword still held high, before collapsing a second later.

Four men killed in half a minute. The others seemed to finally snap out of their shock. They rushed at him. Long Fei stood his ground, a glint of red in his eyes, feeling the thrill of the slaughter. He waited for them to pounce; to him, it was no different than butchering hogs.

Just as he prepared to continue the massacre, a deep roar came from the corner of the hall.

"All of you, stand down!"

A gray-clad old man with squinting eyes stood up. He wore a kimono and traditional wooden clogs, his head shaved into a crew cut. He looked to be over sixty, his skin rough and leathery.

The old man’s words carried weight; the black-clad men retreated obediently.

Walking to within three meters of Long Fei, the old man stared at him for a long time. "You killed them?"

Long Fei sneered. "Yes."

"Very good," the old man nodded, his thoughts unreadable.

"If they try to stop me, I'll kill them too. In fact, whoever stops me, I kill. You included!" Long Fei challenged, though he was inwardly alert. The old man was clearly no pushover.

The old man nodded. "I believe you. But killing me won't be so easy. I don't want to fight you right now, but sooner or later, I will settle this score. Now, tell me, why are you here?"

Long Fei was stunned. "Who are you? What score do you have to settle with me?"

"Who am I? I'll tell you. You killed my three disciples. Don't you think I should settle the score? Don't worry, I'm not with the Black Dragon Society. I'm just a friend of theirs—specifically, a friend of Mr. Uchida." A trace of hatred finally flashed in the old man's eyes.

Long Fei realized the ninjas he had killed were the old man's disciples. He must be from a ninja clan.

"Oh, I see. You're from the ninja clan that Uchida Ichiro relies on. I'm curious, are you from the Iga clan or the Koga clan?" Long Fei asked.

The old man frowned. "I am from the Koga clan, of course. Please don't mention us in the same breath as the Iga. How could those hypocrites ever compare to us?"

Long Fei paused. So, the Iga and Koga clans were rivals?