The entire city had fallen into dead silence, carrying the lingering atmosphere of today's events, but they had no idea what had actually happened.
Was it the gangs fighting directly? Or the corporations? There was no intelligence at all; they could only pray not to be affected.
But none of this had anything to do with Jenkins. As a company elite with guaranteed safety, he didn't clock out until this late, confirming the outside had calmed down.
The past few days of work left him feeling a deep sense of confusion. The tasks hadn't changed, yet they felt utterly unfamiliar, as if they weren't meant for him at all.
Due to Sin/Punishment stripping V from the company, all her work had naturally been taken over by Jenkins. It was normal for him to feel lost.
Saburo Arasaka wouldn't share ninja intelligence with them. Even the so-called counter-intelligence director was just a mortal, ultimately expendable!
"It's been really chaotic lately, but it's understandable—with that one hundred million as bait. This is just the aftermath."
Jenkins was unaware of the undercurrents involving ninjas. He subconsciously attributed it to Saburo Arasaka's bounty; one hundred million eurodollars had mobilized everyone's enthusiasm.
Even though the bounty had been claimed, the city wouldn't settle so quickly. The lingering effects would take time to fade, and New Kiotto would hardly calm down anytime soon.
At the company entrance, a hovercar had been waiting for a while. He had arranged for a driver to pick him up tonight.
"The usual spot, buddy. Take me somewhere to unwind."
Jenkins confirmed it was his hovercar, opened the door, and got in.
The hovercar quickly took off. Jenkins gazed out the window as Arasaka Tower gradually vanished from sight. This was the city center, where even the air reeked of money.
But to take root here required abilities far beyond the ordinary. Even daily work left him mentally and physically exhausted, needing some relaxation.
Something felt off, though. Jenkins scanned the route and finally realized—this wasn't his usual path.
"What's going on, driver? Did you take a wrong turn today?"
It was wishful thinking, or perhaps denial of the truth. Jenkins asked as if deceiving himself.
"No mistake. This is the road—to the Sanzu River."
In the rearview mirror appeared Ninja Slayer, dressed as the driver. The hovercar suddenly accelerated, then crashed straight into an abandoned warehouse.
A violent collision occurred, but the hovercar's build was clearly superior to the rundown warehouse. Jenkins felt a jolt as the vehicle smashed into the ground.
His first reaction was relief that he had buckled up; otherwise, it would have been disastrous.
"Bang—"
Without time to think, Ninja Slayer wrenched the door open, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him out.
"You've got ten seconds. Tell me—where is Lucy being held?!"
The ferocious glare paired with the tone suggested he'd kill on the spot if unsatisfied.
Ninja Slayer had no need for mortal pleasantries. In such moments, not giving him time to process the truth of ninjas was correct; otherwise, Jenkins would succumb to an NRS reaction, yielding no intel.
"I... I... I don't know!"
Jenkins's terrified voice carried confusion. He truly didn't know Lucy's whereabouts—that was top-secret known only to Saburo Arasaka himself.
They had no idea what Lucy was for, only that Saburo Arasaka valued her immensely, so none dared touch that hornet's nest.
"Aren't you the counter-intelligence director? How could you not know?"
Ninja Slayer seized his collar, hoisting him up. Eye to eye, Jenkins saw tangible flames in his gaze—pure hatred!
"Aieeeee!!!"
"I'm just the counter-intelligence director, not the intelligence director. Even the director wouldn't know—Lord Saburo Arasaka made no arrangements for anyone to handle Lucy."
Amid the sound of liquid dripping, Jenkins spilled everything he knew. Just a trace of overflowing ninja aura had made this company elite lose control!
Security was this tight? Even company executives were completely in the dark?
Ninja Slayer sensed the difficulty. In that case, he had only one option: take down Saburo Arasaka directly to rescue Lucy.
No, wait!
Ninja Slayer tossed Jenkins back into the car, then backflipped away. A barrage of bamboo spears impaled his previous spot, embedding deep into the ground with massive force.
"Just a whim to tail a company exec's vehicle, and I stumble on an unexpected catch."
"Domo, first meeting, Hell Kite desu."
Stealth strikes only once; afterward, proper greetings were in order—as recorded in the Kojiki.
"Domo, Ninja Slayer desu."
Ninja Slayer looked skyward. Hell Kite lived up to the name: a massive square kite on his back, lineless yet soaring through the air.
"So you're the famed Ninja Slayer-san? Interesting. From your actions, you bear a grudge against Arasaka. Why not join Soukaiya?"
"Hand over the guy you're holding as your initiation rite. He has no info you need anyway."
"Soukaiya's power exceeds your imagination. We're all ninjas—no need to fight each other."
Hell Kite began his temptations. With Soukaiya battling Arasaka, recruiting more hands was surely better than going solo.
Theoretically sound. With Ninja Slayer's strength, joining Soukaiya would grant decent status and more ninjas to help find Lucy.
"But I refuse!"
Ninja Slayer rejected without hesitation, no room for negotiation. Soukaiya? He'd seen their ninjas before.
JK's treatment of mortals—he'd witnessed it all. These so-called ninjas were no good; all deserved death!
"Defying Soukaiya is a grave sin. Do you want to know how grave?" To be rejected outright! Hell Kite resorted to threats!
"All ninjas must die—Soukaiya included!" Ninja Slayer declared wildly!
"Yeeart—"
Shuriken-jutsu! With aerial advantage, Ninja Slayer's first move was ranged assault.
Sensing the killing intent, Hell Kite dodged immediately. The warehouse was spacious enough for evasion.
The rundown warehouse transformed into the starting point of an epic battle.
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