After escorting Arakawa Reina ho, Aozawa put away his umbrella. Tokyo, which had been drenched by a downpour monts before, settled into a rainless night.
He walked towards a dark alley, dismissed the Will-o'-the-wisp, and the umbrella in his hand vanished.
In his view, the Will-o'-the-wisp was an invincible Superpower. In terms of destructive power and concealnt, it surpassed other Superpowers in every aspect. It gave him a feeling of imnse power, akin to that of a creator god.
There were so drawbacks, such as the inability to create Noble Phantasms with special powers, and that living beings not actively observed would dissipate within ten minutes. But these drawbacks were negligible compared to the advantages of the Will-o'-the-wisp.
He activated Schrodinger's Cat, and his body gradually beca translucent. With a re thought, he appeared above the Tokyo Skytree, overlooking the Tokyo nightscape after the rain.
In the darkness, neon lights twinkled. Like a beautifully arranged chessboard.
He stared at the scene below, mused for a mont, and decided to head to Shinjuku to check on Durant's situation.
「Shinjuku, Kabukicho.」
The tropolitan Police Departnt was no longer conducting the widespread searches for Durant across Tokyo as they had initially. The streets were devoid of police officers standing guard like sentinels. Occasionally, passing patrols would question suspicious-looking foreigners, but the search efforts had weakened considerably compared to before.
However, this was rely a facade. The truth was that the right-wing forces had grown tired of the tropolitan Police Departnt's incompetence. They believed the police's overt commotion had only scared Durant into hiding and had decided to take matters into their own hands by hiring ninjas.
For a long ti, ninjas had been an obscure organization active in the shadows of Japan's history. Modern ninjas were divided into two main schools: Koga and Iga.
Sanada Nobuyoshi, a ninja from the Koga school, held the rank of Upper Ninja Level. Unlike the division of labor in ancient tis, modern Upper-Level Ninjas no longer had the privilege of sitting back and giving orders. That role had been superseded by the Shinobu Introduction office, which graded all ninjas according to the traditional ranks: lower, middle, and upper.
Sanada Nobuyoshi was an Upper Ninja Level. To engage his services, one first had to purchase VIP client status from the Shinobu Introduction office. Only then would he accept a mission.
Hattori's failure had once made the Shinobu Introduction office an unwelco entity to the right-wing forces, who considered them utterly useless. But, contrasted with the tropolitan Police Departnt's ineffectiveness, the Shinobu Introduction office saw an opportunity. They promoted themselves once more to the higher-ups, striving to secure new orders. Their mission was not only to eliminate Durant but also to uncover who was directing his actions.
The right-wing forces, or rather, the politicians, never believed in coincidences. They certainly didn't believe in justice or love. They saw the world as a construct of interests and were convinced an organization lurked behind Durant. This organization could be an opposing force or possibly an internal faction providing covert support. If it were the forr, they were confident they could dismantle it. If it were the latter, the situation would beco considerably trickier. The interests entangled with Sato were too significant; it wasn't inconceivable that soone within the Right Wing aid to replace him.
Sanada Nobuyoshi eyed his "prey," his form concealed within the crowd. He carried a bag in his right hand and walked with a feline, swaying gait. The tall figure ahead was Durant. Sanada Nobuyoshi was certain of the man's identity, even though his skin tone, appearance, and accent were all different. He could still tell it was Durant.
As a ninja, he was extraordinarily skilled in disguise. For instance, despite being male, he always disguised himself as a woman when out. He would intentionally use movents contrary to his usual habits to reinforce the female image in others' eyes. Only he, an expert in disguise, could see through Durant's facade.
Sanada Nobuyoshi had yet to make his move because he wanted to identify the forces backing Durant. What on earth is this guy's purpose in coming to Shinjuku every night?
According to his observations, Durant ca to Kabukicho every night, rain or shine, yet he never interacted with any of the pleasure establishnts. His visits to such an internationally renowned red-light district, without indulging in any of its offerings, could only an one thing: Durant's true intention wasn't to find won, but to et soone or contact a specific organization. As long as I keep watch here, I'll find the organization connected with Durant, and then I can eliminate them, fulfilling this mission.
Sanada Nobuyoshi's gaze lowered. He and Hattori hadn't interacted much, but as ninjas from the sa school, Hattori's death had severely damaged the Koga school's reputation. As an Upper-Level Ninja from the Koga school, it was his duty to complete the mission Hattori had failed and to kill the person who had eliminated Hattori. Only in this way can the Koga school's reputation be cleared.
Sanada Nobuyoshi made every effort to suppress his presence, ensuring no n on the street would accost him. He was quite fond of an old Chinese saying: "The greatest hermit hides in the bustling city." A truly skilled ninja needed to be as imperceptible as air in crowded places, completely silent.
He paused slightly, noticing Durant suddenly turn towards a side alley. This was an unprecedented move. Durant usually walked on the main road. Now he had turned into a narrow path. Could his contact have arrived?
The thought flashed through Sanada Nobuyoshi's mind, and he quickly looked down the alleyway Durant had entered.
A blond foreigner stood in the shadows. He looked rather young and handso, a contrast to his sturdy build. His skin was very pale, almost too fair for a man who supposedly exercised often. Is that soone from the organization pulling the strings?
Sanada Nobuyoshi shifted his gaze and pressed a button on his communicator. As a ninja, he never relished the idea of a fair fight. If it was possible to gang up on an opponent, he certainly wouldn't face them one-on-one. If he could assassinate, he would never engage in a direct confrontation. To kill a target silently, without a trace—that is the true glory of a ninja.
…
"Durant, it's been a while. You seem to have beco a fish trapped in a net," Aozawa remarked. He had long since noticed sothing amiss on the street; four people were watching Durant. There were n and won among them, all appearing to be experts in assassination and stealth. If he hadn't used his catalyst sensing ability, he wouldn't have been able to detect the four individuals' movent patterns. Nor would he have realized that they were continuously sealing off Durant's escape routes.
Durant was slightly taken aback; he hadn't realized he was caught. The recent pressure the CIA might be applying behind the scenes on the tropolitan Police Departnt could an they had given up on pursuing him. But he would never doubt the judgnt of Dio, a Superpower User who could even see through his disguise.
"It's just minor trouble. I can handle it," Durant replied indifferently, glancing backward.
Neon signs in varied colors hung outside shops. So were placed directly at storefronts, where scantily clad won enticed passing n. It looked no different from the usual Kabukicho.
Who exactly is trailing ? Durant quickly scanned the crowd, trying to spot his clandestine observers.
Aozawa smiled and said, "Don't fight on the street. Co inside."
"Yeah." Durant nodded, following him into a shadowy alley.
…
TAP. TAP.
The silence of the alley made the footsteps seem especially loud. Durant's right hand gripped his pistol, ready to fire at any mont.
"You've been a little slow lately," Aozawa comnted casually, unfazed by the tense atmosphere.
Durant, on high alert, paused before quickly explaining, "Because of the Sato incident, those Right Wing lackeys increased their security asures, especially Okamura—he always has thirty or forty bodyguards when he goes out. He also always uses several identical cars for travel. I haven't had a chance to make a move."
"Don't rush it. If you truly want to kill soone, you'll always find an opportunity."
"Yes, I must take down Okamura. He's the descendant of an infamous war criminal and is still trying to whitewash his grandfather's actions. It's absolutely nauseating."
Before the operation began, Durant had already selected his targets and the order of assassination. Successful or not, he would stick to that sequence until Dio completely trusted him and assigned him other tasks.
Aozawa halted his advance.
Durant instantly beca more vigilant, his eyes scanning the surroundings. This was a crossroads junction that connected to the backdoors of many adult entertainnt establishnts. Although illuminated by streetlights, it felt nothing like the world of the living. The streets were eerily deserted. Especially compared to the bustle of the main road outside, it made this place seem as eerie as a horror movie set.
But Durant didn't spot a third party. This caused him to frown slightly. Is my counter-surveillance ability weakening?
Aozawa swept his gaze around, speaking in a gentle voice, "You are all outstanding assassins, skilled in using optical camouflage to hide yourselves. But if you're thinking of ambushing , I'd advise you to abandon that thought. Throwing away your lives needlessly is not a wise choice. Life is priceless."
Hidden in the shadows, Sanada Nobuyoshi's breath hitched slightly. He hadn't expected his optical camouflage to be seen through with the naked eye. Or does he have so kind of infrared-sensing device?
He decided to leave, but then his steps suddenly halted. Sanada Nobuyoshi believed that an assassination didn't necessarily have to be entirely concealed. Instead, it was about shattering the enemy's expectations. Even in a direct confrontation, as long as it was unexpected, it constituted a perfect assassination.
Knowing he had been exposed, Sanada Nobuyoshi pretended to heed the other's warning and retreat, while in reality, he was initiating an attack. This was the elent of surprise.
He aid his finger at the blond man, then bent it, activating the chanism hidden within his ring. This was the modern version of a Ninja poison arrow. There was no need to blow through a tube; a re flick of the finger would cause the ring, sensing his movent, to trigger the chanism. It launched a poison needle at supersonic speed.
If the needle pierced the skin, the victim would collapse, convulse, and foam at the mouth within three seconds. Without the antidote within ten minutes, death was certain.
Sanada Nobuyoshi didn't intend for the blond man to die; he still wanted to interrogate him thoroughly. That sturdy physique must be able to endure all sorts of torture, right? He was rather looking forward to it.
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