Without a subconscious return of the greeting, David stared intently at his opponent. His intuition told him the man was extremely dangerous.
Even a genin was a terrifying existence for him; this was the fundamental gap between a ninja and a human.
David had not yet become a True Ninja. His intense emotions and self-control allowed him to suppress the impulse to return the greeting—but the most crucial reason was, of course, that he wasn't a ninja yet!
"How boring. I thought you'd at least try to run. I made a point of saving you for last, and you're not even grateful?" "Well then, I'll finish you off right here. By the way, I'm going to peel your face off."
Pure malice. The Crime Ninja (offender) was a true villain who felt no guilt for killing. On the contrary, he found it pleasurable, even collecting the faces of the humans he slaughtered and hanging them from his belt.
Faced with such a depraved existence, David's first reaction was—to run!
The Sandevistan activated instantly. David grabbed Lucy, snatched up a large-caliber firearm, and blasted through the wall behind them, charging directly into the hallway.
The building's corridor was deathly still, littered with a mixture of severed limbs and blood. He could even see a head with its face peeled off.
Forcibly suppressing the nausea and disgust, along with his rage, David knew he had to find a way to escape.
But the Crime Ninja would never let them leave. His mission target was them, or more specifically, the Lucy in David's arms.
"Hee hee hee, that's it! Run for your lives! Let me have a little fun."
To him, David's Sandevistan-enhanced speed was barely watchable. It was a little bit faster than him, but the Sandevistan couldn't be active for long.
He followed at a leisurely pace, waiting for David's Sandevistan to cool down.
'Why are they after Lucy?'
David pondered the information he had overheard while fleeing. The Crime Ninja's objective was Lucy. What did she have that a ninja would covet?
He had no clue. David only felt his head growing faint; the Sandevistan was nearing its limit.
He saw the Crime Ninja in relentless pursuit behind him. They couldn't widen the gap at all. The moment he deactivated the Sandevistan, he would be caught immediately.
Subconsciously, he was stalling for time, waiting for Schwarzer's rescue. Unwittingly, she had become the backbone—or rather, the 'trump card'—for David and the others.
However, the voice that came through the comms shattered his hope.
"Sorry, David. I might not be able to help you for the moment."
David glanced at the video feed. On the screen was a squad of four ninjas, staring down Schwarzer like predators.
Just from their appearance, David got the sense that they were incredibly strong. All four of them were jōnin!
Schwarzer herself was targeted. The enemy had dispatched such a force just to pin her down. David knew she would be unable to help him now.
The communication with Schwarzer was cut off after the four ninjas appeared, turning into a black screen.
The situation left V at a loss. Both Schwarzer and David were under attack. What should she do?
After a second of hesitation, she made her decision: go help David. She didn't think anyone could handle her 'master'... When did she start calling her that?
There was that sense of déjà vu again, but she was completely unaware of what was wrong. V temporarily ignored it, grabbed all her weapons, and set out to save David.
...
...
Inside the burning Arasaka Tower, the battle seemed to have stopped. The melee here had been between ninjas from Zaibatsu Cinema and ninjas from the Soukaiya.
"It seems we can't determine a winner for now. In that case, let's call a truce."
"A truce it is. It's indeed hard to decide a victor, so let's not waste any more energy."
At this moment, both sides tacitly ceased hostilities. Just as they said, if a winner couldn't be decided, then they would stop.
The power of the ninja factions was still relatively weak, incomparable to a mega-corp like Arasaka.
"Starting a conflict for no reason, and then letting it go so easily. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Saburo Arasaka and Takemura were caught in the middle. They were supposed to be the masters of Arasaka Tower, yet they were like outsiders, their opinions ignored by everyone.
This place was chosen as the battlefield partly because it was the city center, the heart of power, and settling the score here had a greater sense of ceremony.
Of course, another reason was to put Saburo Arasaka in his place, to make him realize how powerful ninjas were and not to provoke them lightly.
As for his opinion, no one cared. They were here to warn him, after all. Didn't Saburo Arasaka want to find ninjas? Then let him see what ninjas truly are.
—That's what they had all thought before realizing Saburo Arasaka was a ninja himself.
But after discovering Saburo's identity, the situation changed completely. Both sides became restrained.
It was like discovering that a creature you thought was an insect was actually one of your own kind. The drastic change caught them off guard, and their attitude toward Arasaka became much more courteous.
"I didn't expect you to be a ninja as well, Saburo Arasaka. If that's the case, I will provide you with a piece of intelligence as 'compensation'."
A short, very short ninja stepped forward. After he waved his hand, the other ninjas from Zaibatsu Cinema vanished.
Seeing them leave, the members of the Soukaiya also departed. If Zaibatsu Cinema wanted to offer 'compensation', that was their business; their own side had no such need.
"Domo. A pleasure to meet you, Saburo Arasaka-san. I am Paragon Ninja desu."
Paragon Ninja, the second-in-command of Zaibatsu Cinema, the only being the Lord truly trusted, possessed absolute authority, second only to the Lord himself.
He had come this time for the Lord's plan, which was named: 'Reveal to Saburo Arasaka the information he desires, thereby pitting him against V's crew'.
As for what information he desired...
"Saburo Arasaka-san, you must be possessed by a Ninsoul. Judging by your level of Karate, the Ninsoul in you must be very weak."
"A man like you would surely not be satisfied with such strength. Let me think, you must need—the method to become a True Ninja."
"The method to remove the Ninsoul is more important," Saburo Arasaka interrupted him.
Paragon Ninja knew he had taken the bait and continued speaking.
"Remove the Ninsoul, you say? As it happens, there is a ninja who possesses such an ability. Death Ninja."
Saburo Arasaka's eyes lit up instantly. He never expected such a huge gain, obtaining the most valuable intelligence he could have hoped for.
"Who is this Death Ninja?"
"She has not yet possessed a host, but her vessel is very likely to be—Lucyna Kushinada."
Saburo Arasaka was utterly shocked, and then asked,
"Who is Lucy?"
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