For ordinary people, the Tea Ceremony is merely about the etiquette of drinking tea. Among ninjas, however, it is something else entirely: a powerful force created by Katsu Wan Soh, the ancestor of ninjas, and passed down to his direct disciple, Dragon Ninja.
In this brief moment of insight, David sensed Naraku Ninja's memories: past encounters with Katsu Wan Soh and battles against Dragon Ninja. David's breathing began to change, linking his respiration to the spirits of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind, as well as the flow of 'Ether'.
It was the Tea Ceremony Breathing Technique! David had mastered it without a teacher! Though not a perfect rendition, simply recalling his opponents' combat memories allowed him to reconstruct such a powerful skill. This was the combined manifestation of David's talent and destiny. After all, he was an individual who had reached the realm of a True Ninja in just over a month! Such terrifying talent, if revealed, might lead people to believe he was the reincarnation of Katsu Wan Soh.
"How is this possible?! How did you do this? This is Tea Ceremony Breathing?"
Naraku's entire Ninja Soul was utterly stunned. He could feel David's strength rising once more. A meal of sushi combined with the insight from the Tea Ceremony had elevated David's power beyond Naraku's own previous capabilities.
"I don't know," David replied. "It just… suddenly came to me, and I did it."
David couldn't describe his feelings. He suddenly understood the meaning of "ineffable"—something that can be comprehended but not put into words. Naraku, however, was simply astonished. The stronger the host, the higher the efficiency of ninja-slaying. He secretly wished David would transform into a Giant Shark King and eliminate every ninja.
V also sensed David's transformation. She didn't disturb him, silently eating her sushi while feeling an increase in her Karate power. Could eating sushi truly enhance Karate strength? She found it miraculous. In reality, this was a form of psychological suggestion. Both ninja power and Karate power are linked to the mind. Because they believed ninjas should eat sushi, it had an effect—a powerful influence of a deep-seated stereotype.
As for the enlightenment of the Tea Ceremony, that was a miracle exclusive to David, the result of his invincible talent and luck.
The destiny influenced by The Lord guided David to oppose the Soukaiya, though this merely accelerated an inevitable process. As the Ninja Slayer, David would never tolerate the Soukaiya's existence. As the saying goes, "There must be provisions before a great battle"—a concept familiar to most gamers. This was precisely such a moment. David consumed an amount of food that no ordinary person could possibly finish, yet it had no ill effect on him. This was ninja-level appetite combined with ninja-level digestion speed!
As they finished their meal, the waiter approached again, though this time, there were no tea or refreshments afterward.
"How was the meal for you two?" he asked, a polite pleasantry. But before V and David could respond, he continued. "The sushi here is arguably the most authentic in all of New Kiotto."
"To be able to enjoy such a meal before your death—that is the Soukaiya's greatest mercy to you."
The waiter stood rigid, a formulaic business smile plastered on his face as he delivered his dangerous words.
What they didn't know was that the entire restaurant was a Soukaiya property. The Super-Giant Tuna Sushi they had just eaten was the shop's signature dish—Laomoto Khan's favorite sushi, of which he could devour three in a single sitting!
As the waiter spoke, a large group of identical Yakuza clones surrounded them, their submachine guns leveled at David and V.
"I didn't expect this to be Soukaiya territory," David commented. "Is this what they call walking straight into a trap?"
"But to think a mere group of Yakuza clones could take us down... isn't that a bit presumptuous?"
The waiter offered no comment. Ninja power was indeed formidable, he knew, but even the strongest ninja couldn't match technology. That was precisely why the Soukaiya had never directly challenged the Arasaka Corporation. They had specifically armed themselves with submachine guns instead of tech weapons. A ninja's Karate might cleave bullets, but with a sufficiently rapid rate of fire, could one truly block them all?
"Do you know the magnitude of the gap between ordinary people and ninjas?" David asked idly, not to stall for time, but because he genuinely didn't take them seriously.
"Regardless, you are the ones who have fallen into the trap now," the waiter retorted. "You might as well surrender obediently, and we can at least grant you a swift death."
The waiter sensed the disparity in their aura and chose to use harsh words to seize back the upper hand.
"Ninjas possess three times the speed of ordinary people, three times their neural reaction speed, and three times their strength," David explained. "And that's just the power held by the lowest-tier ninjas."
"In other words, even Yakuza clones possess only one-third the strength of the weakest ninja."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Ninjas can use Shuriken," David stated, his expression serious. "One-third of a Shuriken... meaning mortals can only use... their hands."
With David's solemn delivery, the scene fell silent. Was this actually—a cold joke?
"You're making fun of us, you bastard!"
"I'll kill you, you bastard!"
Yakuza profanity filled the air, followed by a torrent of submachine gun fire. The clones' characteristic uniformity meant their bullets discharged simultaneously. Faced with such a metal torrent, most ninjas would find it difficult to resist!
However, in the instant they paused to process the cold joke, the Ninja Slayer and V activated their Sandevistans, instantly breaking free from the encirclement. This wasn't mere taunting; it was high-purity Wind Forest Fire Mountain! After being outmaneuvered and ultimately defeated by Saburo Arasaka, David, now the Ninja Slayer, had attained a new level of understanding. Wind Forest Fire Mountain was a vital facet of ninja power.
"Yeeart—"
Shuriken flew instantly. Facing Yakuza clones, there was no psychological pressure in dispatching them. Ninja speed combined with the Sandevistan—what terrifying power. Not a single Yakuza clone could react before their heads were severed by the shuriken. Blood dyed the hotel red. The Yakuza clones were transformed into headless Yakuza clone sashimi, though regrettably, no one would be willing to taste it.
"Truly formidable strength. You are the one who has been assaulting our Soukaiya, that Ninja Slayer, aren't you?"
With the Yakuza clones dispatched, the true enemies stepped forward. The Soukaiya clearly hadn't expected the clones to eliminate their targets.
"Domo, Giant Shuriken desu."
"Domo, Earthquake desu."
A figure with a massive shuriken strapped to his back, and another who resembled a gorilla—the Soukaiya's real enforcers—greeted the Ninja Slayer.
"Domo, Ninja Slayer desu."
The identity of David was dead. He offered the name of the Ninja Slayer. His ninja intuition screamed that the two individuals before him were villains—and they deserved death!
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