Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Night Battle
Chapter 4: Night Battle
If there was one thing the Soul Society never lacked, it was vicious thugs.
In all four directions of the Rukongai, any district with a number exceeding seventy was a lawless wasteland.
There was virtually no order. The nobles couldn’t enforce any effective management, and the Soul Reapers couldn’t be bothered to care.
Violence was the only universal currency. Even the small merchants running modest stalls didn’t mind pulling out a blade to earn some "extra cash."
However, the Seireitei enforced a "Ticket Jurisdiction System" for the residents of the Rukongai. The moment a soul entered the Soul Society, they were assigned a designated area of activity. Without explicit permission, crossing between districts was strictly prohibited.
This resulted in the bizarre status quo of the Rukongai—
The lower-numbered districts, like West District 1 "Junrinan", were practically utopias. The public order was exceptionally good, so much so that many Soul Reapers liked to vacation there on their days off.
The higher-numbered districts, like North District 80 "Zaraki", were overrun with cutthroats running wild. Passersby would draw knives and stab each other on sight. It was even more bloody and violent than a primordial jungle. After all, animals killed to survive; the people of Zaraki fought simply for the thrill of the kill.
Consequently, the higher-numbered districts became the primary hubs for hiring hitmen.
For the noble families, pulling a few strings to quietly sneak a thug across districts was child’s play.
For instance, on this very night, ten assassins hailing from North Rukongai’s District 79, "Kusajishi", quietly slinked up to the outside of a certain yard in the Hanagare district.
"This is the place."
The leader of the group halted his steps and raised his right hand.
In unison, the men behind him donned masks, obscuring their faces.
They pulled small vials from their clothes and smeared the liquid onto their bodies to mask their scent, followed by a final check of their weapons.
Their weapons were peculiar, curved blades. The hilts were reinforced and rigged with weighted metal blocks, heavily optimized for countering standard-issue katanas.
—Their target was a new enrollee at the Shin’o Academy. Since the entrance exams included a "Zanjutsu Assessment", every new student could be assumed to have built up considerable proficiency in kendo.
The ten men were informed of this detail when they accepted the mission, and naturally, they came prepared.
As for the target’s supposed "Class 12 Rei-i", the group didn’t pay it much mind.
Without a Zanpakuto, and without systematic training in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, or Kido, that level of Spiritual Pressure could only serve as psychological intimidation. Born and raised in Kusajishi, fighting and killing were their daily bread. They weren’t cowards.
Furthermore, before the operation began, the ten men had ingested specific herbs capable of suppressing the innate fear induced by higher-level Spiritual Pressure.
Hiring killers—tactical preparation—crossing districts—assassination—destroying the evidence and retreating. It was an incredibly well-oiled, blood-soaked industry!
Every single cog in this machine was a consummate professional.
"Are we ready?" Under the moonlight, the leader issued his final instructions.
"Remember, secure the item before silencing him. Have the oil ready, leave no trace behind! Take care of the neighbors while we’re at it... Huh? Looks like the house next door is empty. Tsk, lucky them."
Gripping his curved weapon, the leader tapped it lightly against the ground.
The nine men behind him dispersed. Prying open small gaps in the windows, the roof, and the back door, they slipped into the house.
The leader remained completely silent, standing his ground. While keeping a vigilant watch over the surroundings, he awaited his comrades’ signal.
According to the plan, his nine subordinates would locate the target first, force him to reveal the location of the acceptance letter, and then execute him before setting the house ablaze.
But he waited for a long time without seeing even a single spark.
"Something’s wrong!"
The leader’s heart plummeted, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he crouched low, dropped his shoulder, and threw his weight violently against the front door.
BOOM!
He stood a full head taller than a normal man, his muscles knotted with terrifying physical strength, and possessed a respectable level of Spiritual Pressure himself. Throwing his full might into the bash, he shattered the wooden door to splinters. The deafening crash tore through the night sky, startling the sleeping migratory birds in the distance.
Breaking down the door also served as a signal, ordering the comrades inside to converge on his position immediately.
Following a few thuds of footsteps, several of his subordinates rallied to his side, but behind the mask, the leader’s face clouded over with dread.
One, two, three, four... That bastard actually took out five of us in that short amount of time! And without making a single sound!
The assassin leader was engulfed in panic. He cast a sideways glance at his remaining men and, reading their body language, realized they were equally flustered and agitated.
Flee? Or stay here and hunt down the target?
The assassin leader found himself caught in a paralyzing dilemma.
But he soon realized he wouldn’t have to make a choice.
Because someone had already made it for him.
A youth slowly materialized from the depths of the darkness.
He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. His build was lean yet undeniably straight, and his features were borderline perfect, devoid of any flaws. His eyes, in particular, were as pitch-black as the night.
Uchiha Yato came to a halt, calmly locking eyes with the five men opposing him.
No one spoke. Everyone present understood that tonight, only one side was walking away alive.
Suddenly, the assassin leader let out a low roar and was the first to charge at Yato.
The suffocating tension shattered in an instant, detonating into a gruesome slaughter!
Yato didn’t reach for the long sword he normally used for practice. Instead, he met the assassin leader head-on, closing the distance in a flash.
The leader was a massive man, built like a black bear, but Yato showed not an ounce of fear. Instead, he accelerated again, violently hurling himself directly into his opponent’s embrace!
Tucking his core, locking his elbow, and driving hard off the ground, Yato used his elbow like a battering ram, smashing it ruthlessly into the assassin leader’s chest.
The robust physique he had painstakingly tempered for the Shin’o Academy entrance exams proved its worth in this exact moment. Yato clearly heard the sickening crunch of the man’s ribs breaking.
"You bastard!"
But the leader was incredibly ferocious. Despite sustaining a heavy blow, instead of retreating, he pushed forward, curling his arms inward in an attempt to lock Yato in a bear hug, pinning the youth against his chest so his comrades could strike.
However, the boy’s agility vastly exceeded his expectations. With a slight twist of his body, Yato slipped effortlessly from the grapple.
Without missing a beat, Yato pivoted, charging straight for the remaining four weaker assassins.
The assassin leader looked over his shoulder. He only saw the youth’s mouth move slightly before one of the killers collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, instantly dead.
Focusing his gaze, he spotted a small, glinting needle embedded in the neck of the fresh corpse.
"Is that... a Senbon?"
The assassin leader was utterly bewildered.
In his past life, he had been a bandit and had crossed paths with the Koga ninjas. He knew they had a technique of concealing special needles known as "Senbon" in their mouths, flicking them out at enemies during combat. While the pure destructive power was low, when aimed at vital spots and coated in poison, it was an instant kill!
But... where the hell did this kid learn a trick like that?
And could that technique really pack this much power? It’s nothing like what I’ve seen before!
Yato had no idea what the man behind him was thinking. He simply moved with lethal efficiency, relying on his superior physique to slay his enemies one by one.
In reality, killing with Senbon was a technique the girl had taught him.
The method of generating force and crafting the needles was entirely different from the Koga ninjutsu of this world, making it far more lethal.
Of course, using it against Soul Reapers or Hollows would be pure fantasy.
But using it to quietly assassinate a few ordinary thugs? Child’s play.
It was entirely because of this technique that he had managed to silently eliminate half the assassins in the first place.
Comments