As Charlie and Nanako Ito strolled hand in hand through the serene, snowy night in Kyoto, Tokyo was rife with tension beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Maki Takahashi was at home, anxiously anticipating news regarding the Tenglin Ninja.
The Tenglin family shared his anxiety.
To date, they had lost ten ninjas, nearly all the young, vital members of their n.
While ten may not seem excessive, for a family, it represented a significant loss of young men.<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">
Each of these ten individuals had at least one or two elders—parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents—adding up to a minimum of ten family members affected by this loss.
Moreover, all ten were male, which raises the question of the family’s overall gender ratio. If the ratio of males to females is even, then there would be at least ten female rtives as well.
Additionally, at least half of the ten young men were married and had children, creating a further extension of the family through their wives and offspring.
In total, this indicates that the family mustprise at least fifty or sixty individuals to support ten young adult males.
Now, with the prime-age males of the Tenglin family lost, their overallbat effectiveness had sharply declined.
This decline meant that they could not spare resources to protect Takahashi.<fncf6f> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? Find?Novel</fncf6f>
Consequently, aside from a few bodyguards, there were no ninjas stationed at Takahashi’s residence.
Late into the night, Takahashi remained wide awake.
On one hand, he mourned the tragic loss of his son, Takahashi Eiki; on the other, he waited in hope of news from the missing Tenglin Ninja.
While he subconsciously understood that the ninjas sent to Kyoto were likely dead, a flicker of hope lingered in his heart.
He believed that as long as he hadn’t seen a body, there was still a chance for a miracle. Perhaps, he thought, the Tenglin Ninjas would eventually reach out to him.
Just as Takahashi paced restlessly in his living room, an unexpected, thin dart suddenly shot out from a hidden corner, striking him in the back of the neck.
Overwhelmed by grief and still processing the loss of his son, Maki Takahashi was caught off guard by the poison that caused him to copse to the ground!
His bodyguards, noticing his sudden fall, rushed to his side. Unfortunately, after a brief examination, they realized he had lost all signs of life!
As the bodyguards scrambled to locate the assant in shock, several Iga ninjas who had infiltrated the Tenglin family had already made their escape.
In typical circumstances, the Tenglin family would have assigned at least four ninjas to discreetly guard Takahashi, ensuring his safety from potential assassins.
However, on this night, no ninjas were present.
Without the protection of a ninja, relying solely on ordinary bodyguards was akin to having no defense at all against trained ninjas.
Thus, it was rtively simple for the assassin to take Takahashi’s life.
How tragic for Takahashi Maki, who, much like the saying goes, lost a ck-haired man to a white-haired one—his life cut short!
……
At the same time, as Yuhiko Ito settled into sleep, a knock echoed through his door.
Annoyed, he called out, “What is it at this hour? If it’s not urgent, let’s discuss it tomorrow!”
Hiroshi Tanaka responded quickly, “Mr. Ito, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department are here again. They say they need your cooperation for further questioning.”
“More questioning?!” Yuhiko Ito shouted in frustration. “I have already provided all the information I can; there’s nothing more to discuss!”
Koichi Tanaka rified, “Sir, they mentioned that the Banks Family is applying pressure, which could escte into an international diplomatic incident, so they still wish for your cooperation.”
“An international diplomatic incident?!” Ito eximed, his anger boiling over. “This is absolutely infuriating!”<h3 ss="has-text-align-center" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>