Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

Upon hearing Hayate's words, the ninjas stepped back, their expressions relaxing.

"Ah, a friendly spar, I see..."

"I knew it! Lord Hayabusa and Leader Hayate are close friends, how could they really turn against each other!"

"That's exactly right. Besides, Lord Ashin is also there. Lord Ashin is Lord Hayate's brother-in-law. How could he possibly watch his brother-in-law be killed by Lord Hayabusa!"

Wait, what does the last sentence mean?

Just as Li Xin was about to question the ninjas, suddenly, an evil aura emanated from afar. Upon sensing this aura, Li Xin immediately frowned: "'Orochimaru's power'?"

....................................

Let's turn back time a little.

After receiving notification from his subordinates that the "Dark Eagle Clan" had been defeated, Zidian quickly realized that he might be suspected.

"A bunch of idiots!"

Zidian cursed.

Facing two extraordinary powerhouses, instead of trying to escape, they actually went to meet them head-on. What were they thinking? Having been so successful all these years, do they really think they don't take extraordinary powerhouses seriously?

But no matter how much he cursed the "Dark Eagle Clan," it was no use to Zidian now. He quickly sent his men to inform the other elders of the Ninja Village, and then went to the dungeon alone to bring out Raida, who had been suffering from the poison for many days. He could not give up on Raida for the time being. He had to keep Raida alive until Raida revealed the whereabouts of that thing.

Seeing that Zi Dian had given him an overdose of anesthetic and stuffed him into a box, Lei Dao remained calm and instead laughed, "What, trying to escape? Has someone broken in?"

He saw that Zidian was carrying a bag and guessed that Zidian was going to run away, which made him feel happy.

Zidian, too lazy to talk to Raido, picked up the box containing Raido and left Shinobi Village with the other elders who were already prepared.

"Father..."

Jifeng sensed something was wrong and gave chase. Zidian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Jifeng. He said to Jifeng, "If Hayabusa and the others come over later, please entertain them. Your uncles and I have to leave for a while, so please don't ask any more questions."

Having some idea about his father's actions, Jifeng couldn't help but ask, "Father, are you indeed in contact with the 'Dark Owl Clan'?"

"How dare you! Are you questioning me?"

Zidian glared at Jifeng, who lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Father, I just wanted to know..."

"That's right, that's exactly it. Otherwise, how could my Ninja Village survive?"

Zidian decided to drop the pretense and lay his cards on the table. He said, "You are the leader of the ninjas. You should know how many ninjas die in missions every year. If we didn't do this, my Ninja Village would have been wiped out long ago."

Jifeng couldn't help but say, "If that's the case, we can reduce some of the dangerous missions. Our missions aren't like Arlong's, which are missions we have to do to protect world peace. We're just doing the dirty work for those big shots. We don't have to do them!"

Zidian slapped Jifeng across the face: "Idiot! Do you think raising so many people in Shinobi Village is an easy thing? Do you think that just because you're the leader, you don't have to listen to your father?"

Gale dared not resist and could only say, "That's not true."

"Humph!"

Zidian snorted coldly: "You need to understand that the reason our Ninja Village has been able to survive for so many years is because of the help of those adults. Without those adults, there would be no Ninja Village. We can never repay the kindness of those adults, so whatever mission they ask us to carry out, we will carry out. We have no right to bargain. Do you understand?"

Although he was unwilling, Gale could only nod and say, "Yes..."

"Good, go ahead."

Zidian gestured for Jifeng to leave. He was growing increasingly dissatisfied with his son, who was beginning to question his orders. Perhaps he should consider having another child; after all, at his age, having another child wouldn't be difficult.

What? Changpu is past her prime childbearing age? Just don't have children with her. There are so many women in the world, she's not the only one capable of having children!

After sending Gale away, Zidian slung the box over his shoulder and said to the other elders, "Let's go!"

Although the elders were fleeing, their faces showed little fear; instead, they were all smiling.

They had long been tired of this desolate and wild place, Ninja Village, and this was a good opportunity for them to go out and have some fun for a while.

The ninjas of Shinobi Village are poor, but these elders are not. They each have at least tens of millions of dollars in their overseas accounts, enough to live a carefree life.

Just then, a burst of laughter came from the box: "Haha, really, so many years have passed, and this Ninja Village hasn't changed at all!"

Zi Dian frowned and said to Lei in the box, "Shut up, be quiet. Can't all that anesthetic work?"

"It really doesn't numb!"

With a "bang," a hole appeared in the box, and a hand emerged from it, startling Zidian.

However, Zidian was a seasoned ninja who had experienced countless battles. Faced with this unexpected situation, he did not hesitate at all, drew his katana, and stabbed it into the box.

The katana pierced the box a foot deep, but then could not go any further. Zidian felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but retreat.

With a loud crash, the box shattered, and Lei Dao leaped out, stabbing Zi Dian in the chest with his fist, piercing right through it.

Raida's skin was dark, radiating an ominous red aura. He laughed loudly and said, "My good brother, thank you for keeping my life and allowing me to break through smoothly. As a token of my gratitude, I will send you on your way so that you won't have to worry about the affairs of the Ninja Village anymore, and so that my good nephew Hayate can truly shoulder the heavy responsibility."

With a stab wound through his chest, Zi Dian was completely powerless. He pointed at Lei Dao, then looked at the elders who had fled with him: "You...I...save..."

Lei Dao shuddered, tearing Zi Dian's body to shreds.

Blood flew everywhere. Lei Dao, bathed in his brother's blood, instantly severed the heads of the elders: "Don't worry, brother, I won't let you go alone. These people have followed you for so many years, let them accompany you on your journey!"

Taking a deep breath of the blood-stained air, Lei Dao smiled contentedly: "Ah, it's still most comfortable outside..."

Sensing something, Lei Dao quickly dropped the head and left the scene as fast as he could.

Tsk, that guy's coming, run, run!

Although he has now become an extraordinary powerhouse, he is still far inferior to Li Xin in strength, and he absolutely cannot let Li Xin catch him.

Not long after Lei Dao fled, Li Xin, Hayabusa, and Hayate arrived at the scene.

Looking at the Ninja Village elders lying dead on the ground, Hayate was only shocked. But when he recognized the scattered pieces of his body as his father, Hayate couldn't help but kneel down and cry out in grief, "Father!"

Chapter 736 Emerging from Seclusion

Zidian, along with all the other elders of Shinobi Village, died. Hayate transported their bodies back to Shinobi Village and arranged their funerals.

However, the funeral must be held, and what they did must be made public. If it's for nothing else, even if it's just to give justice to those ninjas who were dragged into the ninja quagmire because of the selfish desires of the Ninja Village, Hayate must give them justice.

Therefore, Hayate summoned all the ninjas of Shinobi Village, preparing to expose the transactions between Shinobi Village and the "Dark Eagle Clan" over the past few decades.

This naturally met with opposition from many conservatives in Shinobi Village.

The matter of the children from outside the village is a secret, but not a true secret.

This is actually not hard to understand. Shinobi Village is not big, and people have seen each other's children even if they are not familiar with them. The sudden appearance of a strange child is quite eye-catching.

However, most ninjas don't care about things outside of their missions, so for so many years, no one has ever raised any questions.

Since we've been living like this for so many years, there's no need to talk about the "Dark Eagle Clan" anymore, so as not to ruin the atmosphere in the village, and it wouldn't be good for Zidian and the other elders' reputations either.

But Hayate, who had always been very receptive to other people's advice, suddenly became more assertive than ever before.

“If we don’t admit our mistakes, we will never be able to correct them, and the village of Shinobi will never have a new future.”

After saying these words to the conservatives, Hayate revealed the secret that the village had kept hidden for many years in front of all the ninjas of Shinobi Village.

This naturally caused an uproar among the ninjas.

It's important to understand that the deal between Shinobi Village and the "Dark Eagle Clan" has been going on for decades, not just for a few years. This means that not only are there children who were bought among the aspiring ninjas who are currently undergoing ninja training, but even the middle-aged and elderly ninjas who have been fighting for Shinobi Village for decades may also be outsiders.

How can the ninjas of Shinobi Village, who consider Shinobi Village their hometown and regard being a ninja as their duty and honor, accept this?

Hayate had anticipated this situation, so he quickly announced the second important matter: lifting the ban on ninjas leaving the village except for missions, allowing ninjas to leave the village and even live outside as individuals.

This was no longer just causing a commotion; it was more like throwing a huge rock into the lake, stirring up a huge uproar.

Those conservatives who had been suppressed by Gale as their leader could no longer sit still and jumped out to openly oppose Gale's orders. However, they were subdued and imprisoned by Gale in a few moves, which made the other restless conservatives calm down and decide to wait and see.

After the discordant voices were resolved, Hayate's orders were quickly met with a response from the ninjas.

If they can leave, who would want to stay in Ninja Village, a place with nothing?

Most of the ninjas in Shinobi Village have gone out on missions and know what a tempting world the outside world is. They originally longed for the outside world, but they dared not cross the line because of the strict rules. Now that their leader Hayate has lifted the ban and is even encouraging them to leave Shinobi Village, how could they possibly resist such temptation?

"Hayate, are you trying to disband the Ninja Village?"

Hayabusa couldn't help but ask.

The profession of ninja is somewhat inhuman, and only in "Hayabusa no Sato" is there a relatively strong sense of humanity. In other places, there are quite a few ninjas who take pride in being ruthless, such as the "Dark Eagle Clan". Ninja Village also has many rules and regulations. The training methods are not only cruel, but also include many disciplinary measures. Any slight sign of resistance will be dealt with.

Such a repressive organization can only survive through high-pressure rule and strict discipline. This is why the Ninja Village never tolerates deserters. If there were no consequences for escaping, wouldn't all the ninjas in the Ninja Village run away?

Now that Hayate has lifted the ban and even encouraged ninjas to start new lives, it's no different from disbanding the Ninja Village.

"So what if it's disbanded? Shinobi Village never had a reason to exist in the first place."

Ji Feng calmly replied.

After his father's death, Hayate had come to terms with it.

To put it bluntly, the profession of ninja has no reason to exist in modern society and should have been removed from the stage of history long ago.

The "Hayabusa Clan" exists for the noble cause of defeating the "Demon God," eliminating evil, and protecting justice in the world. As for the Ninja Village, it is nothing more than a ninja concentration camp set up by a group of powerful people for their own convenience.

Why should the ninjas of Shinobi Village have to serve those people from birth? The shogunate has been overthrown for over a hundred years, and it has been over fifty years since the Emperor's "Declaration of Humanity." Who says that ninjas can't live for themselves?

Loyalty is a ninja's greatest honor, but the question is, is the object of this loyalty chosen by the ninja himself? Is it worthy of his loyalty?

This kind of deformed profession, one that exists entirely for the selfish desires of a few, should just disappear!

While Hayabusa was still hesitating, Li Xin said directly, "Hayate, you did the right thing."

Previously, Hayabusa Ryu said that after Kasumi became a rogue ninja, she would face relentless pursuit from the Ninja Village. From that moment on, he felt that there was something wrong with the Ninja Village's system, but they wouldn't listen to an outsider like him. Moreover, with Shiden and those elders around, the pressure was too great, and the Ninja Village simply couldn't change anything.

Now that the cancer in Shinobi Village has been removed and Hayate is truly in charge, isn't it gratifying to see the long-standing problem of Shinobi Village cured?

"If most people in an organization don't want to work there anymore, what's the point of keeping that organization going?"

After Li Xin finished speaking to Hayabusa, Hayabusa thought about it and realized it made sense. He then asked Hayate, "Hayate, what are your plans after this?"

"The village of Shinobi will still exist."

Hayate replied, "It's just that the ninjas here can come and go as they please. I think that although many ninjas will want to leave and live outside, there will still be ninjas who want to stay, so the Ninja Village will be preserved for them."

"As for those children who were bought, I am very sorry. If they can be sent back, I will send them back to their families and give them compensation. If their families cannot be found, I will raise them to adulthood so that they can stand on their own in society. Of course, I will also give them compensation."

Hayate has already figured out everything, not only the ninjas of Shinobi Village, but also how to deal with the children he bought.

When Li Xin and Hayabusa heard that Hayate's actions were not impulsive but rather well-considered, they said no more.

Perhaps these thoughts had been swirling in Jifeng's mind for a long time, but because of Zidian, he had not truly exercised the power of the leader, which was why he had not taken action for so long.

Li Xin thought for a moment and said to Jifeng, "With so many ninjas suddenly leaving Shinobi Village and entering modern society, I'm afraid they might have trouble adapting. Jifeng, you should let them leave Shinobi Village in batches first, and arrange for the next batch to go out only after you've confirmed that they can adapt to life outside."

It's important to understand that when these extraordinary individuals first entered the world, they caused quite a few problems. The ninjas of Shinobi Village are no ordinary people; they are at least level three extraordinary individuals. If so many extraordinary individuals suddenly enter society, and they are an organized group of extraordinary individuals, then if any trouble arises, the consequences will be dire.

After listening to Li Xin's words, Jifeng thought about it and realized that it made sense. He nodded and said, "Xin, thank you for reminding me. I will do as you say and monitor the ninjas who go out to work to a certain extent. If they do anything wrong, I will punish them."

Hayate's eagerness to make amends caused him to overlook the fact that ninjas were actually a group of extremely dangerous thugs.

It should be understood that a qualified ninja has undoubtedly taken more than one life and possesses at least a hundred methods of murder that are silent and difficult to detect with modern forensic techniques. Releasing such a group of vicious individuals into society without any restrictions is irresponsible towards social stability.

However, how to restrain the ninjas is a matter for later; what's urgent now is something else entirely.

Jifeng said to Li Xin, "Xin, I have a favor to ask you. Please inform Xia and Lingyin to come back for my father's funeral."

Although Zidian wasn't a good father, or even a good person, and had even issued a kill order against Xia, he was still Xia's father. Hayate still hoped that Xia could come back. As for Ayane, her mother, Ayame, must be very sad right now. He wanted Ayane to keep her mother company. He knew that over the years, the person his mother missed the most was actually Ayane.

"No problem, I'll have them come over right away."

Li Xin nodded.

....................................

As the village of Shinobi Village underwent a dramatic transformation, another group of ninjas also began their operations.

Chuan Hui led the remaining members of the "Dark Eagle Clan" to the secret base of "Darkness" to meet the strongest person in "Darkness"—Shixi Huangwo Nosuke, known as "Niten Yama-ō".

"Please wait a moment, the leader has just come out of seclusion and is testing his sword."

A long-haired woman in a white kimono asked Chuan Hui to wait. Although Chuan Hui was eager to see Shi Xi Huang Wo Zhi Zhu immediately, she could only wait patiently.

He didn't know how long he had been waiting when suddenly, Chuan Hui felt an astonishing sword aura rushing towards him. He didn't even have time to dodge before he was cut into seven or eight pieces by the sword aura.

Chuan Hui suddenly woke up and realized that everything just now was just an illusion. His body was still intact, but his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.

"Not bad, the new leader of the 'Dark Owls' is quite capable, having withstood my killing intent."

A burly figure appeared before Chuan Hui, sat down cross-legged, and then said to the woman in white kimono, "Xun, go and get me a pot of wine."

"Yes!"

After the woman in white kimono bowed and left, Shiki Kōnosuke said to Kenji, "Speak, what is it?"