CH 293

Darkness had always been Kang Jin-Ho's partner, and it was easy to figure out why.

Humans had always been accompanied by darkness even before their consciousness could form. Some said that a human's life only started after they emerged from their mother's womb and into the light, but that was incorrect. In reality, it would be more correct to say that darkness was already with humans from inside their mothers' wombs.

Even if that example was excluded from the discussion, darkness could still be found everywhere around a human being.

As a person, Uchimura Masashi was especially close to darkness than many others. That was a part of a shinobi's job description, after all.

The same job description said that shinobis were supposed to stay in the darkness found throughout the world. And Masashi was quite proud of his ability to do so. All the bone-breaking physical and obsessive self-restraint training he had done throughout his life ensured that his pride would never be misplaced.

'Hmph!'

And that was why he didn’t like this assignment, not one bit.

'In Joseon, of all places?' [1]

Even on the surface world, Korea as a nation couldn't even come close to Japan. Sure, Korea had been chasing down Japan at scarcely-believable speeds in recent times, but the gap between the two countries was still so huge that comparing them seemed like a waste of time.

That was the story on the surface world. However, the gap in status between the two countries in the hidden world was even wider than that. It was extremely wide that the gap in the surface world seemed like a funny little joke in comparison!

In the world of martial artists, at least, Korea was unable to escape the evaluation as a 'minor nation.' As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the weakest nation in the world after excluding third-world countries and developing nations that never had the chance to advance due to their small population.

It wasn’t for nothing that some people even referred to Korea as the martial arts' wasteland. But now, Masashi was ordered to set foot in such a country to eliminate just one person?

'Indeed, I don't like this at all...'

Of course, he could understand why he was here. Whether it was a wasteland or not, it would still have its own ranks and food chain, and there were bound to be some individuals who couldn't be dealt with through traditional means. As such, it made sense that one would reach out to another nation possessing stronger warriors and offer suitable compensation for their help.

However, what Masashi couldn’t understand was why did the assignment of eliminating one individual required him... and dozens of his colleagues to come here?

'I alone would have sufficed, so why...?'

Bringing so many shinobis to deal with some random punk living in a minor nation had hurt Masashi's pride as a warrior.

Weaklings of a minor nation bowing down to a stronger nation and begging for help happened occasionally. And it was understandable for said stronger nation to humor that request out of its infinite generosity.

Not to forget, the one bowing his head this time was supposedly the Master of the Korean Martial Assembly, the largest martial arts organization in the country. With that knowledge in mind, Masashi shouldn’t even be dissatisfied at all, but still…

'I can't figure out what this brat is thinking...'

Masashi studied the target standing tall in the darkness. The target was some young brat carrying swords in his hands. However, he wasn’t even wearing a martial uniform like everyone else. He showed up in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt!

Despite all these shinobis circling around him, the brat didn't seem to have noticed them at all. Masashi barely managed to hold back a groan trying to leak out of his mouth at the sight of this.

'It's not like I don't understand, but...'

A shinobi was someone who knew how to endure and stay patient. Whether the assignment was incomprehensible or not, Masashi's duty was to complete it regardless. And in a meticulous and thorough way! That was how Masashi was trained, after all!

Anyway, he had carried out countless many illogical and incomprehensible assignments before. And the best way to complain in cases like this one was to finish the job as meticulously as possible and make his superiors realize that they had failed to grasp the difference in strength between Masashi and the target.

The story should largely be the same this time, too. The priority should be to cleanly deal with that brat who didn't know his place!

'I shall show you mercy...'

Masashi hiding in the darkness flashed a grin. The perfect assassination would steal the target's life away without letting them know that they died! That would be the greatest mercy Masashi could bestow on the brat.

Whistle...

A faint signal noise was made. The assassination squad silently and stealthily circled their target. They also didn't forget to study the target's reaction in the meantime.

Immediately attacking a target as he entered the darkness would have increased the odds of success, but if the target were aware of the ambush, the risk of a counter-attack would go up accordingly as well.

Of course, if the target were dangerous enough that they had to risk their lives to complete the mission, the shinobis would have unhesitantly chosen that method. After all, They took pride in throwing their lives away if it was for the sake of completing their objectives.

But now? There was no need for that. The shinobis slowly circled the target. If the brat was capable enough to detect the movements around him, he should have reacted by now. And the shinobis would decide on their attack pattern after observing his response.

'...Is he really a brat with no powers?'

Masashi narrowed his eyes.

The dissatisfaction about the number of shinobis dispatched to kill just one brat and his belief that his superiors wouldn’t have sent this many people unless they were idiots who couldn’t properly grasp their target’s abilities clashed in Masashi’s mind...

But after seeing the target's reaction, he couldn't help but strongly wonder if he was truly about to deal with some weak brat. Despite twenty shinobis circling him, the target seemed like he hadn’t noticed anything.

'No, wait. That can't be it.'

If the target really hadn't sensed anything, he should have kept moving rather than just standing there without moving. The brat’s eyes were closed, and his swords were lowered, touching the floor. The sight roused this inexplicable feeling in Masashi's chest. Wasn't that a stance?

'Is he deliberately trying to provoke us?!'

Grit...!

Masashi shouldn’t make a sound. However, he gnashed his teeth without even realizing it. Despite making an unthinkable mistake, none of his colleagues rebuked him. And it was obvious why.

Any shinobis capable of 'recognizing' Kang Jin-Ho's current pose would have found it hard to suppress the rage bubbling in their chests. That relaxed pose of holding swords in both hands and letting them touch the floor...

That happened to be the basic stance of the 'Nitoryu' style invented by none other than Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest swordmaster whom Japan proudly boasted to the world![2]

'How dare a measly little Chosenjin...?!' [3]

A mere feeble Joseon citizen cribbing from a lowly martial technique dared to imitate one of the great swordmaster's stances! No wonder this sight served as a powerful provocation to the shinobis.

Still, Masashi understood that the Joseon brat couldn't be taking on that pose intentionally. To perform such a provocation, the brat had to know that he was dealing with the Japanese shinobis first. However, just how did Kang Jin-Ho know where his opponents came from? As such, this provocation couldn't have been planned out.

However, that thought only served as fuel to their fury. A mere punk from the peninsula imitating Nitoryu was an unforgivable crime in itself.

Of course, the shinobis' thoughts were completely off the mark. Kang Jin-Ho wasn't trying to imitate the Nitoryu technique. In fact, he didn’t even get into the basic stance of any technique in the first place!

No, his posture naturally came about as he observed the weird actions of the ninjas circling him, which he found rather humorous to behold. Masashi would have shed tears of blood if he knew, but reading Kang Jin-Ho's mind was an impossible feat, even for a seasoned ninja like him. However, it could be a rather fortunate thing for him...

A coincidental misunderstanding was developing among the participants of the event, but it didn't change anything. Masashi and his fellow shinobis still had to kill Kang Jin-Ho. They had just obtained one more reason to do so. But now, Masashi wanted to make that brat suffer a more painful… death, which wasn't his original intention. It seemed his colleagues shared his sentiment as well.

Finally, the signal was given. It was for one shinobi to charge at the target. Masashi saw the signal, which they had agreed upon beforehand, and flashed a toothy grin. One more confirmation signal and he would get to make a beeline at Kang Jin-Ho.

'It will get a bit confusing for you, brat!'

The original plan was for him to approach from behind, then stab Kang Jin-Ho in the lung and heart before the brat could even react. Such actions would ensure instant death, but Masashi’s plan had changed. He obviously couldn't kill an arrogant brat that mercifully now, could he?!

Five centimeters were all he needed. Just that little deviation in the thrust of his blade would be enough to half-sever the target's heart. It should ensure that the target would suffer from an agonizingly slow death as the horrific pain of his body filling up with blood from an internal hemorrhage consumed him.

Masashi could receive a bit of scolding later, but so what? After choosing his method, Masashi smirked before noticing the second signal.

Shuffle...!

Before his head could even process the order, his body reacted first. Masashi silently kicked off of the ground and rushed at Kang Jin-Ho's back as if he was being sucked toward his destination. Now, all he had to do was thrust his dagger hidden in his sleeve into that dumb little brat's back.

A shinobi's blade was supposed to be hidden from the light right up until the target's final moments. That was because light reflecting on the blade could potentially expose a ninja's existence to the target.

Thinking that he had sufficiently narrowed the distance, Masashi yanked his hidden dagger out from his sleeve.

'Die, braaat!'

And he stealthily thrust the dagger in between Kang Jin-Ho's ribcage. At least, that was what he thought.

Because as he thrust his dagger...

Grab!

His view was suddenly dyed in darkness. Masashi couldn't immediately figure out what happened, but an extreme level of pain shot up from his face. All strength abandoned his body as it dangled helplessly in the air.

“How stereotypical...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered, and a hint of mockery seeped into his voice. “A figure-hugging black uniform, then bandages wrapped around hands and feet to reduce noise? Looks like you guys came straight out of a manga.”

Masashi finally figured out his current situation and what happened just now. It seemed that before he could thrust his dagger into Kang Jin-Ho’s back, the so-called brat reached out and grabbed Masashi's face!

“Kuh-huuuph!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s grip was so strong that Masashi thought his skull would shatter at any moment. He could even hear the sounds of bones creaking in his head. It was finally then that he figured out something important. So this was why so many shinobis were mobilized to deal with one brat. The higher-ups—they had made a very logical decision! And Masashi's failure was his fault. He didn’t trust their judgment after all.

“I figured you'd throw shurikens or something like that, but charging straight at me? I have to say; I'm a little disappointed. Despite your stereotypical ninja outfit, I guess you can't perform the cloning jutsu, eh? I thought you'd turn into a log by now.”

Kang Jin-Ho's cackle registered in Masashi's ears. Kang Jin-Ho was laughing, but he seemed a bit deflated by the sight of the ninja trapped in his grip. He even felt goosebumps of cringe breaking out on his skin after clapping his eyes on the ninja’s all-black outfit that seemed like it came straight out of direct-to-video action movies.

“It's nice that you wish to uphold your tradition. If I'm being honest, though, it's a bit...”

Every single one of those born in the modern era spouting nonsense about upholding tradition looked like comedians to Kang Jin-Ho. Well, he had lived through the era where tradition was alive and kicking, didn't he?

"Someone better teach you what not being in sync with the era means," said Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho was on his way to facilitate the changing of the guards. However, the ones blocking his path were a bunch of morons pursuing outdated traditions. How funny.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his victim. “I heard ninjas don't scream as they die. Let's find out, shall we?”

“C-chotto matte!”[4]

Masashi tried to say something. Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho didn't speak Japanese.

Cruuuunch!

"You should've spoken in Korean," Kang Jin-Ho tutted.

And that was the end of Masashi…

Masashi's limp body, with its crushed skull, landed with a thud on the floor. Kang Jin-Ho didn't even spare a moment's glance at the corpse as he glanced at his surroundings. "Don't disappoint me any further, okay?"

‘You see, I'm hoping to experience something unique and entertaining tonight. But if you are only on this level... what a waste of time this is then...’

Kang Jin-Ho took in the glares of every ninja still hidden within the darkness before quietly announcing to them...

“Next...”

Bone-chilling killing intent quickly filled the mansion's hallway. Curses and insults flew as the ninjas pounced on Kang Jin-Ho.

“Kekeke...!” Kang Jin-Ho leisurely raised his swords while staring at the ninjas charging at him.

1. Joseon, alternatively spelled 'Chosun' or 'Choson' depending on your sources, was the last Korean dynasty lasting 500 years. ☜

2. 'Nitoryu' literally means 'two flowing swords'. In English, it's simply translated as 'dual wielding'. ☜

3. 'Chosenjin' is a derogatory Japanese term for anyone of Korean descent, although it didn't start that way. ☜

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

4. This is Japanese for “Wait a moment!” ☜