Volume 1: Kawahara Island Storm Chapter 38: Assassination of a Ninja

  In the hazy moonlight, the visibility in the mountains and fields was not high. After Li Xiao saw the attire of these people clearly, he couldn't help but feel surprised in his heart, saying: Ninjas?

  In this era, the ninja costume was indeed not as seen in movies, all wearing black clothes, they were more dressed in deep blue, deep purple or brown tight-fitting clothes.

  They wore a layer of soft armor on their upper body, including their head, which could prevent cutting damage and had some protective effect. The blades of the ninja knives were painted black with dye to prevent reflection in the dark, while their faces were uniformly covered with six-foot handkerchiefs.

  The ninjatō is a blunt sword, with a length between that of the tachi and the kodachi, not suitable for slashing like a katana, but only for thrusting. The main function of the ninjatō was to assist in climbing, such as scaling castle walls, where it could be inserted into stone crevices, allowing the user to climb using the blunt edge of the blade without worrying about cutting their fingers.

  Apart from the ninjatō, some ninja also used shuriken and kusarigama which were both main hand weapons commonly used by ninja. In addition, ninja were skilled in using bows and guns. For example, among the legendary Sanada Ten Braves, there was a man named Kirigakure Saizō who was an expert with the gun, while another member, ōtsubo Tadatsuna, was a master of kusarigama.

  Apart from their main hand weapons, ninjas are also skilled in using various unusual hidden weapons, such as the unbeatable handheld sword, shuriken (which can also be used as a dagger), grappling hook, and blow dart.

  Li Xiao saw Island Victory Meng recognized himself, slightly nodded to him, but did not think that at this time these few ninjas, without even asking, directly threw the swords, shuriken and other hidden weapons in their hands towards Li Xiao.

  Li Xiao coldly smiled and swung his large spear forward, crossing it in front of him with both hands alternating, forming a spear face on the front of his body, effortlessly deflecting all the hidden projectiles.

  These ninjas also saw that Li Xiao was not easy to deal with, and they exchanged a look, then the three ninjas from left, middle and right rushed towards Li Xiao, seemingly wanting to take care of him first before turning back to take down Ishikawa Takeru together.

  Li Xiao took a step back, bowed his body, and with a loud "pu" sound, he fiercely stabbed the spear towards one of the ninjas who was attacking him. However, the opponent's reaction was not slow either, and at the moment when the spearhead was about to reach him, he suddenly crouched down like a cat and used his ninja knife to block Li Xiao's attack from below.

  But Li Xiao wouldn't let him get away easily, using both hands to press down on the gunstock with force, the muzzle flipped over and heavily struck downwards. The ninja couldn't withstand Li Xiao's great strength, his legs buckling as he fell to his knees with a thud.

  If he attacks again, he can take the man's life immediately, but at this time, the ambushes on both sides have arrived, and Li Xiao has to withdraw his gun and retreat.

  Li Xiao dodged and weaved, but unexpectedly a hook rope flew out from the shadows, circling several times before wrapping itself around Li Xiao's right leg. It turned out that the opponent had not underestimated Li Xiao at all; apart from the three ninjas attacking head-on, they also sent someone to launch a sneak attack from behind.

  Seeing the sneak attack succeed, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of this ninja, and he grabbed the other end of the hook rope with both hands, pulling hard. He believed that with this pull, it would be enough to knock Li Xiaoxun down, and then his companion could come forward and finish off the opponent.

  Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, Li Xiao's body was as still as a rock.

  Li Xiao tightened his horse's reins, his feet nailed to the ground like nails. With a single spear, he resisted the attack of three ninja and had the upper hand. With one sweep of the spear, he forced them back. After that, Li Xiao used the tip of the spear to wrap around the rope on the ground, then with both hands, he pulled the spear out with force.

  "Rise!" Li Xiao's arms surged with power as he let out a loud roar.

  The ninja who launched a sneak attack in the dark did not expect Li Xiao to have such a move, and was instead pulled towards Li Xiao by the hook rope. Li Xiao lightly counterattacked with another spear thrust, directly slashing across his throat, and immediately blood spurted out of his neck, splashing several meters away.

  The three ninjas on the other side, even after executing multiple tasks, had never seen Li Xiao's such abnormal fighting style before, and they were all stunned in place for a moment. Li Xiao sneered, pulled out the rib knife from his waist, cut off the hook rope wrapped around his right leg, and then brutally kicked the ninja who was about to be killed with one foot, kicking him down the cliff. It wasn't until much later that the sound of the impact came.

  The opponent saw Li Xiao's ruthless tactics and was momentarily intimidated. At this time, Li Xiao swung the gun tip and rushed forward to launch a fierce attack.

  At this time, the remaining five ninjas who were besieging Shimada Takezo also transmitted a mournful cry. It turned out that Shimada Takezo used his thick and large warrior sword to cut one of the ninjas from the neck to the right shoulder into two halves.

  In the blink of an eye, two ninjas died simultaneously. In this mountainous area, the sound of clashing swords was heard again, and occasionally, a kusarigama would be seen flying out with its chain-sickle swinging outward.

  It didn't take long for the Iga clan's ninjas to be killed one by one, except for the one kicked down the cliff by Li Xiao. Eight ninja corpses lay on the ground, those killed by Li Xiao were a bit more intact, while those killed by Dao Cheng had not a single complete corpse left.

  Shima Katsuo hurried forward to rescue his companion, who was tied up with a rope and couldn't move for the time being. Under Shima's rescue, he finally gained freedom.

  "Thank you, Mr. Li Xiao, for saving our lives. If it weren't for you, neither of us would have made it out alive." Shima Katsuo's companion expressed his gratitude to Li Xiao. Shima Katsuo also nodded in agreement, displaying the demeanor of a Chinese knight-errant who doesn't speak of great favors.

  Li Xiao smiled and said it was no big deal, then asked them why they were attacked by the ninjas.

  This person did not hide anything, and told the whole story. The other party was originally the eldest son of Suganuma Sadayuki, the lord of Noda Castle in Mikawa Province, Suganuma Sadatomo.

  In the third year of Eiroku, one year before the Battle of Nagashino, the Imagawa clan was defeated by the Oda clan at the Battle of Okehazama and the head of the Imagawa family, Ujizane, died. His son, Ujitada, succeeded him.

  For example, Tokugawa Ieyasu (later known as Matsudaira Motoyasu) of Mikawa Province was the first to occupy the family's old domain of Okazaki Castle and establish himself independently. The wave of rebellion then spread from western Mikawa to eastern Mikawa.

  This war known as Sansei no Ran, the various powerful clans of Eastern Mikawa rose up in arms to resist the rule of the Imagawa clan.

  The lord of Noda Castle, Sukemasa Takanari, also took the opportunity to rise up and establish himself independently. However, he did not have Tokugawa Ieyasu's wisdom or luck, and soon after his independence, Noda Castle was surrounded by a large army from the Imagawa clan, and in the end, he had no choice but to surrender again to the Imagawa clan.

  Later, Suganuma Sadayuki was also afraid of being harmed and escaped from the castle to avoid disaster. As the eldest son, Suganuma Sadatoshi also followed him out, but unfortunately encountered pursuing soldiers and got separated from his father on the way. On the road, Suganuma Sadatoshi fortunately met his old friend Shima Katsutake, who helped him escape the pursuit and decided not to go directly to Mikawa Province, but instead took a detour through the Takeda family's territory and then returned to Mikawa Province to join the Matsudaira family.

  When Li Xiao heard that Dao Sheng Meng was not a subordinate of Shen Zhongying, but only did it out of friendship, he was willing to risk his life to save him and escort him to Sanhe. He couldn't help but show boundless admiration and reverence, and tactfully expressed that if he could have such a loyal and devoted subordinate, how wonderful it would be.

  Duan Cheng heard this and was taken aback, but without any hesitation, he knelt down and said: "Li Xiao, sir, your martial arts skills are admired by Duan Cheng, and you also have a lifesaving grace towards me. I often hear a Chinese saying that 'a drop of water in need should be repaid with a gushing spring'. If you don't despise me, I am willing to follow under your command and make achievements for you."

  Li Xiao was overjoyed when he heard this, and with both hands helped him up, promising to share wealth and hardship together.

  Li Xiao is now going to make Island Victory Meng Yan his subordinate, and his salary must be paid from Li Xiao's own salary.

  It's not bad that the island's Shōgun is not the one who would give 15,000 stones to know and recruit him in the future. He's just a ronin who has been wandering around for a few years, and now he can be a formal samurai, which is also a good choice.

  Moreover, Li Xiao is not an unknown person, he has repelled Uesugi Kenshin before, and his personal martial arts are also very strong, which makes Shimizu no Kami admire him. Adding the fact that he owes him a life debt, this heavy chip. Finally, his years of traveling south and north, so Shimizu no Kami did not have any obstacles in terms of vision to serve a foreigner.

  So Daishō Tetsu became Li Xiao's first direct subordinate after he came to Japan.

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