On the very night that Zhang Shaozhong and his companions shared a bed, far away in Japan, in the depths of an ancient dojo filled with a chilling atmosphere.

"Baka!!!"

A roar like that of a wounded beast shook the wind chimes under the eaves of the temple.

An old man dressed in traditional samurai attire, with his white hair combed into a bun and eyes as sinister as an eagle, suddenly smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground, shards of porcelain and tea splashing everywhere!

Several ninjas dressed in black tight-fitting clothes were kneeling in front of him, trembling all over, not daring to raise their heads.

This old man is none other than Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, the current head of the Ichisuke-ryu school of martial arts!

He was also Yagyu Kametarou's grandfather.

"Has Kame-taro sent back any news yet?!"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's voice trembled with rage, his face contorted with fury. "It's been two days past the agreed time! You bunch of useless idiots! What kind of work are you doing?!"

"Hi... Hi!"

The ninja kneeling at the front answered in a trembling voice, "Lord, please calm down! We...we have already sent people to infiltrate Sichuan in China to investigate, but...but the Qingcheng Mountain area seems to be under close surveillance by the Chinese government, making it difficult for our people to penetrate. For now...for now, there is still no news of the young master..."

"Useless! You're all useless!"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami kicked over the low table in front of him, his chest heaving violently. "Kame-taro is the most outstanding heir of the Yagyu family! He went there with a replica of the 'Demon Sword Muramasa' to seize an opportunity in that so-called 'spiritual energy revival' land of China, and to enhance the reputation of my Ichisuke-ryu style! Now he's vanished without a trace. How am I supposed to explain this to the family?!"

He was panting heavily, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the kneeling ninja below, his voice icy and chilling: "Send more men! At all costs, infiltrate Qingcheng Mountain! Live or dead... find his body! If anything happens to Kame-taro..."

His words trailed off, and a chilling killing intent spread out, making the kneeling ninja feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"...I will make those Chinese pay for their crimes in blood!"

"Hey!!"

A few days later, on the edge of the undeveloped area of ​​the back mountain of Qingcheng Mountain.

Two men dressed in ordinary mountaineering clothes, but with sharp eyes and agile movements, were carefully avoiding the official patrols and sneaking into the dense forest.

They were the elite ninjas dispatched by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, codenamed "Crow" and "Kage".

"Based on the last faint signal transmitted back, the area where the young master and the others last disappeared was in that valley ahead."

"Crow" lowered his voice and pointed to the valley shrouded in thick fog ahead, which was roughly the direction of the cave that Zhang Shaozhong and the others had entered earlier.

"Shadow" nodded, his eyes grave: "Be careful, the atmosphere here is very strange. There must be a reason why the Chinese government has sealed off this place."

The two moved through the forest like ghosts and soon approached the valley.

The closer you get, the more pronounced the lingering malevolent energy and faint smell of blood become.

Their expressions grew increasingly grim.

"There are signs of a battle!"

"Crow" crouched down, examining a broken branch and charred marks on the ground, where faint energy fluctuations still lingered. "It's the young master's 'shikigami'!"

He encountered a formidable enemy and was forced to use a forbidden technique!

"Shadow" then discovered more traces nearby—scattered shuriken fragments, violently broken trees, and... some dried and blackened bloodstains!

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing an ominous premonition in each other's eyes.

They followed the trail and eventually arrived at the cave entrance, which was partially hidden by vines.

The area around the cave entrance was a mess. Although the authorities had done a simple cleanup, it was still clear that an extremely fierce battle had taken place there.

The nauseating stench of decay and blood that filled the air sent a chill down the spines of both seasoned veterans.

"There is a strong residual energy at the cave entrance... and traces of an array."

"Shadow" sensed the lingering aura of the Yin-Yang Dust Array at the cave entrance, his face turning pale. "It's... an extremely sophisticated array! China truly has masters!"

"Crow" didn't speak; he squatted near the cave entrance, searching carefully.

Suddenly, his fingers pried out a tiny, almost imperceptible metal fragment with dark red veins from a crevice in a rock.

Those are... fragments of a replica of the "Demon Sword Muramasa"!

His fingers trembled slightly as he gripped the shards tightly in his palm, his nails almost digging into his flesh.

"Young Master...I'm afraid..."

His voice was hoarse, tinged with despair.

"Shadow" also saw the fragment and silently lowered its head.

The two conducted a more thorough search near the cave entrance and discovered some weapon fragments and clothing fibers belonging to their companions.

All the evidence points to a cruel fact—Yagyu Kametaro and his squad encountered an insurmountable enemy here and were completely wiped out!

"Go!" "Crow" suddenly stood up, his eyes turning as ferocious as a demon. "We must get the news back to the Flowing Lord immediately! Young Master... Jade Shattered! He was killed by a master from China!"

They dared not linger. With the evidence they had gathered and their hearts heavy with grief and anger, they vanished silently into the dense forest, just as they had come.

A few days later, in Japan, at the Ichisho-ryu Dojo.

Looking at the fragment of the "Demon Sword Muramasa" on the table, as well as the detailed report brought back by "Crow" and "Kage," Yagyu Tajima-no-kami seemed to age ten years in an instant.

He sat hunched over in the shadows, silent, only his hands, clutching the shards tightly, knuckles white from the effort, revealing the raging anger and grief within him.

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