Rock Lee took a step forward, placing one hand behind his back and extending the other in a classic combat stance. "Sir," he asked calmly, "are you certain you wish to block our path?"
Matt Murdock's acute hearing picked up the three powerful, rhythmic heartbeats before him—pulses that were far steadier and more intense than those of average men. His expression turned grim. "You've murdered so many people. Put your hands up and surrender to the law."
As he spoke, Matt gripped his billy club, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Seeing Lee hesitate to move, Sasuke's gaze remained cold and detached. "Lee, hurry up. Lord Hayate is waiting for us to deliver the target."
Lee didn't delay any longer. He planted a foot firmly into the ground and surged forward like a cannonball.
Sensing the sudden rush of air, Matt barely managed to raise his arms to protect his chest. So fast! he thought in shock.
BOOM!
A heavy whip-kick connected, sending Daredevil flying backward. Matt tried to roll to dissipate the force, but the momentum was too great; he slammed into a structural pillar with a sickening crunch and coughed up a spray of fresh blood.
Sasuke watched the exchange with unconcealed disdain.
Clinging to consciousness, Matt realized he couldn't win a direct confrontation. He activated the hidden cable in his billy club, firing the hook toward Madam Gao on Sasuke's back. If he couldn't defeat them, he would at least rescue the hostage and flee.
This act didn't just provoke Sasuke; it genuinely angered Rock Lee.
The moment the hook shot out, Lee blurred into a flicker, snatching the metal chain mid-air. With a violent tug, he yanked the chain back, dragging Daredevil through the air toward him.
As the masked vigilante flew helplessly toward him, Lee unleashed his Infinite Flurry.
In the span of a single heartbeat, Lee landed eleven thunderous strikes on the airborne Matt. The final blow was a concentrated burst of power that sent the man hurtling away.
Daredevil's body simply wasn't built to withstand the force of Shiranui-style Taijutsu. His ribs shattered instantly, the jagged bone fragments piercing his heart. The final impact sent him crashing through the building's glass doors.
The glass shattered into a thousand shards. Matt's broken body rolled onto the street outside. Pedestrians screamed and scattered; in Hell's Kitchen, no one stayed around to be a witness.
Seeing that the man in the mask didn't rise again, Rock Lee relaxed his stance. "Enemy neutralized. Let's move."
Sasuke adjusted Madam Gao on his shoulder and stepped over the threshold. "Hopefully, no more blind fools will try to stop us."
As they left, Matt Murdock lay dead on the pavement, his broken billy club left behind in the silent lobby.
War Room, Shiranui Agency.
Iruka drove the team back safely to the headquarters. Inside the War Room, Shiranui Hayate sat in a high-backed chair, watching the bound and gagged Madam Gao lying on the floor.
Iruka stepped forward, removed the cloth from her mouth, and reset her jaw with a quick, practiced motion.
Madam Gao slowly drifted back to consciousness. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized her predicament and struggled into a sitting position. She scanned the room: the indifferent Hayate, the three ninjas who had captured her, and Hotaru, who was diligently cross-referencing data on a computer.
Finally, Gao spoke. "Who are you?"
"What is it you want with an old woman? If you're interested in my business in Hell's Kitchen, I can withdraw. I'll hand the entire operation over to you."
Clearly, Gao still hadn't grasped Hayate's true objective.
Hayate looked down at her, his voice devoid of emotion. "I couldn't care less about your business."
Gao's eyes sharpened. "Then did Wilson Fisk hire you? Whatever he paid, I'll double it." Seeing Hayate remain unmoved, she pressed on. "Five times? Or perhaps you'd like to name a price?"
As she spoke, she attempted to weave a web of mental manipulation, trying to invade Hayate's mind. However, her psychic tricks were useless.
With the power of his Sharingan, Hayate saw through her pathetic attempts immediately. A thin smile played on his lips. "Stop the mental parlor tricks. Your power is far too weak."
"Let's get straight to the point."
"Madam Gao... have you found what you came to New York for?"
Gao's pupils contracted slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm here to expand the Hand's influence."
"Besides," she added, her voice dropping an octave, "the Hand will not let this insult pass. You would be wise to state your demands and let me go."
Hayate didn't blink. He simply uttered two words:
"Dragon Bone."
The silence that followed was deafening. Gao's mask of composure shattered, replaced by a look of pure fury. "Who are you people? The Chaste? K'un-Lun?"
Then she shook her head, answering her own question. "K'un-Lun would never train ninjas. Where do you come from?"
Seeing her drop the act, Hayate's smile widened. "I am not from K'un-Lun, nor am I one of the Chaste."
"And as for the killers you and the Chaste train... you actually have the gall to call them 'ninjas'?"
"It's laughable."
Thinking of the sheer strength of the three who had captured her, Gao found herself speechless. Not even the elite ninjas of the Hand—nor even herself, one of the Five Fingers—could have stood against the two boys for a single round.
She had naturally assumed Sasuke was a product of Hayate's organization. "Which faction do you represent?" she asked, desperate for an answer.
Hayate leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I am an Elder of the High Table. Does that answer satisfy you?"
Gao stared at him, her eyes scanning his face. "You... the new High Table Elder? Impossible. I know the High Table. They don't have this kind of power."
Then, a realization struck her. "It was you. You're the one who issued the total liquidation bounty on the Hand..."
In that moment, Madam Gao finally understood why every Hand stronghold in America was currently being burned to the ground.