"There are no longer any Hand personnel remaining within the United States; all of their strongholds have been completely dismantled."
"According to the latest intelligence, Madam Gao was executed shortly after being taken back to the Shiranui Agency. Her body was then retrieved by the Continental's cleaners and cremated."
"Even the individual responsible for escorting Gao's ashes was intercepted and killed by a Continental assassin for the bounty. As for the ashes themselves, by the time our people arrived, they had been scattered on the ground and thoroughly washed away by the rain..."
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Stick burst into a fit of dark laughter.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"How many years? How many years has it been? Even the Hand has a day like this. Gao, not only are you dead, but your ashes have been tossed to the wind. Without a body, I'd like to see how you plan on returning now."
Initially, Stick hadn't been overly concerned when he heard Gao had been taken away, knowing her tendency to cheat death and return. However, he hadn't expected Hayate's methods to be so final. With the cremation, he knew that one of the Five Fingers of the Hand had been truly extinguished.
Madam Gao would not be coming back.
His laughter died abruptly as he remembered his fallen disciple. He walked over to the casket and looked down at Matt Murdock, his expression hardening.
"Rest easy, Matt. I will avenge you," Stick murmured. "No one kills my student and lives to tell the tale."
A thought flickered in Stick's mind: If I can find the Dragon Bone, perhaps there is a way to bring Matt back as well...
"Go," Stick commanded his men. "Gather every scrap of intelligence on Rock Lee. I want blood for blood!"
"And investigate every trace of the Hand's activities in Hell's Kitchen. Find out why they were there. I refuse to believe Gao would personally oversee an operation just to run a blind labor factory."
"Yes, sir!" the Chaste member replied, bowing before departing.
Stick turned back to Matt's body. "It looks like I'll need to have you cryogenically frozen, kid. If I ever find that bone, I'd rather not try to resurrect a skeleton."
Shiranui Agency.
Hayate Shiranui pulled up to the agency in his classic Mercedes-Benz, only to find a medium-sized delivery truck parked at the entrance. The side of the truck featured adorable images of giant pets with the logo: K9 Natural - Special Delivery.
K9 Natural—the "Hermès" of pet food. 500g for $100.
Hayate parked and walked over to find Iruka speaking with the delivery staff. "Iruka, what's all this?"
"Lord Hayate," Iruka replied, "they're from a premium pet food company. They claim a large order of dog food and treats was placed for this address."
Hayate took the invoice from Iruka and scanned it. The list was extensive: one ton of K9 Natural freeze-dried food, fresh salmon, steaks, chicken breasts, beef marrow bones, various premium cans and snacks, a massive bag of toys, and even a top-tier luxury dog bed.
A note at the bottom read: Quarterly subscription. Deliveries will occur every three months.
Hayate chuckled to himself. Tony Stark really is a big spender. He certainly didn't hold back for Pakkun.
"These are gifts for Pakkun from a client," Hayate said. "Help them move it all inside."
As he walked into the agency, Iruka began coordinating the workers to unload the mountain of pet supplies.
Hand Headquarters, Japan.
A high-level summit was underway. What was normally a council of five had only four representatives present today: the remaining Fingers of the Hand—Alexandra, Bakuto, Sowande, and Murakami.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one spoke for several minutes as the silence stretched.
Finally, Alexandra broke the tension. "Madam Gao went to New York with our resources to secure new Dragon Bone. According to our reports, she is dead. Truly dead—no remains left to recover. How shall we proceed?"
Murakami, who had been closest to Gao, spoke first. "Gao was one of us, a Finger of the Hand. Her murder must be answered with blood. If we do nothing, how will other organizations view us? Especially now that her death is permanent. Our aura of mystery will be severely diminished."
"The world will realize the Hand is not, in fact, unkillable."
He paused, and the other two nodded in agreement. "We agree. Revenge is mandatory."
"Beyond vengeance," Alexandra continued, "there is another priority. The mission Gao was on—the search for the Dragon Bone—must be restarted immediately."
"Based on the data Gao sent back before her demise, she had narrowed the search area. The Bone is buried beneath the soil of Hell's Kitchen in New York."
"Comrades, our current supply of Dragon Bone is dwindling. Securing a new source is a matter of survival. This time, we all go. All four of us, with our respective shadows. We will avenge Gao, and we will claim the Bone."
Bakuto and Sowande leaned forward. "It has been a long time since the four of us moved together. It is time the world remembered why they fear the Hand."
With everyone in agreement, Alexandra pressed a remote. A photograph of Hayate Shiranui appeared on the large screen, followed by his dossier.
"Now, we must study our enemy: Hayate Shiranui."
"Because our American infrastructure was decimated, our intelligence has gaps. This data was purchased through third-party channels. We still don't know exactly why the High Table turned on us."
"But one thing is certain: the bounty on our heads has expired. This time, we won't just kill Hayate Shiranui. We will burn the New York Continental to the ground."
As Alexandra continued her briefing, a dark conspiracy against Hayate and his agency began to take shape.