The Iga school was completely wiped out, with no standout masters like the old monkey from the Kaga school—remarkably smooth. Isabel contributed significantly, securing nearly seven out of twelve senior jounin, which left Qin Feng quite helpless, given her speed and strength. The beautiful instructor sheathed her dagger and turned to ask, "Where shall we strike next?" Qin smiled and replied, "First, let's find a place to feast. With the Kaga and Iga schools gone, the remaining ninja lineages are all small fish and shrimp—just pick a few with larger numbers, and we'll take care of them." "Agreed," she nodded. In the days that followed, the various ninja lineages suffered greatly. Any that came under Qin's attention found no luck in escaping—each one met the fate of being extinguished as a whole. These events did not generate sufficient excitement among ordinary people, but the Sun Kingdom government did step in to intervene—only to retreat once they learned the full truth, rendering their involvement entirely ineffective. Moreover, even if formal protests were lodged through diplomatic channels with the Chinese government, what could be achieved? The Chinese government neither recognizes the existence of cultivation phenomena nor the very existence of cultivators. Second, although Qin Feng holds an official status, he was not officially dispatched by the Chinese government to the Sun Kingdom, so the Chinese government would bear no responsibility. Most importantly, what if they offended this master cultivator and placed themselves in a precarious position? Politicians are inherently risk-averse; while they do not wish to see the ninja clan wiped out, they would never be willing to risk their own lives for this matter. Recently, numerous high-ranking military and political officials have visited the Jingguo Shrine to pay their respects, so it has been very busy. Kagami Ichisuke knelt before the elderly monk, his hair and beard white with age, and said, "Master Dōshin, you cannot allow this to go unnoticed. Not only is our Kagami school being slaughtered, but the Iga school and other schools are also under attack. Our entire ninja lineage is being extinguished!" The old monkey thought that once甲贺 one-chu reported his name, the old monk would surely come forward to help without hesitation. But the result was a straightforward refusal. The old monk folded his hands and said, "Master of the Kaga school, it's not that I don't want to help. This matter is rooted in your grievances with the Chinese cultivators. It has nothing to do with me. I simply cannot intervene." "But Master, can you really watch helplessly as the entire ninja lineage vanishes?"甲贺 one-chu continued to appeal emotionally. "Moreover, the cause of their disappearance isn't due to our own people—it's a Chinese person. Can you accept that?" Truth be told, the old monk was not willing to accept it. Though monks and ninjas were different professions, after all, they were both Japanese. How could he simply watch as the other side disappeared? Yet he still couldn't make up his mind, because he was fully aware that once he committed, it would mean declaring war on the Chinese cultivators. Then the Shinto monks would have no chance of staying unscathed. "Master, the Elder said that, in fact, the other party isn't quite as formidable as it seems." He continued, "The Elder alone can defeat the opponent, but it's extremely difficult to kill them. That's why she has invited you to assist." The old monk waved his hand and said, "I'm not afraid of danger, nor do I fear losing my life because of this matter. Very well—since your friend has sincerely invited me, I'll help. Have him find out the other party's exact location, and I'll be there as soon as possible!" "Thank you, Master Daoxin. I'll go back and inform the Elder right away." Hachiga Ichiro hurried off, eager and attentive. In truth, the old monk had been quite worn down by his persistence. For several days, Hachiga had followed him without missing a beat, even staying behind when he went out to receive military and political dignitaries. Returning happily to the甲贺派's secret gathering place, he hadn't even opened his mouth when the old monkey launched into a scolding: "How could you have taken so long to return? I only asked you to handle a few minor matters—yet you've taken this entire time! Are you a pig? Do you have any sense of efficiency at all? Do you really think you're fit to serve as acting head of the stream?" The old monkey's temper remained unchanged, which deeply irritated甲贺一成. He replied, "Master Dōshin refused to assist. He said you've already been almost completely forgotten by him. If it weren't for my persistent appeals, he would never have agreed!" "What? You're making this up!" the old monkey leapt to his feet. "Dōshin is my closest friend—how could he possibly refuse?" "Hachiga Ichison said with a cold smile, 'That's right—he is your best friend, but you might not be his. Do you know who he's been receiving these days? The Prime Minister, the Chief of the Self-Defense Forces, and other military and political officials. You haven't seen each other for seventy years. He can still remember your name—that's already impressive!' Though these remarks were rather blunt, they were entirely sound. The old monkey's face turned crimson, and he mumbled, 'Dōshin is so forgetful! How could he have promised!' 'Yes,' Hachiga Ichison replied. 'Hah! You think he's really giving you the benefit of the doubt? If he didn't know me, he'd hardly have seen you at all.' The old monkey began to boost his own image. Hachiga Ichison remained silent, thinking to himself: 'Whatever you say—what really happened, I know better.' 'Go immediately and find out where Qin Feng is. Then inform the master. We'll team up and take him down together.' "He spoke with confidence. While the Heiha school was searching for Qin Feng, Qin Feng himself was trying to track down their whereabouts. With Isabella as his ally, he had been eager to finally face off against the old monkey. Yet, after a full day of searching, he found not a single clue—seemingly, the Heiha people had vanished into the ground, as if mice had burrowed deep into their tunnels. The several minor schools, once overlooked, became his primary targets for frustration. Observing his growing impatience, the beautiful instructor smiled and said, "Actually, it doesn't need to be so complicated. I believe they've been looking for you too—only because our movements have been too swift, they haven't been able to catch up!" Qin nodded eagerly. "So your point is, we should deliberately expose our presence, allowing them to come to us on their own?"