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"Oh—so after all these years, you Koga Ninja Clan folks have finally settled outside Japan and started living like regular people?" Shawn Young remarked with a sigh.
"If only it were that simple. The descendants of the Koga Ninja Clan can never live like ordinary people, not unless our arch-enemies, the Iga Ninja Clan, finally fade away!" Rachel Sasaki shook her head.
"Huh—wait, after all this time, the Iga Ninja Clan still won't leave you alone? It's not even the Sengoku era anymore, and the Tokugawa shogunate is ancient history! Are they really still out to get you?" Shawn asked, surprised.
That's right. For centuries, the Iga Ninja Clan has never stopped hunting us Koga ninjas. Besides our blood feud, there are some other pretty important reasons! Because of those, even today, the Iga Ninja Clan keeps secretly hunting us!
"Other reasons? Like what?" Shawn pressed.
It's because of the most vital part of the Iga Ninja Handbook, which all ninjas regard as the ultimate secret manual!
"Huh? I've heard of the Iga Ninja Handbook. Isn't that the most important ninja manual for the Iga Clan? How did it end up with you Koga folks?" Shawn asked, curious.
"Sigh—everyone thinks the Iga Ninja Handbook is just a ninja bible, but the truth is, it actually came from the Wu Kingdom during China's Three Kingdoms era. It was created by a Daoist master from Langya Palace called Elder Tianji. At first, it wasn't called the Iga Ninja Handbook—it was the Taiping Five Elements Sutra. Later, Elder Tianji passed it to his disciple Yu Ji, who had five true disciples. That's how the Sutra got passed down—" Rachel Sasaki explained.
"Wait, Yu Ji—isn't he the mysterious Daoist who got killed by Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong during the Three Kingdoms?" Shawn asked quickly.
Yeah, Daoist Yu Ji was indeed killed by Sun Ce. Back then, he was beloved by the people in Wu County and Kuaiji—ancient capitals, big cities even in Jin, Tang, and Song times, nowadays that's Shaoxing, Zhejiang! Sun Ce tried to recruit him, but Yu Ji refused, so Sun Ce, afraid he'd lose his grip on power, accused him of witchcraft and executed him. Later, Sun Ce was cursed by Yu Ji and died in an ambush! Yu Ji's five disciples suffered too—Sun Ce's brother Sun Quan sent troops to kill four of them, but one escaped. That disciple took the Taiping Five Elements Sutra and fled to Japan, becoming the ancestor of all ninjas. He trained many disciples there, teaching each a different method from the Sutra, and those disciples became the founders of various ninja clans! The best was the Fuma Clan, followed by the Iga and Koga grandmasters. Over the years, ninja geniuses from each clan modified and practiced the Sutra, and it eventually became the Iga Ninja Handbook, the ultimate ninja manual—meaning 'all rivers flow to the sea!'.
"Whoa—never thought the Iga Ninja Handbook actually came from China!" Shawn felt a surge of pride, then asked, "So—the reason the Iga Clan hunts you is because you guys have the most important part of the Handbook?"
"Yes—and there's something special, too. This part of the secret manual is actually connected to a batch of hidden treasures from China's Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!" Rachel Sasaki suddenly said.
"Huh? How—how does that have anything to do with Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's treasure?" Shawn tried to keep his cool, but his heart was pounding as he asked.
Back when the Koga Clan's ancestor Gene Minamoto escaped to China with the most important part of the Iga Ninja Handbook, it was the early days of the Taiping Rebellion. All sorts of heroes and gangs joined forces to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. To escape the Iga Ninja Clan's pursuit and to use the Taiping Army's power to revive the Koga Clan, they disguised themselves as Han Chinese and joined the Taiping Army. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom fell, that part of the handbook vanished with Gene Minamoto's death. But before he died, he told my ancestor exactly where the handbook was hidden—it was buried underground with a batch of Taiping treasures!
"Do you know who hid that batch of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom treasures?" Shawn was shocked inside, but kept his voice steady.
I do—it was Hong Xiuquan's sister, Hong Xuanjiao. Back then, Gene Minamoto was one of her generals.
"Oh—so that's how it is—" Shawn nodded, secretly amazed. He hadn't expected the most important part of the Iga Ninja Handbook to be tied to Hong Xuanjiao's Taiping treasure! Looks like this mysterious woman has way more secrets than he'd ever imagined!
"The biggest surprise is, the Iga Clan also knows about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom treasure, so they've been trying to find it too!" Rachel Sasaki said.
"Wait, does the Iga Clan know the Iga Ninja Handbook is hidden with the treasure?" Shawn asked quickly.
Rachel Sasaki shook her head, "Nope, they don't know. They always think the Iga Ninja Handbook is in the hands of us surviving Koga ninjas! They're hunting for that treasure because some big-shot sponsor hired them to!"
"Oh! If someone can order the Iga Clan to take on such a huge mission, their sponsor must be seriously powerful!" Shawn exclaimed.
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"That's right. The sponsors include people from Ise Grand Shrine and some massive hidden organizations—these are the far-right powers in Japan today. The Iga Clan's leader, Hattori Saizo, was once hired by them to secretly track down the treasure. Rumor has it there's something in that treasure that could help Japan rise again as the Third Empire. Those people are the most hardcore leftovers from World War II, and even the Yamaguchi-gumi is involved—they've kept in touch with Germany's new Nazi secret groups. If they get their hands on what's hidden in that treasure, they've got even bigger plans! But what those plans are, I have no idea," Rachel Sasaki explained.
"Damn—looks like those bastards just won't quit! Still dreaming of reviving the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, huh! Hmph—" Shawn said coldly.
"Hey—don't get the wrong idea. The Koga Clan isn't after world domination, and we don't have those crazy dreams. We just want a chance to reclaim the Iga Ninja Handbook and the two treasures the Iga stole!" Rachel Sasaki said quickly.
"Oh, what are those two treasures you're talking about?" Shawn asked, intrigued.
It's the Fuma Clan's treasure, the Murasame Blade. And the Koga Clan's treasure, the Celestial Silk Armor! These two priceless items have been in the hands of the Iga Ninja Clan for centuries. We descendants of the Fuma and Koga clans have always carried the mission to reclaim the Iga Ninja Handbook and these treasures! Sigh—but nowadays, the Iga Ninja Clan is at the peak of its power. Even with a few skilled ninjas on our side, we're no match for them. Honestly, our chances are pretty slim. Fulfilling our ancestors' wishes... who knows how long we'll have to wait for that opportunity." As Rachel spoke, her face grew dark and sorrowful.