On the wall of the Ninja Mission Room on the warship, there was a list of casualties. It recorded the names of all the Ninjas who failed and died in battle. This was a tradition among the Ninjas. Every time they carried out a major mission, there would be such a list. The purpose was to remember their dead comrades, turn their grief into strength, and spare no effort to complete the mission.
However, the list in the cabin did not turn their grief into strength. Instead, it made them feel fear.
It was a fear that came from their bones.
When these Ninjas set off from Japan in batches, there were more than 800 of them. All of them were top-notch Ninjas, and half of them were Jonins.
But now, there were only about 500 of them left!
The list of 327 of their companions who had red crosses on it had all died in the hands of one person. Ye Fan!
Every morning when they gathered, they would face this list of casualties and pay tribute to their dead companions.
Those lines of eye-catching black words were deeply imprinted in their minds.
Snatching the secret artifact: Casualties: 8, all dead.
Location: Mount Qingyun.
Opponent: Ye Fan.
Mission result: Complete failure.
Protecting Matsumoto Taro's wedding: Casualties: 319, all dead.
Location: Zhou Residence.
Opponent: Ye Fan.
Mission result: Complete failure.
Next to the list of casualties, there was a portrait of Ye Fan. It was only a few strokes, but it was very vivid. In the portrait, Ye Fan had a cold expression, and his eyes were like knives.
…
Whoosh! When Ye Fan walked to the door of the cabin, two Ninjas respectfully opened the door for him.
From the moment they saw Ye Fan to the moment they opened the cabin door for him, the two ninjas never looked at Ye Fan's eyes.
They were afraid of angering this killing machine.
Ye Fan slowly walked into the cabin.
In the cabin, a few Japanese dancers with curvaceous figures danced to the accompaniment of the famous Japanese song "Dance of Spring."
At this time, the 13 Ninjas were sitting in two rows. There was an exquisite wooden table in front of each of them, but there was only a white porcelain cup on the table. Several servants were holding teapots and standing behind the experts, refilling their tea from time to time.
All the experts had different expressions on their faces.
Bamu Changqing, dressed as a ninja, had no expression on his face as he drank his tea quietly.
Onigirō, dressed in a black robe, had a smile on his face. He was watching the beautiful dancers with great interest. His fingers tapped on the wooden table as he immersed himself in the dance.
Qingkong Yihe sat there quietly with a mysterious smile on his face, occasionally taking a sip of tea.
The blue-clothed man, Kaori Sato, frowned and looked displeased.
Funakoshi Shinichi's expression was calm. He didn't even look at the dancing girl in front of him.
Fujita Takeshi and Yokoyama Jugo looked at each other across the table. The two of them looked at each other with complicated expressions.
The Green-eyed Child did not say a word and sat there angrily.
The aged Kamehameha wore a worried expression as he fell into deep thought.
Mochizuki Kumi, who was ranked third among the five, had a charming smile on her face.
Nagano, who was ranked third, looked at Mochizuki Kumi with a worried expression.
Sakuragi Haruko, who was ranked second, had a doubtful expression and did not say a word.
Akatsuki, who was dressed in a red robe, sat quietly on the futon. Her eyes were dignified as if she had something on her mind.
Thirteen experts, thirteen different expressions. Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, worry, fear, bewilderment.
The only other expression left was to remain expressionless.
On the left side of Matsumoto Takeyoshi, an empty table was placed there. It looked very eye-catching.
Different from the other tables, this one was much wider than the other tables. The style was also more beautiful. On the table, there was a plate of fruits, an empty cup, and a pot of tea.
Obviously, this seat was prepared for Ye Fan.
In order to show his respect for Ye Fan, Matsumoto Takeyoshi specially ordered people to prepare this table for Ye Fan.
Of course, he did this for other purposes, not only to show his respect for Ye Fan.
He wanted to use his favor for Ye Fan to stimulate these thirteen experts.
Who was Matsumoto Takeyoshi? He was like a fish in water in the officialdom. It was not because of luck. After decades of being an official, he had mastered the art of controlling people. He knew how to balance the various forces, and he also knew how to instigate discord.
For a leader, it was not a good thing for his subordinates to be united. Since ancient times, the people who held the imperial power had never made their subordinates united. The reason was very simple. Only the struggle between the parties could highlight the importance of the imperial power. If all the subordinates were united, then there was no meaning for the imperial power to exist. If this continued, there was only one result, and that was the overthrow of the regime.
In order to consolidate the power in one's hands, one had to learn how to balance the various forces. As the saying goes, solitary yang does not grow, solitary yin does not grow. The highest realm for a person in power to use people was to borrow their strength. Not only did they have to suppress the strength of their subordinates, but they also had to make their subordinates willing to risk their lives for them.
In terms of cultivation, these thirteen experts were all like Bufan, one against ten thousand. But in terms of intelligence and scheming, Matsumoto Takeyoshi did not put them in his eyes.
A luxurious table, a plate of fruit, a pot of tea, and a few simple things immediately made some of the people present feel resentful.
What Matsumoto Takeyoshi wanted was precisely this resentment.
Only when they had resentment in their hearts would they not walk together with Ye Fan. Only when they had resentment in their hearts would they compete with Ye Fan in every aspect. This way, he did not need to supervise them at all. They would naturally do their best to help him as they were eager to prove their strength.
That was the reason why the blue-clothed man and the others had acted rashly without his permission. They were all arrogant and unruly, looking down on everyone else. They all wanted to show off in front of Matsumoto Takeyoshi.
With Matsumoto Takeyoshi's intelligence, he had long since seen through their intentions.
This time, taking advantage of Ye Fan's recruitment, he wanted to add fuel to the fire.
Huala! After Ye Fan entered, the cabin door closed.
The thirteen experts all looked at Ye Fan.
In their eyes, there was resentment, indifference, contempt, and fear.
Ye Fan stood there quietly, looking around at the experts, his eyes cold.
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