Inside the Continental, Shiranui Hayate accessed the Naruto system interface and completed his daily sign-in.
Reward: 30,000 Copper Coins.
Would you like to upgrade to a distinguished VIP 2 user to enjoy double sign-in rewards?
Looking at the recurring pop-up, Hayate felt a wave of helplessness. It wasn't that he wanted to be a "Free-to-Play" player; he literally didn't know how to recharge the system. He sighed and clicked the 'X'.
Having secured John Wick's Blood Oath Marker, Hayate headed to the front desk, checked out, and left the Continental.
As the sky grew dim, he decided not to head to the Shiranui Agency. Umino Iruka was in charge there, and for now, there was no need to worry. If a particularly troublesome task arose, Iruka would contact him. Though Iruka was "only" a teaching Chunin in the Naruto world, in this pre-Avengers Marvel era, he was more than capable of handling common mercenary work.
Instead, Hayate drove his beloved Mercedes-Benz 300SL toward 405 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. He rented a 200-square-meter luxury flat in the Chrysler Building as his primary residence.
He had actually looked into the Star Tower on Fifth Avenue once, mainly because their policy against certain tenants appealed to his desire for a quiet, high-end environment. He had also wanted to see if this Marvel world included certain "senior" travelers he might recognize, but the Star Tower didn't exist here. While a bit disappointing, it meant he didn't have to worry about competing with other "protagonists."
Just before total darkness fell, Hayate pulled into the Chrysler Building's underground parking lot.
The security guard recognized the car from a distance and immediately raised the gate with a respectful smile. The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL with its iconic gull-wing doors was unmistakable. In the entire building, only Hayate was bold enough to use such a high-value collector's item as a daily driver.
Hayate had bought the vintage car from a bankrupt tycoon. It only had two thousand kilometers on the clock and had been perfectly maintained. To him, cars were meant to be driven, not kept in a garage like museum exhibits.
He was slowly pulling into his reserved spot when his senses spiked. Killing intent.
CRACK!
A gunshot echoed. In a flash, Hayate summoned a kunai from the system storage and swiped at the incoming projectile.
CLANG!
The crisp sound of metal hitting metal rang out as Hayate deflected the bullet mid-air.
In the next heartbeat, he hurled a shuriken. It whistled through the dark and buried itself in the shooter's throat. The man died instantly.
However, as he fell, the shooter's finger locked on the trigger. His assault rifle continued to spray bullets in a frantic arc—directly toward Hayate's car.
"Bastard!"
Hayate cursed under his breath. His hands moved in a blur, his kunai deflecting the stray bullets to save the "life" of his Mercedes.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. But before he could catch his breath, four more gunmen emerged from the shadows, their fingers heavy on their triggers.
A hail of lead erupted, forming a deadly wall of bullets.
Reacting instantly, Hayate's hands flew through a series of hand signs.
Substitution Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu).
The bullets tore through the air, but Hayate had already vanished. His beautiful car, however, wasn't so lucky—it was riddled with holes in an instant.
The four gunmen stared in stunned silence at the wooden log that now sat where Hayate had been standing. They were so shocked their firing ceased entirely.
SWOOSH.
Hayate reappeared like a ghost behind one of the gunmen. His kunai flashed across a throat, and the man slumped to the ground without a sound.
The remaining three finally reacted, trying to pivot their weapons. Too late.
Hayate moved with unnatural speed, appearing before them like a wraith. Three swift slashes later, the rest of the team lay clutching their necks.
With all five shooters dead, silence returned to the parking lot.
No more gunmen emerged. Hayate walked over to his car and stared at the jagged bullet holes peppering the vintage bodywork. His heart ached. This was one of his favorite classics; he wasn't even sure if it could be restored.
Ignoring the "battle-damaged" Mercedes for a moment, he turned his attention to the attackers. He flipped over the bodies—Russians.
"Damn you, Viggo."
He had purposefully left his shuriken at the warehouse earlier that morning as a calling card, a warning to Viggo that the Ninja, Shiranui Hayate, had saved John Wick. He had hoped to intimidate the mob boss, but instead, the old fool had sent a hit squad to his front door.
Now that he knew the target, the rest was easy.
Hayate pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It was picked up almost immediately.
"Charlie? I have dinner for five at the Chrysler Building parking lot."
"That's right. Right now."
Just as he hung up, his phone rang again. He checked the ID and pressed 'Accept'.
"Hayate? Is that you?"
"John. It's me."
On the other end, John Wick's voice was thick with grief and low-burning rage. "I should have killed Viggo. That piece of filth sent men to kill my old friend Marcus. He saved my life at the hotel yesterday..."
"Hayate, Viggo might come after you too. Be careful."
Hayate looked down at the five corpses littering the concrete. "He already did."
"What?"
"Viggo sent a squad. They're all dead now."
There was a pause on the line. "I'm glad you're okay," John said grimly. "I'm going after that bastard Viggo now. We'll talk later."
The line went dead.
Hayate looked back at his ruined car and whispered to the empty air, "Since someone else is already going to kill you, I won't steal the kill. But this bill... I'm sending it to the rest of the Russian Mob."