The night belongs to Daredevil. This demon, who strikes terror into the heart of Hell's Kitchen, emerges only under the cover of darkness to deter everyone here.
Mainly because Matt Murdock has to work during the day.
With a brutally violent flair, he smashed a mobster into the ground, knocking him unconscious. Then came the second, and the third. Following a series of intense close-quarters exchanges, Matt had floored every single gangster henchman. He then turned a weary gaze toward the window—though, in truth, he could not actually see.
"Are you just going to stand out there watching me fight without any intention of stepping in?"
"You looked like you were handling things quite easily, so I didn't want to interrupt."
The figure hanging upside down outside was, of course, Peter. He flipped into the room, casting a brief glance at the defeated thugs. "Almost all of them have broken bones. You certainly know how to measure your strikes."
"I have to maintain constant control over my strength. I need to ensure they learn a sufficient lesson, but I also have to ensure I don't kill anyone."
Matt glanced at the fallen men before offering a suggestion. "I'll take what I came for, and then we can talk on the rooftop?"
"What about these guys? Don't we need to call the police?"
"This is Hell's Kitchen. Trust me, this beating is more effective than any police officer. Besides, the police in Hell's Kitchen don't even respond to calls at this hour."
Having explained the reality of the neighborhood, Matt leaped out the window. He fired one end of his baton upward, retracting a steel cable to swing away. Peter looked at the miserable group, added a layer of webbing to bind them, and likewise jumped. He fired a web line backward to stick to the ledge, then used his arms to "slingshot" himself onto the roof.
Matt, having just finished a battle, sat on the edge of a ventilation unit to rest while inquiring about Peter's visit. "What wind blew an Avenger here? Has something monumental happened in New York?"
"Maybe, maybe not. While dealing with some gangs, I heard the name 'The Hand.' I learned a bit about them from Logan afterward, and finally, I discovered a gang in Harlem that had been wiped out by some undead ninjas. So, I wanted to come to you for information."
Peter could clearly sense Matt's breathing heavying at the mention of The Hand. Matt followed up with a question of his own: "How much do you know about them?"
"What I just told you is basically all I know. I also know they worship something called 'The Beast.' Oh, and they might be collaborating with Hydra."
Matt fell silent for a moment. After confirming that Peter wasn't lying, he shook his head. "I don't know an extraordinary amount... the story is quite long. Do you want the detailed version or the short one?"
"The detailed one. I have plenty of time."
Matt let out a long sigh and began to tell his story.
Matt Murdock was the son of a boxer. He grew up in poverty, abandoned by his mother at a young age. His father, Jack, supported the family as an underground prizefighter. While saving an elderly man from being hit by a car, Matt's eyes were burned by radioactive materials that spilled from the vehicle. He lost his sight, but his hearing became unnaturally acute. Relying on this gift, he became the disciple of a blind martial artist.
"Everything I know, I learned from that old man. Anyway, let's skip over the irrelevant bits and get to The Hand. Stick comes from an ancient organization called the Chaste. The Chaste and The Hand were born almost simultaneously, with only a few decades between them."
The Hand was originally founded in Kyushu, Japan, by a blind ninja named Kagenobu Yoshioka. Born during Japan's Sengoku period, this ninja organization's initial purpose was surprisingly peculiar and simple: to oppose Western missionaries and the subordinates they brought with them. They earned the trust of the Kyushu Daimyo. Subsequently, the organization expanded rapidly across Japan, specializing in the assassination of missionaries. However, as their power grew, The Hand's control over its subordinates began to wane.
With the passing of the original founder, the organization fell into rapid corruption. A faction of ninjas known as the "Snakeroot" seized a dominant position within The Hand, leading the members to worship a mysterious entity called The Beast. They became fully embroiled in the chaos of the warring states. The Hand transformed into an organization that sold ninja expertise and performed assassinations, continuously expanding its influence and followers.
Furthermore, The Hand acquired terrifying dark magic rituals. They could use the dark side of a person's nature to brainwash them into becoming loyal assassins, and they could even turn dead ninjas into undead thralls to be controlled. Upon discovering that The Hand was becoming increasingly sinister and spreading beyond Japan, one of its elders, a ninja master named Izo, fled across the sea under the cover of night. He found local warriors and heroes and informed them about The Hand.
Thus, in the mysterious ancient land of the East, an organization to oppose The Hand was born: the Chaste.
"Wait, so you're saying The Hand has an evil god, brainwashing rituals, and undead ninjas behind them, but the Chaste across the sea is just... uh, a martial arts organization?"
Matt nodded. "Even if the power gap sounds lopsided, that is the case."
"Didn't the Iron Fist of K'un-L'un or anyone come to help?"
"There were warriors who went to K'un-L'un to train, but none of them obtained the power of the Iron Fist. They were all ordinary people."
Fair enough. Since the Chaste has been fighting The Hand for centuries, those heroes must have devised ways to handle things, showing no fear toward those undead ninjas.
"I was supposed to join the Chaste, but I didn't pass the test. Or rather, they required me to kill evil men, and I refused. I prefer for these people to face the judgment of the law. If the courts and the law fail, only then should other means be used to bring them to justice. Clearly, I didn't fit their mold."
Matt shrugged as he finished, then went silent for a moment before adding another remark.
"I've clashed with them a few times, Spider-Man. Their influence in New York is expanding. We cleared out many gang leaders over the past year, which ironically allowed these guys to expand without restraint. And..."
Peter looked at Matt, waiting for him to finish the thought, but Matt shook his head. What he wanted to say was personal, so he kept it to himself.
That was the fact that his college classmate and first love, Elektra, had already been brainwashed by The Hand and made one of their own.
Of course, Peter had known this for a long time.