Chapter 519 - CULLING THE FLOCK

Kaito did not sleep at all through the entire night after leaving the Crown. His altercation with the members of the yakuza was not the cause of his sleepless night. He realised that he could not leave things as they were with the Shadow Brotherhood. 

If he let go of the situation without addressing the core problems, a disaster would probably find him and Akira. 

For example, his lack of attention to the outcome of the prisoners he locked up in the Ground had resulted in an attack at his home. If he was not vigilant and his training had not improved, the ambush might have caused more trouble. 

He could not be certain about the fate of the rest of the other two prisoners. Those two were the most dangerous because they always worked as a team. If they tried to harm Akira, the outcome might be highly dangerous. 

But the two missing prisoners were not the only potential problem. A lot of the mercenaries who were still active in the Shadow Brotherhood before Kaito left could also cause some complications if they decided to attack. 

Some might be interested in taking over the Shadow Brotherhood while others might choose to attack Kaito on a whim. Not to mention, with mercenaries working with Watch to find Kaito, it was only a matter of time before some dissatisfied mercenaries took the mission. 

Therefore, through the night, he discussed the status of the entire database of mercenaries and general workers in the Shadow Brotherhood. He still had some trustworthy people working for him within Tokyo, and they were experienced in information gathering. 

He reviewed the history and recent actions of the mercenaries who were still alive. He was surprised to see that Ayumi had eliminated some of the top ȧssassins in the group through the deal with the released prisoners. 

If Ayumi were smart, she could have found an option for befriending or even separating these top mercenaries. If she had separated their interests, they would never have been that strong without unity. Instead, she allowed them to gain power together. 

As a result, they became even more tightly bound. 

If she had allowed one person to choose the missions, put another in charge of the financial issues and another, the administrative responsibility for the newer mercenaries, she might have been able to stabilise the group before coming up with a permanent solution. 

However, that was all in the past. 

For now, he only needed to think of the living. 

"Boss, what do you plan to do?" One of the three subordinates asked. 

The four people were holding a meeting in the 'Guild House', the headquarters of the Shadow Brotherhood. Their faces were tense as they saw Kaito going through the personnel files and separating them into piles. 

"I intend to cull the flock. The current Shadow Brotherhood is filled with good-for-nothings who have grown comfortable. They have only been relying on my name to get things done. I do not need such trash around me." Kaito said as he continued sorting. 

"I thought you were closing down the entire group." Another of the subordinates said. 

"I am. But it does not hurt to have a few more experienced people ready to carry out missions where necessary. The Shadow Brotherhood might be done for, but I will not give up on the loyal, those that understand my original goals."

Kaito became a little wistful as he looked back to his younger self. He had been so enthusiastic and hopeful when he ventured out on his own. He wanted to be the best ȧssassin, but a small part of him wanted to change the world. 

It was an expected thing. 

He grew up without parents, and every child who joined the school was a victim of the circumstances. The old man in the mountain would adopt the children and claim that he was giving them a chance to fight back the evils of society. 

At the very least, he wanted them to be able to fight back against their cruel fate. 

Not everyone chose the true root of a ninja ȧssassin like Kaito. Some decided to become normal citizens after leaving the mountains. But as someone who was indoctrinated by that old man as a tiny child, Kaito believed in his missions. 

As the four people continued discussing the members of the Shadow Brotherhood, a light knock was heard from the door. The three subordinates became vigilant, but Kaito waved to them to open up for the person. 

Kaito lifted his eyebrows as he looked at the visitor with an arched black brow. 

It was the person he had spoken to earlier before going to find Ayumi. Almost ten hours had passed, but the person looked completely different. He was clean, and his clothes were neat. He had shaved off the strange scruff on his chin, and he was not emanating an alcoholic odour. 

A hint of embarrassment flashed on his face. "We decided to clean up the place a little instead of whining and feeling sorry for ourselves." 

The explanation was a little awkward. Kaito nodded. He intended to find other jobs for the people who had remained loyal to him. He did not plan to keep them at his side because he needed only people with a strong mentality. 

At the same time, he did not want to abandon them. It was easy enough to get them to join private security firms or send them to other mercenary groups ran by some of his friends in the same business. Then, he would consider his job done. 

"What is it?" Kaito asked the formerly drunk person, who seemed to have something to report. 

"You have a guest." The man responded while straightening his back. 

It was good that he and his fellow drunkards from the cafeteria decided to wake up from their drunken stupor and clean up the building. Otherwise, the current situation would have been way more embarrassing. 

"Who is it?" Kaito frowned. 

"His name is Yagi."