First Appearance: The Hand, the Jonin, Kirigi, Alphonse de Chanteaux

Villain: The Hand, the Jonin, Kirigi, Kingpin

Guest Appearance: Ben Urich, Elektra, Atty. Lavender, Melvin Potter/Gladiator, Betsy Beatty, Foggy Nelson, Heather Glenn

Cameo: Alphonse de Chanteaux, Flint

Death: Alphonse de Chanteaux

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Without his partner, Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock is spinning his wheels defending Melvin Potter. He heads home with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but as soon as he enters his home, he realizes he's not alone. Many heartbeats surround him, men with swords. He adopts a fighting pose to take them on, shocking the ninjas who think he was blind. They attack, but Murdock is equal to the task of defending himself with his billy club against their swords. He knocks each of them down, then grabs one to interrogate. All the man does is identify himself as one of the Hand, and then he, along with the rest, disintegrate in a foul cloud of smoke. He finds another one dead in his closet, ready to kill him with a cross bow. He realizes someone came to his aid to kill that one, but he has no idea who, nor who is out to have him killed.

At the Kingpin's HQ, he reveals his master plan to his new right-hand man, Flint. He has hired the ninja to attack Murdock and Potter, knowing Daredevil will involve himself and invariably have to battle the ninja, setting either or both sides up for destruction.

Ninjas follow Murdock to his law office, poised to slay him. As Matt enters the office, Foggy is there cleaning out his desk. But in the alley, Elektra attacks the ninjas before they can launch their lethal assault. Matt talks to Foggy, oblivious to what goes on outside. Foggy confesses that he's felt like dead weight and the world's biggest loser since he can't do anything right as Matt's friend and law partner. Matt assures him this isn't the case, and that he needs him now more than ever. This comforts Foggy, but outside, Elektra has carved her way through all the ninjas of the Hand save one, who succeeds in tossing a bomb into the office. It explodes, knocking Matt into a brief coma.

When he awakens, Heather Glenn is at his side. He hears over the radio that Melvin Potter was attacked unsuccessfully by the ninjas while in jail, and they are moving him to a safer prison cell. Matt realizes they'll track him down there, too, and gets up to go help him as Daredevil. But he quickly realizes that he's lost his radar sense!

Elektra tracks down the police truck carrying Melvin Potter. She tosses a canister of tear gas into the cab, disabling the drivers and crashing the back door open. She tells Potter to quickly dress in his Gladiator garb she has brought to him before the ninjas come to kill him. He doesn't argue long. They try to get away but the ninjas have all arrived, a dozen or so surrounding them. Daredevil has arrived, but without his radar sense, is effectively blind. He can only make do by picking up the dull sound of the attacker's heartbeats. Elektra and Gladiator fight the ninjas off, but Gladiator has lost his fighting edge. DD knocks some crates down on top of the ninjas, then joins the battle. Elektra chases off the remaining ninjas, leaving Daredevil to care for Gladiator, who lies on the ground wounded. As he was "blind", Daredevil has no idea Elektra was in on the battle until Gladiator tells him.

The surviving ninjas return to their master to tell them that Elektra foiled their plan. They are cut down by a giant man dressed in ninja garb, who slices them in two with a huge sword. The boss gives him a picture of his target: Elektra.

--synopsis by Gormuu

--panel images provided by Avengers Assemble

--letter pages provided by Aussie Stu

Issues Reprinted
Daredevil #168-182

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.