Villain: The Hand, the Jonin, Kirigi

Guest Appearance: Elektra, Atty. Lavender, Foggy Nelson, Becky Blake, Heather Glenn

Cameo: Melvin Potter, Kingpin, Flint

Death: The Jonin

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Again, the Jenin- the Japanese crime boss- directs the giant hooded ninja to chase after his new target, Elektra. Daredevil realizes that the ninjas are targeting Matt Murdock, so he heads to Heather Glenn's apartment. She is gone, leaving yet another note telling him she's had it with him as a lover, but since she's at a huge public party, he figures they won't be after her. So he follows up on Foggy, who is, indeed, being tracked by ninjas. Without raising Foggy's awareness of the events unfolding around him, Daredevil dispatches several ninjas chasing his law partner down. One fight flows into a public park, where DD knocks out one ninja, but unlike all the others, he doesn't disintegrate into thin air. Daredevil finds a card on his person with an address to a trick and novelty store.

But Elektra has shadowed Daredevil and knocks him in the back of the head with her sai, taking the card from him. Shaky and unsteady, Daredevil warns her it's probably a trap, to which Elektra replies with a big "so what" and "take a hike." She then runs off to the novelty shop. Across town, Foggy is trying to stall for time as the judge and opposite attorney press him to start the trial. Becky Blake tells Foggy she has no idea where Matt is, and the case is his to run now.

Elektra enters the novelty shop in disguise. She asks the clerk to see some throwing stars. He complies and she grabs them all, shedding her disguise and throwing the stars into nearby curtains, where several ninja fall to the ground. She finds the secret hideout entry and leaps down into the pit, suddenly surrounded by four ninja with protective mail on their bodies. Before she can defend herself, Daredevil flings his billy club into the action, bouncing it off all four of them and buying her the chance to leap past them. But at the top of the stairs, she sees her true enemy- the giant, hooded ninja- the Kirigi! She thought he was just a myth, but she realizes he is very real. She chases him up the stairs, coming in close to him and stabbing him through his chest with both of her sais. He stumbles back and pulls the sais from his body, still standing, and turns the sais toward Elektra.

Daredevil's fight is going well despite the loss of his radar sense, but he is slashed in the back by a sword. Elektra thinks for a moment she has the upper hand against the Kirigi, but he has just allowed her to come close to her so he can wrap his rope-knife around her. She tries to leap clear, but she is bound tight and he drags her slowly towards him. She reaches out for his longsword that is stuck in the wall, and just as he unleashes a mighty tug to pull her inexorably towards him, she grabs it, causing it to impale the Kirigi as she is pulled into him. With the sword stuck deep into his chest and out through his body, she viciously wraps her loosened headband around his neck and begins to choke him. He slaps her away and tumbles down the darkened steps.

When the Jenin realizes he is all alone, Elektra finishes him off. Daredevil chases away his opponents and then greets Elektra upstairs, telling her he's going to have to arrest her for all the murders she has committed, but weary and wounded from his battle, he collapses at her feet. She patches him up and then leaves.

Matt heads to the courthouse after recuperating, seeing Heather who apologizes for once again leaving him, and then finding out that Foggy saved the day by getting a mistrial, after discovering he could apply a rarely used precedent in the case. Winning this high-profile case assures them that they can rebuild the storefront law firm that Foggy has initially petered away.

Meanwhile, the Kingpin gets news that Daredevil has wiped up the ninja assassins, and ruminates on a plan well done.

--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.