The rain in New York had been relentless, drenching the city for an entire day without sign of stopping.
Under the cover of night, an Adjudicator stepped out of a taxi and approached Heike Sushi. Inside, the owner and head chef, Zero, looked up as she entered.
"Welcome," Zero said smoothly. "How can I serve you?"
The Adjudicator sat at the counter and produced her gold medallion, sliding it toward him. Zero glanced at the mark of the High Table and met her gaze. "I didn't expect the Table to arrive so soon."
"There is a task," the Adjudicator said. "It involves someone who has broken the rules and moved against the High Table."
Zero stopped his preparation, his blade resting against the cutting board. "You mean John Wick. My students have not been idle."
"John Wick," the Adjudicator clarified, "and everyone who assisted him. You've heard the stories, of course. In the past week alone, John has taken countless lives."
"All for a dog and a car," Zero noted, a hint of admiration in his voice. "I know. And I am interested. Very interested."
He picked up a slice of fugu—blowfish—with his chopsticks. "Fugu. Lethally toxic." He placed the translucent fish before her. "No soy sauce."
Without flickering an eye, the Adjudicator took the fish and ate it.
Seeing her consume the deadly delicacy without hesitation, Zero bowed his head solemnly. "I have always served the Table. I shall continue to do so, even unto death." Behind him, his two students followed suit, bowing deeply to the Adjudicator.
With their allegiance confirmed, she reclaimed her coin and led Zero and his pupils out into the rain.
Shiranui Agency.
Shiranui Hayate sat in the main hall, nursing a glass of White Horse Scotch. He had already received word that an Adjudicator was in New York. It was only a matter of time before she came for him.
He intended to flex his muscles. Before heading to Casablanca, he wanted to crush the Adjudicator's arrogance and send a clear message to the Table.
As he sat lost in thought, the heavy doors of the agency swung open.
The Adjudicator walked in, her black coat glistening with rain. Behind her stood three silent figures: Zero and his two disciples.
Hayate smiled faintly. "The High Table's Adjudicator. You move quite fast."
The Adjudicator sat on the sofa opposite him, her eyes cold as she studied the man. "Shiranui Hayate. You joined the Continental as a child. You swore an oath to serve the Table until death."
"And yet, you helped John Wick. You arranged his departure from New York. Where is your loyalty?"
Hayate looked at her with blatant contempt. "I believe I have the strength—and the right—to determine my own actions."
The Adjudicator stared at him, trying to measure the depth of his ambition. "You may be the top assassin in New York, and you may hold a legendary title, but that does not place you above the Table. You will pay for your sins in blood."
"Now," she commanded, "extend the hand that helped a traitor, and swear your fealty."
At her demand, Hayate's expression shifted. The air in the room suddenly turned heavy. An overwhelming, suffocating pressure exploded from him—a killing intent so sharp it felt like a physical weight, centered entirely on the Adjudicator.
The next second.
Shush! Shush! Shush!
Three figures materialized beside Hayate: Umino Iruka, Uchiha Sasuke, and Rock Lee. They appeared instantly, boxing in Zero and his students.
Under the crushing weight of Hayate's aura, the Adjudicator's face turned deathly pale. She felt as if she were staring into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Her body locked up, her muscles paralyzed by primal fear.
Even Zero, a seasoned killer, felt a chill climb up his spine. Is this it? he wondered. The strength of the man who surpassed legends? To do this with mere intent... it's terrifying.
Looking at the trembling, pale woman, Hayate spoke with cold derision. "You do not have the power to adjudicate me. Not you, and certainly not these three 'eyesores' you brought with you."
"Throw them out," Hayate commanded.
Without hesitation, Iruka and the others grabbed Zero and his students. They didn't even offer a struggle; they were hoisted up and hurled out onto the rain-slicked pavement.
Zero knew that by not resisting, he might live. To draw a blade here would have meant instant death.
Back inside, Hayate withdrew his killing intent. The Adjudicator gasped, the color slowly returning to her face as if her blood had finally begun to flow again. She breathed in ragged gulps, her eyes now wide with genuine terror. For a moment, she had felt the hand of the Reaper around her throat.
Once she regained her composure, she spoke, her voice still shaking. "I admit... Mr. Shiranui has sufficient strength."
"But the High Table is above all rules. Everyone beneath the Table must obey. John Wick has been excommunicated. Anyone who helps him is an enemy of the Table."
Hayate laughed softly. "Excommunicated? He can be re-registered. A bounty? It can be canceled. If an Elder speaks, everything changes."
The Adjudicator stood up, assuming he meant to beg for a pardon through backroom politics. "Mr. Shiranui, until a new order is issued, nothing changes. The will of the Table must be executed. I am merely the instrument, and the Table's power is far greater than what you see here."
Hayate simply made a 'please' gesture toward the door.
The Adjudicator gave him one last, lingering look before turning and leaving the agency.
What she didn't realize was that Hayate wasn't looking for a pardon from an Elder. He was going to become the Elder. He was going to take one of the thirteen seats for himself.
He wasn't playing by the rules anymore—he was becoming the one who wrote them.