Chapter 4: Imperial City Infiltration

Jump down from the elevated area and start running down the path. Three soldiers will be waiting for you, so take them out on your way into the city. You'll stroll into the Twin Serpents Plaza. Notice the little fenced off area to your left. Find a chest inside containing a Great Spirit Elixir. There are two paths out of the plaza, aside from the one you entered from. The far side is blocked by a metal grate, so take the only open path available to you, where three more soldiers await. Take them out and go through the wooden door to enter the Military Gate area.

Examine that dead body for a new technique scroll.

Two turrets guard a large gate that you can't pass through yet. Don't worry, they won't shoot you. Examine the dead ninja to your left to get the guillotine throw technique scroll. This is a great move you can use to instantly kill a low-level enemy like the white soldiers. Run over to a second dead body next to the big gate and search it for some arrows. As you move away from the gate, some soldiers ambush you, including one armed with a grenade launcher. Close the gap on him and remain close so he can't use that weapon. Once you've taken them all out, the door with the orange gem can be opened. Go through it.

Take out the three soldiers waiting for you behind the door. There's a gated area to the right, but you don't have the skull key you need to open it yet. Walk straight down the pathway away from the door (don't go down the stairs to the left yet), and keep following the path as it curls to the right. You'll end up behind the metal gate to the Twin Serpents Plaza that you couldn't open earlier. Grab the stone tablet (top) fragment from the ground, open the gate, and place it in the tablet holder next to the serpents sculpture. Go back through the metal gate and back to the area you just came from. The three soldiers are back, so take them out and go down the stairs.

After you get the chest up top, don't waste time killing the soldiers here - they're just a nuisance.

You'll come to the top of another set of stairs -- two white soldiers are stationed at the top of platforms. You can reach the one by the stairs using a wall run or just take out both using your bow. Kill them both, then wall run along the right and above the stairs to reach the first platform. From there you can jump up to the wire and mantle over to the second platform. Open the chest here for a Lives of the Thousand Gods. Anytime after this that you visit the area, it's not really worth the effort to kill the soldiers. Jump down and go toward the right, to a door adorned with two yellow gems. Open it and you'll be in the clock tower plaza.

Clock Tower Plaza

The ninja body in this dead-end holds the nunchaku.

You'll see a door in front of you adorned with gems of varying colors. It leads to Pleasure Street, but you can't open it yet. Run past this door to the left and you'll end up at an intersection. To your left is a door adorned with three red gems. To the right is a dead end with a dead ninja. Search his body for the nunchaku. Run back up the way you came past the multi-colored door and go in the other direction this time. You'll come across Muramasa's shop. Enter and buy the izuna drop technique scroll and any elixirs you might need. You can also trade the few scarabs you've found for a Life of the Gods. If you still haven't upgraded your sword, do it now--you'll soon be facing black-clad ninjas who are very tough to defeat with just nunchaku or an unupgraded sword.

Exit the shop and head back toward the multi-colored door. You'll see a doorway framed in blue on the left. Enter it after taking out the soldiers that ambush you. Go inside and up the stairs, where more soldiers are waiting for you. Finish your ascent, and hang a left.