The Ninja were Feudal Japan's equivalent of the special forces - various Ninja clans hiring themselves out for acts of arson , terrorism , assassination and espionage for the highest bidder.Among the purported abilities of the ninja were dark magic ( kuji-in) , invisibility,superhuman strength and speed,the ability to breathe underwater,hypnosis(saiminjutsu), walk or run for days, to be in two places at once and telepathy.The lore and secrecy that shrouds these formidable warriors mean much of the truth is really a mystery , but it just shows how with intense training in the assorted ninja arts, a simple peasant could become a near-unstoppable killing machine.