I used to believe that there were real Lin Kuei, but I kind of doubt it now. Ninjutsu is the correct spelling, btw. Ninjitsu is the erroneous spelling used by frauds such as Ashida Kim and Frank Dux.

The general usage of the term Ninjutsu has to do with methods of intelligence collecting for purposes of warfare.

Hmm. Sounds very interesting. I'll have to check that out later.

I've come to the conclusion that only true Lin Kuei wore blue, (it's kind of a simplistic motto) like the lower graded warriors, saboteurs, assassins and archers of the clan that pledged to the codes. Note how virtually every premier member that adopted another colour usually had personal intentions in the end and went with their own motives (some dismissed) or joined/invented factions.

Tobias got the idea for the Lin Kuei in Mortal Kombat and their backstory with the Shirai Ryu from a book he read about the legend that Japanese ninjutsu was based on a real Lin Kuei from China.

Real ninjas are secretive, and don't advertise on web pages. That's probably why the link came up with a 404 message.

Maybe it's because the link was posted on a thread that was created seven years ago and sat dormant until bumped by a newbie.