So… um, wow. I guess this happened last week…

Concerned an ex-girlfriend and others in their circle of friends were descending into drug use, two young men from Clifton took their intervention to unusual heights.

First the pair, self-described admirers of the Shinobi ninja warrior culture of feudal Japan, donned masks and black SWAT-type vests early Wednesday. Then they armed themselves with swords, ninja throwing knives, nunchuks and throwing stars.

They carried letters that threatened “justified yet merciful force” to those who ignored their warnings and continued to smoke pot or, worse yet, persuaded others to try the drug.

They planned to drop the letters at the doors of friends, including one they accused of supplying the drugs to others. As assurance against counterattacks, they brought along homemade smoke bombs they’d concocted from instructions on YouTube.

But the art of the ninja, based on stealth and cunning, failed them.

The whole too-fantastic-to-be-fantasy news story continues in detail right over here. A note to concerned friends: If you find yourself donning ninja gear and orchestrating a blitzkrieg to stop your friend’s pot smoking, you may need to reconsider who needs the intervention.