Ashes (Part 1)
A sneak attack is an efficient method of killing, but relying on deception again and again feels almost unethical.
Fortunately, no ninja cares about "martial ethics," and victory on the battlefield is never determined by one's character.
Yu Gong Yuanzhen's strength already surpassed that of the remaining enemy. With Yu Gongyuan Isakawa's support, the outcome had been sealed from the moment their two-on-one assault began.
As expected, the enemy's fate was predictable.
The corpse lay at Yuanzhen's feet, its face frozen in resentment. Isakawa crouched beside it, retrieving usable ninja tools to replenish his earlier losses.
"Two-thirds… We've eliminated more than half of them. Next, we should assist Ryunosuke's side. I wonder if we'll get the chance to wipe the rest out."
The answer was likely no.
"Yes, clan leader."
Isakawa stood with a stiff expression. Relief at surviving mixed with panic at the unbelievable situation they had somehow overcome. He was also confused—Yu Gongyuan's strength earlier had been… abnormal.
He didn't understand why Yuanzhen's power had suddenly surged, nor how Yuanzhen had annihilated all the enemies he encountered.
Was it the Transformation Technique he used during the ambush? But Transformation wasn't such an all-purpose, overwhelmingly practical ninjutsu. That made no sense.
Regardless, he followed Yuanzhen as the two moved to reinforce the third battlefield.
Unfortunately, the enemy wasn't a mindless tool following a preset script. The battlefield was fluid, and with functioning reconnaissance support, they would never ignore the shifting situation.
The last enemy unit had a long-range sensory ninja—a standard formation for medium-scale clans in the Warring States era. They had already realized the other two units had been wiped out.
Thus, when Yuanzhen and Isakawa rushed toward Ryunosuke's position, the last five enemy ninjas had already retreated.
Even without knowing exactly what happened, the enemy's sensory ninja had detected all ten chakra signatures vanishing in short succession—including their captain, the strongest among them.
That alone was enough to prove they had encountered a disaster far beyond their ability to resist.
Instinct—not intelligence—told them to flee. Abandoning the mission was the only correct choice.
Yu Gong Yuanzhen arrived at Yu Gongyuan Ryunosuke's side, finding him severely injured. Several deep wounds pierced his left leg, blood pouring out rapidly. If they had arrived even moments later, Ryunosuke would likely have died.
Ryunosuke, pale and shaking, stared in disbelief. He had fully prepared to die… yet the enemy withdrew on their own.
Yuanzhen and Isakawa's arrival confirmed that the clan leader had indeed eliminated the other teams—but how was that even possible?
"Clan leader! Should we pursue? The enemy is still barely within my field of vision!" Isakawa called from the top of a large tree.
Eliminating the fleeing scouts would prevent information leaks and further protect their own location. If any of them escaped, the Yu Gong clan could face retaliation far worse than before.
But Yuanzhen slowly shook his head.
"Forget it. We don't have the conditions to pursue."
Everyone on their side was injured, and Ryunosuke needed urgent treatment. More importantly, the enemy had already gained distance. Visual tracking alone couldn't compete with retreating scouts guided by a sensory ninja.
"They might bring more enemies," Isakawa said anxiously.
"I know. And we may face an even fiercer retaliation next… but this was their best chance. Even then, they failed to annihilate us. It will be even harder for them next time."
He added calmly, "We just need a moment to breathe. Once we recover, they won't be so frightening."
Hearing this confidence, his companions forced themselves to believe him.
In truth, both knew pursuing was impossible—but seeing the chance to finish the enemy, only to abandon it, felt terribly bitter.
Yet Yuanzhen no longer feared pursuit. He felt that his own growth now surpassed the enemy's; in this state, time was on his side.
It was cruelly ironic that the Yu Gong clan had nearly been exterminated because they remained to defend their village. Now, as homeless wandering shinobi, they were harder to track than ever.
Repelling this attack meant the enemy had lost their trail. Finding a small, mobile clan like theirs again would be far from easy.
"Don't be too pessimistic," Yuanzhen said while treating Ryunosuke's wounds. "Even if we encounter the Tsugawa clan again, the outcome isn't guaranteed."
Isagi arrived beside him and added, "Exactly, no need to worry so much. Maybe before we meet them again, the Tsugawa clan will get wiped out by some other group."
Yuanzhen glanced at him and silently swallowed his retort.
Did you not hear me correctly? I said rely on ourselves. How did you turn that into relying on luck?
Still… in this era, his words might not be entirely wrong. Ninja clans fell overnight. A medium-sized clan could be thriving today and annihilated tomorrow.
After stopping Ryunosuke's bleeding, Yuanzhen bandaged his own shoulder wound. The three rested briefly before heading out to find the surviving clansmen.
To be honest, the remaining Yu Gong ninjas were completely defenseless at this point. Even encountering a wild animal could have resulted in devastating losses.
Fortunately, their luck hadn't run out. Yuanzhen's team quickly located their clansmen, safely hidden deep in the forest. After explaining the situation, the group immediately departed again—any direction was fine, as long as they escaped the area.
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