10 : Attack
Amidst the lush, green mountains, a convoy laden with supplies was slowly moving forward.
The convoy consisted of two carriages. The carriage box of the leading one was luxuriously and elegantly decorated, and besides the coachman driving it, it was unknown if anyone else was inside.
The carriage behind it was piled high with valuables and fine goods. Besides the coachman at the front, a young boy was lying on top of the goods.
At this moment, Takashi, Zensuke, and Retsu were following leisurely beside the rear carriage.
"Takashi, if we really run into danger, do you think Senior Yoshizawa can truly arrive in time?" Zensuke cautiously scanned the surroundings. "Boss, how can you even sleep?"
Yoshizawa had told them when they first left the Clan Territory that for this mission, he would stay hidden the entire time to temper them, and he would not appear unless their lives were in immediate danger.
Masahiro, who was lying sprawled out on the carriage, heard this and retorted while performing a quick sit-up: "Who said I was sleeping? Although my eyes were closed, I was constantly on alert."
Takashi: "Heh heh."
The taciturn Retsu said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. I heard my grandfather say that Senior Yoshizawa is very powerful. If anything unusual happens, he will definitely appear immediately."
Takashi saw that Zensuke still looked uneasy, so he added, "This trade route is very remote; there shouldn't be much danger. Besides, we've been out for two days and are almost at our destination. If something were going to happen, it would have happened already."
Masahiro suddenly blurted out, "Maybe Senior Yoshizawa is secretly watching us from the shadows."
"Huh? Really, Boss?"
Everything said before was less effective than this single sentence. The moment Zensuke heard that Hagoromo Yoshizawa was truly following them in the shadows, his anxious heart finally settled down.
As for whether Masahiro was lying to him? What the Boss said must be true, and why would the Boss lie to him anyway?
Masahiro really hadn't lied to them.
Just like his cultivation talent, as his strength grew daily, his perception talent also became stronger. Since Yoshizawa finished speaking and disappeared, his Chakra has consistently remained within Masahiro's sensing range.
However, constantly maintaining his sensory ability placed a heavy mental burden on his young self. That's why normally, if he could lie down, he wouldn't stand, and if he could rest with his eyes closed, he would never open them.
"Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about how Masahiro is going to pay if he crushes Fujiwara's goods."
Takashi adjusted his glasses. "The reward for this mission is less than 4,000 Ryo per person, which isn't enough to buy the roll of cloth you're sitting on."
"It doesn't matter, that guy has stayed inside the carriage with his wife ever since we left our Clan Territory." Masahiro waved his hand dismissively. "Even if it gets crushed, as long as we hide it at the very bottom, it won't be discovered."
Hagoromo Retsu: "What you are doing is wrong, it damages the reputation of the Hagoromo Clan."
"Did someone say something? Did you hear that, Zensuke?"
"Uh, well—"
Zensuke looked at Masahiro, then at Retsu, finding himself in a difficult position.
Why is the Boss so childish? We're all in the same team; can't we just get along?
"Wait, there really is someone!"
Masahiro's expression suddenly changed. Within his sensing range, three unfamiliar Chakras were rapidly moving toward them, and the amount of Chakra in one of them was not even less than his own.
Masahiro quietly took a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the treetop not far away.
Sensing that Yoshizawa was still there, Masahiro felt much more at ease.
"How many people?" Takashi also looked ready for battle.
Just as Masahiro trusted the reliability of Takashi's information, Takashi equally trusted Masahiro's strength.
"There are three people in total. One of them is probably not much weaker than me. I will engage him first."
Masahiro said seriously, "Takashi, you take one. Retsu and Zensuke, take one."
Although he usually bickered with Retsu, Masahiro recognized his strength; he was almost on the same level as Takashi and much stronger than Zensuke.
"Understood," Retsu, also realizing the seriousness of the situation, didn't say much more. "After Zensuke and I deal with our target, we'll go help you."
"No, you two go help Takashi first."
Retsu gave Masahiro a deep look, nodded slightly, and said nothing further.
This feeling of passive defense was very uncomfortable. Although barely two minutes had passed, Masahiro felt tormented, as if every second was a year.
200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters—with his sensory intensity maximized, Masahiro silently judged the gradually closing distance between the two sides.
"Now!"
Four Kunai tipped with exploding tags flew swiftly, accurately hitting the tree trunk at the center of Masahiro's line of sight.
This was the tactic they had agreed upon beforehand.
After the three Chakras were sensed by Masahiro, their speed did not slow down, nor did their route deviate. Masahiro speculated that they might not have a Sensory Ninja and didn't realize they had been discovered.
There wasn't enough time to set up a trap, but having Masahiro was like having a map hack; they could launch a preemptive strike and weaken the enemy's fighting force.
"Kunai? Wait, they're exploding tags!"
A frightened male voice came from the woods: "Scatter quickly!"
"Boom—"
In the quiet forest, the strange man's roar and the deafening explosion finally made the ordinary people in the merchant caravan realize something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
"Hagoromo Yoshizawa! What are you doing?" Fujiwara, wearing a panicked expression, had just poked his head out of the carriage window when Masahiro immediately pushed him back inside.
"How dare you treat your employer like this?"
Masahiro shouted sternly, "We're under attack! Hide immediately and don't come out! That goes for everyone else too."
"Yes, yes—"
Masahiro didn't need to say more; the two coachmen were already familiar with handling this kind of situation. After all, how could they have survived until now in this chaotic world without some skill?
"So Fujiwara Tarō is here."
Accompanying the unfamiliar voice came a whistling, sharp blade: "Thanks for the heads-up, kid."
Masahiro didn't have time to think; he leaned backward, barely dodging the attack. Then, bracing himself with his hands, he fiercely exerted force through his waist, using the momentum to kick the man in the abdomen.
This move, which he used against Ryunosuke before, was still effective!
"Hiss!"
The man was kicked back two steps. "Is that all you've got, kid?"
After creating a safe distance, Masahiro finally got a clear look at the man who attacked him. A face with no memorable features, coupled with a bloodied left abdomen, made him look utterly miserable.
That kick must have landed right on his wound. Thankfully, the exploding tags had worked; otherwise, if that previous slash had been any faster, it would have been hard to dodge.
The man fighting Retsu and Zensuke nearby was completely unscathed, seemingly having avoided the blast of the exploding tags.
Takashi's opponent, however, was miserable. Not only was his left arm blown off, but the entire left side of his body was a bloody mess. Masahiro suspected that even without Takashi attacking, the man wouldn't survive for half an hour.
Masahiro secretly rejoiced. Although he had wasted a little time protecting Fujiwara just now, thankfully, the strongest Ninja still targeted him, and everything was proceeding according to their original strategy.
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