Sneak attacks are an efficient means of killing, but when you keep relying on deception and ambushes, it starts to feel a bit like you're throwing martial honor out the window.
Fortunately, among ninjas, no one really cares about martial honor. Victory or defeat on the battlefield isn't decided by who's got the better character either.
At this moment, Hanemiya Genma's strength already surpassed that of the lone enemy left standing. Add to that the coordination with Hanemiya Zankawa… well, just as he'd said, in a two-on-one situation, the enemy's fate was all but sealed.
The enemy's corpse now lay sprawled before Hanemiya Genma, his face still twisted with unwillingness. Beside the body, Hanemiya Zankawa crouched, rummaging through the dead man's gear, collecting some ninja tools to replenish what he'd used up earlier.
"Two-thirds down… we've taken out more than half the enemy. Next, we should head to back up Ryūnosuke. Wonder if they'll give us a shot at wiping them all out."
The answer was most likely "no."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Zankawa stood up, his face taut. Inside, he was a tangle of emotions—clarity from narrowly escaping death, nerves from facing an incomprehensible situation, and even a touch of bewilderment and helplessness.
He couldn't wrap his head around why Hanemiya Genma's strength had suddenly spiked, nor could he fathom how Genma had managed to annihilate every enemy in sight. Was it really just that transformation-and-ambush trick? Could the transformation technique really be that convenient, that high-level, that absurdly practical? It defied all reason.
But regardless of his inner turmoil, he fell in step behind Hanemiya Genma. The two of them, one leading, one following, hurried off to reinforce the third battlefield.
Unfortunately, enemies aren't pre-programmed tools that blindly follow orders. The battlefield is fluid, and with reconnaissance at their disposal, they weren't about to ignore the shifting tides of combat.
The final enemy squad had long-range intel from their scout ninja. They'd already pieced together the grim reality: their other two teams had been completely wiped out.
So by the time Hanemiya Genma and his companion reached the area near Hanemiya Ryūnosuke, the last five enemies had already pulled back preemptively.
They didn't know the specifics of what had happened, but the rapid disappearance of their comrades' chakra signatures was undeniable—ten signals, all gone.
This meant they'd run into something unthinkable on the battlefield. Worse, their strongest fighter, the team leader, had been the first to go down. For the rest of them, resistance wasn't even an option.
When you can't win, you run. Making that call didn't even require brains—just instinct. Abandoning the mission and retreating was the inevitable, the only rational choice.
When Hanemiya Genma reached Hanemiya Ryūnosuke's side, he found him gravely wounded. Ryūnosuke's left leg bore several deep, piercing injuries, and he was bleeding out fast. His condition demanded immediate attention.
If they hadn't arrived when they did, Ryūnosuke would've most likely died right there.
Even now, Ryūnosuke's face betrayed his disbelief. He'd braced himself for death, never expecting the enemy to pull out on their own.
Hanemiya Genma and Zankawa had made it, which meant the clan leader had indeed followed through on the plan to take out the enemy. But… how? How was this possible?
"Clan Leader, should we pursue? The enemy's almost out of my line of sight," Gensukawa called out from atop a tall tree.
Wiping out the enemy completely would, of course, be ideal. It'd prevent leaks of intel and further safeguard their position.
If these enemies escaped, Hanemiya Genma and his group might soon face retaliation.
Sure, they'd taken down ten foes, but the enemy's overall strength remained intact—still far greater than their own.
Hanemiya Genma mulled it over carefully before shaking his head.
"Forget it. We're not in any shape to give chase."
Everyone on their side was injured, one of them critically and in need of urgent care. On top of that, the enemy had a head start. "Line-of-sight tracking" wouldn't catch up to a scout ninja's precise evasion tactics.
"They might bring back more enemies," Zankawa said, unable to hold back the warning despite understanding Genma's decision was sound.
"I know. We might face an even fiercer counterattack next time. But here's the thing—this was their best shot, and even then, they couldn't wipe us out. From here on, they'll have an even harder time pulling it off."
"We need to move again… If we can just seize a moment to catch our breath, they're nothing to fear."
Both companions picked up a thread of confidence in Hanemiya Genma's words and chose to trust him.
Truth be told, they both knew their side lacked the capacity to pursue. It was just that seeing a chance to annihilate the enemy slip through their fingers left them frustrated and unwilling to let it go.
But Hanemiya Genma genuinely wasn't worried about these enemies anymore. He was starting to believe his growth had outpaced theirs. In this scenario, time was on his side.
It was almost tragic, really. The Hanemiya clan had suffered such devastating losses—nearly wiped out—because they'd chosen to cling to their village back then.
Now, reduced to homeless wanderers drifting through the ninja world, their movements had become more agile, their tracks harder to pin down.
Repelling this attack meant the enemy had lost their trail. Finding this small ninja clan again wouldn't be easy for them.
"Don't be too pessimistic," Hanemiya Genma said as he tended to his companion's wounds. "Even if we run into the Tsugawa clan again and have no choice but to fight, the outcome's still up in the air."
Zankawa, now by Genma's side, caught those words and chimed in, "True. No need to overthink it. Who knows? Maybe before we cross paths with them again, the Tsugawa clan'll get taken out by some other ninja clan."
Hanemiya Genma shot him a sidelong glance, biting back a retort. Are we even talking about the same thing? I'm saying we rely on ourselves—how'd you turn that into banking on luck?
Still, he couldn't deny Zankawa might be right. In times like these, clan annihilation wasn't exactly rare. A mid-sized ninja clan could be thriving one day and vanish the next.
After staunching Ryūnosuke's bleeding, Hanemiya Genma bandaged the wound on his own shoulder. The trio rested briefly before setting out to find the rest of their clan.
Honestly, the remaining Hanemiya ninja had no ability to protect themselves at this point. Forget enemy shinobi—even stumbling into some forest beast could deal them a crippling blow.
Luckily, their misfortune hadn't sunk that low. Hanemiya Genma and the others soon located their clansmen, hidden deep in the dense woods, safe and sound.
After a quick rundown of what had just happened, the group set off again, heading away from this place. The exact direction didn't matter—just away, and fast.