An ambush is an efficient means of killing, but relying on constant deception and ambushes can seem rather dishonorable.
Fortunately, honor isn't something ninjas are known for, and battlefield victories aren't determined by moral virtue.
At this point, Genshin already had the upper hand over the last remaining enemy, and with Genjinkawa's assistance...
As he had said, in a two-against-one situation, the outcome for the enemy was inevitable.
The enemy's corpse now lay at Genshin's feet, his face still twisted in unwilling disbelief. Nearby, Genjinkawa squatted by the body, collecting a few ninja tools to replenish the supplies he had previously expended.
"Two-thirds down… We've taken care of more than half the enemy. Next, we should go support Genryunosuke. Hopefully, we'll get the chance to wipe them all out."
The answer was likely: No.
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Genjinkawa stood with a grim expression. Inside, he was a jumble of emotions—relief from surviving a deadly encounter, confusion at facing such an unpredictable turn of events, and a lingering sense of bewilderment.
He couldn't understand how Genshin's strength had suddenly surged, nor how he'd managed to eliminate the enemies they'd encountered.
Was it just that Transformation Jutsu ambush technique from before? Was the Transformation Jutsu really such a versatile, powerful, and practical ninjutsu? That didn't add up.
Regardless of how he felt, Genjinkawa followed closely behind Genshin as the two made their way toward the third battlefield.
Unfortunately, enemies are not programmed tools that follow commands to the letter. The battlefield is fluid, and when reconnaissance is available, it's impossible to ignore shifting tides in battle.
The final enemy squad had support from a scouting ninja who had provided long-range intelligence. They had already realized that the other two enemy squads had been completely wiped out.
So, by the time Genshin and Genjinkawa arrived near Genryunosuke, the last five enemies had already retreated.
Though they didn't know the exact details of what had happened, the complete disappearance of their comrades' chakra signals was undeniable—all ten had vanished.
That meant they had suffered an unimaginable setback. Even the strongest among them, the squad leader, had been the first to fall—clearly indicating that the remaining enemies stood no chance of winning.
If you can't win, then you run. Making that decision required no intelligence—only instinct. Abandoning the mission and retreating was the only rational choice.
Genshin reached Genryunosuke and found him gravely wounded. His left leg had sustained several serious puncture wounds and was bleeding rapidly. The injuries required immediate treatment.
Had they arrived even a little later, Genryunosuke would likely have died right there.
Genryunosuke's face showed disbelief. He had prepared himself for death, but the enemies had suddenly retreated.
Genshin and Genjinkawa's timely arrival confirmed that the clan leader had indeed succeeded in his plan to defeat the enemy. Still—how? How was it even possible?
"Clan Leader, should we pursue? The enemies are nearly out of my line of sight," Genjinkawa called out from atop a tall tree.
Wiping out the enemy entirely would, of course, be ideal—it would prevent any intelligence leaks and further protect the location of their forces.
If even a few of the enemies escaped, Genshin and the others would soon face retaliation.
Though they had taken down ten enemies, the opposing side's overall strength remained largely intact—and far superior to theirs.
Genshin thought it over carefully before shaking his head.
"Forget it. We're in no condition to give chase."
All of them were injured, and one of them required emergency treatment. More importantly, the enemy had retreated early. Tracking them by sight was no match for the evasion tactics guided by a reconnaissance ninja.
"They might bring more enemies back," Genjinkawa warned, though he understood Genshin's decision was a rational one.
"I know. We're likely to face harsher retaliation later. But... this was actually their best chance. Even with that, they failed to annihilate us—what makes you think they'll succeed next time?"
"We need to relocate again… As long as we can seize even a brief moment to recover, they're no longer worth fearing."
Both companions could sense a quiet confidence in Genshin's words, and so they had no choice but to believe in him.
Truthfully, they knew they were in no shape to pursue. It was just that the opportunity to eliminate the enemy had presented itself—and walking away from it left a bitter taste.
Genshin was no longer worried about this enemy. He had come to believe that his growth potential now exceeded theirs—and in such a case, time worked in his favor.
Ironically, the Clan had once suffered devastating losses—nearly to the point of extinction—because they had chosen to defend their village to the death.
Now, reduced to wandering ninja without a home, they were constantly on the move. Yet, this made their actions more agile and their whereabouts harder to track.
Driving off this latest attack meant the enemy had lost their trail once again. It would not be easy to locate this small, struggling ninja clan.
"Don't be so pessimistic," Genshin said as he treated his comrade's wounds. "Even if we run into the Tsugawa Clan again and are forced into battle, the outcome isn't set in stone."
Genjinkawa came over and, upon hearing this, replied, "That's true. No need to worry too much. Who knows, maybe the Tsugawa Clan will be wiped out by another ninja clan before we ever see them again."
Genshin glanced at him, biting back a retort. Is that what you got from what I said? I meant we'd rely on ourselves—not on luck.
Still, he had to admit that Genjinkawa's words weren't entirely implausible. In times like these, was clan extinction really so rare? A mid-sized ninja clan could easily vanish overnight.
After stopping Genryunosuke's bleeding, Genshin bandaged the wound on his own shoulder. The three of them rested briefly before setting off to find the remaining clan members.
Truth be told, the rest of the ninja currently had no means of defending themselves. It wasn't just enemy ninjas they had to worry about—even a wild beast in the forest could cause unimaginable losses.
Luckily, they hadn't encountered any such misfortune. Genshin and the others soon found the rest of their clan hiding deep within the forest—and safely so.
After giving a brief account of what had happened, the group set off once more, heading away from their current location. The direction didn't matter—what mattered was putting as much distance between them and danger as possible.