Stealing

Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!

The Sarutobi Ninja's blazing fire dragon tore across the sky, while the flames illuminated the surrounding collapsed buildings and the narrow, cramped battlefield.

Yuzhen was hidden more than thirty meters outside the battlefield. The fire was reflected in his eyes, and the fact that even some random nobody ninja could use advanced Fire Release left him slightly stunned.

The waves of heat dragged out a trail of fire and swept forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The surrounding air twisted and warped.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!

Just as the fire dragon was about to hit, the Ishi River Ninja on the other side rapidly formed hand seals. The ground rumbled as a thick earthen wall rose up, blocking the fire dragon's path.

Boom!

The long, narrow flames slammed straight into the earthen wall. Hemmed in from both sides, the fire dragon was instantly crushed into a "fire pancake."

The sturdy earthen wall looked as though a giant flaming hand had slapped it hard. Along with a deafening roar, waves of heat burst in every direction.

Under the tremendous impact, even the surrounding ground began to tremble.

"Watch out!"

Another Sarutobi Ninja shouted a warning. The Sarutobi Ninja who had released the Fire Release instinctively sensed some kind of danger and immediately dodged to the side. The instant he left his original position, several sharp earthen spikes burst from the ground.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!

An Ishi River Ninja's hands transformed into enormous fists of rock. He charged at his enemy, preparing to engage in close combat head-on.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

A Sarutobi Ninja avoided the attack's edge and chose to use Fire Release to restrain his opponent from the side.

Earth Release: Earth Rising Spear!

Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!

Ninjutsu flew wildly across the battlefield. As Yuzhen watched, he could not help nodding. Hmm, the flame bullets used by the Sarutobi Clan really aren't much different from the ones I use.

The ninjas from both sides battled with Fire Release and Earth Release. So far, no one had been taken out, but this was absolutely no child's play. Once someone ran out of chakra, casualties would inevitably follow.

Yuzhen carefully observed the battle. As time passed, the formation and coordination among ninjas on the same side inevitably began to deteriorate.

Gradually, fewer and fewer comrades remained around the Sarutobi Ninja carrying the supply scrolls. On the side closer to the battlefield's perimeter, a passage even opened up.

This is a good chance. Now!

Yuzhen immediately slipped into the battlefield.

The ninja was forming hand seals to release a technique when he suddenly felt his shoulder lighten. The weight pressing against it had abruptly vanished.

He instinctively looked back and found an unfamiliar figure standing behind him. Then he saw a young face carrying a trace of awkwardness and shyness.

"Too heavy? Getting in the way of your fighting? I'll carry it for you for a bit."

Yuzhen cut the strap of the supply scroll and tucked it under his arm. At the same time, he secretly made a few little moves: he tripped the ninja with his foot and shoved him with his palm, nearly knocking him to the ground.

Then he turned and ran without the slightest hesitation. As the saying went, even thieves had principles. Stealing was stealing; he absolutely would not do anything unnecessary to interfere with the other man's work.

Yuzhen still respected the Sarutobi Clan's reputation. He did not want to cause extra trouble. Otherwise, stabbing the other man in the back would have made sure he could not chase after him.

Although Yuzhen had entered the battlefield and carried out the theft in one smooth, flowing motion, in such a highly tense environment, an action so blatantly suspicious was impossible for either side to overlook.

Thus, he could only form hand seals in an awkward manner and throw a fireball at an Ishi River Ninja who tried to stop him. Then, while fleeing, he shouted loudly:

"I'll withdraw with the supplies first. Hold them back for a little while, then retreat. Don't get tangled up with them. Protecting the supplies comes first!"

He deliberately kept his head lowered, so the other Sarutobi Ninjas could not see his face clearly.

The battlefield was chaotic, and Yuzhen had appeared there so suddenly that, without noticing anyone approach, the Sarutobi Ninjas instinctively assumed he was one of their comrades.

As for the Ishi River Ninjas on the other side, there was no need to explain. Hadn't they seen him use Fire Release? He had to be a ninja of the Sarutobi Clan.

The duck is already cooked. We can't let it fly away.

"Wait, you..."

The Sarutobi Ninja who had been ambushed and had originally been responsible for carrying the supply scroll naturally noticed that something was wrong. He did not know the other man at all, so how could he let him take the supply scroll away?

But before he could issue a warning, the surrounding Ishi River Ninjas had already rushed in and surrounded them.

The Sarutobi Clan's ninjas desperately blocked them, determined not to let a single enemy leave the battlefield and ensuring that the supplies could be transported away safely.

Yuzhen did not expect the Sarutobi Ninjas to be foolish enough not to realize he was a thief. He only needed them to buy him a minute or two.

He quickly left the battlefield. After circling around a broken wall that blocked the other ninjas' lines of sight, he plunged into a large tree with the scroll in his arms.

His figure then vanished. To the owner, it was highly likely that the scroll would never be found again.

Steal it and run. That was pretty thrilling.

The excitement was theirs. It actually had nothing to do with me.

As an onlooker, Yuzhen's position was neutral, just enjoying the spectacle. He was a good person who did not hurt others, and the supply scroll he had obtained had to count as reasonable and lawful "income."

Look, in his current state, he could definitely have assassinated several Sarutobi Ninjas, but he had not.

Therefore, anything Yuzhen had obtained on the battlefield apart from his life had to be counted as "life-saving money."

It was not that assassinating Sarutobi Ninjas was easier than assassinating Tsugawa Ninjas. Rather, the Sarutobi were being restrained by the evenly matched Ishi River, while Yuzhen was a third-party force. If he launched a sneak attack, the pressure would definitely be lower and the results better, achieving twice the effect with half the effort.

After carrying the Sarutobi Clan's supply scroll away from the battlefield, there was no way they could find him again.

No one could find him. That meant the supply scroll had no owner. It was ownerless property, and when it came to ownerless property, whoever found it naturally owned it.

Yuzhen's "ownership" conformed to public order and good morals. It violated neither morality nor the law.

After leaving the battlefield that had nothing to do with him and putting considerable distance between himself and it, Yuzhen dispelled the Mayfly Technique and emerged from his hidden movement state.

He then tied off the severed strap on the supply scroll, slung it over his back, and headed toward the camp where his clansmen were staying.

This trip could be called immensely fruitful. The "Experience Pack" theory had been verified: a "White Zetsu Experience Pack" had rapidly increased his strength, and he had also snatched—picked up—the supplies urgently needed by the camp.

Whether the Sarutobi Clan's supplies were meant to replenish the front line or be returned to the village, there would certainly be things inside that Yuzhen's camp needed. This single supply scroll might even greatly ease the camp's survival pressures.

This opportunistic raid had gone extremely smoothly. He had avoided unnecessary trouble, and Yuzhen seemed to have embarked on a lucky road where everything went his way.

However, given the era and the brutal state of the war, could such a thing as "everything going smoothly" really exist?