Robbery

Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!

The Sarutobi ninja's blazing dragon carved across the sky, its flames illuminating the collapsed buildings and cramped battlefield around them.

Yuzhen lurked over thirty meters outside the fray, the fire reflected in his eyes. The fact that any random grunt ninja could use a high-level Fire Release left him slightly taken aback.

The heat wave traced a line of fire like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, surging forward and warping the surrounding air.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!

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

Boom!

The elongated flame slammed straight into the earth wall, piling up from front and back, and in an instant the fire dragon was crushed into a "fire pancake."

The sturdy wall seemed to take a brutal slap from a giant fiery hand, unleashing a deafening roar as heat splattered everywhere.

Under the immense impact, even the ground around them trembled.

"Watch out!"

Another Sarutobi ninja shouted a warning. The one who had released the fire dragon instinctively sensed a threat and immediately dodged to the side. The moment he left his spot, several sharp earthen spikes burst from the ground.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!

An Ishi River ninja turned his hands into massive stone fists and charged at the enemy, ready to brawl up close.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

A Sarutobi ninja avoided the direct clash, opting to use Fire Release for a flanking distraction.

Earth Release: Earth Rising Spear!

Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!

Ninjutsu flew wildly across the battlefield. Yuzhen watched and couldn't help nodding to himself—well, the Sarutobi clan's Flame Bullet really wasn't much different from his own.

The two sides dueled with Fire and Earth Releases, trading blows without any casualties yet. But this was no child's play; once someone's chakra gave out, deaths and injuries were inevitable.

Yuzhen carefully observed the battlefield's flow. As time passed, the formation discipline and coordination among his allied ninjas inevitably began to decline.

Gradually, the Sarutobi ninja carrying the supply scroll found fewer and fewer comrades around him, and a clear path even opened up near the outer edge of the fight.

Perfect chance. Now!

Yuzhen's figure slipped into the battlefield.

That ninja was in the middle of forming seals for a jutsu when he suddenly felt a lightness on his shoulder—the weight pressing down on it had vanished.

He instinctively looked back and found an unfamiliar figure standing behind him. Then he saw a young face, tinged with a hint of awkwardness and shyness.

"Too heavy? Getting in the way of the fight? I'll hold it for you."

Yuzhen cut the strap of the supply scroll, tucked it under one arm, and quietly pulled a little trick—tripping the ninja with his foot and shoving him with his palm, nearly sending him stumbling to the ground.

Then he turned and ran without a second's hesitation. As the saying goes, even a thief has his code: stealing is stealing, no need to meddle with extra moves.

Yuzhen still respected the Sarutobi clan's reputation and didn't want to stir up more trouble. Otherwise, a stab from behind would have ensured the guy couldn't chase him.

Even though Yuzhen's entry into the battlefield and theft were smooth and seamless, in such a high-tension environment, his sneaky moves were hard for either side to ignore.

So he had to form seals in an awkward way, lobbed a fireball at an Ishi River ninja trying to block him, and then shouted while fleeing:

"I'm pulling back with the supplies first! Hold them off a bit and then retreat—don't get tangled up. Protecting the supplies is the priority."

He deliberately kept his head down, so the other Sarutobi ninjas couldn't make out his face.

The battlefield was chaotic, and since Yuzhen had appeared out of nowhere without anyone sensing his approach, the Sarutobi ninjas instinctively took him for an ally.

As for the Ishi River ninjas—no need to mention it. Didn't they just see him use Fire Release? He had to be a Sarutobi.

A cooked duck wasn't about to fly away.

"Hold it—you—"

The Sarutobi ninja who had originally been carrying the supply scroll and had just been ambushed naturally sensed something was off. He didn't recognize the guy at all—how could he let him take the scroll?

But before he could raise the alarm, the surrounding Ishi River ninjas had already swarmed in for the kill.

The Sarutobi ninjas fought desperately to block them, determined not to let a single enemy leave the battlefield and ensure the supplies were safely transported.

Yuzhen didn't expect the Sarutobi to be stupid enough not to realize he was a thief. He just needed them to buy him a minute or two.

He quickly left the battlefield, rounded a broken wall to block the other ninjas' line of sight, and then dove into a large tree with the scroll tucked under his arm.

His figure vanished. As far as the rightful owner was concerned, it was probably gone for good.

Snatch and run—kind of thrilling.

All the excitement belonged to them; it had nothing to do with me.

As a spectator, Yuzhen's stance was neutral, just eating popcorn. He was a good person who didn't harm others, so the supply scroll counted as a perfectly legitimate "income."

See, for him right now, he could definitely have assassinated a few Sarutobi ninjas, but he didn't.

So anything Yuzhen gained on the battlefield besides his life had to count as "ransom money."

It's not that assassinating a Sarutobi ninja is easier than assassinating a Tsugawa ninja—rather, the Sarutobi are tied down by the equally matched Ishi River forces. Yuzhen counts as a third party, so if he were to launch a sneak attack, the pressure would certainly be lighter, the results better, and the effort half the work with double the gain.

After hefting the Sarutobi clan's supply scroll and fleeing the battlefield, there was no way they could find him again.

No one could find him, which meant the supply scroll had no rightful owner—it was ownerless property. And as for ownerless property, of course whoever discovers it owns it.

Yuzhen's "ownership" aligned with public order and good customs, violating no morality or law.

After leaving the battlefield that had nothing to do with him and putting a considerable distance between himself and it, Yuzhen dispelled the Mayfly Technique, emerging from his concealed mobile state.

Then he tied up the broken strap of the supply scroll, slung it over his back, and moved toward the direction of his clan's camp.

This outing could be called a bountiful haul. The "Experience Pack" theory had been verified—one "White Zetsu Experience Pack" had rapidly boosted his strength, and the supplies urgently needed at the camp had been snatched... picked up.

Whether this batch of Sarutobi clan supplies was meant to replenish the front lines or be returned to the village, it was bound to contain things Yuzhen's camp needed. In fact, this single supply scroll could greatly ease the survival pressure back at camp.

This opportunistic raid had gone smoothly, without attracting any extra trouble. Yuzhen seemed to have stepped onto a path of smooth sailing and good fortune.

Yet, in the current era and under the harsh war situation, could such a thing as "smooth sailing" truly exist?