Essence

After hiding the clan members who were too weak to fight deep in the forest, the three decoys quickly moved toward the predetermined direction without making any attempt to conceal themselves.

The enemy's pursuit was drawing near. Hagane Zhen planned to split them up and defeat them one by one, while the other two hoped to buy the remaining clan members a barely adequate sense of security with their sacrifices.

As for whether the enemy would split up to pursue them, Hagane Zhen was basically certain they would. Besides the specific circumstances he had just mentioned, the reason was also related to the current form of warfare.

At this time, wars between ninja primarily took place between ninja clans. The clans were the main organizers of war, and many ninja trusted only their own clansmen. Everyone else was either part of a hostile force or, at best, "neutral but hostile."

In such an environment, every clan's circumstances were extremely harsh. This required them to prioritize wiping out the roots whenever they took action, leaving no future troubles behind.

The Hagane Clan was nothing more than a dying candle. It would not take a single breath to extinguish it—even an ordinary exhalation would be enough. Under such circumstances, splitting up to pursue them involved neither concern nor risk.

They were merely a minor ninja clan. They had no Kekkei Genkai and no secret technique inheritance, and could only survive in the cracks between greater powers. If one had to name anything special about them, it was simply that they were relatively skilled in Fire Style.

However, Fire Style was a type of ninjutsu with an enormous difference between its upper and lower limits. Hagane was a clan skilled in Fire Style, while Sarutobi and Uchiha were also clans skilled in Fire Style—but could they really be compared?

The Hagane Clan's enemy came from the Tsugawa Clan, the latter being a medium-sized ninja clan capable of mobilizing more than a hundred ninja. In terms of overall strength, they truly crushed the Hagane Clan... It was precisely the Tsugawa Clan that had destroyed the Hagane Clan's village.

As for whether the two sides had any historical connection or grudge, that was not necessarily the case. The Tsugawa Clan had pressed in simply to expand its own living space.

The big fish ate the small fish. The Tsugawa Clan could hardly dream of occupying the territory of a great ninja clan, so it could only turn its cruel side toward weaker clans.

After putting some distance between himself and the clansmen's hiding place, Hagane Zhen began leaping from treetop to treetop, moving with the faint intention of making absolutely sure the enemy could see him.

What happened next went exactly as he wished. The enemy's scouting ninja soon discovered them.

In the northwestern part of the forest, the Tsugawa Clan's ninja arrived as expected.

"Captain, I found three enemies. They're fleeing in different directions. One of them should be the young Clan Leader who escaped by luck not long ago. Aside from these three, I haven't found any other surviving enemies for now... Their deliberate exposure is very likely meant to lure us away and buy time for the others to escape."

The scouting ninja running at the very front of the group and leading the way quickly grasped the basic information Hagane Zhen had deliberately exposed. He immediately reported it to the Combat Captain behind him.

The captain was a tall, muscular ninja in his thirties. As he listened to the scout's report, he did not slow his pace and said, "A decoy operation. The same old trick."

The scouting ninja nodded. "Yes, Captain. They've already pulled this little trick once."

"Unless something unexpected happens, most of the surviving enemies are hiding in this forest. They don't have the ability to relocate quickly. These three decoys should be their last remaining fighting force. To put it extremely bluntly, these may be the only three ninja they still have who can move. Once we eliminate them... Although this forest is vast, it will inevitably become the burial ground for every one of them."

The captain's judgment was sound. A decoy operation was nothing more than a dying struggle. The Hagane Clan was destined to be destroyed. Whether the decoys died farther away or closer, sooner or later, made no real difference.

"I remember that young Clan Leader. He's a pathetic little man with a bit of cleverness, but without the ability to support it... Follow my orders. Split into three teams of five and pursue them. Leave that little clan leader to me. Have the scouts follow the most distant team."

"Yes, Captain!"

The Tsugawa Ninja did not hesitate. They split directly into three groups, preparing to eliminate the enemy's remaining fighting force first.

Just as Hagane Zhen expected, the enemy really did split up their forces. Even luckier, the strongest enemy—their captain—was leading a team straight toward him...

This choice was perfectly normal. No matter what, Hagane Zhen was now the Clan Leader of this ninja clan. He was effectively the symbol of the entire clan, and his death could serve as the sign of the clan's destruction. He was the one person who absolutely could not be allowed to escape. Thus, the enemy captain would personally deal with him.

Among these fifteen enemy ninja, one was a versatile jonin—the captain himself. Two were Special Jonin, each serving as the leader of one of the other two squads. The remaining twelve consisted of eight Chunin and four Genin there to provide support. There was no need to doubt their strength; they absolutely had the ability to destroy the Hagane Clan.

"Captain, he's up ahead."

As the distance between the two sides narrowed, an enemy ninja shouted.

The enemy pursued without holding anything back, while Hagane Zhen occasionally slowed down. Thus, there was no reason he would not be caught.

"Move in and surround him," the captain ordered.

The five enemies surrounded Hagane Zhen from different directions. Soon, he entered their attack range.

A piercing whistle tore through the air as a kunai shot straight toward Hagane Zhen's torso. In midair, he could only pause for an instant, turning his head and twisting his body to dodge the attack.

The enemy's attack missed, but Hagane Zhen also lost his footing while dodging. His feet slipped out from under him, and he fell straight into the bushes below.

But something strange happened. Hagane Zhen vanished after falling.

"What happened? He disappeared?"

"A clone? No, that's impossible."

Hagane Zhen's disappearance caused a brief commotion among the enemy ninja, but the captain had extensive combat experience and was not fooled. Instead, he said calmly, "Everyone, retreat to higher ground. After that, don't move around carelessly. Stay alert and observe closely. Don't doubt yourselves. The rat is hiding somewhere in the area below. He can't escape."

Under normal circumstances, as long as they did not panic, Hagane Zhen truly had no chance of escaping. However...

The Mayfly Technique was one of White Zetsu's most iconic abilities. It allowed White Zetsu to merge its body with the earth, grass, and trees. After cutting off every trace of its presence, it could move rapidly to any location by entering organic networks such as plant roots and underground currents within the soil. It was practically a divine assassination technique.

Despite how absurd this ninjutsu was, White Zetsu often used it only for scouting. Even more absurdly, using the technique did not require hand seals—it activated instantly!

At this moment, whether he was proficient with it or not, Hagane Zhen had already managed to apply this ability in battle.

The enemy captain stood on a horizontal branch of a large tree, patiently observing the situation below. As an elite ninja who had experienced dozens of battles, he would not be deceived by appearances. No matter how perfectly his opponent concealed himself, waiting calmly and responding to movement would soon reveal a flaw.

In terms of fighting ability, experience, and battlefield judgment, the captain was far superior to Hagane Zhen. In his eyes, the latter was nothing more than a child playing ninja games.

What he did not know was that ordinary experience could only handle ordinary battles. Even the most precise battlefield judgment would eventually fail, and what use was overwhelming strength if it could not be brought to bear?

War left no room for anyone to make mistakes.

Hagane Zhen's figure appeared silently behind the captain. Like a ghost, he materialized without producing the slightest excess presence. The enemy's keen five senses detected not even the smallest abnormality.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze.

Hagane Zhen's heart seemed to stop beating. In the brief interval before it pumped blood again, he could create an eternal divide between life and death.

His right hand gripped a kunai and plunged it without hesitation into the enemy's lower back, until the blade was completely buried in flesh. At the same time, his left hand held a short sword and drove it directly into the back of his opponent's neck. The thin, razor-sharp blade met no resistance as it severed the joints between the vertebrae, then pierced diagonally downward through the man's throat as easily as stabbing through paper.

Even though the Mayfly Technique possessed unparalleled assassination ability, Hagane Zhen could only guarantee a successful first use in this battle because of his lack of proficiency. Therefore, he had targeted the strongest enemy.

And he succeeded.

The assassination was perfect. The enemy made no sound from beginning to end and offered no resistance at all. However, one of the ninja to the side, highly focused and watching the ground, still turned his head the instant Hagane Zhen completed the assassination!

"Enemy attack!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

As his voice fell, countless shuriken and kunai shot toward them indiscriminately, heedless of friend or foe.

Hagane Zhen immediately tucked his body behind the captain. There had been no problem with his assassination, so why had he been discovered at once?

He quickly realized the reason.

It was the breathing. After being stabbed, the enemy captain's breathing had become disordered. In the quiet surroundings, that ragged breathing was easy to detect.

They truly were ninja who had spent years on the battlefield.

It seemed unlikely that he would find an opportunity to assassinate a second person, but that was fine. Hagane Zhen was not disappointed. He had already achieved his primary goal—once the captain with the greatest fighting power was eliminated, he had already won half the battle.

Kunai and shuriken kept stabbing into flesh, producing nonstop wet thuds. The remaining enemies were simply very rational and ruthless. After realizing that their captain could not survive, they attacked violently and indiscriminately without the slightest psychological hesitation.

All right, in truth, that was overestimating them. The enemy's attacks at this moment were merely mechanical reactions, or even a kind of reflexive panic.

The sudden assassination of the battlefield's highest-ranking commander had shocked them. Even harder to accept was the fact that they had no idea how Hagane Zhen had moved behind the captain, nor why the captain had failed to react in the slightest when faced with the assassination.

Water Style: Water Bullet Technique!

An enemy formed hand seals and cast a technique. A huge ball of water came crashing toward them.

Seeing this, Hagane Zhen finally released the kunai that had pierced the enemy's kidney. Then chakra erupted beneath both his feet. As it propelled his body into a rapid sidestep to the left, he raised his right arm and hooked the hilt of the short sword still embedded in the enemy's neck.

The impact of his arm sent the hilt spinning lightly through a full circle, completely severing the enemy captain's neck.

Finishing off an enemy was a good habit. Only then could one guarantee that they were truly dead.

Hagane Zhen flipped through the air, then landed lightly on the ground.

The captain's head swayed slowly a few times before finally, seemingly reluctant, leaving his neck. Like a heavy leather ball, it dropped beside Hagane Zhen's feet.

Thud.

The head struck the ground covered in dead branches and fallen leaves, making a faint yet somewhat muffled sound.

In that instant, the enemies all stopped attacking.

Hagane Zhen curled the corner of his mouth into a grin. He pressed the tip of his tongue hard against his slightly cracked lower lip, and the expression on his face made him look just like a lunatic.

He had grown up in a peaceful environment in his previous life. After graduating from elementary school, he had never gotten into a fight with anyone again. Treating people with kindness, gentleness, and honesty had always been his way of conducting himself, and he had never shown such a savage side in his entire life.

Yet never having shown it did not mean it was absent. In the end, people were products of their environments, and different environments reflected different faces of the same person.

Ninjutsu came in all kinds of forms, even dazzlingly colorful ones. Genjutsu was omnipresent, secretive, uncanny, and deadly. Taijutsu could be fierce or yielding, and was the purest method of inflicting harm. Yet when all these surface appearances were stripped away, every war under every system of power would sooner or later reveal its coldest essence:

Iron and blood.

Whether in the ninja world or anywhere else, war was nothing but iron and blood.