Devouring Whole

As far as the Fuma Clan was concerned, Yuzhen was neither a bad person nor a good one. He was simply an outsider with ambitions and a purpose.

Yuzhen felt that if they wanted to establish themselves in the shinobi world, relying on fewer than twenty shinobi would leave them far too weak.

After all, in many situations, compared with individual strength, "group numbers"—something visible on the surface and immediately understandable to others—were far more persuasive.

In a sense, it was no different from a street brawl between thugs. One side had ten people, while the other had a hundred. Naturally, the latter was stronger.

Yuzhen knew that if he wanted them to look more like a shinobi force rather than a pack of homeless strays, fewer than twenty people would not be enough.

But with fifty people, then at the very least, to those who did not know the truth, they would look like "a donkey-dropping egg shining on the outside."

So now was exactly the time for Yuzhen to spread such "entrepreneurial" ideas as unity being the key to survival, friendliness coupled with inclusiveness, equality and impartiality, and "joining the company" making one an original shareholder.

With that goal in mind, Yuzhen had deliberately left the other side at a loss when they first made contact.

It was not that he had wanted to give them a show of force, nor was he trying to flaunt strength despite being weak inside. Yuzhen merely wanted to seize control of the conversation.

His words had indeed made the other side fall silent, and a tense atmosphere even began to spread.

When the other side tensed up and decided that a conflict was unavoidable, Yuzhen spoke again:

"Just a little joke. You all look exhausted, so there's no need for you to move. We can set up our camp a little farther away."

He waved for his shinobi to retreat some distance, displaying an attitude of mutual peace.

Seeing this, Fūma Kotarō visibly relaxed. So the other side was not the sort of unreasonable people who tried to kick others when they were down at every opportunity.

However, the retreat Yuzhen had mentioned was technically a retreat, but only by a tiny amount.

He led everyone to set up camp north of the Fuma Clan, but they were only a little over a hundred meters away from the other side.

For shinobi, no matter how one looked at it, that distance could not be considered safe.

They were upwind, and Yuzhen's group began preparing dinner.

While this side was merely eating, the Fuma Clan on the other side began visibly stirring.

While Yuzhen was pretending to arrange the night watch, the Fuma Clan's Clan Leader arrived with an awkward, difficult-to-express look on his face.

He came alone, practically wishing he could raise both hands to show that he meant no hostility.

Yuzhen signaled for his subordinates to clear a path, allowing the other man to come before him.

"Mr. Yuzhen, could you... spare us a little food?"

Fūma Kotarō was still a young man who had not yet developed a thick skin, so he spoke exceptionally quietly. His voice sounded as though it were stuck in his throat.

He did not even dare look Yuzhen in the eye, and he nearly lowered his head to the ground.

Needless to say, he knew how excessive this request was, but his clansmen were on the verge of starving to death.

It had to be said that such a request was rare, because when someone in the shinobi world lacked supplies and wanted to obtain them, the basic method was not to beg but to seize them.

Unfortunately, the Fuma Clan did not have the strength to do that now.

In the shinobi world, if something could not theoretically be seized, it was even less likely to be obtained by begging.

Yuzhen put on a surprised expression and said sympathetically:

"This... Clan Leader Fūma, I sympathize with what you're going through. But as you can see, our situation isn't very good either. Whether the little supplies we have left can support us through the rest of our journey is still unknown."

Fūma Kotarō raised his head. He hesitated, wanting to speak, but in the end, no words came out. He could only nod silently before turning away with heavy steps.

However, before he had taken two steps, Yuzhen suddenly called out to him, as though unable to bear it:

"Clan Leader Fūma, how about this? I'll give you some grain and meat soup. I hope it can help you, at least a little. Our situation here... really limits what we can do."

Fūma Kotarō stopped abruptly and turned around with delighted surprise on his face.

"Really...? No, I mean, thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Yuzhen."

Refusing first and then agreeing made even the most insignificant assistance seem precious.

A little worthless food was nothing, but Yuzhen was using a tactic... no, he was exchanging sincerity for sincerity.

He immediately arranged for someone to follow Fūma Kotarō and deliver some supplies to the other camp. The moment they arrived, that side erupted in celebration.

After Fūma Kotarō arranged the distribution of that small amount of food, he returned with the others to Yuzhen's side and thanked him again.

Yuzhen took the opportunity to invite him to dinner, and Fūma Kotarō naturally had no reason to refuse.

It was enough to break one's heart and bring tears to one's eyes. Every extra bite he ate here meant the Fuma camp could divide one more bite among the others.

Yuzhen did not ask how these people had ended up in such a miserable state. Instead, he became concerned about their future.

"Clan Leader Fūma, what do you intend to do next?"

Fūma Kotarō held a bowl of hot soup and shook his head, his eyes slightly lost.

He had no idea where the road ahead lay.

"To be honest, I don't know where the path forward for the clan lies either."

His situation was somewhat similar to Yuzhen's. Both were newly appointed clan leaders who had been pushed into the role before they were ready. If one asked about his long-term vision and ability to coordinate matters, the answer was probably close to zero.

"The life and death of the entire clan rests on your shoulders. Clan Leader Fūma, you need to think carefully about every step from here on. The consequences of even one wrong move will be disastrous."

Yuzhen felt that this man did not seem very capable of withstanding pressure, so he immediately increased the pressure on him.

As expected, the expression on Fūma Kotarō's face grew even more bitter.

He had absolutely no idea how the clan's future should proceed, so he chose to evade the issue.

"Mr. Yuzhen, what is your situation?"

"Us? We're merely wandering shinobi for now. The people here come from all sorts of backgrounds, but their experiences have certain similarities. In the end, circumstances forced us to band together for warmth."

His words were vague, but Fūma Kotarō could understand them. They were nothing more than an alliance of the disappointed.

Then he secretly mocked himself. The Fuma Clan was even more disappointed than the disappointed.

"You're wandering shinobi now?"

Fūma Kotarō asked in return. He sensed that Yuzhen's words carried another meaning.

Yuzhen nodded and explained:

"We rested for a while earlier. Next, we plan to head west in search of suitable employers."

"Do you have a chance?"

"You can only count on your own efforts."

Fūma Kotarō fell silent again. Mr. Yuzhen clearly looked younger than him, yet he spoke and acted in an orderly manner. He had firm ideas about the path ahead, and his leadership and control both seemed outstanding.

Suddenly, an idea began to take root in his heart.

"Our situation isn't good either. If anything, we only have a little more optimism than you do.

"Some of the shinobi here come from obscure minor shinobi clans, while others come from ancient and illustrious families whose names cannot be spoken. We all have different identities, so why can we unite and watch over one another? In the end, it is simply because each of us holds a sincere heart.

"That is also why I'm willing to offer you some help...

"We have all been caught in the rain, so if possible, we're willing to hold up an umbrella for others."

Yuzhen's deception was somewhat inspiring, and his words were backed by facts... Hadn't shinobi from all kinds of backgrounds gathered around him from the bottom of their hearts?

More importantly, Fūma Kotarō was now confused and helpless, hollow, lonely, and cold inside. In such a state, his resistance to inspirational platitudes had dropped to its lowest point.

Thus, he blurted out almost without thinking:

"Mr. Yuzhen, is your 'Ashes' really willing to accept shinobi of different origins without discriminating based on their backgrounds?"