Blood Oath

If Yuzhen's identity now had not been the captain of the Ashes Organization, but the Clan Leader of the Hagane, then the words coming from his mouth would clearly have been even harder for others to believe.

But after changing identities, the way his words sounded and the effect they produced were completely different.

It was not that Fūma Kotarō was too trusting. The main issue was that they had nowhere left to go.

The Fuma Clan now had only a little over thirty people left. Half of them were ninja, while the other half were civilians.

The civilians had no one to rely on, and the ninja had no will to fight. With ruin everywhere he looked, what else could Fūma Kotarō, as the Clan Leader, do?

After hearing his question, Yuzhen looked slightly surprised and said:

"Our organization's purpose is to gather trickles of water into rivers and seas, bring together wandering ninja, and weather the calamities of the shinobi world together. If you wish to join us, I will of course welcome you.

"However... this is such a major decision. Are you really going to decide so hastily? Shouldn't you discuss it with your clansmen first?

"Besides, if you join us, we will not interfere in your clan's internal affairs. But in all future operations, you will have to follow the principle of collective unity—in other words, obey my commands. Can you accept that?"

Yuzhen was being honest. He was not making excuses, but rather putting the unpleasant truths on the table first.

Fūma Kotarō's words had indeed been somewhat impulsive, but the problem was that the Fuma Clan had reached the end of its road. If they wanted to survive in the shinobi world, joining forces with another faction for warmth had practically become their only choice.

This Ashes Organization was clearly an excellent partner.

It was small in scale and possessed admirable ideals. Once the two sides came together, it could be considered a true convergence rather than an annexation... Fūma Kotarō felt that he could rely on Yuzhen and the others to get through the crisis while still preserving the clan's relative independence. That was already quite good.

The more Fūma Kotarō thought about it, the more certain he became that his decision was correct.

"Mr. Yuzhen, I believe I can convince my clansmen. As long as you are willing to accept us, we are also willing to actively become a part of the Ashes Organization," he said.

Yuzhen seemed to consider the matter carefully again before replying:

"How about this? You can become our provisional members. We can spend some time getting used to one another. That will help you through this crisis while also giving you a chance to understand us.

"Once you have recovered your strength, if you approve of our ideals, you can choose to become full members. If you do not approve of our ideals, you can also choose to leave..."

Those words made Fūma Kotarō feel somewhat ashamed. In his eyes, Yuzhen's words were filled with sincerity. By comparison, his own small scheme to take advantage of the Ashes Organization seemed utterly despicable.

To put it plainly, the Fuma Clan wanted to join the Ashes only because they were bowing to reality, not because they were racing toward a path of ideals... What ideals or principles? They were simply trying to secure a meal.

"Mr. Yuzhen, perhaps your proposal is more reasonable. But since we have accepted your selfless assistance and chosen to join you, there is no reason for us to betray you a second time, no matter what happens in the future. Please believe us... I will go convince my clansmen now."

Fūma Kotarō's words sounded extremely resolute. He walked toward the Fuma Clan's camp, preparing to persuade his clansmen.

However, his words were only worth taking at face value. Could Yuzhen naively believe a guarantee made by ninja they had only met a few hours ago?

There was one thing that could be confirmed, though. Perhaps the Fuma Clan's decision to join the Ashes Organization was somewhat rash and impulsive, but if they truly wanted to leave later, things would probably not be so simple.

After returning to the Fuma Clan's camp, Fūma Kotarō discussed the matter with his clansmen for a while and convinced them with almost no effort.

In a sense, encountering someone willing to offer help when one had reached the end of the road was an immense stroke of luck. They had no reason to reject such assistance.

And the reason Fūma Kotarō was able to persuade his clansmen so quickly, aside from their submission to reality, was certainly the "withdrawal agreement" Yuzhen had offered. It had played an extremely crucial role.

Fūma Kotarō brought the good news to Yuzhen.

What happened next quickly made him understand that joining the Ashes Organization was by no means a decision to be taken lightly.

"Mr. Yuzhen, we have unanimously decided to join the Ashes. We hope you can accept us and treat us equally," Fūma Kotarō said to Yuzhen.

Yuzhen answered with a smile.

"Welcome. Please rest assured—sincerity and equality are the foundation upon which our organization exists."

"To demonstrate mutual trust and express our welcome to you, I believe both sides should hold an alliance ceremony."

There should be a sense of ceremony when doing things. Fūma Kotarō did not think there was anything wrong with that, but...

"Of course that would be wonderful. But given our current conditions, how are we supposed to hold a ceremony?"

"It won't be anything complicated. We have always valued substance over ceremony."

"Very well. We will follow Mr. Yuzhen's arrangements in everything."

Under Yuzhen's arrangements, the members of both sides quickly gathered together.

They formed a circle. Yuzhen's people stood on one side, while the Fuma Clan stood on the other.

A bright bonfire was lit in the open space at the center of the crowd. Yuzhen and Fūma Kotarō stood beside it, and then Yuzhen explained the ceremony that was about to take place.

"Today, at the request of Clan Leader Fūma Kotarō, our Ashes Organization has decided to accept the Fuma Clan as members."

"As for the organization's rules and our attitude toward every member, I believe everyone will experience them for themselves in time, so I will not elaborate today."

"Please believe that although we come from different backgrounds, now that we have united, our blood can still mingle and our flesh and bones can still rely on one another, just as blood relatives do."

"I know that words often lack strength and are insufficient as restraints. That is fine. We can build trust step by step."

"Of course, before that, we must eliminate the hostility between us. Otherwise, nothing else can be discussed. Therefore, I have prepared this ceremony..."

As he spoke, Yuzhen extended his right hand toward Fūma Kotarō.

At that moment, most people thought he was merely making a pretty speech. What effect could a ceremony like this possibly have? A handshake would be enough.

Fūma Kotarō smiled and extended his hand, clasping Yuzhen's tightly.

And then...

Amid the dancing flames of the bonfire, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared.

Yuzhen held a sharp dagger in his left hand and, without hesitation, drove it through their clasped right hands, pinning them together.

A fierce stab of pain struck. Fūma Kotarō was utterly bewildered and instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but Yuzhen held his palm in an unbreakable grip, leaving it completely immobile.

Blood dripped drop by drop through the gap between their two palms.

A commotion broke out among the Fuma Clan. They thought Yuzhen had suddenly launched an attack.

Yuzhen's calm voice easily drowned out the disorderly uproar:

"We seal each other's techniques, and write an oath never to become enemies."

Their palms were pierced together by the sharp white blade. They had no choice but to keep holding on, physically demonstrating their commitment to cooperate.

Their blood had indeed mingled.

To ninja, their palms and fingers were as precious as a pianist's hands. They made their living with their fingers and would gladly buy enormous insurance policies for their hands.

By pulling Fūma Kotarō into "crippling their own hands," Yuzhen had theoretically sealed both their techniques... With injuries like these, neither of them would be able to form hand seals again for quite some time.

No amount of weightless words could compare with the persuasiveness of bloodshed.

Fūma Kotarō stopped instinctively struggling with his hand. Looking into Yuzhen's unruffled eyes, he suddenly felt that once someone joined this Ashes Organization, they would never be able to leave it again.