A Good Nest for the Cuckoo

Using the Fūma Clan's name carried a certain amount of risk, but Yuzhen felt that risk was completely manageable.

After the two sides formed an alliance, Yuzhen had asked Fūma Kotarō why they had fallen into such dire straits. The answer, however, had been vague, because even the other party could not explain exactly what had happened.

It was as if an entire clan had somehow fallen without knowing why.

In short, over the course of several months, the Fūma Clan had clashed with another ninja clan. They had been defeated and suffered a certain degree of losses.

Then, while they were still weakened, they had been attacked by a second ninja clan.

After that, the process had repeated itself again and again. Under layer upon layer of oppression, the Fūma Clan had nearly reached the point of ruin.

To be honest, Fūma Kotarō could not even explain who their enemies really were. The process by which the Fūma Clan had become stray dogs had been so natural and logical that it had seemed inevitable.

After hearing the whole story, Yuzhen felt that the Fūma Clan was even more unfortunate than the Hagane Clan. Unlike the latter, which was completely unknown, the Fūma Clan was a ninja clan with some reputation but limited overall strength. Once it showed a weakness, it seemed destined to become a stepping stone for other ninja clans.

People naturally fawned on the strong and trampled the weak.

Having some reputation while showing a weakness meant that others would certainly be willing to kick them while they were down.

Overall, the Fūma Clan had not been defeated by some powerful enemy. Rather, they had been squeezed into their current state by the brutal environment of the ninja world. This made Yuzhen feel that using the Fūma Clan's name would not cause too much trouble, while also giving him some inspiration.

Besides, Yuzhen was so young that it was easy for others to look down on him. In terms of age, Fūma Kotarō was also more suitable to handle negotiations.

Yuzhen only needed to play the role of the hidden blade at his side.

At present, the average lifespan of a ninja was less than thirty years. At Fūma Kotarō's age, he was essentially considered mature and steady.

Thus, with Fūma Kotarō at the forefront, Yuzhen and the others followed behind him and quickly arrived in front of the small sedan chair.

"Lord Kamaya, I am Fūma Kotarō, Clan Leader of the Fūma Clan. We heard that your side was recruiting ninjas, so we have come to apply," Fūma Kotarō said. His words sounded stiff because he had no similar "job-hunting experience."

In the past, the Fūma Clan had also survived by accepting missions, but most of the time, they had taken orders for ninja tools from other ninjas rather than missions from civilians.

The person inside the sedan waved, and the black-robed man at the side moved over to the window.

The person inside asked softly, "The Fūma Clan?"

"They're a ninja clan with some reputation in the ninja world. In certain areas, they could even be called famous. Some time ago, I heard that the Fūma Clan was scattered after clashing with another ninja clan, but it seems they still retain a certain amount of strength," the black-robed man explained dutifully, seemingly sharing all the information he knew.

In reality, however, he was being evasive, and his words contained little concrete information.

So, in what area was the Fūma Clan famous? The answer was "blacksmithing." The Fūma Clan excelled at manufacturing all kinds of ninja tools. Their tools were a famous brand in the ninja world, and products that even the great ninja clans could buy without inspection.

The person in the sedan had no interest in learning the details of the Fūma Clan. He was already quite satisfied as long as these ninjas had a certain reputation.

The sedan door finally opened, and the Kikyo Castle noble dressed in flamboyant clothes finally stepped out. His exquisite wooden clogs landed on the muddy ground, which was not worth a single coin.

Yuzhen got a clear look at his face. This was the same person he had seen while delivering the letter the previous night.

"I've heard of you."

Though I only just heard of you, Date Kamaya added inwardly. After sweeping his gaze over the group, he continued, "Lord Daimyo does indeed wish to hire a group of ninjas, but... can you prove your strength?"

It was time for a live demonstration. Fūma Kotarō signaled to Yuzhen with his eyes. After receiving the signal, Yuzhen casually glanced toward Uchiha Nanami.

If they wanted to make some noise, having a Uchiha ninja take action was the most suitable choice.

Not every Uchiha ninja enjoyed showing off, but every Uchiha ninja's ninjutsu was capable of doing so.

Uchiha Nanami secretly sighed. She stepped several paces to the side, then formed hand seals with both hands.

Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

A huge amount of chakra gathered in her chest and abdomen, and scorching waves of heat burst from her mouth. The deep-orange flames twisted the surrounding air. After condensing into the shape of a massive dragon's head, they shot toward an abandoned stone house in the distance.

Aside from its enormous scale and range, the most impressive aspect of this Fire Style technique was its projectile speed, which far surpassed that of ordinary Fire Style techniques. It struck the stone house almost instantly.

Boom!

Amid a violent explosion, the orange-red flames slammed into the stone walls with tremendous force. The building was destroyed in an instant, while the remaining flames of the ninjutsu scattered in all directions like an erupting volcano.

The stone house, which had originally still been standing firm, turned into a pile of ruins in the blink of an eye.

Judging from its impact, what Uchiha Nanami had unleashed seemed less like ordinary flames and more like a meteor wrapped in fire. Although the Uchiha Clan was apparently not known for its chakra reserves, this technique showed just how densely Uchiha Nanami could condense her chakra.

This was why stereotypes were unreliable. The Uchiha's chakra was merely average, but that was only when compared with the Senju of the Forest.

Date Kamaya was a perfectly qualified spectator. As a noble, he rarely had the chance to witness a ninjutsu of such power from up close. His eyes went wide, and he froze for a moment.

Yuzhen quietly moved a few steps toward Uchiha Nanami and asked in a lowered voice beside her ear, "Was that Madara Uchiha's ninjutsu?"

Uchiha Nanami glared back at Yuzhen, seemingly displeased, and said irritably, "That was my ninjutsu."

Huh?

Hmm.

Ah?

Yuzhen's thoughts took several sharp turns in an instant. Was there some other meaning behind those words? But he had no time to think it through, and this was not the moment to keep asking.

The black-robed man coughed softly. Only then did Date Kamaya return to his senses. He lightly clapped his hands and said:

"Good, very good. Your ninjas are quite strong, but... that isn't what we value most."

"You're ninjas. What we value more is the group's overall strength. More precisely, we value your ability to complete difficult missions. Can you prove that?"

"This..." Fūma Kotarō hesitated. He believed the other party wanted to get a mission done for free, and probably one that would be especially difficult to complete.

Thinking of the Fūma Clan's unfortunate experiences, Yuzhen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and began speaking a string of words that left many people completely baffled:

"Our Fūma Clan is fully capable of defeating enemies several times our own number. We are willing to prove this to your side..."

"To the west of the northern great forest, there is a medium-sized ninja clan called the Tsugawa Clan. It has more than a hundred ninjas, while its civilian population is at least five times that number. We are willing to prove our strength through the destruction of this clan."

Huh? Wasn't this a little too aggressive? To prove their strength, they wanted to wipe out an unrelated ninja clan? What did one thing have to do with the other?

Date Kamaya found it difficult to understand. His train of thought could not keep up with Yuzhen's. After standing there in a daze for a while, he finally realized that the other party was doing their utmost to demonstrate a certain degree of sincerity.

Then he looked at the ordinary members of the "Fūma Clan." After hearing the young ninja's proposal, at least half of them had eyes shining with excitement. They did not look entirely sane. Even if they were not lunatics, they at least had to be considered battle fanatics.

How could Date Kamaya know that someone had merely remembered he still had a personal grudge to settle? His gaze shifted to Fūma Kotarō. After all, in his view, Fūma Kotarō was the spokesman for these ninjas.

Yuzhen's words gave Fūma Kotarō a headache, but at this point, he could only nod along.

"Good, very good."

After thinking it over carefully, Date Kamaya even began to admire this group of ninjas. Ninjas ought to bite like mad dogs. Otherwise, how could they prove their value to their master?

Although they had not yet established an employment relationship, since the Fūma Clan wanted to undertake such a major operation, Kikyo Castle would have to show some support.

"If you wish to prove your ability in this way, then we have no reason not to support you. I'll give you half a month. If you achieve your objective, you can become our ninjas... If you need anything, feel free to ask. I can persuade Lord Daimyo to provide you with temporary support."

There was no need to begrudge them a few supplies. Even watching a performance required buying a ticket, didn't it?

"We need some food, medicine, and winter clothing," Fūma Kotarō immediately said, afraid that the other party might change his mind if he spoke too late.

In truth, he also wanted some protective equipment, because Yuzhen's proposal to seize the Ninja Village carried extremely high risks. However, asking for that would seem too greedy. If he angered the other party, they might receive nothing at all.

Date Kamaya agreed. These were all minor matters. After the two sides discussed a few more details, he prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he smiled and said, "I hope to hear good news."

"You certainly won't be disappointed."

As they watched him leave, Uchiha Nanami moved over to Yuzhen and said, "Although I don't know what grudge you have with this so-called Tsugawa Clan, I can tell you that the so-called Daimyo is not worthy of trust. The support they provide will certainly be very limited."

Yuzhen naturally understood that. The less trustworthy they are, the better. Otherwise, when I launch my operation to drive out the cuckoo and occupy the nest, it might seem a little ungrateful.

Well, now that he thought about it, he really did have quite a moral burden.

Kikyo Castle was a fine place. It seemed quite suitable for use as a base.

"I understand, but for now, we can only take things one step at a time."

Uchiha Nanami clearly did not understand how someone could start by trading stocks and end up becoming a shareholder, or start as an employee and end up founding a business. Therefore, Yuzhen did not explain any further for the time being.

The Date Clan of Kikyo Castle. What a wonderful name. Just hearing it made it seem especially suitable for serving as the legal representative of "Ashes Company."

Date Kamaya was not the sort to deceive Yuzhen and the others. The small amount of supplies they had requested was delivered that very evening.

After Yuzhen took off his sackcloth and put on thick winter clothes, he could not help but let out a long breath...

Thank heavens. He had finally escaped the predicament of not owning even a single complete set of clothing suitable for all four seasons.

I'll finish writing the transitional chapters over the next two days. Most of next week will be battle scenes.

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