Meeting

Gradually, Yuzhen had grown somewhat confident in his "acting."

In a situation this chaotic, all Yuzhen had to do was put on a solemn face, and that already counted as top-tier acting. At most, he could occasionally reveal a compassionate, pitying gaze—at a time when life and death hung in the balance, if he didn't keep a blank face, was he supposed to smile?

Yuzhen returned to the side of "Dashu's" corpse in his capacity as an "elder" and diligently continued his examination.

Before long, two more ninjas found him.

"Elder, the Clan Leader is urgently summoning the clan's senior members."

Yuzhen trembled as he pretended to stand with some difficulty.

They had just seen the elder's attitude toward the dead man. It seemed genuinely emotional, so they more or less understood that the relationship between the two was unusual.

Seeing this, the two ninjas were unsurprised. One of them even quickly lent Yuzhen a hand.

"What happened now?"

"Two mission squads that should have returned to the village this evening still haven't come back, nor have they sent any word. The Clan Leader suspects they've been attacked as well."

"In other words, there isn't just one enemy, and they're striking us from both inside and outside?" Yuzhen asked.

"Yes, Elder."

Yuzhen nodded. So Uchiha Nanami and Fūma Kotarō had made their move.

One attack from within and another from without, treating both the symptoms and the root cause. The Tsugawa Clan was truly blessed.

"Elder?"

"I understand. I'll go see the Clan Leader now."

Yuzhen turned and walked away, but after only two steps, he suddenly stopped and said, "Bring Dashu's body with you and come with me to see the Clan Leader."

The two ninjas exchanged a glance, then nodded at the same time.

"Yes, Elder."

Yuzhen had to keep up the act, but he needed the two men to guide him.

Although he had learned the layout of the village from the intelligence he'd gathered, information alone couldn't support an attitude of familiar ease inside a particular building without him actually entering it at least once.

So he needed guides.

Besides, bringing along the corpse was perfectly normal. On one hand, the elder clearly valued this captain. On the other, the Combat Captain was already one of the clan's top ten senior figures. Since such an important person had died, of course his corpse ought to be displayed. Otherwise, how could they show that he had been important?

Faced with Yuzhen's request, the two ninjas could only play the role of leading the wolf into the house. They took him to the core center of power here... in other words, the village council.

Yuzhen's silent infiltration and central-bloom tactic achieved the expected results.

Faced with an enemy whose whereabouts they couldn't pin down, an enemy as elusive as a ghost, the Tsugawa Clan's middle- and lower-ranking ninjas began to panic.

The senior members couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to infiltration and assassination that threatened the clan's foundations. In fact, they clearly understood the danger posed by such an enemy. Thus, aside from one Combat Captain who was away on a mission, all the clan's senior members gathered together.

The meeting had to be held. Not holding it was out of the question.

"Setting aside the loss of military supplies, a huge amount of daily necessities and production materials vital to the clan's survival have been burned to ashes. How long can we hold out now?"

"Since the village was founded, we've suffered attacks before. But I can't accept the reality that the enemy made us suffer such heavy losses without paying any price."

"Price? We haven't found the slightest trace of the infiltrator. How many enemies are there? Where did they come from? Why did they attack us? We know nothing."

"The supplies and the logistics department were destroyed together. If the infiltrator is still hiding in the village, what should we do?"

"Anyone capable of infiltrating and killing without making the slightest sound can't possibly be Nameless. Based on the information we have, can't we determine his or their origins?"

Nearly all the Tsugawa Clan's senior members at the meeting were furious. Even so, it wasn't hard to see the fear hidden beneath their agitation.

The Tsugawa Clan's Clan Leader was named Tsugawa Taishi. He was a ninja in his late thirties, still in his prime. He cleared his throat to interrupt the argument and said:

"Elder Xiu Ping, did you discover anything at the several crime scenes?"

At first, Yuzhen didn't realize that the other man was calling "himself." He knew that the Tsugawa Clan had an elder named "Tsugawa Xiu Ping," who served as the Clan Leader's adviser, but he couldn't be sure whether "Xiu Ping" was the person he was impersonating.

"Xiu Ping?"

When no one responded, Yuzhen finally realized that the Clan Leader was calling him.

"Yes, Clan Leader."

He answered, then fell silent again, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

The Clan Leader couldn't help frowning. Elder Xiu Ping had never been so hesitant before. Fortunately, someone quietly explained to him that the Combat Captain had been assassinated, and the Clan Leader understood why Elder Xiu Ping was reacting half a beat slowly.

"The enemy didn't leave behind much of a trace, but one thing is certain: he—or they—are extremely skilled in assassination. They may be using a highly unusual method to conceal themselves and move around... If I'm not mistaken, it's very likely Earth Style Ninjutsu."

Yuzhen began analyzing himself. There was no need to ask; everything he said was vague enough to be both right and wrong.

"The enemy's assassination skills are extraordinary. All our ninjas died silently from attacks from behind. It's safe to assume that he's probably still hiding in the village, but finding him won't be easy."

"What matters now is how we respond... I suggest that, at all times and during every operation, we gather in groups of at least three. Everyone must watch each other's backs."

"End all missions outside the village. All ninjas should gather according to their squad assignments."

"Spread out scouts and sensory ninjas. Their sensing ranges must overlap in pairs, and the other ninjas should be stationed as much as possible within their sensing ranges."

"Although it's difficult for us to find the infiltrator, if he's still in the village, that means he hasn't achieved his goal."

"We only need to wait patiently. When he makes his move again, we'll seize the opportunity and eliminate him!"

Although his expression was solemn, Yuzhen felt increasingly strange inside. I'm setting up a plan to arrest myself? Although the plan sounded plausible enough, how could it possibly catch him?

The referee, the linesman, and the witness are all my people? No—they're all me.

"What should we do about the ordinary clan members?" The Clan Leader thought for a moment before asking the crucial question.

No one could guarantee that the infiltrator's targets were limited to ninjas and did not include civilians.

Yuzhen remained silent. His meaning was clear: You know what I mean. Surely you understand?

How to strike the right balance was the Clan Leader's authority to decide. "Elder Xiu Ping" had merely offered a suggestion.

After a long silence, the Clan Leader finally said, "Put it into effect. Follow Elder Xiu Ping's plan and get the clan's ninjas moving quickly."

Ninjas were ready-made fighting strength and the foundation of the clan. At a time like this, the Clan Leader had to make certain trade-offs.

Yuzhen looked at the other elder. The man hadn't said a word. Compared with Yuzhen's role as an adviser, the other elder was probably the clan's enforcer.

The enemy who had infiltrated the village was bound to be limited in number. But the enemy was hidden while they were exposed—what use was their strength? If they didn't adopt defensive measures, someone might become a corpse beneath a blade at any moment.

Who could have imagined that Yuzhen was actually in the "open" as well? It was only that nobody else could see him.

The Clan Leader's decision couldn't be called wrong. The more concentrated the ninjas were, the more exposed the civilians became. Without any guarantee of safety, they would naturally grow more terrified as time passed.

At this point, there was no need to consider supplies anymore.

They immediately began arranging their defenses and setting up the plan to wait for the enemy to come to them.

Sitting right beside the Clan Leader, Yuzhen saw every part of the arrangement clearly.

But he didn't act at once. The brewing, spread, and escalation of panic always required time.

Staying at the village council was wonderful. Everyone here was talented, and they were all pleasant to listen to.

After another hour or so of discussion, the Combat Captains began to leave. They would summon their squads to pacify and control the middle- and lower-ranking ninjas.

The Clan Leader and the two elders would take turns keeping watch through the night, ready to respond to any sudden developments.

So what would happen tonight?

For a wage earner, what could be worse than working the night shift?

Working the night shift for the enemy—and not even getting paid.

So nothing else would happen tonight.