Ashes (Part 2)

Because the Hagane Clan had no ability to withstand risk, after gathering every member, they moved deeper into the primeval forest along the stream.

For wandering ninja like them, it was better to trust in segmented terrain and natural environmental barriers to keep them safe than to trust in their own strength as ninja.

Frankly speaking, given the current situation, Hagane Zhen would have been more flexible, free, and safe if he had left the clan and acted alone to integrate into the ninja world. Yet he had no such intention.

During this year of living in the ninja world, these ordinary clansmen had helped him too much. If he had not lived among the clan, he could not have survived until now.

Human nature could be indifferent, but it could not be negative. One's bottom line could be lowered, but it could not be absent.

Since everyone called him the clan leader, Hagane Zhen considered himself one as well.

There were no paths through the deep mountains and old forests, so their journey was arduous, carrying something of the feeling of carving out a road through brambles.

Five days later, they crossed a mountain. Two more days after that, they stopped in a valley amid an undulating foothill region.

This was nearly the very center of the forest. The valley was hidden by dense jungle, sheltered by mountains and trees. Even an ordinary Reconnaissance Ninja would have difficulty discovering their traces...

There were only a dozen or so of them. Even if they stayed active here for a long time, the signs of human habitation would not be obvious.

Hagane Zhen stood with both feet on enormous tree roots that bulged like knotted sinews, carefully observing the surroundings.

Then he reached out and patted the massive tree beside him, its trunk as thick as a wall, and said:

"This is the place."

Such a primeval forest was naturally unsuited for long-term settlement. Fortunately, all the Hagane Clan needed was a temporary place to rest; they had no intention of settling down here.

Faced with greenery that seemed capable of swallowing everything, along with the wild, ancient air constantly emanating from their surroundings, the Hagane ninja had no complaints.

On the contrary, only a place where primates almost never appeared gave them a faint sense of security. Setting aside the panic of their days-long flight, a feeling of relief rose in their hearts.

After confirming the campsite's location, the Hagane ninja began building simple shelters.

They searched the surrounding area for enormous raised tree roots, dry tree hollows, half-fallen dead trees, and the like. Using the differences in elevation, they cleared away dead branches and rotting leaves from lower ground, then built roofs on higher ground...

It was not complicated. They only needed to weave vines into a lattice of branches and layer leaves over it to shield against wind and rain... Before long, temporary shelters had been built one after another.

Well, what they had actually built were lean-tos.

Just after they finished setting up camp, a moderate rain began to fall from the sky, but they had no time to hide from it and rest.

Aside from the injured, the rest split into two groups. One group hunted animals and gathered wild fruit nearby, while the other fished in the nearby stream.

Their supplies had long since run out. They had endured only by making use of the forest's abundant natural resources.

What allowed a ninja to survive until the end was neither strength greater than the enemy's nor extreme endurance, but skilled hunting and fishing techniques.

All kinds of freshwater fish, large animals, and even wild fruits provided them with the energy and nutrients necessary for survival.

It was only the beginning of autumn, and the temperature was still tolerable, so they did not need to worry about severe cold for the time being.

As the clan leader, Hagane Zhen received a certain degree of preferential treatment even in such harsh conditions.

First, he did not need to take part in hunting or fishing. Second, the clansmen arranged his shelter in a slightly higher, drier location with an open view.

He sat beneath the crude lean-to, watching the rain while considering what path to take next.

Where should the Hagane Clan go from here? To be honest, with the people they had left, it was impossible for them to grow powerful in this ninja world.

Never mind a group of ordinary-born ninja with insufficient ability and only a tiny number of members—even if he were given ten Kakashis...

Well, ten Kakashis really would have had great potential. Ten elite ninja like that could stir up storms in the ninja world most of the time.

In short, the most rational choice for a small force like theirs was to attach themselves to the strong. Yet dependence without trust would only turn them into cannon fodder for other forces.

Rather than that, they might as well struggle for survival in the cracks. At least then, they could control their own fate.

Hagane Zhen was not actually so pessimistic about the future. It was not because his will was especially tough, nor because he knew the future of the ninja world. It was simply because they had already hit rock bottom; from here on, anything would be a rebound.

Or perhaps it could be put another way: I'm already like this. There's no need to endure humiliation just to save face. At worst, I'll die and show you. What is there to fear?

After thinking for a while, he made a certain decision.

The rain had come quickly and left just as quickly. Near evening, it stopped. The ninja returned with a certain amount of food, then began preparing it and lighting fires to cook.

Hagane Zhen found a relatively dry patch of ground and lit a campfire. Once everyone had begun eating, he gathered the remaining sixteen clansmen around the fire.

Having escaped death, everyone looked somewhat listless, but their overall state of mind was still acceptable... No matter what, being alive was better than being dead.

The grief of their ninja clan being nearly wiped out, of more than half their clansmen dying, was hidden in everyone's heart.

Hagane Zhen sat on a tree stump. Beside him was a newly made, crudely shaped wooden bowl containing several pieces of fish and a bowl of fish soup.

He lifted the wooden bowl. The hot soup moistened his lips and teeth. He barely tasted any fish oil; instead, he caught a faint scent of pine, the natural flavor of the wooden bowl.

No one spoke. Everyone was enjoying this brief moment of peace.

In such difficult circumstances, it was still necessary to unify everyone's thinking. Hagane Zhen set down his wooden bowl, cleared his throat, and began to speak:

"Although we have escaped the enemy's pursuit, the conditions we face going forward are still harsh."

"The fighting between ninja clans has continued for a long time, and for the foreseeable future, this kind of chaotic conflict will continue. A clan as weak as ours could be completely destroyed in an instant..."

"But today, I do not want to tell everyone how difficult survival is. Nor do I intend to blame the heavens and others, or give up on ourselves. I only want to say that survival requires the right methods. If we choose the right method, we will have a greater chance of preserving ourselves."

"We seek to survive, not merely to cling to life."

"People need a little spirit in them. I do not mean the lofty arrogance of believing that everyone else is drunk while I alone am sober. I only mean that we are human beings, not rotting flesh capable of movement."

"The Hagane Clan... in truth, with only a few of us left, I believe the Hagane Clan has already effectively ceased to exist."

"In order to survive as best we can, retain our autonomy, and avoid becoming cannon fodder, we must take in other living forces and seek to grow stronger."

"We must know our limits—strong enough to protect ourselves, but not so strong that we become a thorn in the side of the great ninja clans."

"For us now, the clan itself is no longer important."

"The Hagane Clan has neither a long history nor any so-called family glory, much less a bloodline worth boasting about... Of course, our clan's honor is worth defending. In fact, quite a few of our people died for it."

"What I mean is, let what should perish perish. We give up certain things only to gain something new."

"I have decided that from today onward, we will no longer act under the name of the Hagane Clan. From now on, I will call myself 'Yuzhen.' Officially, none of you will belong to the same clan anymore. We will merely be a group of wandering ninjas who happened to come together by chance, sharing the same aspirations and struggling to survive..."

As he spoke, Yuzhen suddenly rose to his feet:

"We..."

"Seek not victory, only survival;"

"Fear not death, devote ourselves to endurance;"

"Compete not, drift with the current;"

"Show no ferocity, act according to the times;"

"Hold hope in our hearts, hide within the darkness;"

"Hide the remaining fire within the ashes!"

"From this day on, we shall call ourselves Ashes."

As he spoke, Yuzhen removed the forehead protector from his brow and tossed it into the bonfire before him.

Amid the blazing heat, the Hagane Clan emblem on the forehead protector grew brighter and brighter, until finally...

It slowly melted away.