The gentry's money was returned in full, while the commoners' money was split thirty-seventy. Heh, that really was an unchanging rule everywhere, Lu You scoffed.
Dense woods lined both sides, lush with fragrant grass. Hearing Lu You's words, Uzumaki Kana immediately grew alert. She drew a kunai, her crimson eyes scanning their surroundings.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, her innate sensory abilities were exceptionally powerful. Before long, she sensed it too.
There were people...
"Lord You... there's an ambush..."
She kept her voice very low.
"I know. Keep going. There are explosive tags buried twenty meters ahead. Go around them. There are more thirty-two meters ahead to the right. Don't go that way."
Kana gripped her kunai. Though full of questions, she still followed Lu You's directions.
Sure enough, after they safely covered fifty meters of the main road, their opponents clearly could no longer sit still.
Several shuriken shot toward them with piercing whistles. Kana's expression changed drastically.
Her powerful senses let her swiftly pinpoint where the attacks came from. She immediately threw several kunai, knocking the incoming shuriken away.
They rang out in a series of crisp clangs!
"Since you're already here, why keep hiding? Come on out."
Lu You's words seemed to hold some sort of magic, making the ninjas concealed in the woods feel their hearts sink slightly.
Finally, as their leader revealed himself, the others emerged as well. There were seven in all, each standing on a tree branch.
None of them wore forehead protectors.
But Lu You did not need those to know where they came from.
Their leader was a man wearing a ninja uniform of an unfamiliar design. He had short black hair, a scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, and a sharp, cold gaze.
Holding a