As midnight approached, the snow in the sky showed signs of intensifying, and the snowflakes falling around the campsite gradually accumulated.
Yu Zhen added new firewood to the campfire. As he watched the fire regain its vitality with crackling sounds, he sat back in his original position.
The flickering flames occasionally illuminated half of his face.
A few clear bird calls occasionally echoed from the forest, signals from the night watch ninjas indicating "all clear."
Yu Zhen was pondering some things.
Through his conversation with Uchiha Nanami just now, he noticed that she occasionally revealed a sense of being old and experienced when speaking. However, her appearance seemed to be the same age as Tobirama Senju, who was pursuing her.
To awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan at this age, in a sense, her talent was even comparable to Uchiha Madara... Well, that might be an exaggeration.
Considering the conditions for awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, it could also be said that her experiences since childhood were even more tragic than Uchiha Madara's.
At least several beloved relatives, close friends, or siblings had to die to cause enough stimulation to the brain to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Combining the space-time fluctuations when Uchiha Nanami appeared, the dried blood on the corners of her eyes, the fresh injuries on her body when she fainted, her confusion about the date after waking up, and some characteristics inadvertently revealed when speaking, Yu Zhen had a guess about the special ability of her Mangekyo Sharingan.
It was very likely a time-jumping ability.
Uchiha Nanami might have used her Mangekyo Sharingan to instantly jump from the past, where she was being pursued by Tobirama Senju, to the future, several months later.
If that was the case, then her Mangekyo Sharingan was undoubtedly a very powerful pair of eyes.
However, according to Uchiha Nanami's reaction, she was not proficient in using the Mangekyo Sharingan, meaning she probably couldn't perform "time jumps" in a timely manner, nor could she precisely control the span of the "time jumps."
The time coordinate she escaped to could be several months later, or it could be several years later or even longer. That's why she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Tobirama Senju's pursuit of her was only a few months ago.
As for her saying that these eyes could only be used to escape, it was obvious that she had not yet further developed her special ability.
This ability to traverse the past and the future should theoretically not be used for killing; that would be too narrow-minded... It has the potential to create miracles.
So, what kind of miracle could it be?
This question certainly couldn't be answered by Yu Zhen.
Frankly speaking, all of the above were just Yu Zhen's guesses based on some clues. What if Uchiha Nanami's Mangekyo Sharingan didn't have such an ability?
Hard to say, it's hard to say for now.
The next morning.
After a night of rest, Uchiha Nanami had regained some mobility, at least she didn't have to rely on a stretcher all the time.
"It seems you've recovered a bit. What do you plan to do next? We will continue moving west," Yu Zhen asked her.
To be precise, moving in a northwest direction.
After waking up, the temperature had dropped sharply, and every time he breathed, a cloud of white vapor formed in front of him.
Due to a lack of information and his previous low status, Yu Zhen was not clear about the distribution of power in the Ninja World, but one thing he was sure of was that it was best to stay away from the central area of the later Land of Fire.
They were not short of food for the time being, but they needed cold-resistant clothing.
Uchiha Nanami thought for a moment, then asked somewhat embarrassedly:
"Can I temporarily travel with you?"
On one hand, given her current condition, it wasn't suitable for her to act alone; on the other hand, she was somewhat curious about this group of wandering ninja.
A group of wandering ninja from different ninja clans, why could they unite around one person and follow him with such trust? This kind of group dynamic was a bit too sci-fi for the current Ninja World.
It wasn't uncommon for wandering ninja to gather together, of course, but they were often each harboring their own agendas, and it wouldn't take long for them to scatter for various reasons, or even kill each other... The word 'trust' was too extravagant if it wasn't confined within a single ninja clan.
Uchiha Nanami thought that this group of wandering ninja might have something special about them, so she wanted to learn more... It could only be said that she was overthinking things a bit.
However, her reaction also showed from the side that Yu Zhen's orders were being strictly carried out, and his clansmen were disguising themselves well. "Hagumiya" had ostensibly become a composite group with a complex background of members.
"Of course, we're a group of wandering ninja huddling together for warmth, and we maintain an inclusive attitude towards those who join, even temporarily. Traveling together all the way might be a luxury, but joining along the way is definitely not impossible."
Yu Zhen began to lie through his teeth.
"Then I'll trouble you for the time being," Uchiha Nanami said with a thoughtful expression.
"It's no problem. To be honest, we're also full of confusion about the road ahead. Fortunately, there are always people in the world who need to hire ninja."
Due to the serious lack of his own strength, Yu Zhen could only temporarily act according to the rules of the Ninja World, that is, to find suitable employers... He would not engage in "fundraising" activities from non-ninja forces unless absolutely necessary.
It didn't matter to solicit donations from other ninja forces, as long as his strength was strong enough, anyway, that's how the Ninja World worked.
Enough said, it's all tears. Guess what? Yu Zhen and his group left their carefree pastoral life to actually "look for a job."
Uchiha Nanami became a temporary companion of Yu Zhen and his group, recuperating while traveling west with them.
Their actions could be described as full of stealth. Yu Zhen didn't want to clash with other ninja for the time being, and sometimes even chose to act only in the second half of the night until dawn, in order to avoid getting involved in battles between other ninja groups.
But because ninja were everywhere in this era, no matter how careful Yu Zhen was, they would inevitably encounter "colleagues" inadvertently.
Logically speaking, when ninja are acting in groups, they should send out "scouts" forward and backward, and these "scouts" are best to be sensory ninja.
But Yu Zhen and his group couldn't do that, because there were no sensory ninja in the clan, and they could only act as a group.
Without sensory ninja, even if Yu Zhen wanted to do a good job of guarding the surroundings, he doubted whether his guard ninja could send out a message in time once they encountered an enemy.
The biggest possibility was that the "forward observation unit" would be instantly killed at the first moment.
Because in the absence of sensory ninja, the battlefield was unilaterally transparent to the enemy, and Yu Zhen and his group were surrounded by a fog of war.
In this case, they might as well honestly move as a group.
So, after acting cautiously for five days, Yu Zhen and his group finally ran head-on into another ninja force.
Unfortunately, the other side had more people than them.
Fortunately, this group was also a defeated army, and their situation looked even worse than Yu Zhen's group.
When the two sides collided head-on, the other side was even more flustered than Yu Zhen's side.
After leaving the forest, Yu Zhen and his group had been extremely cautious in their actions, so they hadn't encountered any unexpected situations.
However, too much of anything is as bad as too little. After several days of intense tension, many people's emotions relaxed slightly.
Although not to the point of carelessness, some slackening was inevitable.
During this time, Yu Zhen also learned a lot about the basic situation of the Ninja World, the information naturally coming from Uchiha Nanami.
To his surprise, Uchiha Nanami's personality was not quite like the stereotypical Uchiha ninja. She seemed emotionally stable, not arrogant, and good at communicating.
In recent days, Yu Zhen had obtained a lot of useful and useless information from her... of course, only general knowledge that didn't involve the secret information of various clans.
At this moment, they were discussing the "economic foundations" upon which the major ninja clans depended for their survival.
"In addition to receiving various mission funds from some employers, different ninja clans actually have certain relatively fixed content and sources of funding."
"For example?"
"For example, the Senju Clan, they have always been able to steadily obtain tasks related to tobacco planting, production, and transportation from fixed employers."
Yu Zhen was stunned for a moment. The Senju of the Forest went to develop the tobacco industry? Could this be considered a professional match?
"We Uchiha are sugar."
Well, the Uchiha Clan was indeed quite 'Tang' (a pun for sugar and foolish) in many ways.
"The Hyuga Clan is related to alcohol."
"What about the Sarutobi Clan?" Yu Zhen had just asked this question when he immediately learned to infer from one instance, "I know about the Sarutobi Clan, it's tea, right?"
"Yes."
For some reason, Yu Zhen suddenly felt that the long-standing, time-honored great ninja clans didn't seem so great after all, and even the lofty Otsutsuki bloodline suddenly became more down-to-earth.
He wondered if any ninja clans had invested in the salt or soy sauce industry, and salted fish and kimchi might also be a blue ocean.
It seemed that Yu Zhen's previous understanding of the great ninja clans had some deviations. Whether they were engaged in production was another matter, but these great ninja clans were definitely engaged in logistics.
There was no way around it, they had to eat.
Again, why did the ninjas fight to the death? On the one hand, it was because of the hatred accumulated between them for decades or hundreds of years, and there must be some behind-the-scenes manipulators constantly instigating it.
On the other hand, and more importantly, they had to seize living space.
In short, Uchiha Nanami explained a part of the "industrial landscape" of the Ninja World, which greatly refreshed Yu Zhen's understanding of this world.
Yu Zhen, carrying the newly learned knowledge that challenged his values, led the team towards a low-lying hilly area.
As evening approached, he prepared to find a suitable place to set up camp nearby.
Then, in a "feng shui treasure land" among the undulating terrain and the cover of trees, Yu Zhen encountered another group of ninjas who had arrived here earlier.
The scene was immediately chaotic, and after the chaos, they were facing each other with swords drawn.
Yu Zhen only glanced at them briefly before immediately putting his newly learned industrial knowledge to good use, thinking that these ninjas had most likely just experienced the entrepreneurial failure of a "ninja venture capitalist," resulting in a bankruptcy that led to the destruction of their families.
They must have been defeated. Everyone's spirits were very dispirited tuifei, and they hadn't even arranged enough perimeter guards while resting, so they allowed Yu Zhen's group to blatantly "break through" to their vicinity without any precautions.
These ninjas were chaotic and disorderly, and some of them even began to give up when they encountered "enemy situations."
Yu Zhen clearly saw someone struggling for a few moments, and when they couldn't get up no matter what, they just resigned themselves and slumped there.
The world is a vast and wondrous place. When encountering enemies of moderate size, Yu Zhen and his group actually had the advantage in overall strength.
Although the strength of Yu Zhen's subordinates was not worth mentioning, at least their "spirit, energy, and vitality" were not a problem at all.
And each of them had quite round faces from eating well.
But what about the people on the other side? Although they numbered more than thirty, giving them a numerical advantage over Yu Zhen's side, each of them looked defeated and emaciated from hunger.
If a real fight broke out, without considering their own losses, wiping out this group of people would be a piece of cake.
For so many years, Hagumiya had been bullied in turn by various forces. They never expected that one day they would be able to stand in a position to bully others.
In comparison, the "fighting spirit" of the two sides was completely different.
How to describe the people on Yu Zhen's side? Their village had been destroyed for some time, and the mental impact and scars it brought had been diluted by time. Now they looked at problems more positively and rationally, and their will to protect themselves and their clansmen was extremely strong.
Expressed in terms of fighting will, many people's thoughts were very simple, that is...
Fight, I'll be the first to fight; run, I'll be the last to run.
In contrast, the other side had just experienced a major defeat, and they were all shrouded in the negative emotions of failure. Many people's thoughts at this time were...
Fight, I'll die immediately; die, I'll die the fastest.
It's not that the people on Yu Zhen's side had a better mentality, but that the only difference between them was the different stages they were in after the failure.
The people on Yu Zhen's side were in the "cheering up" stage, while the people on the other side were in the "throes of pain" stage.
The other side was at an absolute disadvantage, so their spokesperson quickly became impatient.
A young ninja of about twenty-four or five years old pushed through the crowd and came to the forefront of the team.
"Who are you?" he asked.
At this time, what these people were most worried about was that Yu Zhen and his group were ninjas who had taken on a pursuit mission.
"We call ourselves 'Ashes,' a group of wandering ninjas from different backgrounds. You can call me Yu Zhen... Who are you?" Yu Zhen said.
The people on the other side carefully observed them and found that none of Yu Zhen's group wore Forehead Protectors. Although their overall situation was much better than their own, they didn't seem like pursuers either.
Because Yu Zhen and his group were neither prepared for battle nor had they launched a sneak attack just now.
Everything indicated that this was a chance encounter.
Seeing this situation, the man decided to take a gamble. He gritted his teeth and revealed the true origin of his group:
"We are the Fūma Clan, formerly known as the Fūma Clan, and I am the Clan Head of my clan."
Fūma? That sounds familiar.
Yu Zhen thought for a while, then asked:
"Is that the Fūma Clan that is good at making Ninja Tools and proficient in manipulating Shuriken?"
"Yes, that's us."
"How did you guys get into such a miserable state?"
Well, those thoughtless words were a bit rude.
Yu Zhen wasn't trying to humiliate the other party; he was just purely curious.
You should know that the Fūma Clan continued into the era of ninja villages. Although later only a few insignificant members remained, since they could survive into later generations, they shouldn't be in such a miserable state now.
These words made the person on the other side's nose tingle, and tears welled up in his stomach.
The Fūma Clan Head thought to himself, We are just strangers who happened to meet on the road. Your concern is crossing the line... Why do you care if I'm doing badly?
But he didn't dare to say it out loud.
"My name is Fūma Gorō, Mr. Yu Zhen. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, could you ask your people to step back a little?"
Seeing such a miserable and humble group of ninjas, Yu Zhen suddenly had an idea.
He felt he could do a small experiment.
"In the current situation, any misunderstanding caused by my people wouldn't be a misunderstanding. Any inappropriate behavior from your people would be the real misunderstanding." So he directly began to exert pressure.
Fūma Gorō was choked by his words and instantly became a little annoyed. However, the situation was stronger than him, so he could only lower his head and admit defeat.
"Alright, Mr. Yu Zhen, then can my people step back? I guarantee there won't be any inappropriate behavior."
Yu Zhen revealed a friendly smile and said:
"Okay, but... no."
Fūma Gorō was just about to show a smile as well, but these words made the corners of his mouth, which were trying to turn upwards, quickly droop down again.
This didn't sound like something a human would say.
Was it good or not, could they or couldn't they?
For the Fūma Clan, Yu Zhen was neither a bad person nor a good person; he was merely an outsider with ambitions and goals.
Because if he wanted to gain a foothold in the Ninja World, Yu Zhen felt that relying solely on their less than twenty ninjas made their strength seem somewhat weak.
After all, in many situations, compared to individual strength, the "quantity of the group," which floats on the surface and can be understood at a glance, is more convincing.
In a sense, this is no different from street brawls; ten people on one side and a hundred on the other, naturally the latter is stronger.
Yu Zhen knew that if he wanted his side to look more like a ninja force rather than stray dogs, a number of fewer than twenty was not enough.
But if there were fifty people, then in the eyes of those who didn't understand, they would at least have a "gilded appearance."
Therefore, now was the time for Yu Zhen to spread the idea that unity leads to survival, friendliness includes tolerance, equality means treating everyone the same, "joining" means being an original shareholder, and other such "entrepreneurial" concepts.
It was based on this purpose that Yu Zhen confused the other side when he first made contact.
It wasn't that he had to give them a hard time, nor was it to show off his strength in a hollow way; Yu Zhen just wanted to gain control of the conversation.
His words indeed silenced the other party, and even a tense atmosphere began to spread.
When the other party tensed up, feeling that conflict was inevitable, Yu Zhen spoke again:
"Just kidding, you look very tired, so stay here and don't move. We can set up camp a little further away."
He waved his hand to make his ninjas retreat a distance to show an attitude of peaceful coexistence.
Seeing this, Fūma Gorō visibly breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the other party was not the kind of unreasonable person who tried to kick someone when they were down at every turn.
However, Yu Zhen's so-called retreat was indeed a retreat, but only to a small extent.
He led the group to set up camp on the north side of the Fūma Clan, no more than a hundred meters away from them.
For ninjas, this distance could not be considered a safe distance in any way.
This was the upwind direction, and then Yu Zhen and his group began to prepare dinner.
While they were just eating, the Fūma Clan on the other side visibly stirred.
While Yu Zhen was pretending to arrange the night watch, the Clan Head of the Fūma Clan came over with an awkward and embarrassed expression.
He came alone, wishing he could raise his hands to show that he had no hostility.
So Yu Zhen signaled his subordinates to make way and let the other party come before him.
"Mr. Yu Zhen, could you... share some food with us?"
Fūma Gorō was a young man who hadn't developed thick skin, so he said this in a particularly low voice, as if the sound was stuck in his throat.
His eyes didn't dare to look directly at Yu Zhen, and he wished he could lower his head to the ground.
Needless to say, he also knew that this request was excessive, but he couldn't stand the fact that his clansmen were starving to death.
It could only be said that this kind of request was rare, because if anyone lacked supplies and wanted to obtain them, the basic practice in the Ninja World was not to ask for them, but to snatch them.
Unfortunately, the current Fūma Clan didn't have the strength.
In the Ninja World, things that cannot be snatched in theory cannot be begged for either.
Yu Zhen showed a surprised expression, and he said with some pity:
"This... Fūma Clan Head, I sympathize with your plight, but as you can see, our situation isn't much better. Whether the little supplies we have left can support us through the rest of our journey is unknown."
Fūma Gorō raised his head, he hesitated, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He could only nod silently, and then prepared to leave with heavy steps.
However, before he could take two steps, Yu Zhen, as if unable to bear it, suddenly called out to him:
"Fūma Clan Head, how about this, I'll share some grain and broth with you, hoping it can help you a little. Our situation here... our capabilities are really limited."
Fūma Gorō abruptly stopped, turning around with a look of surprise:
"Really?... No, I mean thank you very much, thank you very much, Mr. Yu Zhen."
First rejection, then agreement, even insignificant help would seem precious.
A little worthless supplies were nothing, but Yu Zhen was using a tactic... exchanging sincerity for sincerity.
He immediately arranged for someone to follow Fūma Gorō to send some supplies to their camp, and immediately, cheers erupted over there.
After arranging the distribution of the little food, Fūma Gorō followed them back to Yu Zhen's side, once again expressing his gratitude.
Yu Zhen took the opportunity to invite him to dinner, and of course, Fūma Gorō had no reason to refuse.
Sad for those who hear it, tears for those who listen, every extra bite he ate here meant one more bite could be spared for others at the Fūma camp.
Yu Zhen didn't ask how these people had ended up in such a miserable state, instead, he became concerned about their future:
"Fūma Clan Head, what are you planning to do next?"
Holding a bowl of hot soup, Fūma Gorō shook his head with a slightly dazed expression.
He had no idea where the road ahead lay.
"To be honest, I don't know where the clan's way out is."
His situation was somewhat similar to Yu Zhen's, both were newly appointed Clan Heads thrust into the position, asking him if he had any long-term vision and overall planning ability was probably close to none.
"The life and death of the clan rests on your shoulders, Fūma Clan Head, you must think clearly about every step you take next, the consequences of a wrong move are unimaginable."
Yu Zhen saw that this person didn't seem to be able to handle pressure very well, so he quickly put pressure on him.
Sure enough, the expression on Fūma Gorō's face became even more bitter.
He had no idea how to guide the clan's future, so he chose to escape:
"Mr. Yu Zhen, what's the situation on your side?"
"Us? We're just wandering ninja right now. The people here come from different backgrounds, but their experiences have similarities, and in the end, they had no choice but to band together for warmth."
These words were vague, but Fūma Gorō could understand, it was nothing more than a league of the disappointed.
Then he mocked himself secretly, now their Fūma Clan was even more disappointed than the disappointed.
"Wandering ninja now?"
Fūma Gorō asked, he felt that there was some other meaning in Yu Zhen's words.
Yu Zhen nodded, explaining to him:
"We took a break for a while, and next, we plan to head west to find suitable employers."
"Is there a chance?"
"It always depends on your own efforts."
Fūma Gorō fell silent again. The Yu Zhen in front of him clearly looked younger than him, but he spoke and acted with great discipline, full of ideas about the road ahead, and his leadership and control seemed outstanding.
Suddenly, an idea sprouted in his heart.
"The situation of people like us isn't good either. In fact, we just have a little more optimism than you.
The ninjas here, some come from obscure small ninja clans, and some come from unspeakable ancient and famous families. We have different identities, so why can we unite and help each other? It's just that each of us holds a sincere heart.
The reason why I am willing to provide you with a little help is precisely because of this...
We are all people who have been rained on, so if possible, we are willing to hold up an umbrella for others."
Yu Zhen's coaxing was still a bit inflammatory, and his words were supported by facts... Didn't he see ninjas from all walks of life gather around him from the bottom of their hearts?
More importantly, Fūma Gorō's mentality is now at a loss, and the whole person is empty, lonely, and cold. In this case, his tolerance for spiritual chicken soup has dropped to the lowest point.
So he almost blurted out:
"Mr. Yu Zhen, is your 'Ashes' really willing to accept ninjas from different backgrounds, regardless of their origins?"
If Yu Zhen's current identity wasn't the leader of "Ashes," but rather the Clan Head of "Hagumiya," then the words coming from his mouth would obviously be harder to believe.
But with a different identity, the words he spoke sounded and felt very different, achieving a much better effect.
It's not that Fūma Gorō is easily trusting, it's just that they are now at their wit's end.
The Fūma Clan now has only thirty-odd people left, only half of whom are ninjas, and the other half are civilians.
Civilians have no support, ninjas have no will to fight, and amidst the utter desolation, what can Fūma Gorō, as the Clan Head, do?
After hearing his question, Yu Zhen looked slightly surprised and said:
"The purpose of our organization is to accumulate water to form rivers and seas, gathering drifting ninjas to overcome the Ninja World's crises together. If you want to join, of course, I would welcome you.
It's just... such a big decision, are you really deciding so hastily? Won't you discuss it with your clansmen?
And if you join us, although we won't interfere with your clan affairs, your future actions must jointly adhere to the principle of collective consistency, which means listening to my command. Can you accept this?"
Yu Zhen was very honest; his words were not a rejection, but rather a "laying the cards on the table" kind of statement.
Fūma Gorō's words were indeed a bit impulsive, but the problem is that the Fūma Clan is now in dire straits. To survive in the Ninja World, joining forces with other powers for mutual support has almost become the only option.
This "Ashes" organization is clearly a very good partner.
Because it is small in scale and has a good philosophy, the merger of the two sides can be considered a true confluence, rather than an annexation... Fūma Gorō felt that he could rely on Yu Zhen and the others to overcome the crisis, while still ensuring the relative independence of the clan, which was already very good.
The more Fūma Gorō thought about it, the more he felt that his decision was correct.
"Mr. Yu Zhen, I think I can persuade my clansmen. As long as you are willing to accept us, then we are also willing to actively become a member of Ashes," he said.
Yu Zhen seemed to consider it carefully again before responding:
"How about this, you can become our temporary members, and we can spend some time together, which will not only help you overcome your difficulties but also give you a chance to understand us.
After you recover, if you agree with our philosophy, then you can choose to become a member of us. If you don't agree with our philosophy, then you can also choose to leave..."
These words made Fūma Gorō feel a little ashamed. In his opinion, Yu Zhen's words were full of Sincerity. In contrast, his little thoughts of trying to use the Ashes organization seemed very despicable.
To put it bluntly, the Fūma Clan wanted to join Ashes only to bow to reality, not to rush towards the ideal path... What philosophy or anything, they just wanted something to eat.
"Mr. Yu Zhen, perhaps your statement is more reasonable, but since we have accepted your selfless help and chosen to join you, then no matter what, there is no reason to betray you a second time. Please believe us on this... Now I will go and persuade my clansmen."
Fūma Gorō's words seemed very resolute as he walked towards the Fūma Clan's camp, preparing to persuade his clansmen.
But it's best to just listen to these words. Could Yu Zhen naively believe the promises made by ninjas he had only known for a few hours?
Only one thing is certain: perhaps the Fūma Clan's decision to join the Ashes organization was a bit rash and impulsive, but if they really wanted to leave at that time, things would probably not be simple.
After Fūma Gorō returned to the Fūma Clan's camp, he discussed it with his clansmen for a while and persuaded them with very little effort.
In a sense, it is extremely fortunate to encounter someone willing to provide help when one is in dire straits; they have no reason to refuse such help.
And the reason why Fūma Gorō was able to quickly persuade his clansmen, in addition to bowing to reality, the "withdrawal agreement" given by Yu Zhen must have played a very crucial role.
Fūma Gorō brought the good news to Yu Zhen.
And what happened next quickly made him understand that joining the "Ashes" organization was by no means a rash matter.
"Mr. Yu Zhen, we have unanimously decided to join Ashes. We hope that you can accept us and treat us equally," Fūma Gorō said to Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen returned a smile and said:
"Welcome to your joining. Please rest assured that Sincerity and equality are the foundation of our organization."
"To demonstrate mutual trust and express our welcome to you, I believe the two sides should hold an alliance ceremony."
Doing things should have a sense of ritual. Fūma Gorō didn't think there was any problem, but...
"Of course, that's great, but with the current conditions, how do we hold the ceremony?"
"It's not a complicated ceremony. We always value substance over form."
"Alright, everything will be based on Mr. Yu Zhen's opinion."
Under Yu Zhen's arrangement, the two sides quickly gathered together.
They formed a circle, with Yu Zhen's people on one side and the Fūma Clan on the other.
In the open space in the middle of the crowd, a bright bonfire was lit. Yu Zhen and Fūma Gorō stood next to the bonfire, and then Yu Zhen explained the upcoming ceremony.
"Today, based on the request of Clan Head Fūma Gorō, our 'Ashes' organization has decided to accept the Fūma Clan as members."
"The organization's rules of conduct and attitude towards each member, I believe everyone will be able to experience in the future, so I won't go into details today."
"Please believe that even if we come from different backgrounds, since we are united together, we can still be as blood-related as blood relatives, dependent on each other like flesh and blood."
"I know that many times language lacks power and falls short of restraint. It doesn't matter, we can build trust step by step."
"Of course, before that, we must eliminate hostility between each other, otherwise everything is out of the question. Therefore, I have prepared this ceremony..."
With that, Yu Zhen extended his right hand to Fūma Gorō.
At this moment, most people thought he was just saying nice words. What effect could such a ceremony have? Just shaking hands.
Fūma Gorō smiled and extended his hand, shaking hands tightly with Yu Zhen.
And then...
Amidst the flickering of the bonfire, a cold light suddenly flashed.
Yu Zhen held a sharp short knife in his left hand, and without hesitation, he stabbed the right hands that were holding each other together with the knife.
A sharp pain came, and Fūma Gorō only felt inexplicable. He subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand, but his palm was firmly clamped by Yu Zhen, unable to move at all.
Drops of blood dripped from the gap between the two palms.
A burst of commotion came from the Fūma Clan's side. They thought that Yu Zhen had suddenly launched an attack.
Yu Zhen's calm voice simply suppressed the disorderly commotion:
"We seal each other's ninjutsu, to write an oath of never being enemies."
The palms of both sides were strung together by sharp blades. They had no choice but to hold each other, which was a physical demonstration of a must-cooperate attitude.
The blood of both sides did merge together.
For ninjas, palms and fingers are as precious as those of a pianist, because they rely on their hands to make a living, and they can't wait to buy huge insurance for their hands.
Yu Zhen's behavior of pulling Fūma Gorō to "cripple their hands" theoretically did seal each other's ninjutsu... With such injuries, they would not be able to perform hand seals for quite a long time.
Any flippant words are less convincing than bloodshed.
Fūma Gorō ceased his subconscious struggling, looking into Yu Zhen's calm eyes, he suddenly felt that once you joined this "Ashes" organization, there was no escape.