Chapter 2: Ambush
"What's the enemy count?" Yugami Genshin asked.
His earlier decoy tactic hadn't been completely useless—he had managed to divert a portion of the enemy forces. Now, he could only hope that the number still pursuing them wasn't too overwhelming.
"There are about fifteen still chasing us—roughly the same number as us," replied one of the clan's ninja.
Being pursued by an equal-sized enemy force wasn't too surprising. On one hand, the enemy possessed greater average strength and were still in peak physical condition, not to mention they could call for reinforcements faster. On the other hand…
Genshin glanced over his companions and frowned. Fatigue and weakness were clearly written across everyone's faces. The truth was, none of them were in any shape to keep fighting. In fact, they were barely capable of running anymore.
To call them lambs to the slaughter wouldn't be an exaggeration.
At least I did manage to shake off part of the enemy. The bright side is, we won't be caught in a pincer attack... In a few hours, the enemies we'll face will probably be just these fifteen.
Genshin considered their dwindling options and sighed. "To maximize our chances of survival, we'll have to continue with diversion tactics. A few of us will act as decoys again and lead the enemy away."
Despite his young age, the clan trusted Genshin completely. He had led them this far with sound judgment, and as their chief, he had already risked his life once to act as a decoy for the clan. He had, in a sense, already died for them. His integrity was beyond doubt.
He was capable, selfless, and led by example. Even if he were guiding them down a doomed path, none would complain. They had done all they could—what else could a weak clan like theirs do?
"Chief, I'm still in decent shape. Let me be one of the decoys this time," said the same ninja who had spoken earlier.
"Count me in too, Chief." Another ninja stepped forward almost at the same time.
They were two young men in their twenties—Yugami Gensukawa and Yugami Ryuunosuke.
"Alright, the three of us will carry out the decoy mission." Genshin didn't hesitate. He knew these two were among the stronger fighters in the group.
"Chief…"
"No need to argue. It's settled."
It might be called a "decoy mission," but the truth was—this was a suicide run. Genshin had already done it once. There was no real reason for him to risk his life again. And yet, he cut off their objections. This wasn't the time for sentiment.
"Listen up, everyone: we have two hours. Use them to recover as much chakra as you can. Once time's up, we'll begin. Don't worry too much—I'm fairly confident in the plan."
No one really believed that last sentence. They took it as empty words of comfort, nothing more.
Still, everyone scattered to find a place to sit and began extracting chakra with all the strength they had left.
Genshin climbed up into the branches of a tall tree, standing on a thick horizontal limb. From there, he kept watch over the area.
He knew full well he couldn't take on fifteen opponents alone. But five? That might be doable. He wasn't going to overestimate himself—until recently, he'd been just an ordinary ninja. Aside from the basic Clone, Body Flicker, and Transformation techniques, he only knew two or three low-level Fire Style jutsu. Facing multiple enemies like that was nothing short of a fantasy.
But things were different now.
As Genshin considered his battle strategy, he turned his right arm into "White Zetsu form." He then lightly waved his arm—and something miraculous happened. His arm phased straight through the tree beside him, as if by magic.
This wasn't some space-time ninjutsu. It was a technique of White Zetsu—"Mayfly."
Most of the White Zetsu clones currently active in the ninja world weren't combat units. They were specialized for recon and intelligence gathering, and were quite weak in direct combat. But that didn't mean they were harmless.
In fact, White Zetsu's assassination capabilities were second to none—perfect stealth, flawless disguises, and completely silent movement. It was a dream skillset for any ninja.
Genshin believed wholeheartedly that the name "White Zetsu Assassin" was no exaggeration.
Two hours passed quickly. Genshin returned to his companions and spoke.
"Everyone, come shake hands with me. Gensukawa, Ryuunosuke—you two go last. Then I'll explain."
No one understood what he was doing, but they followed his instructions anyway.
As Genshin shook hands with each ninja, he spoke calmly:
"Compared to our first encounter, the enemy seems to be taking us less seriously. They're treating us like helpless prey, toying with us instead of being cautious. I believe that if we split up again, they'll likely scatter and try to pick us off one by one—aiming for a complete wipeout.
They know we don't have recon ninjas, and they'll rely on their own to keep track of us. But that's exactly what we can exploit…"
He paused, but by then, everyone's attention had shifted. Each person who had shaken his hand now wore a strange expression.
Soon it was the turn of Gensukawa and Ryuunosuke.
Genshin took both their hands—one in each of his—and as their palms touched, the two men felt a surge of chakra flowing into them.
"What… is this?"
This was White Zetsu's "Spore Technique." It allowed him to absorb others' chakra and either use it himself or pass it on to someone else. Genshin had collected chakra from his companions and was now redistributing it evenly between the two decoys.
There was no time for lengthy explanations.
"Here's the plan: Gensukawa, Ryunosuke, and I will each head in a different direction without hiding our presence, to draw away the enemy. Given their arrogance and our apparent weakness, they're highly likely to split up and pursue us separately.
This gives us a chance to take them out one by one."
"Gensukawa—you head to the three o'clock direction. Ryuunosuke, six o'clock. I'll go to nine.
Release as much chakra as you can to draw their attention. Taunt them, provoke them—but don't engage. Just keep running. Understand?"
"Yes, Chief." They nodded without hesitation.
"I'll come to support you both once I've dealt with my group. Don't act recklessly before then."
The chakra Genshin had gathered from more than ten people was now condensed into just two. It would be enough to sustain them for a while. If Genshin moved quickly, and their luck held, there was a real chance they could survive this.
"As for the rest of you—go deeper into the woods and hide. Don't show yourselves until the fighting is over."
Some of them looked like they wanted to speak, but no one said anything in the end.
What could they say at this point? Ask, "Chief, how are you going to take down five full-powered enemies alone?"?
No one could say it.
This was a desperate gamble. All they could do was try their best and leave the rest to fate… That was what most of them were thinking.
Only Genshin knew—this wasn't a death mission. It couldn't be.
They weren't simply throwing their lives away. Genshin had extracted almost all of their chakra—if they were discovered now, they'd be helpless and massacred. There would be no resistance, no escape. He had no choice but to win.
"Any questions?" Genshin asked one last time.
Everyone shook their heads. Whatever was to come, they were mentally prepared.
"Good. Then…"
"…Let's begin."