Chapter 3: Essence
After hiding their wounded, powerless clan members deeper in the forest, the three acting as decoys made no attempt to conceal themselves as they sprinted toward their designated direction.
The enemy's pursuit was drawing close. Yugami Genshin planned to divide and conquer, while the other two were prepared to sacrifice themselves to buy even a sliver of safety for those who remained.
As for whether the enemy would split up to chase them, Genshin was nearly certain they would. Beyond the practical circumstances, it was simply how war worked these days.
At this point in history, the wars between ninja were essentially wars between clans. Each shinobi clan was its own military force, and most ninja trusted only their own blood. Outsiders, at best, were met with wary hostility—more often, outright enmity.
This environment made survival incredibly difficult for smaller clans. As a result, the priority in any conflict was to wipe out the enemy completely—leave no threats behind.
The Hayami clan was nothing more than a dying ember. Even a gentle breath, let alone a proper wind, could snuff them out. In such a scenario, there was no reason not to split forces—the risk was negligible.
They were a small, unremarkable clan. No kekkei genkai. No secret techniques. They had survived by staying hidden in the cracks between larger forces. If there was one thing they were known for, it was their relative skill in Fire Release.
But Fire Release was a technique with a vast gulf between its floor and ceiling. Yugami Genshin's clan might be decent with it, but so were the Sarutobi and Uchiha clans. Could they really be compared?
Their enemy was the Tsugawa clan—a mid-sized shinobi clan capable of fielding over a hundred fighters. In sheer power, they dwarfed the Hayami. It was the Tsugawa who had destroyed the Hayami village.
If you asked whether there was any deep-seated grudge between the two, there really wasn't. The Tsugawa simply saw an opportunity to expand their territory. It was the natural order—big fish eat small fish. The Tsugawa weren't foolish enough to challenge the great clans, so they turned their cruelty on the weaker ones.
Once Genshin and the others had drawn enough distance from the hiding place, he began moving swiftly through the treetops, making no effort to conceal himself—almost as if daring the enemy to spot him.
And just as planned, the enemy scouts caught sight of them.
From the northwest side of the forest, Tsugawa shinobi arrived on schedule.
"Captain, I've located three targets moving in separate directions. One appears to be the young clan head who escaped earlier. No sign of additional survivors… Given how openly they're moving, it's likely they're trying to draw us away to buy time."
The lead scout relayed his findings to the captain trailing behind him.
The captain, a large, powerfully built man in his thirties, kept moving as he replied, "A decoy tactic. Same little tricks as before."
The scout nodded. "Yes, sir. They've used something like this once already."
"If I had to guess, the rest of them are holed up somewhere in this forest. They're in no condition to relocate. These three are likely their last line of defense. Maybe even the only ones still able to fight. Take them out, and the rest of the forest becomes their grave."
His judgment was sound. A desperate decoy ploy was all they had left. Whether they died here or a few steps later made little difference.
"I remember that young clan head—just clever enough to be dangerous, but not nearly skilled enough to back it up. Pathetic little man. Listen up. Split into three squads, five in each. I'll take the boy myself. Recon goes with the far squad."
"Yes, sir!"
The Tsugawa shinobi didn't hesitate. They divided into three units, each moving to hunt down one of the remaining Hayami fighters.
Just as Genshin expected, the enemy split their forces—and, by some stroke of luck, the strongest among them, the captain, was headed straight for him.
It made sense. As the clan head, Genshin symbolized the entire Yagami clan. His death would mark their annihilation. There was no way they'd allow him to escape.
Among the fifteen enemy ninja: one was a full-fledged jōnin—the captain himself; two were tokubetsu jōnin leading the other squads. The rest were made up of eight chūnin and four genin-level fighters. Their combined strength was more than enough to wipe out what was left of the Yagami clan.
"Captain, he's just ahead!"
With the distance between them closing fast, one of the enemy shouted.
The enemy were sprinting with full force, while Genshin would occasionally slow down—there was no way he wouldn't be caught.
"Surround him," the captain ordered.
The five-man squad flanked Genshin from multiple directions. Within moments, he was inside their attack range.
A sharp whistle cut through the air. A kunai flew toward Genshin's torso. Still mid-air, he twisted his body, dodging the blade with a narrow turn of his neck.
The attack missed—but so did Genshin's landing. Twisting in midair meant he lost his footing, and he tumbled into the bushes below.
And then—he vanished.
"What the—? He's gone?"
"A clone? No, wait… that's not it."
The enemy hesitated, surprised. But the captain didn't waver. He calmly said, "Everyone, back to high ground. No unnecessary movement. Stay sharp and stay put. Don't doubt yourselves—he's hiding in that patch below. He won't get far."
He was right. Under normal circumstances, Genshin wouldn't be able to escape at all. But—
Mayfly Technique. One of White Zetsu's signature abilities.
It allowed him to merge with the earth and vegetation, eliminating his presence entirely. Through the living network of roots and water underground, he could travel swiftly to any location—an unparalleled assassination jutsu.
And yet, White Zetsu often used it just for reconnaissance. Even more absurd—it didn't require hand signs. It was an instant technique.
Right now, whether instinctively or with intent, Genshin could already utilize this ability in combat.
The enemy captain stood on a broad branch, scanning the undergrowth. A seasoned shinobi who'd survived dozens of battles, he wasn't easily fooled. No matter how well his opponent hid, a single mistake would give him away.
In terms of combat power, experience, and battlefield instinct, the captain was leagues ahead of Genshin.
To him, Genshin was just a child playing ninja games.
But what he didn't know was this: conventional experience only applies to conventional battles. Even the sharpest tactical insight has its limits, and when sheer combat strength can't be properly applied, what good is it? War doesn't allow for trial and error.
Yugami Genshin's figure appeared silently behind the enemy captain—soundless, almost unreal. His presence, though plainly visible, carried no weight, like a ghost cast in flesh. Not even the enemy's honed senses detected the slightest shift in the air.
In that moment, time itself seemed to freeze. Genshin's heart nearly stopped, and in that sliver of a pause before it pulsed again, he carved out a space that separated life from death.
His right hand held a kunai. Without hesitation, he drove it into the enemy's lower back, burying the blade to the hilt. At the same time, his left hand thrust a short sword into the back of the enemy's neck. The thin, razor-edged blade slipped between the vertebrae with no resistance—like paper giving way to steel—slanting down to pierce through the throat.
Even though the Mayfly Technique granted him unparalleled assassination power, Genshin knew that, due to his lack of mastery, he could only ensure success the first time he used it in this fight. So he'd chosen the strongest enemy.
And he'd succeeded. The kill was perfect. The enemy captain made no sound, no move to resist.
But a ninja nearby—tense and focused, eyes scanning the ground—whirled around the moment Genshin completed the kill.
"Enemy attack!" he shouted.
As the cry rang out, a flurry of shuriken and kunai rained down indiscriminately, tearing through the air in a deadly storm.
Genshin immediately shifted, using the captain's corpse as cover. His technique had been flawless—so why had he been discovered so quickly?
It hit him a moment later. The breathing. The captain's disrupted breathing after the fatal strike—erratic, shallow, unnatural—was enough to be noticed in the otherwise silent battlefield.
Veteran shinobi. Of course they'd pick up on that.
The chance to assassinate a second target had slipped away—but Genshin didn't mind. He'd already achieved his main goal. Eliminate the strongest opponent, and half the battle is won.
Shuriken and kunai continued to strike flesh with dull, wet thuds. The remaining enemies, cold and calculating, launched a merciless barrage once they confirmed their captain was done for.
But Genshin had overestimated them. Their attacks weren't a result of calm judgment—they were reflexive, mechanical. A trauma response.
Their battlefield commander had just been assassinated—completely silently. They had no idea how Genshin got behind him, nor why their captain hadn't even flinched before dying.
Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!
One enemy quickly formed seals and launched a massive sphere of water toward Genshin.
In response, Genshin released the kunai lodged in the captain's kidney. Chakra surged through his feet as he darted left, twisting in midair. On his way out, he hooked the hilt of the sword still embedded in the captain's neck with his arm.
The force of his motion spun the blade, severing the spine completely.
Always finish the job. It's a good habit. Only then can you be certain the target is truly dead.
Genshin flipped through the air and landed lightly on the ground.
The captain's head wobbled, then slowly separated from his neck—tumbling to the forest floor like a heavy, reluctant ball.
Thud. It landed among the dead leaves and twigs with a dull, muted sound.
For a heartbeat, all attacks ceased.
Genshin smirked. He pressed his tongue against his cracked lower lip, his grin warped, feral. In that moment, he looked every bit the madman.
In his previous life, he'd grown up in peace. After graduating elementary school, he never once got into a fight. He'd always treated people with kindness, honesty, and patience. Violence had never been part of who he was.
But just because a side of you never surfaced… doesn't mean it isn't there. A person is always a reflection of their environment. Change the setting—and a different face emerges.
Ninjutsu comes in dazzling forms. Genjutsu is subtle, insidious, and deadly. Taijutsu can be brutally direct or deceptively fluid—the purest path to kill.
But strip away the technique, the flair, the illusion— At the heart of all warfare, beneath every shinobi art, lies the same cold truth:
Iron and blood.
Whether in the Shinobi World or anywhere else— War is always, only, iron and blood.