💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
Ambush is an efficient method of inflicting casualties, but repeatedly employing deception and sneak attacks begins to seem rather dishonorable.
Fortunately, no shinobi bothers with honor—battlefield victory isn't determined by moral character.
Shin Hagūgen's current strength already surpassed this lone remaining enemy, and with Kansen Hagūgen's cooperation...
Just as he'd declared, in a two-against-one situation, the enemy's fate was inevitable.
The enemy's corpse now lay before Shin Hagūgen, face still twisted with unwillingness. Kansen Hagūgen crouched beside the body, collecting ninja tools to replenish his earlier expenditures.
"Two-thirds... We've eliminated over half the enemies. Next, we should support Ryūnosuke's position. Wonder if they'll give us a chance for total annihilation."
The answer was likely "no."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Kansen stood with a tense expression, his heart harboring both the clarity of surviving desperate straits and the nerves of confronting incomprehensible circumstances—even bewilderment and uncertainty.
He couldn't understand why Shin Hagūgen's strength had suddenly intensified, nor how Shin Hagūgen had managed to eliminate all visible enemies.
Could it really be that transformation technique ambush method? Was the Transformation Technique truly such a convenient, highly applicable, overwhelmingly practical ninjutsu? This defied common sense.
Regardless of his feelings, he followed behind Shin Hagūgen as they rushed to support the third battlefield.
Unfortunately, enemies aren't programmed tools executing strict instructions—battlefields are dynamic. With reconnaissance capabilities, they couldn't ignore the battlefield's shifting fortunes.
The final enemy squad possessed sensory ninja providing long-range intelligence support. They'd already detected their other two teams' complete annihilation.
Therefore, when Shin Hagūgen and company reached Ryūnosuke Hagūgen's vicinity, the last five enemies had already retreated.
Though unable to know specific details, the undeniable fact remained: their comrades' chakra signals had rapidly vanished—all ten signals disappeared.
This indicated they'd encountered unimaginable catastrophe on the battlefield. Even their strongest captain was eliminated first, meaning their remaining forces lacked any resistance capability.
Can't win, so run—making such decisions requires not intelligence but instinct. Abandoning the mission, choosing retreat: this was inevitable, the only correct choice.
Shin Hagūgen reached Ryūnosuke Hagūgen, discovering severe injuries—several serious penetrating wounds on his left leg, rapid blood loss requiring emergency treatment.
Without their timely arrival, Ryūnosuke would likely have died here.
Ryūnosuke's expression showed disbelief. He'd prepared for death, yet unexpectedly, the enemy had voluntarily withdrawn.
Shin Hagūgen and Kansen's arrival meant the Clan Leader had truly completed the planned enemy annihilation according to their strategy. But... how was this possible?
"Clan Leader, should we pursue? The enemy is nearly beyond my visual range," Kansen called from atop a large tree.
Total enemy annihilation would naturally be optimal, preventing intelligence leaks and further protecting their positional information.
Once these enemies escaped, Shin Hagūgen's group might soon face renewed retaliation.
Despite eliminating ten enemies, the opponent's overall strength remained intact—still far superior to their own.
Shin Hagūgen considered carefully, ultimately shaking his head.
"Forget it. We lack pursuit capabilities."
Everyone bore injuries—one requiring emergency treatment. More importantly, the enemy had already retreated first. "Visual tracking" couldn't catch a sensory ninja's clear evasive guidance.
"They might bring more enemies." Though understanding Shin Hagūgen's rational decision, Kansen couldn't help reminding him.
"I understand. We may face fiercer retaliation ahead. However... this was actually their best opportunity. Even so, they failed to achieve total annihilation of us—next time will be even more impossible."
"We must relocate again... As long as we seize this momentary breathing space, they won't be worth fearing."
Both companions sensed certain confidence in Shin Hagūgen's words, choosing to believe.
Actually, both knew their side fundamentally lacked pursuit capability. Seeing the opportunity for total enemy annihilation yet having to abandon it inevitably felt too unwilling and regrettable.
Shin Hagūgen truly no longer worried about these enemies, because he now believed his development capability had surpassed theirs. Under such circumstances, time actually favored him.
Tragically speaking, the Hagūgen Clan's previous massive casualties—nearly approaching extinction—resulted from their choice to defend their village to the death.
Now, having become homeless wandering shinobi forced to constantly move throughout the ninja world, their actions had become more flexible, making them much harder to track.
Repelling the enemy's attack meant the opponent had lost their trail. Finding this small ninja clan again wouldn't be easy.
"Don't be too pessimistic," Shin Hagūgen said while treating his comrade's wounds. "Even if we encounter the Tsugawa Clan again and must fight them, the battle's outcome remains unknown."
Kansen approached Shin Hagūgen's side. Hearing this, he said: "True, no need to worry excessively. Perhaps before we encounter them again, the Tsugawa Clan will be eliminated by other ninja clans."
Shin Hagūgen glanced sideways at him, suppressing rebuttal—thinking: Are we talking about the same thing? I meant relying on ourselves—how did you interpret it as relying on luck?
However, he had to admit Kansen's words might well become reality. In this current era, clan extinction was hardly inconvenient. A medium-scale ninja clan might be thriving today, completely vanished tomorrow.
After stopping Ryūnosuke's bleeding, Shin Hagūgen bandaged his own shoulder wound. The three briefly rested, then went to find other clansmen.
Honestly, the remaining Hagūgen shinobi currently possessed no self-protection capability. Forget enemy ninja—even accidentally encountering forest beasts would inflict unimaginable losses.
Fortunately, they hadn't reached such misfortune. Shin Hagūgen's group quickly found other clansmen hidden deep in the dense forest, perfectly safe.
After briefly explaining recent events, the group departed again, transferring toward directions far from this location—the specific direction didn't matter; they needed to leave here as quickly as possible.
🔥 Want to read the next 30 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 Join on -
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong