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Using the Fūma Clan's name carried certain risks, but Yūshin felt these risks were completely manageable.
After their alliance, Yūshin had asked Gorō Fūma about the reasons for their clan's dire straits, but received vague answers—Gorō himself couldn't clearly explain what had happened.
A clan seemed to have fallen without knowing why.
Simply put, over several months the Fūma Clan had clashed with another ninja clan and lost, suffering considerable damage.
Subsequently, while weakened, they were attacked by a second ninja clan.
Then this process repeated again and again, and under layer upon layer of pressure, the Fūma Clan nearly reached the point of destruction.
Honestly, Gorō Fūma couldn't even clearly identify who their enemies were—their process of becoming outcasts was so natural and inevitable.
After hearing this account, Yūshin felt the Fūma Clan was even more unfortunate than the Hagūgen Clan. Compared to the latter's obscurity, the Fūma Clan—a somewhat famous but not particularly powerful ninja clan—seemed destined to become stepping stones for other clans once they showed weakness.
Praising the high and trampling the low—human nature at work.
Having some fame while showing weakness would definitely invite others to take advantage.
Overall, the Fūma Clan wasn't destroyed by any powerful enemy, but rather crushed by the harsh environment of the current shinobi world. This both made Yūshin feel that using the Fūma Clan's name posed no major problems and gave him certain insights.
Moreover, Yūshin was too young and easily dismissed. Age-wise, Gorō Fūma was also more suitable for negotiations.
Yūshin only needed to play the role of ghostwriter.
Currently, ninjas' average lifespan was under thirty years, so Gorō Fūma's age basically made him mature and steady.
Thus, led by Gorō Fūma with Yūshin and others following behind, they quickly approached the small palanquin.
"Lord State Councilor, I am Gorō Fūma, clan head of the Fūma Clan. Hearing that you're recruiting ninjas, we've come to apply," Gorō Fūma said. His words were dry and stilted—he lacked similar "job-hunting experience."
Previously, though the Fūma Clan survived by taking missions, they often handled ninja tool orders from other ninjas rather than civilian tasks.
The person in the palanquin gestured, and the black-robed figure approached the window.
The person inside quietly asked: "The Fūma Clan?"
"A ninja clan with name and reputation in the shinobi world. In certain aspects, this clan could even be called renowned. Recently I heard that due to conflicts with other ninja clans, the Fūma Clan was scattered, but apparently they've preserved some strength," the black-robed person seemed dutifully to explain his intelligence.
But actually his words were evasive, lacking specific content.
So in what aspect was the Fūma Clan renowned? The answer was "blacksmithing." The Fūma Clan excelled at manufacturing various ninja tools—their products were famous brands in the shinobi world, quality-guaranteed by major ninja clans.
The person in the palanquin had no interest in understanding the Fūma Clan's specifics—these ninjas having some reputation satisfied him.
The palanquin door finally opened, and this "gaudily dressed" Kikyō Castle noble finally stepped down, his exquisite wooden clogs touching the worthless muddy ground.
Yūshin clearly saw the other's face—this was the person he'd seen when delivering the letter last night.
"I've heard of you."
Date Kamitani mentally added that he'd only just heard of them. After scanning the group, he continued: "The daimyo does want to hire ninjas, but... can you prove your strength?"
This was the practical demonstration phase. Gorō Fūma signaled Yūshin with his eyes. Yūshin, receiving the signal, "casually" glanced toward Shichimi Uchiha.
If they wanted to make a scene, having an Uchiha ninja perform was most appropriate.
Though not every Uchiha ninja liked showing off, every Uchiha ninja's techniques could steal the spotlight.
Shichimi Uchiha secretly sighed, stepped aside several paces, then formed hand seals:
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Massive chakra gathered in her chest and abdomen, scorching heat waves erupting from her mouth. Deep orange flames curled the surrounding air, solidifying into a huge dragon head shape before shooting toward a distant abandoned stone house.
This Fire Release technique, besides its enormous scale and attack range, was most remarkable for its projectile speed far exceeding ordinary Fire Release—almost instantly hitting that stone house.
Boom!
Accompanied by violent explosive sounds, under fierce impact, orange-red flames struck the stone walls. The building was instantly destroyed, while the technique's residual fire scattered like an erupting volcano.
That stone house, which had been standing firm, instantly became a pile of rubble.
Judging by this impact force, Shichimi Uchiha seemed to have released not simple flames, but meteor-like projectiles wrapped in fire. Though the Uchiha Clan apparently wasn't known for chakra quantity, this technique showed how concentrated Shichimi Uchiha's chakra could become.
So stereotypes were harmful—Uchiha chakra was only mediocre when compared to the Senju of the Forest.
Date Kamitani was an excellent audience member. As a noble, he rarely had opportunities to witness such powerful ninjutsu up close, so his eyes went wide and he was momentarily stunned.
Yūshin quietly moved several steps toward Shichimi Uchiha, lowering his voice to ask in her ear: "Is this Madara Uchiha's technique?"
Shichimi Uchiha seemed dissatisfied as she glared back at Yūshin, saying irritably: "This is my technique."
Huh?
Hmm.
What?
Yūshin's thoughts went through ups and downs—there seemed to be some other meaning in those words? But he had no time to think deeply, nor was this the moment to continue questioning.
The black-robed person coughed lightly, and Date Kamitani finally snapped back to attention. He clapped his hands and said:
"Very good, excellent. Your ninjas are quite capable, but... that's not what we're looking for."
"You're ninjas—we value ninja groups' overall strength more, or more precisely, we value the ability to complete difficult missions. Can you prove this?"
"This..." Gorō Fūma hesitated somewhat, thinking this was the other party wanting to freeload a mission, and a very difficult one at that.
Recalling the Fūma Clan's unfortunate experiences, Yūshin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and began speaking words that seemed disconnected to many:
"Our Fūma Clan can defeat enemies several times our number. We're willing to prove this to you..."
"In the great northern forest's west lies a medium-sized ninja clan called the Tsugawa Clan. This clan has over one hundred ninjas, with civilian numbers at least five times the ninja count. We're willing to prove our strength through this ninja clan's destruction."
Huh? Wasn't this too extreme? To prove their strength, they'd exterminate an unrelated ninja clan? What kind of logic was this?
Date Kamitani found it incomprehensible—his thought processes couldn't keep up with Yūshin's. After being stunned for a while, he finally realized the other party was desperately demonstrating some kind of sincerity.
Looking at the ordinary "Fūma Clan" members, after hearing this young ninja's proposal, at least half had gleaming eyes, looking mentally unstable. Even if they weren't crazy, they'd at least qualify as battle maniacs.
How could Date Kamitani know this was just someone suddenly remembering personal vengeance? His gaze turned toward Gorō Fūma, since in his view Gorō was these ninjas' decision-maker.
Yūshin's words gave Gorō Fūma a headache, but at this point he could only nod along.
"Very good, excellent."
After careful consideration, Date Kamitani even began appreciating these ninjas. Ninjas should bite like mad dogs—otherwise how could they prove their value to their master?
Though the employment relationship wasn't yet confirmed, since the Fūma Clan wanted such a big operation, Kikyō Castle had to show some support.
"Since you want to prove your abilities this way, we have no reason not to support you. I'll give you half a month—if you can achieve your goal, you can become our ninjas... Whatever you need, just ask. I can persuade the daimyo to provide temporary support."
A little supplies wasn't worth grudging—watching performances required buying tickets, right?
"We need some food, medicine, and winter clothing," Gorō Fūma immediately said, afraid that speaking late would make the other party change their mind.
Actually he also wanted some armor, because Yūshin's proposed village assault operation was extremely risky. However, that would seem too greedy—if it angered the other party, they'd get nothing.
Date Kamitani agreed—these were small matters. After discussing some details, he prepared to leave.
Before departing, he smiled and said: "Hope to hear good news."
"We definitely won't disappoint."
Watching the other party's departing figure, Shichimi Uchiha approached Yūshin and said: "Though I don't know what grudge you have with the so-called Tsugawa Clan, I can tell you that daimyo aren't trustworthy—their support will definitely be limited."
Yūshin naturally understood this point. He thought to himself that being untrustworthy was better—otherwise, when he later executed his cuckoo-in-the-nest operation, it would seem somewhat ungrateful.
Well, he did have quite a moral burden.
Kikyō Castle was a nice place, quite suitable as a base.
"I understand, but right now we can only take things step by step."
Shichimi Uchiha obviously didn't understand concepts like "trading stocks to become a shareholder" or "employment becoming entrepreneurship," so Yūshin didn't explain further for now.
The Date clan of Kikyō Castle—what a wonderful name, sounding perfectly suited to serve as the legal representative of "Ashes Company."
Date Kamitani wouldn't deceive Yūshin's group—the requested supplies were delivered that very evening.
When Yūshin took off his burlap sack and put on thick winter clothing, he couldn't help but let out a long breath...
Thank heaven and earth—he'd finally ended the embarrassing situation of not having a single seasonal outfit.
These two days I'll finish the transitional chapters; next week will mostly be battle scenes.
New month—requesting monthly votes.
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