After leaving the forest, Hane Genma's group moved with extreme caution, so they hadn't encountered any unexpected incidents along the way.
But excess caution can also have its downsides—after several days of constant vigilance, many of them began to relax just a little.
They weren't careless per se, but some slackness was inevitable.
During this time, Genma had learned quite a bit about the fundamental workings of the ninja world—most of the information coming from Uchiha Nanami.
To his surprise, Nanami's personality didn't align with the stereotypical image of an Uchiha shinobi. She seemed emotionally stable, wasn't arrogant, and communicated easily.
Over the past few days, Genma had gotten all kinds of useful—and not-so-useful—information from her… though it was all general knowledge, nothing involving clan secrets.
At present, they were discussing the "economic foundations" that supported the survival of the major shinobi clans.
"Besides receiving mission funds from various clients, each shinobi clan actually has relatively stable income streams and industries," Nanami explained.
"Such as?" Genma asked.
"For example, the Senju clan—they've always maintained steady contracts related to tobacco cultivation, production, and transportation."
Genma blinked. The mighty Senju of the Forest... dabbling in the tobacco industry? That felt oddly off-brand.
"We Uchiha deal in sugar."
Well, to be fair, sometimes the Uchiha clan could be pretty extra.
"The Hyuga clan's involved in the alcohol trade."
"What about the Sarutobi?" Genma asked, then immediately followed up with the answer himself, connecting the dots. "Tea, right?"
"Exactly."
For some reason, Genma suddenly felt that these ancient and long-standing clans weren't as untouchable as he'd once thought. Even the lofty Ōtsutsuki lineage began to feel... mundane.
He wondered if any clan dealt in salt or soy sauce. Maybe salted fish and pickled vegetables were an untapped gold mine.
It became clear that Genma had previously misunderstood the nature of the great clans. Whether or not they handled production directly, they were definitely involved in logistics.
After all, even ninja needed to eat.
It all boiled down to the same thing: why do shinobi wage deadly battles against one another? One reason is the accumulation of hatred and grudges built up over decades or centuries—often fueled by manipulative forces behind the scenes.
But even more important is the battle over survival and resources.
Uchiha Nanami had just revealed a piece of the shinobi world's "industrial structure," and it completely refreshed Genma's perception of this world.
Pondering this newly acquired, perspective-challenging knowledge, Genma led his team toward a stretch of low-lying hills.
As dusk approached, he was planning to find a suitable spot nearby to set up camp.
That was when, in a scenic area nestled among rolling terrain and trees, Genma's group stumbled upon another team of shinobi who had arrived ahead of them.
Chaos erupted immediately. After a brief moment of confusion, the two sides locked into a tense standoff.
With just a quick glance, Genma began applying the economic insights he'd just learned and thought to himself: These guys must have just failed their startup on the ninja version of a stock exchange... ending in total bankruptcy.
They looked utterly defeated. Their spirits were crushed, and they hadn't even bothered to post a proper perimeter defense—allowing Genma's team to walk right up on them without resistance.
The opposing shinobi were disorganized. Some even seemed to give up at the first sign of danger.
Genma clearly saw someone struggle to stand but, failing repeatedly, simply gave up and collapsed into a defeated heap, as if resigned to fate.
In a world full of surprises, this was one of them: Genma's group had unexpectedly become the stronger side in a mid-sized skirmish.
His subordinates weren't particularly powerful, but at least they had morale—and well-fed, round faces to show for it.
The other group? There were over thirty of them, outnumbering Genma's squad, but every one of them looked emaciated and gaunt.
Honestly, if Genma didn't care about his own team's casualties, wiping them out would've been easy.
After years of being bullied by powerful forces, it was almost surreal for the former remnants of the "Hanemiya" to be in a position to intimidate others.
The difference in morale between the two sides was stark.
Genma's people—how to put it—had already accepted the destruction of their village. The trauma and grief had faded somewhat with time. Now, they faced things with clearer minds and stronger wills, fiercely determined to protect themselves and their comrades.
When it came to battle intent, many of them had a very simple mindset:
If we fight, I'll strike first. If we flee, I'll be the last to retreat.
By contrast, the other side had just suffered a devastating defeat. The entire group was engulfed in a wave of despair. For many, their thoughts were more like:
If we fight, I'll die first. If I die, I'll make it quick.
It wasn't that Genma's group was more mentally resilient—they were just in different stages of recovery from loss.
Genma's side was in the "rebuilding" phase, while the others were still stuck in the "painful aftermath."
The enemy was clearly at a disadvantage, and their leader soon lost his composure.
A young shinobi around twenty-four or twenty-five pushed through the crowd and stepped to the front line.
"Who are you people?" he asked.
Right now, their biggest fear was that Genma's group had been hired to finish them off.
"We call ourselves the Ashes," Genma replied calmly. "We're a group of wandering shinobi from various backgrounds. You can call me Genma… And you are?"
The man studied Genma's group carefully and saw that none of them wore forehead protectors. Despite appearing in much better shape than his own people, they didn't seem like pursuers.
They hadn't prepared an ambush or launched a surprise attack, which made it clear—this was a chance encounter.
Seeing that, the man decided to take a gamble. Gritting his teeth, he revealed their true identity:
"We're the Fūma clan—formerly known as the Kazama clan. I'm the clan head."
Fūma? That name sounded familiar.
Genma thought for a moment before asking, "You mean the Fūma clan known for forging ninja tools and their mastery of shurikenjutsu?"
"Yes, that's us."
"How'd you end up in such a pitiful state?"
Well… that was a bit blunt.
Genma didn't mean to insult him—he was genuinely curious.
After all, the Fūma clan had survived well into the ninja village era. Even if only a few stragglers remained later on, the fact that they'd endured at all meant they shouldn't be in this sorry condition now.
The clan leader's nose stung with emotion. He held back his tears.
He wanted to shout: We're just random passersby—why are you so invested in how badly we're doing?
But he didn't dare say it aloud.
"I'm Fūma Gorō. Genma-san, if it's not too much trouble, could you have your people pull back a little to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings?"
Looking at this wretched, humbled group of shinobi, Genma suddenly had an idea.
Maybe it was time for a little experiment.
"With the way things are now, my people posing a threat isn't the misunderstanding," Genma said flatly. "Any reckless move from your side—that would be the real misunderstanding."
Fūma Gorō was momentarily choked by that response, his temper flaring. But the situation clearly wasn't in his favor, so he had no choice but to back down.
"Very well, Genma-san. Then… may I have my people fall back instead? I promise there won't be any improper actions."
Genma smiled warmly, his expression full of gentle goodwill as he replied:
"Alright. But… no, you may not."
Fūma Gorō had just begun to smile in return—only for Genma's words to immediately drag the corners of his lips back down.
That wasn't something a normal person would say.
So… was it yes or no?
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand