Most of the items gathered by the ninjas of the Ashes Organization were mundane, easily packed into sealing scrolls. A small portion, deemed more valuable, was brought before Hane Genma for inspection.
Among them were scrolls detailing the jutsu of the Tsugawa Clan. Genma casually unfurled a few, scanning their contents, only to find they contained ordinary Water Release techniques. They held some value, but not much.
After all, he wasn't naive enough to expect scrolls from an average ninja clan to rival something like the Water Severing Wave, was he?
Once you've seen the vast ocean, no mere stream can compare. Genma couldn't help but wonder when he'd encounter the "admirable and lovable" Senju Tobirama again.
The Water Release techniques collected here might enrich Genma's own Water Release repertoire, but they wouldn't bring any groundbreaking changes.
Thus, faced with these scrolls—theoretical foundations of a ninja clan's standing in the shinobi world—Genma gave them only a cursory glance before setting them aside.
The other valuable haul was a chest of gold koban coins. Genma hefted the money-filled box with both hands, estimating it weighed at least thirty kilograms. Now this is what I call striking it rich.
For a band of mere wandering ninjas, currency might not have been particularly useful. But their situation had changed entirely.
Having accepted a contract from Kikyo City, the city's commercial systems would inevitably open to them. Money, in this context, held real value.
The scavenging operation lasted half a day—not long enough to turn the place upside down, but sufficient to collect most items of worth.
Genma deemed the "fruits of victory" satisfactory. He wasn't greedy, so when the time came, he promptly led his group to withdraw.
The site had just been the stage for a "village-destroying battle." The commotion, though not massive, might attract the attention of curious "spectator ninjas." To avoid unnecessary conflicts, Genma believed the sooner they left, the better.
In his view, it'd be ideal to abandon even the spoils and slip away right after the job. But most of his group disagreed—such caution seemed excessive.
Winning a battle and not looting the spoils? That's as good as fighting for nothing.
Fortunately, Genma's fears of complications didn't materialize. The group, laden with substantial resources, retreated contentedly and soon safely returned to Kikyo City's sphere of influence.
The organization resettled in the abandoned village they'd been using as a base, finally getting the chance to sort through their haul.
Genma entrusted the "knowledge-based" spoils, like the jutsu scrolls, to Morinaga Kanzawa. While these techniques held little value for him, they could still benefit others. If used wisely, they'd undoubtedly help many in the group improve their skills.
Having ended their wandering lifestyle and settled temporarily, Genma decided to establish an internal department akin to a "ninja academy" to systematically train their ninjas and boost their strength.
The diverse jutsu could serve as teaching materials for this new "education department," which Genma assigned to Hayasaka Ryunosuke to oversee.
Next, he handed the direct "wealth-based" assets, like the gold coins, to Chihori for management. A group of over fifty people needed a small logistics department.
Finally, he entrusted the miscellaneous ninja tools and war supplies to Fuma Goro.
The Fuma Clan would melt down these fire-damaged tools and reforge them into high-quality weapons. If necessary, Genma planned to establish a dedicated ninja tool production department.
After all, a renowned clan like the Fuma shouldn't be discarded unless absolutely necessary.
The "arms" trade was always profitable, and cold weapons were a form of arms.
After a swift and decisive victory against a stronger foe, the Fuma Clan's trust in the Ashes Organization soared. In time, they might even develop a sense of ownership over the group.
Fuma Goro, too, began genuinely accepting Genma's leadership. During the operation, he'd briefly suspected he might be betrayed, but the outcome proved his worries unfounded.
When Genma decided to take on the Tsugawa Clan, he hadn't anticipated that external combat would foster internal unity—an unexpected bonus.
Back within Kikyo City's domain, having achieved their objective, Genma promptly sent Fuma Goro to the Tenshu Castle the next day for a routine report.
As for the post-battle summary… well, there wasn't much to summarize on a grand scale. This "war" was more of a skirmish, lacking large-scale, multi-person combat.
It was more of a dispersal operation.
The real reflection came from Genma's self-assessment of his combat methods, jutsu usage, and their effectiveness.
Overall, he wasn't entirely satisfied with relying on complex jutsu to determine victory. It wasn't simple, direct, or efficient enough.
Genma yearned for a style where he could win through basic attacks and sheer effort, without relying on innate talents or mechanisms.
If possible, he wanted to hear defeated foes curse him as a "damn stat monster" in frustrated rage.
But people's physiques varied, and Genma's origins and bloodline meant he could never excel in raw stats.
After much thought, he concluded that to further enhance his combat ability, he'd need to improve the lethality of his jutsu.
Fire Release and Water Release already had decent destructive power; the issue was their pitiful accuracy. To boost lethality, the key was improving "projectile speed."
Genma resolved to enhance the "projectile speed" of his mastered jutsu.
In simpler terms: If it can be shot, don't let it trickle.
Or, to put it more plainly, Genma decided to tweak the ratio of "propellant" to "warhead charge."
Easier said than done. Perfecting his jutsu to the desired effect would likely cost him countless brain cells.
The next morning, Fuma Goro took a ninja with him to Tenshu Castle to report the battle results to what they conventionally viewed as their "superiors."
Per their prior agreement, if the organization proved its combat prowess, Kikyo City would formalize the employment contract. This would grant the Ashes Organization a legitimate base, no longer making them rootless wanderers.
Yet Genma had a nagging feeling that things wouldn't go so smoothly. Otherwise, Kikyo City's daimyo would seem too much like an "enlightened ruler," which didn't align with the cunning, shortsighted nature typical of minor lords.
Still, having come this far and finding the place suitable, Genma had no intention of leaving easily.
Everything would proceed according to the contract—verbal agreements were binding, with no room for reneging.
Sure enough, when Fuma Goro returned from Kikyo City, his expression was grim.
"What's wrong? Is Kikyo City having second thoughts?" Genma asked.
Fuma Goro shook his head. "I met with the daimyo. He had no objections to the employment terms. Everything will proceed as agreed. They'll verify the Tsugawa Clan's destruction, and once confirmed, none of the conditions will change."
"That sounds good, doesn't it?"
"It does. Kikyo City seems to be showing integrity and fairness. We can now consider ourselves their ninjas, but…" Fuma Goro sighed, continuing, "the daimyo immediately assigned us an unusual task. It feels off… almost like a conspiracy."
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