"How many enemies are there?" Genshin asked.
His earlier decoy tactic hadn't been entirely ineffective—it had successfully drawn away a portion of the enemy forces. Now, he could only hope that the number still pursuing them wasn't too overwhelming.
"There are about fifteen enemies still chasing us—roughly equal to our numbers," responded the same clansman who had spoken before.
Being pursued by a group of equal size wasn't exactly unreasonable. On one hand, the enemy's average strength was greater, their stamina and energy near peak levels, and they could receive reinforcements much faster.
On the other hand… Genshin shook his head slightly. His gaze swept over his comrades and saw the exhaustion and weakness etched clearly on their faces. They were all visibly worn out—physically and spiritually. In truth, they were no longer capable of sustained combat. Calling them lambs to the slaughter wouldn't be far off.
Forget fighting—at this point, they could barely even continue running.
"Still, at least I managed to shake off some of the enemy. Looking on the bright side, we likely won't be pincered from both sides… In a few hours, we'll probably be facing only those fifteen."
After a brief moment of thought, Genshin realized they had pitifully few options left. He sighed and said, "To maximize our chances of survival, we'll have to continue using diversion tactics. We'll use a few people to lure the enemy away."
Though he appeared young, the other clan members had great faith in him. First, it was thanks to his guidance that they had survived this long. Second, as their clan head, he had already taken on the most dangerous decoy mission once before—he had essentially already died once for them. No one doubted his sincerity or selflessness.
He was capable and led by example. Even if he were now about to lead them into near-certain death, no one would complain. He had already done everything he could. It wasn't his fault their clan was this weak.
"Clan head, I'm still in decent condition. Let me be the decoy this time," offered the same ninja who had spoken earlier.
"Count me in as well, clan head," said another ninja, stepping forward at nearly the same moment.
The two who stepped up were both in their twenties—young men named Hanemiya Genjinkawa and Hanemiya Genryunosuke.
"Good. The three of us will take on the enemy diversion," Genshin agreed without hesitation. There was no room for niceties. He knew these two were among the stronger members of the clan.
"Clan head…"
"No more discussion. It's settled."
Calling it a decoy mission sounded better than what it really was: a suicide mission. Genshin had already done this once—there was no reason for him to risk it again. Yet he silenced their objections all the same.
This wasn't the time for sentimentality.
"Listen carefully, everyone: for the next two hours, focus on recovering your chakra. After that, we move… Don't worry too much—I'm fairly confident in our next move."
No one believed that last part. They assumed it was just a meaningless reassurance.
Either way, they all found spots to sit down and began desperately refining chakra.
Meanwhile, Genshin climbed to the upper branches of a large tree, standing on a thick horizontal limb. From there, he scanned the surroundings, keeping watch for the group.
Against fifteen enemies, he had no real confidence. But if he were only facing five? That was at least possible. He didn't overestimate himself—before today, he was just a regular ninja. Besides the basic Three Body Techniques, he only knew two or three low-level Fire Style jutsu. Trying to fight multiple enemies alone was pure fantasy.
But now… things were different.
Genshin considered how best to fight. He activated the "White Zetsu Transformation" on his right arm and waved it gently. A miraculous sight followed—his arm phased through the trunk of the tree beside him, like magic.
This wasn't a space-time ninjutsu. It was White Zetsu's "Mayfly Technique."
Most of the White Zetsu active in the shinobi world weren't meant for combat. They were designed for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, and their abilities were specialized for those roles. As individuals, White Zetsu were quite weak—but that didn't mean they were harmless.
In fact, their assassination capabilities were unparalleled. Perfect stealth, flawless transformation, and silent movement—White Zetsu possessed the kinds of skills every ninja dreamed of having.
Genshin firmly believed the legend of the so-called "White Zetsu-Man" wasn't just empty talk.
Two hours passed quickly. Genshin returned to the group.
"Everyone, shake hands with me one by one… Jinkawa and Ryunosuke, go last. Then listen carefully."
No one knew what he was planning, but they lined up as instructed.
As Genshin shook hands with each person, he spoke:
"Compared to when we first encountered them, I feel the enemy's attitude has become more lax. When chasing what they see as broken remnants like us, they seem to treat it more like a game of cat and mouse.
So, if we continue splitting up to draw them off, there's a high chance they'll divide their forces to pursue us individually—hoping to finish us off completely.
They have tracking ninja, and they know we don't. That's something we can turn to our advantage…"
He paused, but the others weren't focused on his words—they were reacting to something else. Each person who shook hands with him wore an odd expression.
Finally, it was Jinkawa and Ryunosuke's turn.
Genshin took both of their hands—one in each of his—and the moment their palms touched, they felt a surge of rich chakra flooding into their bodies.
"This… what is this?"
It was the Spore Technique of White Zetsu. This jutsu allowed the user to absorb chakra from others and either use it themselves or transfer it to someone else. What Genshin was doing was drawing chakra from the rest of the clan and redistributing it equally to the two decoys.
But he didn't have time to explain the technique now.
"Listen carefully. Here's the plan. Jinkawa, Ryunosuke, and I will each draw away enemies in different directions. Given our desperate state, they'll most likely split up to pursue us—creating a chance for us to defeat them one by one."
"Jinkawa, head toward three o'clock. Ryunosuke, six o'clock. I'll take nine o'clock. Flare your chakra as much as possible, taunt them, but don't engage—just run. Run as fast as you can. Got it?"
"Yes, clan head," the two replied without hesitation.
"When I finish with the enemies in my direction, I'll come help you immediately. So don't act recklessly."
With chakra from over a dozen ninjas poured into them, the two decoys could hold out for a while. If Genshin moved quickly enough—and if luck was on their side—they might survive.
"The rest of you, hide deeper in the forest. Do not reveal yourselves until the battle is over."
After he spoke, several people looked like they wanted to say something, but ultimately, no one did.
What could they say? Ask, "How will the clan head defeat five strong and energetic enemies on his own?"
No one dared ask that.
This was a desperate bid for survival. All they could do was try their best and leave the rest to fate. That was the mindset of most here.
Only Genshin knew—his decoy mission wasn't a suicide run.
Nor could the others afford to throw their lives away. After all, to make this plan work, Genshin had drained nearly all of their chakra. In their weakened state, if the enemy discovered them, it would be a one-sided massacre—without question.
"Alright. Any more questions?" he asked finally.
Everyone shook their heads. Whatever the outcome, they were mentally prepared.
"Good. Then…"
"Operation start."