Chapter 89: The Plan

Based on Toshiro's speculation, it wasn't a good thing for young ninjas to adapt to killing too early. A slight mishap could leave an imperceptible psychological shadow. Initially, there wouldn't be any noticeable anomaly. However, without proper guidance, it might explode when they reach adulthood, causing good ninjas to become psychologically twisted and abnormal. This made Toshiro have to be extremely cautious, fearing that a small mistake would cause a lasting psychological issue for his friends.

"How about this! We set up an explosive tag trap. Leave these bastards where they are, and we'll detonate the trap from a distance."

Seeing that Zhe and Yan hadn't made any moves for a long time, Toshiro had to propose again. Whether this would disrupt Shige Masa's training plan didn't concern him. He was content just to get through the current situation.

"Hey! I think Toshiro's suggestion is quite good!" Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yan's eyes lit up. After exchanging a glance with Uchiha Zhe, who had the same idea, they agreed, "Yeah! This way, we can detonate the trap remotely without worrying about the killing problem."

Zhe immediately chimed in, praising Toshiro, "Toshiro's suggestion is simply amazing!"

Although using explosive tags also meant 'killing,' they wouldn't have to experience the direct stimuli of 'blood splashing' and blades piercing flesh. Once they reached an agreement, their execution abilities exhibited exceptional efficiency.

As they directed the fearful victims to move various items, Toshiro and his team quickly took out explosive tags from their ninja tool pouches. Toshiro just took out three tags, while Uchiha Zhe pulled out a dozen in one go. The most exaggerated was Uchiha Yan, who took out a thick stack of explosive tags.

Toshiro rolled his eyes at their excessive actions. Especially Yan, whose pile of explosive tags consisted of at least twenty or thirty tags. Along with Zhe's, they had about forty or fifty tags altogether. Such an amount could obliterate the whole village. Toshiro silently put back two of his three tags, leaving one for formality and resentfully noted how generous Yan's family must be.

Once the task was done, they, along with Shige Masa sensei, would split the reward. This reckless expenditure was simply a loss, Toshiro thought. The tags must have been prepared by Yan's family, like the emergency supplies his and Zhe's families had in their ninja pouches or backpacks, a token of Uchiha clan's care for their kin.

Toshiro believed that personal experiences created meaningful memories. People are forgetful creatures; without significant experiences, nothing sticks. At most, it just cost some money. He casually stuck his tag on an unlucky target, feeling relief after temporarily resolving the pressing issue in his mind. He then relaxed and started directing the pitiful women towards tasks. The rest was up to Zhe and Yan, who could handle setting up the trap.

Things often didn't go as expected. Everything seemed fine until there was an unexpected event. Uchiha Yan, while setting up the explosive tags, didn't notice someone nearby. A person, more robust than the other thieves and with a healthier complexion and cleaner clothing slowly opened his eyes slightly, surveying the surroundings. This man was their leader, having been in the bandit business for many years. He survived through tough training, inheriting chakra extraction techniques from his late father. Although not proficient in ninja skills, his raw strength placed him a cut above most aimless samurai vagabonds he now led.

Realizing the presence of ninjas through Yan's forehead protector and her attaching explosive tags to his men, his eyes narrowed, and he silently cursed his bad luck. He understood this situation was different from facing mere samurai lackeys; this time, the opponent was truly formidable.