In order to successfully conduct espionage and sabotage, the shinobi-whether a man or a woman-had to get close enough to the enemy leader, and for that reason the shinobi had to be well-versed in understanding human nature, assessing character, discovering personality flaws, and surmising intentions. From there, the shinobi would proceed to deceive, manipulates, exploit, and ultimately defeat the enemy, an enemy who was not a simple robber, mugger, or criminal but rather another warrior clan, an opposing fiefdom, an army from a neighboring province. For this reason, fighting skill means little or nothing in the larger context of the shinobi curriculum.