...
Facing the current situation,
Hozuki Gengetsu had an "MMP" in his heart that he didn't know if he should say out loud. He had brought a large force with great enthusiasm to invade, yet... everything had just begun when they fell into a trap, and then...
Losing half their forces wasn't a big deal—after all, they were just cannon fodder. They could just push a few scapegoats to take the blame. If one couldn't shoulder it, then two would do. As long as they conquered Uzushiogakure, everything would be fine.
But...
"The fleet is almost completely destroyed?!" Hozuki Gengetsu looked at the fleet commander in front of him and exclaimed, his right hand clutching his chest.
This was truly unbearable! How could this happen? They had just disembarked, and now the ships were gone? Furious, he grabbed the fleet commander by the collar and roared, "What the hell were you all doing?"
Over a hundred ships, how could they all be gone?
The fleet had over a hundred people, mostly jonin! How could all the ships be destroyed even with that many jonin? Even if two hundred enemy jonin had attacked, it shouldn't have been this bad. Was it a Kage-level enemy?
Another village?
"No, one ship remains," the fleet commander cautiously said.
"Huh?" Hozuki Gengetsu frowned. "Explain."
Helpless, the fleet commander could only explain: ordinary water couldn't extinguish the flames, only Ice Release could. Strange things were floating in the sky, and the attacks came from above. In short, this was a disaster, not their fault. It wasn't that his subordinates weren't trying hard, but the enemy had overpowered them. Boss, we've been set up. We should retreat!
Someone is targeting Kirigakure!
After hearing the fleet commander's words, Hozuki Gengetsu frowned and shouted, "So now, only that guy from the Yuki clan is left?"
Damn it! He had worked so hard to secure the position of village leader, hoping to pass it on to someone from his own clan. And now, all of it was ruined?
Not your fault? If it's not your fault, then is it mine? At least not everything is lost—one ship remains, though it's useless. It just tarnishes his reputation as village leader and boosts the Yuki clan's prestige instead.
"Where is Kiyoi now?" Hozuki Gengetsu asked expressionlessly.
"He... left," the fleet commander said. "He said the ships were too badly damaged, so he's returning to the village to report and... replenish."
"..."
What "badly damaged"? The fleet was completely destroyed! Replenish? Replenish what? The daimyo would never give them money to rebuild the fleet now. They hadn't even achieved anything, yet they'd already lost the entire fleet. Who would trust them now?
Hozuki Gengetsu knew things would be bad when he returned. Yuki Kiyoi had already gone back first to control the narrative in the village. And...
It really was his fault that Kirigakure had suffered such heavy losses because he was the one who started this invasion!
Damn it, this was definitely not the Uzumaki clan he knew. Those blockheads from the Uzumaki clan couldn't possibly be this clever. Someone must be targeting them.
Otherwise, where did all those explosive tags come from? He hadn't received any intel about someone buying so many explosive tags.
What Hozuki Gengetsu didn't know was that Uzumaki Jun had been stockpiling those explosive tags for years.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through the camp, accompanied by violent tremors.
"What's going on?" Was it an enemy attack? Hozuki Gengetsu stormed out of the tent angrily. Had Kirigakure lost its edge, or had the Uzumaki clan gotten cocky after winning twice? How dare a small island nation like this provoke them?
"Report, it's the Uzumaki ninja," a Kirigakure jonin said respectfully. "They used explosive tags. We've already sent people to..."
Before he could finish, the pursuing ninjas returned and reported, "They were shadow clones. They threw the explosive tags and then dispersed on their own."
What the hell were these Uzumaki up to?
The Kirigakure ninja were puzzled. A few explosive tags wouldn't even reach them before being washed away. Even if there were as many as before, Kirigakure was prepared now—they wouldn't work!
Did they think the Five Great Shinobi Villages were pushovers?
Before Hozuki Gengetsu could order them to stay alert...
"Boom—"
Another explosion.
"What the hell does the Uzumaki clan want?" Hozuki Gengetsu roared. Were they setting off firecrackers for a store opening? Were they that rich?
"Capture them! Bring them back! And send scouts to search the area. Find those Uzumaki!"
Damn it, who came up with this shadow clone tactic? It's disgusting!
"Yes!"
...
"They've sent people out," Uzumaki Jun said, holding a telescope. "Looks like Hozuki Gengetsu can't take it anymore and wants to find the Uzumaki."
Anyone would be pissed in this situation.
Getting hit by explosive tags repeatedly while being harassed.
"So what do we do now?" the clan head asked. Kirigakure had sent out hundreds of people. Taking them all down would be troublesome.
"Hmm?" Uzumaki Jun frowned in thought. Each squad had four members, and while hundreds of enemies were a lot, they were spread out.
Uzushiogakure's island wasn't small. But taking them all out wasn't realistic. "Pick them off slowly. Assign ten people per squad to hold them off. Then, assemble a team of twenty jonin and take them out one by one."
"Understood!"
...
"Captain, how's the situation?" Abisu adjusted his glasses, looking at his melancholic captain.
"It's fine," Captain Horiguchi Take forced a smile. "We've got our orders. We're to scout and find out where the Uzumaki are hiding."
"But..." Abisu was still worried. Because of their mistakes, Kirigakure had suffered heavy losses. As the vanguard commander, how could Horiguchi Take be fine?
"It's fine, don't worry," Horiguchi Take patted Abisu's shoulder, then glanced at Tayu, who was sulking. He sighed. "I know you hate war. You don't like seeing friends and family disappear before your eyes."
"But..."
"Don't show that kind of emotion during battle." He patted Tayu and called out, "Gather up. Move out."
Tayu was stunned. He thought the captain would lecture him further, but he said nothing. It seemed...
Things weren't as "fine" as the captain claimed.
But Tayu opened his mouth, then closed it again, lowering his head as he followed behind.
...
"Move out," Uzumaki Kai said to his clansmen. "Remember Jun-sama's orders."
He knew the mission wasn't as simple as it sounded. War was full of surprises. Some of them might not come back. He sighed. "Protect yourselves. Don't charge in recklessly."
"Yes!"
Uzumaki Jun still had his shadow clone follow the clan head, observing the Mist ninja camp from a distance.
He hoped Hozuki Gengetsu would keep his cool and not go berserk after losing a few men, summoning a tailed beast for an all-out attack. Kirigakure was a major village—losing a few men was nothing!
As long as they dragged this out, victory would belong to Uzushiogakure.
"They've started moving," the clan head said. "The elders have joined the operation too."
"Mm," Uzumaki Jun nodded. He knew the elders and clan heads couldn't stay idle. Their past mistakes had led to this situation.
They must have been restless, filled with guilt. That's why they were protecting him otherwise, even the clan head would have joined the fight.
The Uzumaki clan never feared death.
"System."