The deafening sound of explosions rang out, kicking up massive clouds of dust that obscured a vast stretch of forest.
Hozuki Gengetsu never expected that Uzushiogakure would prepare so many explosive tags. It was just an invasion war. Hadn't they experienced war before?
Why weren't they following the usual script this time? Not only were they mobilizing the entire nation's strength, but they were also spending the entire nation's wealth!
If they used up all their money, how would they pacify the people and rebuild the country after the war? Would the entire nation just eat dirt?
If every war were fought like this, the country would have collapsed long ago.
What were ninjas carrying out missions for? Wasn't it for money? If you had this much money, why not say so earlier? As long as there was money, everything could be negotiated! Just give the money to me! What were they starting a war for?
Wasn't it for profit? Did the Uzumaki clan really love this land so much? Even if they disagreed with his proposal, they could just leave Uzushiogakure and find another place to settle. With their entire clan moving, who could stop them?
No matter what, the Uzumaki clan was a major clan. As long as they relocated, couldn't they just thrive elsewhere? Was it necessary to waste money like this?
With money, wasn't anything negotiable?
Little did he know, because of this invasion by Kirigakure, including the hidden mastermind behind it, the Uzumaki clan was nearly wiped out.
But now, it seemed things really were about to end.
Hozuki Gengetsu's face darkened as he watched the dust settle, revealing the devastated surroundings.
If he proposed taking money to negotiate peace now, not only would he be criticized by the village elders and high-ranking officials, but he would also be condemned by the villagers.
Even though most of the casualties so far were low-ranking cannon fodder, no matter how expendable they were, losing so many was unacceptable.
Every low-ranking ninja had family. If they started protesting, his tenure as Mizukage would be over.
Starting a war only to be beaten into submission, what kind of joke was that?
If you can't win, just run! Who in their right mind would resort to mutual destruction? Kirigakure just wanted this territory to pressure the Land of Fire.
Now, Hozuki Gengetsu strongly suspected that this might be a trap set by that old schemer Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Maybe he had conspired with Uzushiogakure to inflict heavy losses on Kirigakure. Otherwise, how could these stubborn, reckless idiots suddenly start using tactics?
This wasn't logical. How had they changed?
Everyone in the shinobi world knew the Uzumaki clan were people who dumped all their stat points into chakra and none into intelligence.
Hozuki Gengetsu surveyed the surroundings, a wasteland stretching several kilometers, now a massive crater.
"Medics, tend to the wounded. The rest of the ninjas, follow me."
Damn it, now he really had to wipe out the Uzumaki clan. Otherwise, how could he face the villagers and the elders when he returned?
The Uzumaki clan had backed him into a corner!
Now, he truly had no choice but to kill every last Uzumaki clansman.
Hozuki Gengetsu's expression turned ruthless as he waved his hand and roared, "Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
Seeing Kirigakure's forces charging forward, Uzumaki Kai nodded in satisfaction. It seemed Lord Jun's strategy was truly effective.
The only downside was how much money it cost. But since Kirigakure dared to invade Uzushiogakure, if they didn't retaliate fiercely, they'd think the Uzumaki clan was easy to bully.
Money? Whatever. Lord Jun had plenty. And damn, it felt good!
Uzushiogakure would win this war even without relying on their so-called allies. Seeing Kirigakure suffer such heavy losses right from the start—truly devastating losses—was exhilarating.
With so many explosive tags detonating at once, how could they not suffer? Hadn't they seen the Uzumaki clan members howling in pain? Even if they were just shadow clones, the pain was real.
If the Mizukage returned to the village after this failure, his position as leader and high-ranking official would be over.
So this time, the Mizukage was truly going all out.
Uzumaki Kai narrowed his eyes as the dust cleared, revealing the scene before him. He couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
The power of money was undeniable. No wonder ninjas loved it so much. This feeling was incredible!
He waved his hand and shouted to the Uzumaki clansmen behind him, "Next step."
With a cold smile, he watched the Kirigakure ninjas, who thought they had exhausted their supply of explosive tags and were now charging recklessly.
Uzumaki Kai could only say one thing: Sorry, but you have no idea how much money Lord Jun has.
Uzumaki Kai now felt deep admiration for Lord Jun. He had prepared long in advance. Rumor had it that Lord Jun had warned the elders and clan leader long ago that Konoha could not be trusted and was plotting against Uzushiogakure, but no one had listened.
"Lord Jun is truly far-sighted!"
Seeing that the Kirigakure ninjas had regained their composure and were preparing for a full-scale assault, he ordered, "Ready!"
"Whoosh—!"
The Uzumaki clansmen uniformly raised their bows, arrows nocked and aimed at the charging Kirigakure forces.
Hozuki Gengetsu saw this and immediately raised his hand to halt the advance. When he spotted the explosive tags attached to the arrowheads, his face paled. "Explosive tags! Take cover!"
But it was too late.
"Fire!" Uzumaki Kai sneered and swung his hand down.
...
"It seems we've reached the second step." Uzumaki Jun glanced at the distant forest before turning to the Second Elder beside him. They were paired up, one throwing oil jars, the other defending. It was the perfect arrangement. If only hot-air balloons weren't so difficult to make in this era, he would have loved to establish an air force.
"We've reached Kirigakure's fleet," the Second Elder said. "I suspect the people below have already noticed something's wrong."
Uzumaki Jun scoffed. So what if they noticed? Kirigakure wasn't the Land of Sky. He doubted they had any high-altitude defenses or the ability to fly.
From this height, what could they do besides throw shuriken or jutsu? Even if they did, the Uzumaki clan wasn't worried. They had plenty of chakra. At this altitude, any shuriken or jutsu would lose most of their power by the time they reached them.
"Hahaha!" The Second Elder laughed. "This time, Kirigakure is truly going to suffer heavy losses!"
We're also suffering heavy losses.
Uzumaki Jun sighed as he looked down. He had spent an absurd amount of money. Even if they successfully defended Uzushiogakure this time, they wouldn't get any war reparations from Kirigakure. After all...
Uzushiogakure was still too weak. It would be a miracle if Kirigakure didn't come back for revenge, let alone pay compensation.
Of course, if they could capture the Mizukage or even a tailed beast, they might have a chance to negotiate. After all, if a village didn't even ransom its own Kage, it was doomed. Hozuki Gengetsu and Kirigakure would become laughingstocks.
If they had the strength, they could pull it off. But they didn't.
Kirigakure had two tailed beasts. As long as they didn't release them, Uzumaki Jun would be grateful. Trying to capture a tailed beast? If they had that kind of power, would anyone dare invade them so easily?
"Big Brother and the clan leader have begun," the Second Elder suddenly said.
Has it started?
Uzumaki Jun narrowed his eyes.