"One ship, there's still one ship left."
Suddenly, a mist ninja shouted loudly, "It's Lord Kiyoi, Lord Kiyoi's ship isn't destroyed."
Kiyoi? Could it be...
Turning his head, he indeed saw that one of the ships remained intact. The surface of the ship was covered in a layer of pure white ice, standing out starkly amidst the scorching flames and wreckage. Though the ice had managed to block the fire, it was visibly melting rapidly under the intense heat.
The mist ninja commander frowned as he looked at the tall, black-haired Kiyoi on the ship. "Damn it, he actually gets to show off like this. The Second Mizukage was planning to..."
...
Uzumaki Jun also noticed him, black hair, tall, handsome, and capable of using Ice Release. There was no doubt, this had to be someone from the Yuki clan. And with those narrow eyes, the image felt familiar.
Could this be the Third Mizukage?
As for why the ship wasn't burning, it all came down to the three elements required for ignition.
But what was going on here?
Attacking a weak country, and both the Second and Third Mizukage showed up together?
"You're not afraid of gasoline bottles, but what about explosive tags?" Uzumaki Jun narrowed his eyes, staring at Yuki Kiyoi and muttering to himself. While Ice Release could prevent the gasoline from reaching its ignition point, in the midst of such raging flames, he refused to believe this Yuki clansman had enough chakra to sustain it.
The Uzumaki clan's chakra reserves were unmatched—well, except for the Senju clan's.
"Everyone, use explosive tags!"
...
Yuki Kiyoi frowned as he watched the flames grow fiercer. He had already noticed that these flames were unusual—the smell was far too strong.
But if this continued, his chakra wouldn't hold out. Thinking this, he immediately turned to the ninja beside him and ordered, "Set sail, get us out of here!"
The mist ninja next to him responded loudly, "Yes, Lord Kiyoi!"
But...
"Damn it!" Yuki Kiyoi looked up at the fluttering objects falling from the sky. "Explosive tags!"
"Hurry, set sail and leave!"
This ship couldn't afford to be lost. Otherwise, how would they send word back to Kirigakure? And with such heavy losses in this invasion, even if Hozuki Gengetsu survived...
Hah, even if they won, it wouldn't be a clean victory.
Damn it, let's see if the Hozuki clan dares to keep causing trouble. Did they really think the Third Mizukage would also come from their clan? But now...
No need to even think about it.
First, they'd have to pay back their debts before considering anything else. What, they won't pay? Claiming the Hozuki clan isn't responsible? That this was war, and losses are inevitable, so no compensation is needed?
Don't joke around. This invasion was launched by the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, of the Hozuki clan. If not them, who else should take the blame? Besides, the Hozuki clan had been acting too arrogantly lately, and many in the village were already displeased.
And they even assigned him, Yuki Kiyoi, the Yuki clan's genius, to the rear supply team?
They didn't want him to earn any achievements. Now things had escalated. The Hozuki clan would have to pay, whether they wanted to or not. Even the commander of the supply team was Hozuki Gengetsu's trusted subordinate—nothing to do with the Yuki clan.
Yuki Kiyoi's expression remained calm as he coldly watched the endless rain of explosive tags. Internally, however, he was cursing. If he could protect this ship, no matter what, these achievements would be his. And if Hozuki Gengetsu failed as well...
Hah!
The Mizukage better start thinking about how to stabilize his own position first. Still dreaming of having the next Mizukage come from the Hozuki clan?
Keep dreaming.
With this thought, Yuki Kiyoi exerted even more effort. Only by standing out could he prove his uniqueness. All these losers were being wiped out, while he alone succeeded. Such glorious achievements!
So...
"As expected of Lord Kiyoi, such immense chakra reserves..." A mist ninja marveled at the ice shield completely encasing the ship. "Truly one of Kirigakure's two great kekkei genkai clans. Lord Kiyoi is incredibly strong."
"The ice on the ship's surface hasn't melted at all. Such unbelievable control."
"They're about to make it out. Lord Kiyoi is about to succeed!"
"..."
The mist ninja commander watched as the surrounding ninjas cheered for Yuki Kiyoi. His expression looked as if he'd been force-fed something vile. He had promised the Mizukage to keep Yuki Kiyoi from gaining any achievements, to keep him quietly in the rear. Now things were troublesome. Even in this situation, Kiyoi managed to steal the spotlight.
And Yuki Kiyoi was one of the strong candidates for the next Mizukage.
Moreover, what kind of flames were these? Since Ice Release could extinguish them, they couldn't be Amaterasu. But where did the Uzumaki clan get such flames?
And what was this strange, pungent smell?
Now this guy had not only shown off but also gained a bunch of admirers. If word spread after returning...
Damn it. The mist ninja commander felt he might as well prepare for his funeral. The Mizukage would definitely push him out as the scapegoat. But this blame was far too heavy—he couldn't shoulder it.
However, he didn't know that Yuki Kiyoi was inwardly cursing up a storm. His chakra was almost depleted, the surrounding flames showed no signs of dying down, and the explosive tags raining from the sky were shaking him to the core, making him feel like vomiting blood.
But he couldn't vomit. Absolutely not. If he did, his handsome and cool image would be ruined.
The guys up above were being too ruthless. They'd already destroyed 99 ships. Couldn't they leave just one for Kirigakure?
This invasion had barely started, and the fleet was almost entirely wiped out. If they let someone return to report and stir up trouble for the Second Mizukage, wouldn't that actually help Uzushiogakure?
...
"Jun, what do we do now?" The Second Elder frowned as he watched the Ice Release user below. "This guy is definitely no ordinary ninja. With such power, he's practically at Kage-level, yet he was hiding in the rear."
Uzumaki Jun nodded. Of course he was strong. At this point, he was almost certain this narrow-eyed guy was the Third Mizukage. After all, he had attended the first Five Kage Summit.
And most of the attendants at the first Five Kage Summit later became the Second Kage of their villages.
Except for this guy, who was forced to wait until the Third. He must've been smiling on the outside but cursing inside.
He'd been promised that serving as the First Mizukage's attendant and attending the summit would guarantee his succession. But he'd been cheated, ending up as the Third.
Uzumaki Jun didn't know if the Third Mizukage harbored resentment toward Hozuki Gengetsu for stealing the Second's position. But even if he didn't, their relationship couldn't be good—otherwise, why keep him in the rear and not let him command? Clearly, they didn't want him earning achievements, afraid he'd compete for the next Mizukage position.
As for claims that it was to protect the Yuki clan's genius...
Uzumaki Jun could only scoff. In Konoha, they also kept the Uchiha from earning achievements to "protect" them. And what happened in the end? Both clans were nearly wiped out. But the Yuki clan suffered even worse, not a single one remained.
Why? Uzumaki Jun suspected it was because the Yuki clan had produced a Mizukage. The Uchiha wanted to produce a Hokage but failed, leaving only one survivor. The Yuki succeeded, so they were exterminated.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was the Child of Prophecy. How could the Yuki clan compare?
Ah, thinking about it was just sad.
As for why the Kaguya clan was also wiped out, Uzumaki Jun figured they must have competed for the Mizukage position too.
You're just like the Uzumaki, a bunch of reckless idiots with no Child of Prophecy in your clan, yet you still wanted to be Mizukage? So they were wiped out, leaving only one, who then met Orochimaru...
The last brainless one fell in love with Orochimaru, wanting to offer his body. But Orochimaru wasn't interested, he only wanted the Uchiha's. But Sasuke was the Child of Prophecy, destined to save the world. Did they really think he'd die so easily?
So Kimimaro sacrificed his body, and Sasuke devoured Orochimaru whole.
Thus, after wandering the ninja world for years and seducing so many pure souls, Orochimaru wasn't about to just settle down with some ordinary person and return to the village to raise kids.
"No, let him go," Uzumaki Jun said after some thought. "This can't go on forever. Save some explosive tags for the main force."
He wondered what would happen if he let this guy earn some achievements. Would he feel grateful to Uzushiogakure?
But Hozuki Gengetsu's face would definitely turn green. After going through so much trouble to steal the Second's title and block Kiyoi's achievements, who would've thought...
Only one ship remained, and it was saved by this damn Yuki brat. Meanwhile, he'd been beaten to the point of crying for mercy. All his pre-war preparations had gone to waste.
"Ding—"
"Gained 90,000 reputation points."
Huh? Where did this sudden reputation come from? Had Komaki and the others succeeded? But 90,000?
He remembered only about 50,000 Uzushio ninjas were participating in the war. Where did the extra come from? Unless... Some have reached intermediate or advanced admiration levels.
So now he had 91,000 reputation points. What could he exchange for them? To ensure victory? After all, there were still two tailed beasts and a Kage-level opponent waiting for him.
"Prepare to retreat," Uzumaki Jun said after a moment.
"The mist ninjas chasing the First Elder and the clan head have already turned back. Now we regroup at the designated location."
It seemed these mist ninjas had noticed something was wrong here and abandoned their pursuit of the First Elder and the others to return.
He wondered how the First Elder and the clan head were doing. After all, the older generation of the Uzumaki clan was a key part of their victory. Though their strength might not reach Kage-level now, their sealing techniques were masterful.
Hadn't Sarutobi Hiruzen, at 69 years old, still managed to seal the First and Second Hokage along with Orochimaru's arms?
Perhaps the First Elder and the others weren't the strongest, but their chakra reserves were vast. They didn't need to seal a god of shinobi—even if each of them sealed just one limb, they could overwhelm the Mizukage through sheer numbers.
True, many of Uzushio's younger elites had died in the war against Konoha, but...
The older generation had plenty of strong ninjas.
It couldn't be helped—their vitality was just that strong. Uzushio would probably have to figure out how to handle an aging population and retirement plans later.
"Yes!"
...
Underground Shelter
Though Uzumaki Jun had prepared in advance, the conditions in the underground shelter were still far from ideal. Dark, damp, and filled with the tension of war, everyone was anxious and fearful—especially after the violent tremors earlier.
They worried about their children, wives, husbands, fathers, and mothers. Were they safe?
The sound of quiet sobbing was the only noise in the dim shelter.
Kushina saw this and immediately understood the task Jun had given her. But as a five- or six-year-old child, she had no idea what to do. And she was worried too—about her father, her grandfather, her uncles... about the daimyo, and about Uzumaki Jun.
She might be mischievous and adorable, but...
She was still just a child.
But remembering Jun's task and his promise, that he would definitely protect Uzushio—Kushina believed in him completely. Because Jun was so smart, he told stories, sang songs, and did so many amazing things.
So she had absolute faith that Jun and the others would succeed. But faced with this situation, she didn't know what to do.
Panicked, she looked around, but no one could help her...
The nearby ninjas only scanned the surroundings vigilantly, their faces cold and silent. Clearly, they wouldn't be of any help.
"I can do this. I can do this." Kushina clenched her small fists, encouraging herself inwardly. Because Jun had said she could do it. With this thought, she suddenly felt more confident.
Taking a deep breath, she stood in front of everyone and called out in her childish voice, "Everyone, don't worry. The clan head and Lord Jun will definitely succeed!"
But the crowd only glanced at her indifferently.
Seeing this, Kushina felt a bit disheartened. Just as Jun had said, this task wasn't easy at all.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, she shouted, "Let's sing a song!"
"Do you know how to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?"