Uzumaki Kai saw the scene of the Kirigakure ninjas and took a deep breath. The power of money was truly terrifying. It hadn't been long, but at least half of Kirigakure's forces had already been wiped out. Though most were just genin and chunin cannon fodder.
But...
So many had died. And what about the Uzumaki clan?
Not a single one had died. The only issue was the pain transmitted back from the shadow clones after such prolonged explosions, which left them mentally fatigued.
But otherwise, they were fine. After all, the Uzumaki clan had nothing if not massive chakra reserves and strong vitality. A short rest would recover them.
They exchanged glances, seeing excitement in each other's eyes. Indeed...
As expected of Lord Jun. This method was absolutely exhilarating.
The only downside was how expensive it was.
But the sound of explosions was so satisfying.
However...
The Kirigakure ninjas on the other side were not happy. Tattered and furious, they glared at the Uzumaki clan. How dare this small country—no, how dare the Uzumaki clan be so shameless, using money to crush them?
Especially Hozuki Gengetsu. He knew that no matter the outcome, his fate was sealed. Forget about the next Mizukage coming from the Hozuki clan. At this rate, he might even lose his position as village leader.
Since when had the Uzumaki clan become so cunning? They were one of the two biggest fools in the shinobi world. How had they suddenly wised up?
This wasn't like the Uzumaki at all. Could it really be the Hokage's scheming behind the scenes? He didn't dare test whether the Uzumaki still had enough money to throw around explosive tags.
The power of the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags was too overwhelming. A single tag unleashed ten times the force. And yet, the Uzumaki within the blast radius were all...
Damn it, they were all shadow clones!
Hozuki Gengetsu's fury erupted. They had been fooled by a bunch of idiots. How infuriating. He glared at the celebrating Uzumaki in the distance. They hadn't even won yet. Why were they cheering?
Did they look down on the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the maritime superpower Kirigakure, or him, the Second Mizukage?
But he didn't dare issue another reckless order. If another round of explosive tags came, they'd really have to retreat to the village. And then, he'd have no choice but to fight the Tsuchikage to the death.
Seeing that the Mizukage wasn't making a move, the Uzumaki clan inwardly sighed in relief.
Though these were just shadow clones, and their destruction wouldn't matter, according to Lord Jun's orders, they had to treat these clones as their real bodies, hiding in the forest to harass the Kirigakure forces.
The Uzumaki members exchanged glances, nodded, and then scattered into the surrounding woods.
What came next wouldn't be solved by simple tactics.
Seeing this, Hozuki Gengetsu also relaxed. Today wasn't the day for battle. It was better to rest. Since the Uzumaki had retreated, the Kirigakure ninjas could find a safe spot to camp and prepare for the next engagement.
But...
This war wouldn't end quickly.
He refused to believe that the Uzumaki fools had come up with this strategy on their own. It had to be Konoha...
The Nara clan! They must have fallen into a trap.
"In that case, Kirigakure will swallow Uzushiogakure whole," Hozuki Gengetsu thought, narrowing his eyes. He turned and shouted to his men, "Find a campsite. Watch out for explosive tags. And..." He shot a cold glance.
"Bring Horiguchi Take to me."
This bastard, as the leader of the vanguard, had failed to detect the explosive tags buried all over Uzushiogakure. Did he want to replace him as Mizukage?
This was practically treason against the village leader!
Horiguchi Take shivered upon hearing the Mizukage's order. There was no escaping this. But such a massive failure was too much for him to bear alone.
He hurried to Hozuki Gengetsu's side, kneeling on both knees, not daring to speak. He could only hope the Mizukage would spare his family, considering his past service to Kirigakure.
This was just an accident!
"You..." Hozuki Gengetsu pointed at him furiously, but...
"Mizukage-sama, the fleet commander requests an audience."
"What is it?"
"It seems... something major has happened."
...
"My, how intense."
A man with slicked-back yellow hair, bare-chested and rippling with muscles—the strongest of the Land of Lightning, the Raikage, A.
The Third Raikage, A, gazed in the direction of Uzushiogakure. Though the distance was great, he could still hear the faint explosions and...
The rising dust.
"Uzushiogakure must be about to fall."
A tiny country daring to have its own hidden village was laughable. They had sealing techniques. They could suppress tailed beasts with their chakra. And now, they'd drawn envy upon themselves.
"Raikage-sama, should we not intervene?"
"No need," A shook his head. "A hidden village without a Kage or tailed beasts, one that's already sacrificed so much in war, doesn't require two great villages to act."
"Kirigakure alone is enough."
"But the sealing techniques..."
"No matter. Kirigakure will hand them over. And..."
"I've already made arrangements."
The tailed beast their village had acquired still needed a home. Perhaps this time, they could get a two-story villa with a garden.
"Yes. Raikage-sama."
A stared at Uzushiogakure, an ancient clan on the verge of annihilation. He couldn't help but sigh. Indeed... weakness was the original sin.
What enviable chakra and sealing techniques.
...
"Lord Jun." Uzumaki Komaki spotted Uzumaki Jun, the clan head, and the elders, immediately lowering his guard and speaking respectfully.
His eyes shone with admiration, especially toward Uzumaki Jun. It was unbelievable. Lord Jun was only seven years old.
"How's the situation?" Uzumaki Jun asked urgently. Though the massive number of explosive tags must have hurt Kirigakure badly...
What if something unexpected happened?
Uzumaki Komaki took a deep breath to calm himself. "The results..."
Indeed, the power of money was beyond imagination.
Hearing Uzumaki Komaki's report, Uzumaki Jun relaxed slightly. The situation was far better than he'd expected. But the coming battles would be even harder, as most of the survivors would be elite fighters.
And the Uzumaki side...
Were all weaklings.
To hold off Kirigakure, they'd have to resort to that method. Otherwise, if Hozuki Gengetsu went berserk and decided to destroy Uzushiogakure at all costs, what could they do?
Even if the Adamantine Sealing Chains could bind a tailed beast, the casualties from fighting the Mizukage would be devastating.
For Uzushiogakure's future, they couldn't afford that. Without enough shinobi, how could they develop?
"Remember, hide at all costs. If you're discovered, relocate immediately."
The next phase of the war wasn't about fighting Kirigakure head-on, but stalling for time—until Kirigakure couldn't take it anymore, until the war ended. That was how Uzushiogakure would win.
"Yes!"