Chapter 281: Filling Land to Create Sea!
Glancing at Iwagakure, Hyuga Fuji retracted his gaze and slowly landed on the deck of a warship.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, stood at the bow. Seeing Hyuga Fuji land on the ship, he approached and said, "Thank you."
"It's a small effort, no need for thanks." Hyuga Fuji's blue eyes glanced at Yagura before quickly looking away. "Do you need me to transport you directly into the Land of Earth?"
"No need. We'll handle the rest. If all goes well, we can manage the Land of Earth."
Seeing Hyuga Fuji avert his gaze, Yagura secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The aura emanating from Hyuga Fuji was suffocating, making it difficult for Yagura to maintain his composure.
His Byakugan—or rather, what was no longer just Byakugan—was a terrifying power. Hyuga Fuji had never stopped advancing.
Reflecting on this, Yagura said, "Iwagakure excels in Earth Release. Over the past two years, they've built a grand canal that runs through the Daimyo's residence. Our goal is to steer the fleet into that canal and strike at their heart."
At this, Yagura gave Hyuga Fuji a peculiar look.
The reason the Land of Earth dug this canal was connected to the Land of Snow.
In the past, the Land of Snow lagged behind other nations in many ways, with an underdeveloped economy. But it was situated at a high altitude, receiving snowfall year-round, making it the source of many rivers in the ninja world.
These rivers were formed by small streams, which originated from the melting snow and rainfall of the Land of Snow's glaciers.
Both the borders of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth had international rivers sourced from the Land of Snow. Previously, when the Land of Snow was weak and neutral, no one paid much attention to this. But now…
The Land of Wind no longer existed, and no one cared. Even the local residents hoped the Land of Snow would divert water to their area. The Land of Earth, however, couldn't be so carefree. No one could tolerate having such lifelines controlled by others.
Thus, the Land of Earth went to great lengths to dig the canal, aiming to bypass the Land of Snow and draw water directly from other sources, ensuring their lifeline was no longer at the mercy of others.
Hyuga Fuji asked, "You plan to use your strengths to attack their weaknesses, using a navy against an army?"
Hearing this, Yagura turned his gaze to the massive fleet behind him, full of confidence as he said:
"Exactly. Other nations have focused on land-based warfare, developing technologies suited for land battles. But our Water Release ninjutsu, summoning beasts, and maritime technology are unmatched. We have a powerful navy that can navigate the complex waterways freely. The Land of Earth, being landlocked, has almost no defense against maritime threats."
"After all, the Land of Earth is known for its Earth Release, with incredibly sturdy defenses and expertise in using terrain for battle. Their technological advancements over the years have primarily focused on land-based weaponry. On rivers and seas, our warships can completely suppress them!"
This wasn't the Land of Earth's fault. Ninjas could walk on water, and previous wars were primarily land-based. Naval warfare was rare; nobody had ever attacked the Land of Water this way. Even the Land of Water hadn't considered such tactics before.
Faced with this situation, the Land of Earth could only swallow their pride and use their army to fight the navy.
And if the Land of Earth didn't want to use their army against the navy?
Then they would have to watch as the enemy established strongholds along their coastal and river regions, leading to a slow death.
Hyuga Fuji nodded, surveying the surroundings with interest. "There's still three kilometers to the canal. Are you thinking of…"
"Exactly as you think."
Yagura smiled and picked up the communication device, issuing orders to the entire army.
"Leave five thousand men here to establish a base. The rest, summon your summoning beasts."
A total of twenty thousand ninjas had come to the Land of Earth. Thanks to early implementation of the chakra dissemination plan, Kirigakure's ninja numbers far exceeded those of other nations.
Aside from the three thousand ninjas left to build the coastal base, the rest who had summoning beasts began performing the Summoning Technique.
""Summoning Technique!""
In an instant, white smoke billowed as thousands of summoning beasts, including giant whales, large octopuses, and sea monsters, appeared before the warships.
People of the ninja world often overlooked the fact that the ocean was far larger than the land, with vastly more abundant resources. There were countless sea creatures that could serve as summoning beasts.
When the upper echelons of Kirigakure took the initiative to help trusted ninjas capture and allocate these creatures, a formidable summoning beast army was formed.
"Main cannon ready!"
The Six-Tails Jinchuriki sat in the warship's firing chamber, and upon hearing the command, quickly channeled his chakra into the main cannon. As his chakra flowed, the cannon began to vibrate, and a bright blue light grew increasingly dazzling.
"Tailed Beast Chakra charged! Countdown: three, two, one! Fire!"
The warship's main cannon flashed with blue light, and as the countdown ended, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki boosted his chakra output to the maximum. The main cannon was instantly enveloped in a brilliant blue glow. With a deafening roar, a massive beam of chakra shot from the cannon, tearing through the air toward its target.
Wherever the beam passed, intense chakra waves filled the air, the ground was ripped apart, and rocks and trees were vaporized. A massive semi-cylindrical tunnel appeared ahead, with ocean water flowing into it due to the elevation difference.
Seeing this, Yagura smirked and gave the final command.
"Use Water Release, fill the land, and create the sea!"
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave!"
"Water Release: Giant Exploding Water Shock Wave!"
…
Amidst countless fervent shouts, the ninjas of Kirigakure unleashed the Water Release techniques they had mastered.
Kisame could flood an area with water single-handedly. While individual Kirigakure ninjas couldn't replicate that, together they could. Not to mention, those giant summoning beasts were chakra monsters adept at large-scale Water Release.
With the combined efforts of Kirigakure and the summoning beasts, vast torrents of water surged forward like a tsunami, quickly flooding the land and forming a wide waterway for the fleet to navigate.
A mere three kilometers could be covered in an instant under such force.
"…"
The leader of the Iwagakure rebels, watching the fleet's overwhelming advance from afar, swallowed hard and asked his equally stunned companions:
"Do you regret it?"
The former Iwa ninjas shook their heads blankly.
Regret what? Regret not standing in front of that fleet to be bombarded?
Whoever wants to fight them can go ahead—they certainly don't regret it!
Not far from them, watching the advancing fleet, Bayakushi, hidden in the shadows, fell into silence.
They can do that? Is this what war in the ninja world looks like?
It's not like what he had learned in history.
In that case, how are the Iwagakure ninjas supposed to stop these forces? And what should I do?
Before Bayakushi could figure it out, a piercing gaze shot over from the distance, sending chills down his spine, prompting him to disappear into the Kāma Mark without a trace.
(End of Chapter)