Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Water was the only country with a powerful navy, which was inextricably linked to its unique island environment. Even the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, which bordered the coast, had not been able to cultivate a navy capable of competing with it. While the Third Mizukage led his ninja and samurai troops by boat to their destination, various ships, large and small, sailed out from different islands and swiftly headed towards the Land of Whirlpools.
The first to arrive were the ships carrying the Hidden Mist ninjas. They were still some distance from the Land of Whirlpools when they leaped from their boats into the water, secretly coming ashore from underwater using the technique of stealth. After a while, the remaining ships arrived, and the samurai on board immediately jumped to the ground. The number of samurai on each ship varied, but when they gathered together, their numbers were immense.
These samurai had previously been exchanged with nearby pirates through various means. As a great power in this sea area, the Land of Water had long controlled the pirates. Now, using them as a cover, they quickly rushed to the Land of Whirlpools to concentrate their forces. Their numbers were approximately one thousand, which was the maximum the Hidden Mist Village could conceal.
However, even with only a thousand men, they were the elite samurai of the Land of Water. Tempered by internal strife, their strength was extraordinary and incomparable to the army of the Land of Whirlpools. Even if the Land of Whirlpools fielded tens of thousands of men, the Land of Water was confident that these thousand men could completely defeat them.
The nearby town showed no reaction to the gathering of the samurai army. When the army had assembled, the commanding general let out a loud roar, and the troops immediately advanced. They marched unimpeded to the front of the town. The samurai general looked up and saw the Hidden Mist ninjas, who had infiltrated first, already there, nodding at them.
Soon, the town gates opened, and the samurai army, led by their general, swiftly rushed in. The town's residents were unaware of the situation outside until the samurai army appeared before their eyes, at which point the entire town immediately fell into chaos.
The sudden appearance of the samurai army caught the town's defenders off guard. They had almost no power to resist and were completely annihilated. The Land of Water's army seemed to have completely lost the demeanor of traditional samurai; they struck without mercy, and even those who threw down their weapons and surrendered were cut down on the spot by the samurai.
This was precisely the situation within the Land of Water in recent years. The conflict between the Hidden Mist Village and the local nobles kept both sides in an atmosphere where civil war could erupt at any moment. Whether it was the cruel atmosphere within the ninja village or the local nobles' self-protection, the ninja techniques and samurai discipline of the entire country were far less gentle than those of other nations.
Therefore, it was not only the defending samurai of the Land of Whirlpools but also the town itself that was subjected to burning, killing, and looting by the samurai. The common people were terrified and trembled, only wishing to save their lives. However, the soldiers of the Land of Water did not even give them this sliver of hope.
If not for the urgency of their march, the samurai of the Land of Water might have plundered this town into an empty shell. Thus, the samurai general met with the leader of the ninja squad to discuss their next move.
The leader of the ninja squad was Hozuki Kagetsu, a descendant of the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu. Even after the Second Mizukage's death, the Hozuki clan still held a crucial position within the Hidden Mist Village. The Third Mizukage also trusted him greatly and entrusted him with the important task of destroying the Land of Whirlpools.
"The barrier of the Land of Whirlpools is indeed troublesome. Even this town required some effort for us to deal with silently," Hozuki Kagetsu clicked his tongue. The samurai army outside had no idea how much effort they had expended to secretly eliminate the reconnaissance soldiers and the ninjas of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Don't complain. If this war ends, your Hidden Mist Village will also receive generous rewards, won't it?" the samurai general said.
"That's true." Hozuki Kagetsu nodded slightly and said, "Although Sarutobi Hiruzen of Konoha was deceived by Lord Mizukage, they might still send people here. You should be careful."
For samurai, the elusive nature and mysterious techniques of ninjas were naturally a great concern, especially in recent years.
The status of ninja villages was becoming increasingly important. Even though the Hidden Mist Village took such measures, the nobles of the Land of Water did not intend to completely break ties. Now, they were using the foreign war to divert internal conflicts.
After organizing the resources and gains from the town, the samurai army and ninja squad departed, leaving behind a town full of ruins and widespread wailing.
This was war; it brought no blessings, but rather one town after another reduced to scorched earth, with the common people being the most helpless victims.
Moreover, the soldiers of the Land of Water did not adhere to military discipline as strictly as those of other nations. Like bandits, they plundered every town clean. They themselves felt no guilt, believing that since it was a war to destroy a nation, there was no need to adhere to discipline. They did the same domestically, so who could criticize them?
Under the surprise attacks led by Hozuki Kagetsu's ninja squad, the ninjas and soldiers of the Land of Whirlpools were unable to organize effective resistance. When they had dealt with one town, the next town had not yet received any news before they had already arrived, repeating the previous scenario.
The air seemed to be filled with the scent of blood, and though the samurai were physically weary, their spirits grew increasingly excited. Their greedy gazes openly looked towards the distance. The outer defenses of the Land of Whirlpools were almost collapsing, and only then did they belatedly concentrate their forces. Before them lay a major town of the Land of Whirlpools. As long as they broke through it, the capital of the Land of Whirlpools would be like a rootless duckweed.
"They've finally reacted. Next will likely be a tough battle, but as long as we win, it means the Land of Whirlpools will have no defensive power left," Hozuki Kagetsu said to the samurai general after reviewing the reconnaissance intelligence.
"Heh heh, what's there to fear? With the meager military strength of the Land of Whirlpools, if we attack with all our might, won't it be easy?" The samurai general laughed and shook his head.
"That's right. In the past, the Land of Whirlpools could contend with us by relying on the Land of Fire's army, but on their own, they don't have the ability to withstand a full-scale attack from our nation's elites," Hozuki Kagetsu said.
Even though the Land of Whirlpools had a ninja village and possessed unique sealing and barrier techniques, it simply couldn't bridge the gap in strength between the two sides. The ninja squad led by Hozuki Kagetsu was a considerable force within the entire village. How could the isolated Land of Whirlpools contend with them?
"Everyone, rest for a bit. We'll decide the outcome in one battle soon, not giving the Land of Whirlpools any chance to catch its breath!" the samurai general shouted loudly to his troops.
All the soldiers cheered joyfully. Even as they sat and rested, they imagined the coming scene of slaughter. They had no psychological burden whatsoever, and winning this battle would bring generous rewards when they returned home. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round, and the morale of the samurai army was extremely high.
Hozuki Kagetsu let most of the ninjas rest, while a small number of sensory and intelligence ninjas went out to gather information. He himself leaned against a rock, lost in thought. All along the way, the Land of Water's army had not encountered any significant resistance. While this was due to the disparity in strength with the Land of Whirlpools, it was also too easy. Had that guy Sarutobi Hiruzen really been completely deceived?
Hozuki Kagetsu felt that if Konoha ninjas had indeed arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, they were likely staying in the town ahead. He hoped their strength wouldn't be too weak; otherwise, this mission to destroy the Land of Whirlpools, while satisfying, would also be a bit boring.
— — Hey, hey, the Konoha Ninja Village can't really be that incompetent, can it? And you, Land of Whirlpools, you don't really have no masters, do you?
Hozuki Kagetsu gazed intently at the distant town, as if trying to see through it. He slowly moved his hands, stroking a scroll at his waist. Inside it were ninja blades forged by the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, using ancient craftsmanship he had collected. Their power was extraordinary. Because the internal conflicts had not fully erupted, these ninja blades had not yet tasted blood. He hoped to use them now.
As the soldiers of the Land of Water pondered, the soldiers within the town were also extremely nervous. The Land of Whirlpools had always been disinclined to conflict, and given its small size, its domestic army originally numbered only a few thousand, most of whom had not experienced war and had limited training. They were no match for the ferocious forces of the Land of Water.
The Land of Whirlpools was also limited by its size; the entire village had only a few hundred active ninjas. While sealing techniques were marvelous, they couldn't be fully used as a means of direct combat. The most suitable role for Uzumaki ninjas was support, but now they were precisely being asked to act as warriors to fight against the Hidden Mist ninjas.
The Land of Whirlpools had not failed to anticipate being drawn into war, but the daimyo and others in the country had always believed that other nations would target the Konoha Ninja Village as their primary objective and would not concentrate their forces against the Land of Whirlpools. Consequently, plans for military garrisons from the Konoha Ninja Village and other proposals were rejected by the nobles of the Land of Whirlpools, who cared about their own status. Now, they were tasting the bitter fruit of their complacency and self-importance.
The commander standing on the city wall nervously watched the Land of Water's army stationed in the distance. He, of course, didn't believe that the Land of Water intended to negotiate; they were merely resting temporarily. If they truly had an intention to negotiate, the previous towns wouldn't have been in such a state. From the barely gathered intelligence, he could sense the cruelty of the Hidden Mist ninjas.
"Can we really protect the Land of Whirlpools?" the commander asked the middle-aged man beside him.
That middle-aged man had red hair streaked with a bit of white. He was the current leader of the Hidden Eddy Ninja Village, Uzumaki Masanori. After the previous leader, Uzumaki Ashina, died, he inherited the position of village leader, controlling the ninja forces of the Land of Whirlpools. At this moment, his brows were also tightly furrowed, his expression bitter, filled with unease, fear, tension, and other emotions. Hearing the commander's question, he paused slightly, then gave a helpless bitter smile, saying, "I don't know. My wish, of course, is that we can save the entire Land of Whirlpools."
"Alas, if only we had known, we should have cooperated properly with the Konoha Ninja Village back then. No matter what, the First Hokage was an in-law of Uzumaki Mito, and the current Hokage can also be considered a relative. Moreover, the Konoha Ninja Village is a large and powerful entity; they wouldn't truly covet our small place," the commander sighed mournfully.
"What's the use of saying these things now? Can it bring back the lost territory?" Uzumaki Masanori also sighed. "I regret it too. I should have persuaded the daimyo to cooperate with the Konoha Ninja Village. If so, the entire country wouldn't be in this situation."
Uzumaki Masanori felt a trace of shame for the innocent civilians who suffered. Originally, these people could have been saved, but this was the outcome.
"No matter what, the only thing we can do is protect the Land of Whirlpools with all our might," the commander said.
Uzumaki Masanori nodded slightly. Fortunately, there were still some ambitious individuals in the country. Although they couldn't change the entire nation's policies, they could prepare a fallback. The clan members who went to the Land of Whirlpools with Uzumaki Kushina back then were all excellent bloodlines of the family. Even if the Land of Whirlpools was completely destroyed, it would mean that the bloodline had not been cut off.
At the same time, Konoha ninjas had indeed arrived in this country, but their numbers were limited. They promised to do their best to cover the retreat of the Land of Whirlpools' citizens. Therefore, as long as they could hold off the Hidden Mist Village's attack, then more of the Land of Whirlpools' bloodline could be preserved!
Regarding the actions of the daimyo and others in the past, Uzumaki Masanori no longer intended to say anything, only deciding to take responsibility for his previous actions. He would stake his life to protect the retreat of the Uzumaki clan. Therefore, he had already put life and death aside, intending to burn his life to its fullest.
At this moment, the Land of Water's army seemed to have finished resting and slowly stood up. Although there were only a thousand of them, the pressure they exuded was as if facing a vast army. The samurai leader rode out on horseback, and with the amplification of a secret technique from a Hidden Mist ninja nearby, his voice carried to the city wall.
"Listen, people on top! As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender on the spot, we are willing to spare your lives. Even for those from the Hidden Eddy Ninja Village, as long as you are willing to hand over the scrolls passed down within your village, we are also willing to spare you."
"Heh heh, do you believe those words yourself?" Uzumaki Masanori also amplified his voice with a secret technique, saying with a sneer.
"Of course, I don't believe them. I just don't know if you fools will believe them. After all, domestically, I've also encountered bandits and brigands who were clearly desperate but still harbored thoughts of being recruited. But it seems you still have some brains," the samurai leader laughed heartily, then his expression turned cold, and he drew his sword, waving it forward.
"Charge!"
Behind him, the samurai immediately raised their bows and shot a large number of arrows, while the Hidden Mist ninjas used Water Release ninjutsu, forming numerous Water Dragon Bullets in the air. In an island nation like the Land of Whirlpools, water vapor was abundant, greatly reducing the cost of using Water Release secret techniques. When a group of Hidden Mist ninjas used them, they seemed to be inexhaustible.
The barrier of the Land of Whirlpools possessed powerful defensive capabilities. Relying on this, even though the town that the Land of Whirlpools' soldiers depended on was not tall, it still couldn't be easily breached, and the same applied to the ninjutsu of the Hidden Mist ninjas.