The Future Path of the Land of Whirlpools

"Since that's the case, let's rest for tonight first..."

However, before Hozuki Gengetsu could finish speaking, Explosive Tags went off in the camp again!

Fuck, was this ever going to end?

Hozuki Gengetsu rose angrily and shouted, "What's going on?"

Were they provoking them again? Did they think the Mist Ninja would stupidly send men out like before? What a joke. Did Hozuki Gengetsu look like he had no brains? Or did all Mist Ninja have no brains?

"What's going on?" Hozuki Gengetsu asked the Mist Ninja who entered in a low voice.

"Not sure. It's Shadow Clones again. The moment we send people out to intercept them, they dispel their clones," the Mist Ninja said.

The same trick again—did they think Kirigakure would fall for it? Heh!! What a joke. Go ahead and bombard us this time! We refuse to believe your tiny little country is really that wealthy!!

"Ignore them. Rest tonight," Hozuki Gengetsu said. They had started fighting the moment they came ashore. Before they had even won, Uzushio's ninja had hurled a barrage of Explosive Tags at them, and their earlier losses had been severe. Their spirits were low and they were exhausted, so they needed to rest for a day and prepare to fight again tomorrow.

No matter what, he was determined to destroy the Land of Whirlpools. Did they really think Hozuki Gengetsu was made of paper? That he had no temper? Even if he returned to Kirigakure and was condemned and stripped of his position, he would still crush the Land of Whirlpools, establish a colony, restrain the Land of Fire, and prove that his strategy was right. He would show them that only under Hozuki Gengetsu's leadership could Kirigakure achieve prosperity and strength.

He was Kirigakure's Second Mizukage, after all!

He had seized the position of Mizukage from the hands of a Kage bodyguard who had attended the first Five Kage Summit. Hozuki Gengetsu's reputation was not undeserved.

Could a mere small country really be beyond the reach of the Mizukage?

"Looks like Hozuki Gengetsu has gotten smarter," Xun Uzumaki said regretfully. This time, he had actually refused to send ninja out to intercept them? Though Xun had expected it, he still felt a little reluctant.

It would have been great if they could slowly send out a few men at a time and let the Uzumaki Clan wear them down...

"As for wanting to rest?"

That depended on whether the Uzumaki Clan would allow it. They wanted to sleep peacefully on Uzumaki territory? What a joke. No matter how one looked at it, this was the Land of Whirlpools. How could they let them sleep happily?

Besides, the Uzumaki Clan had never feared staying up late against any enemy.

"Send out Shadow Clones and use Explosive Tags," Xun Uzumaki said after thinking for a moment. "Don't do it too frequently. Set off some Explosive Tags at intervals. The main goal is to disrupt the Mist Ninja and keep them from sleeping."

"Yes."

The Uzumaki ninja below answered.

"Also, have everyone with nothing to do get some rest. Ignore everything else," Xun Uzumaki said. "But arrange sentries around the perimeter."

"Use a rotation system. Replace some people at intervals so everyone stays alert."

Another aspect of guerrilla warfare was draining the enemy's mental stamina. In that regard, the Uzumaki Clan had a considerable advantage. They might not excel at anything else, but they had boundless energy!!!

"Yes!"

Once he saw that everything had been arranged, the Clan Head and the Great Elder approached. Smiles had remained on their faces ever since they had wiped out Kirigakure's cannon fodder.

"Aren't you going to rest?" the Clan Head asked with a smile.

"In a while," Xun Uzumaki said. "I want to see what arrangements Kirigakure makes next. Besides, I've already had my real body go to sleep. This is a Shadow Clone."

Seeing that Xun Uzumaki had made arrangements in advance, the Clan Head and the Great Elder said nothing more. Though Xun was still young, no one underestimated him. He truly was a mature child. With a melancholy sigh, they reflected that this was all because of their own mistaken decision to trust others too easily.

Fortunately, they had Xun Uzumaki. Otherwise, they would not have known what to do.

They had never expected Kirigakure to send so many ninja. If they had charged in screaming like they used to and fought head-on, the Land of Whirlpools would probably have truly been destroyed. This style of warfare was somewhat underhanded, but...

It felt so satisfying! Kirigakure had dared invade the Land of Whirlpools?

The Clan Head sat beside Xun Uzumaki, sighed, and gazed mournfully at the sky. "I wonder what path the Land of Whirlpools should take from here on out."

That was right. The end of the war was merely another beginning. To anyone, the Uzumaki Clan was a piece of fat meat: their immense vitality, unbelievable Sealing Jutsu, and Chakra capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts. All of it was temptation to others!

Even if they won this time, what about next time? And the time after that?

Others would likely still make a move. This time, there was only Kirigakure. Next time, it would probably be two major ninja villages joining forces. Especially with their friend Konoha behind them—who knew when it might stab them in the back, planning to inherit the estate.

Hearing the Clan Head's words, Xun Uzumaki looked up at the sky. During his time here, he had also considered how the Land of Whirlpools should develop. After all, only if their country became strong in these troubled times would they have the ability to protect themselves. But...

It would not be easy!

Why did the Ninja World War happen?

Wasn't the official answer distrust among ninja and a lack of proper communication?

So history taught them that separating themselves from the people was unacceptable. It would cause them to lose vitality and productivity.

Only by rooting themselves among the people and serving the ninja could the country develop and society remain peaceful. Therefore, ninja had to join the great family of production.

It was precisely because ninja had been separated from the people for so long that they developed a sense of superiority, began to disregard life, and thus created war. Of course, interests were another factor. Training ninja cost money, after all. If they did not kill people, where would the money come from?

Farming? Don't joke around! Ninja knew how to wield blades, not hoes!!

"If the Land of Whirlpools wants to develop, everything must be torn down and rebuilt," Xun Uzumaki said after thinking for a moment. Seeing that the Clan Head and the Great Elder did not interrupt him and instead looked at him encouragingly, Xun continued, "For instance, Uzushio Village can be abolished." Such a tiny place actually had a ninja village. A country with just over a hundred thousand citizens actually had a ninja village. Wasn't that ridiculous?

The Clan Head and the Great Elder immediately frowned at Xun Uzumaki's words, but they still did not interrupt. Though they did not understand what he meant, the one-country-one-village policy had been proposed by the God of the Ninja World. Hadn't it ended the chaos of the Warring States Era?

If the ninja village were abolished, where would ninja come from?

"Establish a new system and train ninja in the name of the state," Xun Uzumaki said. It was not that Hashirama's one-country-one-ninja-village system was bad. At the very least, it had ended the chaos of the Warring States Era. But it had also turned the Shinobi World's personal feuds and small-group conflicts into wars between nations. Once such wars erupted, they became large-scale clashes between ninja. Though they kept the situation within a certain scope, still...

More people died...

Especially once ninja formed groups, classes emerged. Given enough time, trouble would follow in droves. Therefore, the system best suited to the Land of Whirlpools now was an imperial system. Only by establishing an imperial system and concentrating all strength at a single point could the Land of Whirlpools develop. Ninja should be trained as soldiers and receive ideological and moral education from childhood, so they understood that strength existed to protect the people and the nation!!

Furthermore, ninja could not be allowed to separate themselves from the people. Ninja education had to be made universal. Only then would ninja cease to be shrouded in mystery and be accepted by the people.

At the same time...

"The Land of Whirlpools must take in some refugees. There are simply too few people for it to develop."