When Ninjutsu Fails, Use Science and Technology

"Captain Zimu, do you think Prince Xun's plan will really work?" An Uzushio Village ninja asked, the worry on his face impossible to hide.

With things having reached this point, could they really protect the Land of Whirlpools?

Their opponent was Kirigakure!

One of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, with several Bloodline Families, while they only had the Uzumaki Clan...

Although the Uzumaki Clan had quite a lot of people—how else could they have founded a country?

Their high-end combat strength was limited, though. They did not even have a Kage.

"It will definitely work." Zimu Uzumaki said seriously. "Because... we cannot lose."

That was right!!

They could not lose. They absolutely could not lose. Once they lost...

Their homes, families, and clansmen would all disappear. Even their property would be seized by others.

Everyone fell silent.

"Don't look so gloomy." Captain Zimu smiled faintly. "Believe in Prince Xun, believe in the Clan Head, believe in the daimyo. We will win."

Still, everyone could see the worry in Captain Zimu's eyes. Yet they had no other choice now but to trust Prince Xun's method.

"How are you doing with the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu? And the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags?" The captains exchanged looks. This would not do. The war had not even begun, yet morale was already low.

How could they fight a great battle with such poor morale?

But they had no way to encourage them, so they could only redirect their attention first.

Under Prince Xun's arrangements, the captains copied down the ninjutsu first, then their team members copied from them, saving time. Everyone had already finished copying them on the road.

"Focus on the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags first," the captains said. "Use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to deal with them in the early stages."

"Yes," the team members replied.

"Go now. Place the Explosive Tags in the areas you are responsible for. Hide them well. Bury them in the dirt, put them in trees, or even weigh them down with stones. The key is concealment."

"Also, don't hide the Explosive Tags in the central area too well. Let Kirigakure discover them, but don't make it too easy. Use those tags to draw their attention."

"Yes!!"

"According to information sent back by our spies seven days ago, Kirigakure has already begun preparing its fleet. They will likely set sail within two days." The Clan Head looked at Xun Uzumaki, who was holding a strange bamboo-tube-like object and examining it curiously. "Little Xun, what is that thing in your hand?"

"Oh, this? Clan Head Uncle, it's a telescope." Xun Uzumaki lowered the telescope and handed it over. It was not yet Year 60 of Konoha, so telescopes and televisions probably had not appeared yet.

Seven days ago!

That meant they had already been traveling for five days. It took roughly ten days to get from Kirigakure to the Land of Whirlpools, so they had about five days left to prepare.

Xun Uzumaki pondered this. Afraid of being detected by Kirigakure's people, they had found a higher position and used the telescope to observe.

He had tens of millions of Explosive Tags on him. He refused to believe they could not take down a few ships.

The question was how to place the Explosive Tags somewhere the enemy would not notice. Could Sea Mines work?

But the thought of competing with Kirigakure in water made Xun Uzumaki feel uneasy. The Uzumaki Clan could not beat them at that!

The Uzumaki Clan had no real techniques. They just fought head-on—with Chakra, with vitality. When enemies met on a narrow road, the tougher side won. But they could not outmuscle their opponents now!

They had too few people and were not strong enough. Trying to defeat others in their own field was simply a dream.

So underwater Explosive Tags would not work either!!

If only he had Deidara's Clay Bombs.

After thinking it over, Xun Uzumaki took out his Molotov Cocktails. Fortunately, technology could exist in this world. Otherwise, he would not even have been able to refine gasoline himself!

As for why he had not made explosives, it was because the shinobi world already had Explosive Tags. Earth Explosives were troublesome to make and troublesome to use, were rather large, and cost too much. They were not worth it.

As for petroleum...

There was a small Oil Field within the Land of Whirlpools. He had stumbled across it by accident back then. In the Land of Whirlpools, this stuff was considered demon blood!

The entire shinobi world probably saw it that way, since no plants could be grown on any land near an Oil Field.

That was why nobody went to that part of the Land of Whirlpools.

Refining it was troublesome, though. The tools available were still primitive and inconvenient, and his professional knowledge was lacking. Right now, he simply could not make anything that could use petroleum.

He could only do things the crude way!

"What is this now?"

The Clan Head had been looking around through the telescope, but when he noticed Xun Uzumaki taking out something else, he lowered it. This thing was quite good. It could greatly expand his field of vision, allowing him to see far away without using Chakra or sensory abilities. Kirigakure would not be able to notice it easily either.

He looked down at the pile of bottles and jars Xun Uzumaki had placed on the ground and asked in confusion.

"Molotov Cocktails," Xun Uzumaki said. "Once lit, they cannot be extinguished with water. In fact, the more water you pour on them, the fiercer they burn."

He refused to believe that the power of science, combined with the strength of an entire nation, could not beat Kirigakure. He had also secretly given some Molotov Cocktails to the guards heading into battle. Once Kirigakure gathered together to make camp, they would throw them over. If Kirigakure still dared to camp after failing to find a way to put out the flames, Xun Uzumaki would have no choice but to admire them.

There were simply too few of them. If he had more, he would secretly take a ship to Kirigakure and douse their entire shinobi village in gasoline. He refused to believe the Mizukage would still dare invade after that.

"Is that true?!" The Clan Head and Clan Elders picked up the bottles and jars from the ground in shock. These things were that powerful?

"Wouldn't that make them like Amaterasu?" the Great Elder asked doubtfully. "Those black flames that exist only in legend."

"Not the same." Xun Uzumaki curled his lip. Aside from being unable to burn people to death, Amaterasu could burn anything. Gasoline, meanwhile, could set anything on fire and was especially effective against Kirigakure. Water simply could not put out a gasoline fire. If they were facing Sunagakure, it might be a little troublesome instead.

The output was too low, though. That was because he had only secretly produced it with a few guards. This kind of thing could not be revealed casually!

Once other shinobi villages discovered it, the Land of Whirlpools really would be doomed. And then it would not just be Kirigakure coming after them.

This thing was practically a weapon of war!

He had not dared reveal it earlier, either. In the early days, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha had practically been best buddies!

Though it had been one-sided, and that one side had been the foolish Uzumaki Clan!

If he revealed it, Konoha would probably get it too!

"That's true." The Great Elder nodded. After all, those were flames from myth. These little bottles should not compare to them.

"They are for burning Kirigakure's ships," Xun Uzumaki said. If he had not been worried about Kirigakure discovering them, he would have long since taken out tens of millions of Bows and Arrows, tied Explosive Tags to them, and launched a rain of Explosive Tags. As for why he was not using Shuriken?

Shuriken were too expensive. For disposable items, Bows and Arrows were more cost-effective. There was no shortage of wood here. Exquisite bows and arrows were difficult to make, but simple ones would do. They were only meant to carry bundled Explosive Tags, not shoot people. As long as they could be fired over, that was enough.

He had prepared the bows and arrows long ago, but had distributed them all to the other ninjas. With an Explosive Tag encirclement and a rain of Explosive Tags, he refused to believe Kirigakure could remain uninjured and unfazed when buried under money.

They needed to understand: forget about invading the Land of Whirlpools. The Land of Whirlpools was poor!

All their money had been spent buying Explosive Tags. Even if Kirigakure destroyed their country, they would not get a single coin.

Besides, the later Land of Waves was poor and weak, which was probably connected to Kirigakure. After all, the Land of Waves had been established on the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools. Xun Uzumaki refused to believe Kirigakure had nothing to do with it. He guessed that the Land of Waves had originally been intended to choke off the Land of Fire, since the Land of Whirlpools bordered the Land of Fire. But Kirigakure had not expected to close itself off from the world and suffer such a sharp decline in strength. In the end, they no longer dared cause trouble lightly for fear of Konoha discovering them, and the matter was left unfinished.

"Will it really work?" The Clan Head and Clan Elders looked at Xun Uzumaki doubtfully again. Could these little things truly not be extinguished with water?

If they failed, they would be exposed!