This was the first battle before the war officially began.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire had issued a death order: they had to win—and win cleanly and decisively, so that the ignorant masses across the world could witness the Land of Fire's might with their own eyes.
Thus, the ninja assigned to command this battle was Kitsuchi from Iwagakure.
The logic behind this sounded somewhat strange, but it was a helpless measure. The Land of Fire had supported Konoha for years, yet at the critical moment, Konoha refused to send troops.
Though the Land of Fire had ninja of its own, they still fell somewhat short compared to jonin and elite jonin from the great ninja villages.
So they sought aid from the Land of Earth and sent Kitsuchi—the son of Ōnoki of Both Scales, the Third Tsuchikage—to serve as commander of the opening battle.
There were two warships in total, carrying two thousand death squad members, four hundred samurai, and Kitsuchi himself.
Once the vanguard crushed the Land of Hot Water's resistance, the follow-up forces would leave the border towns one after another. After that...
They would confront the Land of Water head-on.
The warships sped across the sea. At some unknown point, wisps of rising mist had appeared along the horizon.
Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes at the layers of fog, a faint unease stirring within him.
The subordinate standing beside Kitsuchi was also from Iwagakure. Having followed Kitsuchi for many years, he naturally noticed the change in his mood and asked, "My lord, are you worried that the Land of Hot Water has laid an ambush?"
"No."
Kitsuchi shook his head slightly. "Our spies in the Land of Hot Water investigated it long ago. There is no sign of the Extermination Army or Mist Ninja