At that moment, all three hundred medium-sized fishing boats
had been converted into three hundred warships.
Uzumaki Shori watched as everyone finished assembling.
"Assembly complete. Board the ships and set sail!"
The Uzushio Ninja of the Land of Whirlpools lined up neatly and boarded the warships.
They rode the wind and broke through the waves, setting sail!
As the Second Uzukage, Uzumaki Shori
led the Uzushio Ninja into battle.
Elder Keimei and the various squad leaders headed to different ships.
One warship was noticeably larger than the rest. It held the Command Room for the entire fleet.
Only Tsunade stayed by Uzumaki Shori's side.
Uzumaki Shori instructed the communications ninja to relay his orders.
"Look at the war map. We absolutely cannot let the war spread to the mainland of the Land of Whirlpools."
"Fighting Kirigakure at sea would put us at a disadvantage, too."
"There are two small islands between us. Father, take everyone there first to set up. Of the twelve hundred Rocket Launchers, deploy eight hundred, splitting them between the two islands."
"I'll lead the warships in two waves from two directions and launch the remaining four hundred to kill their ninja and damage their ships."
"This area lies directly between the enemy and us. The sea terrain is complex, and the region is vast."
"Without supplies, they can't reach either the Land of Water or the Land of Whirlpools, so we can force them to head for the islands to recuperate."
After spending three days thinking through the strategy and completing the arrangements, his mood was somewhat heavy.
He took a deep breath and left the Command Room,
then watched the sea from the deck.
Tsunade walked over to Uzumaki Shori and spoke.
"I'll join you on the raid. With me there, I can protect you."
As soon as she finished speaking,
the calm sea changed.
Waves surged, tilting the warships by sixty degrees.
The sea could turn rough in an instant, and the warships converted from medium-sized fishing boats still struggled to withstand its fury.
He grabbed Tsunade's hand
and ran back to the Command Room.
They were still half a day's sail from their destination.
"Pass down the order: use chains to secure every ship together. It'll make them more stable and help hold back the waves."
The communications ninja responded at once, forming Hand Seals.
"Ninja Art: Telepathic Communication Technique!"
This technique was modeled on the Mind Transfer Technique, but could only be used to communicate.
Elder Keimei received the order and immediately ran onto the deck. Watching the three hundred ships draw together, he took up the chains and linked them.
They had barely finished connecting the ships when a huge wave swept over them.
The chains linking the three hundred warships pulled taut, and the entire formation tilted.
Uzumaki Shori sensed trouble. He let go of Tsunade and told her not to go outside.
He hurried onto the deck and formed Hand Seals.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Chakra gathered in his throat, and he spewed out a massive curtain of water to block the waves.
The two forces canceled each other out, and the waves gradually subsided.
The Uzushio Ninja gazed at the Second Uzukage with admiration.
Jiraiya wiped away his cold sweat.
"Orochimaru, things have gotten off to a bad start. We nearly had to swim home before the battle even began."
Uzumaki Shori recovered his chakra, still drenched in cold sweat himself.
He turned and saw Tsunade looking at him with concern.
He waved to show her he was fine.
The warships had nearly capsized in the waves, and they still had to deal with the recoil from the Rocket Launchers.
He turned and ordered the communications ninja to relay his instructions.
"Don't undo the chains. Split the ships into three groups. One will come with me, and the other two will head to the two islands."
"Uzumaki Shori, come look!"
Tsunade pointed toward the two islands ahead.
Uzumaki Shori took a deep breath and passed down his orders.
"Sensory Ninja, activate the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and keep watch for Kirigakure's large warships. The other two groups, proceed to your designated locations."
"Tsunade, are you sure you want to come with me? We don't know what dangers we'll face."
"Don't worry. If we run into trouble, I can still save your life. Grandma Mito taught me the Reverse Summoning Technique. I can protect myself when things get dangerous."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Uzumaki Shori and replied.
The Sensory Ninja closed his eyes tight. His mental energy clung to his sensory chakra, allowing him to monitor targets within a radius of dozens of kilometers.
Suddenly, ten black specks gradually grew larger.
Ten large warships from Kirigakure had appeared.
Suddenly, blood spurted from his mouth.
Uzumaki Shori hurried over at the sight.
"Lord Uzukage, they're thirty kilometers away. I tried to look inside the ships, but one of their experts detected me. Now I can only watch the ships' movements from the outside."
Now that the enemy had detected them, they needed to change their strategy. He turned to the communications ninja.
"Disconnect our ships from the chains and spread out to the designated locations. Put both Rocket Launchers on a single ship."
"After firing the Rocket Launchers, abandon that ship and move to another warship."
"Sensory Ninja, keep scanning. When they're ten kilometers away, wait for my signal."
He had to find out what kind of experts the enemy had.
"Tsunade, stay here and guard me. I'm going to test myself against their expert."
As he spoke, Uzumaki Shori sat cross-legged on the floor, activated Body Control, gathered his chakra, and formed Hand Seals.
"Sensory Ninjutsu: Mind's Eye of the Kagura!"
His mental energy clung to his sensory chakra and flew thirty kilometers away.
He locked onto the target. Kirigakure's ten large warships appeared before him.
He took a deep breath and ventured inside to probe them.
His mental-energy chakra wound its way among the ships.
The Mizukage sensed another stream of mental-energy chakra entering.
He closed his eyes and focused.
Mental-energy chakra burst from his body.
The two forces tangled together.
The Mizukage's mental-energy chakra was more aggressive. He launched an attack laced with genjutsu,
while Uzumaki Shori was only there to gather information and avoided fighting back against the Mizukage's genjutsu.
He activated Body Control, dulling his sense of smell and hearing while amplifying his perception and chakra control.
He darted from place to place, gathering information.
As Body Control took effect, he gained greater control over his mental-energy chakra, consolidating it into a dense mass. Then he slammed it into the Mizukage's mental chakra.
He quickly withdrew.
Inside the warship, the Mizukage's eyes snapped open.
The pain from the other man's mental-energy chakra slamming into his made him eager for a fight. His smile made his handlebar mustache twitch, and he was practically fired up.
"A Sensory Ninja just infiltrated our warships. The Land of Whirlpools actually dared to launch a direct attack."
Suikazan Fuguki didn't dare look the Mizukage in the eye.
"Lord Mizukage, please grant me Samehada. I'll lead the charge and test their strength. If they're strong, you can deal with them."
"Forget about Samehada. I'll use it to deal with the Land of Whirlpools myself."
Hozuki Gensei was shrewd. The Uzumaki Clan were famous for their vast chakra reserves, which gave Samehada a considerable advantage.
As he spoke, he gritted his teeth.
I haven't forgotten what happened when they ambushed us last time.
I hope the Uzumaki Clan kills him.
Suikazan Fuguki had no choice but to turn to the Mizukage for help.
Hozuki Gengetsu had no interest in such matters.
He waved his hand, dismissing him.
"Sensory Ninja, find the Uzushio Ninja from the Land of Whirlpools."
His mental-energy chakra returned to the Command Room, and he deactivated Body Control, restoring his bodily functions to normal.
Uzumaki Shori smiled at Tsunade.
"Kirigakure's forces match the intelligence we gathered."
"That gives us a better chance of winning."
Before you continue