The Uzushio Ninja ships returned one after another, sailing in from the sea.
As their feet touched the damp ground, the tension of being pursued eased. Everyone was grateful to have made it back alive.
"Lord Uzumaki Ashina, the Uzushio Ninja ships have reached the island."
On a small hill on the island, Elder Keimei pointed at the ships swiftly approaching and spoke with delight.
The Uzushio Ninja helped the wounded and headed to the gathering point.
The first battle had ended in complete success, and Uzumaki Shori finally let out a breath of relief.
When he saw Tsunade disembark, he went over to lend a hand, eager to show off his gentlemanly manners.
Tsunade glanced at the hand Uzumaki Shori offered, rolled her eyes, then took it and stepped down slowly.
"I'll go check on the wounded first. The Mizukage's jutsu is quite powerful against Genin."
Seeing Tsunade arrive with medical supplies, the Uzushio Ninja began to tease her.
"Lady Tsunade, could you stay in the Land of Whirlpools from now on? Our Second Uzukage is still single. We'll introduce you to him."
The wounded ninja wore pained expressions but still found time to tease her. Tsunade deliberately increased the pressure.
The injured ninja immediately cried out in pain, but the chakra-enhanced treatment made his wound heal several times faster.
"You're injured, and you still won't shut up? Quiet, all of you!"
Tsunade glanced at Uzumaki Shori, who had been eavesdropping. The moment he realized she'd caught him, he left. A beautiful smile appeared on Tsunade's face.
A Genin hurried over nervously.
"Lord Uzukage, the Captain of the Guard and the others are at the Command Camp, waiting for you."
Tsunade was busy working, and nobody was accompanying him, so Uzumaki Shori had to go alone. He straightened his armor and walked along a narrow path toward the Command Camp.
Inside the Command Camp, a group of people were heatedly discussing the recent operation.
"First Uzukage, the Second Uzukage's command this time was outstanding. Of the ten ships, only five remain, and we must have killed at least half the enemy. We can each take out two of the remaining two thousand."
Uzumaki Kyokei argued the most passionately.
The First Uzukage accepted the praise for his son with a broad smile. Then he sensed a familiar chakra signature and turned to see his son nearing the camp.
"Enough discussion. The Second Uzukage has returned victorious!"
Everyone present rose to welcome him.
"Everyone, sit down. We only won this battle because we took advantage of the enemy not knowing how powerful our Rocket Launchers were and caught them by surprise."
"They won't be so easy to fool next time. Father, your Barrier Ninjutsu is the best. The island is surrounded by sea, so set up a barrier around the camp to prevent a sneak attack."
"Elder Keimei, arrange for everyone who took part in the operation to rest. The enemy will attack again soon, so make sure they conserve their strength."
Elder Keimei hurried off to carry out his orders.
After entering the Command Room, Uzumaki Shori took his seat.
Orochimaru noticed that Jiraiya beside him was staring blankly.
"Is this your first time on a battlefield? Why are you spacing out?"
"I'm just surprised by the power of the Rocket Launcher. Three days wasn't nearly enough time to prepare, and even four hundred of them caused such a commotion."
"Imagine what four thousand—or forty thousand—could do. Uzumaki Shori really is a genius."
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya with mild surprise. "You, idiot, actually think about things like this?"
"The Rocket Launcher seems powerful enough, but do you know what the Five Great Shinobi Villages are? Now that the one-nation, one-village system has been established, we're the five strongest shinobi villages."
"Whether Uzumaki Shori is a weapons genius remains to be seen. We'll have to see if he can invent anything else impressive. But I do acknowledge that he's a genius at Sealing Jutsu."
"The Sealing Jutsu that absorbs and stores chakra is similar to the Cursed Seal I've been researching. The Cursed Seal stores Natural Energy. Perhaps we could exchange ideas."
"To help the Land of Whirlpools resist Kirigakure's invasion, I should make good use of this favor."
Seeing the happy smiles on everyone's faces, Uzumaki Shori let out a quiet sigh.
The Rocket Launchers had been at their most effective during the first attack, and they'd already been used.
The enemy would be prepared next time, so they wouldn't be nearly as effective. After all, each Rocket Launcher was only equivalent to one weakened B-rank jutsu.
Against experts, they would merely consume the enemy's chakra; they couldn't deliver a decisive blow.
A mass launch might work if enough rockets hit at once, but they hadn't had enough time to prepare. With sufficient time, they could have made tens of thousands of Rocket Launchers.
The Land of Whirlpools was also seriously lacking in industrial capacity. They'd had to scrounge materials from all over to get enough, and once those materials were used up, they'd only managed to make twelve hundred Rocket Launchers.
The Land of Whirlpools' economy was in dire straits, and its population was too small as well.
Uzumaki Shori shook his head, driving those thoughts from his mind. Now wasn't the time to worry about such things. He could think about them after they won.
Between the Kirigakure ships, two figures raced across the water. Before anyone could react, they arrived before the Mizukage.
"Greetings, Lord Hokage. I am Kaguya Majen, leader of the Kaguya Clan. This is Minazuki Junhyo, leader of the Yuki Clan."
Kaguya Majen swept his gaze over the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and spoke disdainfully.
"Lord Mizukage, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are too weak to serve as your guards. Why not assign my Kaguya Clan to the job instead?"
"I guarantee the Land of Whirlpools won't even get close."
The Kirigakure shinobi on deck fell silent. They hadn't expected Kaguya Majen to openly say the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were useless right in front of them.
All seven stared at Kaguya Majen. If the Mizukage hadn't been there, they would have attacked him together and taken him down.
Kaguya Majen was completely unfazed by their glares.
"Pick up the pace. We're here to deal with the Land of Whirlpools. We can't let Kumogakure get the spoils."
Hozuki Gengetsu paid no attention to Kirigakure's internal conflict. Only Hozuki Gensei among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen belonged to his clan; the other six had been selected from among the common people.
Control of the Ninja Blades was also in the hands of the Hozuki Clan. Without the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades, their combat strength would be cut by at least half. Hozuki Gengetsu wasn't worried about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen betraying him.
Seeing that the Mizukage had completely ignored him, Kaguya Majen sneered inwardly.
The Hozuki Clan was Kirigakure's largest clan, and the Kaguya Clan was the second largest. His clan wasn't strong enough, so he was always looking for ways to wear down the other clan's strength.
The Mizukage's refusal to heed his words was no surprise. The incompetent would have been driven from the position long ago. Still, he had to say it—he couldn't pass up any chance to weaken his rival.
"Lord Mizukage, I can repair the ships myself. It will only cost ten million ryo."
Hozuki Gengetsu knew Minazuki Junhyo well. The members of the Yuki Clan were all handsome or beautiful, and they lived lives of luxury.
Every time they did anything, they demanded enormous sums of money. Unfortunately, the Yuki Clan held several seats on the Council of Elders, and as long as they didn't make a mistake, there was nothing he could do about it.
"We'll settle the bill after we take the Land of Whirlpools."
Before you continue