The Weasel Tanks rumbled into the capital of the Land of the Moon.
The Tsukigakure ninja were hiding inside the buildings.
They watched tank after tank drive in.
"Damn it, the walls can't withstand their artillery fire."
"I won't let you get away with this, even if it costs me my life."
Zhiyue, a Tsukigakure jonin, hid inside a building and formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Rising Spears!"
He pressed both hands against the ground. Sharp rocks jutted up, aimed at the advancing tanks.
The tank drivers watched as indicator lights came on inside their control rooms.
"Report: chakra fluctuations detected in the ground."
The Weasel Tanks were equipped with dedicated Chakra Capacitors to detect chakra fluctuations nearby.
Each tank's data was linked to the others, allowing them to overlap and strengthen their monitoring, as well as expand their scanning range.
"Evade based on the chakra fluctuations. If evasion is impossible, activate the defensive barrier," said Yamagami, the tank battalion commander.
One after another, rock spears thrust out of the ground. The tanks began moving quickly to evade them.
The tanks that couldn't evade had their drivers use Chakra Gloves to activate the barrier runes one by one.
The Chakra Capacitors began releasing chakra, lighting up the runes one by one. An oval barrier appeared around each tank.
The rock spears struck the barriers and snapped against their sturdy surfaces.
"The chakra barrier has consumed 10% of its energy. Advance quickly to avoid further energy loss," a tank driver reported over the intercom.
Zhiyue, the Tsukigakure jonin, grimaced. His ninjutsu had no effect. Were these chunks of metal solid all the way through?
"Report: chakra fluctuations detected at the eight o'clock position to the west," the Sensory Ninja announced, scanning the battlefield.
"Tank gunners, aim and fire. All ten Weasel Tanks, fire together," said Yamagami, the tank battalion commander.
"Boom!"
Shells flew toward the building. Seeing them coming, Zhiyue, the Tsukigakure jonin, roared.
"How did they find me...?"
"Rumble!"
The building erupted in a deafening explosion. It was blasted in half and toppled backward.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
Clouds of dust billowed up from the ground, blanketing the western part of the capital of the Land of the Moon.
The tank column finally reached the royal palace.
"Report: a group of Land of the Moon soldiers is charging at us from the south," the Sensory Ninja announced, scanning the battlefield.
All the elite troops of the Land of the Moon had been guarding the royal palace, watching the walls come under artillery fire.
Like the Samurai of the Land of Iron, the soldiers of the Land of the Moon trained only in chakra and did not learn ninjutsu.
"We can't let their artillery keep pounding us. We have to engage them in close combat."
The soldiers drew their swords, raised their shields, and shouted as they charged toward the tanks together.
"You Whirlpool Country scum, prepare to die!"
There were several hundred soldiers, but numbers no longer mattered in the face of modern weapons.
"Kunai Machine Gun gunners, get ready. Aim, and wait for the signal when they're within 300 meters," Yamagami, the tank battalion commander, ordered.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
The soldiers of the Land of the Moon charged forward, shouting.
The tanks had stopped in front of the royal palace. Uzushio Ninja stood beside them, warily watching the enemy charge.
The scene fell silent.
Only the rumble of the engines remained, a stark contrast to the noise of the oncoming troops.
"Uzukage, shall we go forward and take care of them?" one of the Uzushio Ninja suggested.
A glint flashed in Uzumaki Shori's eyes. He waved a hand.
"This is the perfect chance to test the Weasel Tanks."
They were dealing with a small country like the Land of the Moon. If they were facing one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they wouldn't have things so easy.
The enemy's orderly advance was still intimidating to watch.
"Within 300 meters. Tank gunners, fire the Kunai Machine Guns," Uzumaki Shori ordered personally.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Kunai shot out of the machine-gun barrels.
The elite troops of the Land of the Moon shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Raise your shields! They're firing kunai!"
"Raise your shields, quickly!"
The elite troops of the Land of the Moon raised their shields, bracing them from behind as they continued their slow advance.
But the kunai struck the shields.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The barrage came without end. The shields shattered, and the first row fell. The second row stepped up.
The kunai came like a rising tide. The elite troops of the Land of the Moon could only watch as their comrades fell one by one, terror surging through them.
At last, it was his turn. A kunai pierced his shield and struck him. The force knocked him off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground.
Not a single member of the Land of the Moon's elite troops remained standing.
Watching the scene, the Uzushio Ninja swallowed hard.
"I never imagined kunai fired from a machine gun could be this powerful."
Looking at the scene before him, Uzumaki Shori thought that wars might become even more brutal in the future.
"Have the battlefield cleaned up. The rest of you, come with me into the royal palace of the Land of the Moon."
With that, Uzumaki Shori led everyone inside.
Inside the royal palace.
The king sat on his throne, shifting his enormous backside back and forth.
He wiped the sweat from his face with all his might.
"Shabadaba, tell me, why has it gone quiet outside? Did our troops drive the enemy away?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. The Tsukigakure we established in the Land of the Moon is staffed by elites from shinobi villages across the Ninja World," Shabadaba said with an easy smile.
As he spoke, they heard footsteps approaching from outside.
"Your Majesty, listen carefully to those footsteps. They must be our victorious troops returning," Shabadaba continued.
The King of the Moon finally stopped shifting around on his throne and leaned back.
"Now that you put it that way, I feel much better."
Uzumaki Shori walked in and finally reached the door to the hall. He gathered chakra and wrapped his fist in it, then punched the door.
The door was blasted into fragments that scattered across the floor.
Uzumaki Shori's formidable aura surged forth, bearing down on the King of the Moon inside.
The King of the Moon had only just begun to feel at ease when Uzumaki Shori's aura frightened him so badly that he wet himself. Tears streaked his plump face, and snot flew from his nose.
"Shabadaba, didn't you say we were sure to win? Take a good look and tell me who just barged in!"
Shabadaba stared at Uzumaki Shori as he walked in and spoke.
"Are you really that stupid? The enemy has walked in here. Doesn't that mean the Land of the Moon's troops have been completely defeated?"
The King trembled all over. This wasn't how Shabadaba was supposed to act. He'd always said nice things before. Why was he calling him stupid now?
Uzumaki Shori fixed his gaze on Yuanyue and said,
"Yuanyue, King of the Land of the Moon, you seized a merchant caravan from the Land of Whirlpools, claiming its members had stolen secrets and needed to be detained."
"Now, as the Second Uzukage, I've come to see justice done for the merchants of the Land of Whirlpools."
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