Victory

"Did he block everything? Impossible, this can't be!"

Shabadaba stared at the scene, dumbfounded and unable to believe his eyes.

He bit down on a shuriken and slashed his hands again, instantly opening a wound.

Blood. I need blood.

The blood of the soldiers who had died outside the royal palace flowed in.

Streams of blood poured in like a river.

Watching the blood continue to gather, Shabadaba let out a sinister laugh.

"Fortune truly favors me. It's only because so many soldiers died outside that I was able to gather this much blood."

The power of blood could double the Ketsuryūgan's combat strength and activate its Kekkei Genkai.

"Blood Dragon!"

Three blood dragons soared into the air, letting out thunderous roars.

Uzumaki Shori took out a single shuriken and infused it with Wind Release chakra, instantly turning it into a short blade. He formed a Hand Seal with one hand.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

Using the technique to move at high speed, he leaped through the air several times in succession and appeared before Shabadaba. His Wind Release chakra blade slashed straight down, then he leaped back to his original position.

Shabadaba stood frozen in place as blood spurted from his chest.

His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"I lost. I've already lost. The damn Ketsuryūgan, the damn Land of Lightning!"

"I surrender. Don't kill me!"

Shabadaba lay on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he surrendered.

But as he lay there, the Ketsuryūgan in his hand activated on its own, without him noticing.

His chakra vibrated.

Uzumaki Shori sensed something wrong with him. His chakra was clearly surging. He grabbed Yuanyue, who was lying on the ground.

"Get out of the royal hall! Something's wrong!"

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion erupted from the royal hall.

Holding Yuanyue, Uzumaki Shori stood outside the royal palace and watched flames and debris scatter before him.

Faced with the blood-based Kekkei Genkai of Shabadaba's Ketsuryūgan, the palace couldn't withstand the blood explosion.

A hole was blasted straight through the roof of the royal palace.

The royal palace in the capital of the Land of the Moon was engulfed in blazing flames.

Yuanyue looked at the palace that generations of his family had worked to build. His small, bean-like eyes suddenly grew wide.

The people of the Land of the Moon were hiding in their homes, watching from their windows as thick smoke billowed above the palace.

"The Land of the Moon... Our Land of the Moon. It looks like it's been conquered."

The people prayed silently in their homes, hoping they would make it through unharmed.

Uzumaki Shori approached Yuanyue, the king of the Land of the Moon, and stared at him.

"Yuanyue, do you see this palace? Tell me the truth about your dealings with the Land of Lightning."

Yuanyue was so frightened that tears began streaming down his face again. Sobbing, he said,

"It wasn't my fault. The Tsukikage of Tsukigakure came to the capital and told us the Land of Lightning was backing him. The Land of Whirlpools wouldn't dare resist."

"Even if you had resisted, you would've fallen right into their trap. You're allied with Konoha, and the Land of Lightning doesn't want to sour relations with Konoha. They need an excuse to send in troops."

"Once you attacked us, the Land of the Moon would send out a call for help, and the Land of Lightning would send shinobi from Kumogakure to help us."

"Then you'd be right in the Land of Lightning's grasp."

Uzumaki Sasuke angrily stepped forward and kicked him.

Yuanyue rolled over twice and hurriedly said,

"Yes, exactly! You can take me away, just don't kill me. I'm still useful. I'll trade the wealth of the Land of the Moon for my life."

"For generations, the people of the Land of the Moon have stored up wealth beneath the palace. Just let me go like a fart."

Uzumaki Shori called Uzumaki Jiro over and said,

"Get your subordinates to put out the fire, then go inside and look for the wealth the Land of the Moon has accumulated."

Turning to Yuanyue, he said, "I'll give you one chance to atone. Now answer me: do you admit that the Land of Whirlpools defeated the Land of the Moon?"

Yuanyue hurriedly ingratiated himself with him.

"Yes, Uzukage-sama. How could I lie to you? We lost. The Land of the Moon was utterly defeated."

Uzumaki Shori heard the answer he wanted and nodded in satisfaction.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on defeating the Land of the Moon and eliminating the insignificant threat to the Land of Whirlpools. Reward: Puppet Technique +1."

Uzumaki Shori was stunned. An insignificant threat? The system certainly didn't think much of the Land of the Moon.

Then again, they'd launched an attack without causing a single injury. It seemed the system really knew what it was talking about.

The Puppet Technique's knowledge was transmitted straight into his mind.

As the system finished transmitting the knowledge,

his head began to feel a little foggy again as he sorted through the new information in his mind.

This Puppet Technique upgrade included not only the Ninja World's puppet techniques, but also a great deal of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and materials science.

There was simply far more knowledge than in the previous upgrades.

Uzumaki Shori glanced up at the sky. The sun was gradually sinking.

"Everyone, set up camp in the palace square. We'll rest here in the capital of the Land of the Moon today."

Everyone cheered, especially the Daimyo's troops.

They had no chakra and had maintained a grueling pace all day.

Everyone let out a deep breath. They hadn't expected the attack on the Land of the Moon to take only a single day.

They all took out their tents and began setting them up.

"Put your things away, and cooks, bring out the grills. We're having barbecue tonight."

Uzumaki Shori looked at Yuanyue and continued,

"King of the Land of the Moon, come have something to eat, too. We'll discuss what happens next."

Yuanyue obediently came over and sat on a tiny stool, barely large enough to hold a third of his bottom, listening intently.

Uzumaki Shori took a skewer of meat and handed it over, then picked up one for himself and began eating.

Yuanyue accepted it with both hands, saying as he did,

"Uzukage-sama, please rest. I can take care of everything."

Uzumaki Shori ate his meat and said,

"I'm not going to destroy the Land of the Moon. You can rest easy."

The Land of the Moon was a buffer between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Whirlpools didn't have enough people to support a powerful army.

If the two sides clashed along the border, the Land of Whirlpools, as the smaller nation, would be the one to suffer.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Yuanyue's chubby, round face.

"Thank you for your generosity, Uzukage. Whatever conditions you have, just name them."

"That stretch of forest along the border between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of the Moon will be ceded to us. From now on, goods from the Land of Whirlpools must be exempt from taxes."

"The treasures beneath the palace in the Land of the Moon must, naturally, be handed over to the Land of Whirlpools."

"If you agree, put it in writing in two copies so we can keep them on file."

Uzumaki Shori spoke unhurriedly.

As Yuanyue listened to the terms, cold sweat covered his face once more.

"Uzukage-sama, I agree to all of your conditions, as long as you guarantee that I can remain king."

"You're still thinking about keeping your throne?"

Uzumaki Shori looked among the people in the palace and spotted a child who looked remarkably like Yuanyue.

He beckoned the child over.

Yuanyue saw this and immediately cried out,

"Uzukage-sama, I'll agree to any conditions you want. Just don't hurt my son."

"What's your son's name?"

Uzumaki Shori patted the child on the head and ruffled his hair.

"My son's name is Manyue, Uzukage-sama."

"You can't stay on the throne. Hand it over to your son, Manyue."

Uzumaki Shori waved for King Yuanyue to leave.

Yuanyue was genuinely happy this time and ruffled his son's hair, too.

"My son, you're king from now on, understand?"

Manyue was utterly confused. How had he suddenly become king?

Uzumaki Ashina left the camp and was stroking the Weasel Tank.

In his eyes, mechanized troops were the hope of the Land of Whirlpools' rise.