In a ninja battle, no one knew who would win until the very end.
Uzumaki Shori smiled as he surveyed the crowd around him.
"I, the Second Uzukage, will lead everyone to victory. Now, please report to Uzumaki Sasuke."
After witnessing the spectacular battle, their spirits soared, and the crowd shouted in unison.
"Yes, Lord Uzukage! We all believe in you!"
Though Kirigakure's powerful forces had invaded, the Uzumaki Clan's morale remained high. They stood united, and Jiraiya couldn't help admiring them.
Seeing that their morale was strong, Uzumaki Shori nodded to himself.
"Uzumaki Jiro, take Tsunade to the hospital to treat my father. The other two, come with me. I'll show you our trump card for this victory."
"Let's set out now." Uzumaki Shori led Jiraiya and Orochimaru to the Rocket Launcher Factory.
Uzumaki Sasuke was gathering the ninjas and instructing them to write Sealing Scrolls, using the materials arranged by Elder Keimei.
He quickly assigned ordinary members of the Uzumaki Clan to install the explosives in the warheads. Once that was done, they would assemble everything.
The final step was his: activating the "Sealing Scroll: Chakra Capacitor" and placing it inside the rocket launcher.
Soon, Orochimaru arrived at the factory entrance with Uzumaki Shori. He looked up at the enormous factory, converted from a warehouse.
Ordinary members of the Uzumaki Clan, who had no chakra, bustled about, hauling materials in and out. They carried supplies inside and brought out cylindrical warheads.
"Lord Uzukage, it seems your entire clan is mobilized, even the ordinary people. With all this activity, you must have some kind of secret weapon."
Uzumaki Shori was amazed by Elder Keimei's talent for organization. As the saying went, an elder in the family was a treasure; his management skills were truly impressive.
Many clan members were also building a second and third Rocket Launcher Factory.
The strength of numbers was especially evident now. The ninjas alone weren't enough.
The Uzumaki Clan's eight hundred ninjas could save time by focusing on more suitable tasks.
"This factory is where the Uzumaki Clan has developed a new weapon to fight Kirigakure."
As he spoke, Uzumaki Shori walked inside. Orochimaru watched the materials being carried in and out. Most of them were explosives.
He frowned. Were they planning to bury the explosives along the coast? But the Land of Whirlpools was surrounded by the sea on all sides. How much good would that do?
He shook his head and went inside to take a closer look. The ordinary people were handling tasks that didn't require chakra, while the remaining three hundred ninjas were drawing Sealing Scrolls.
Two hundred ninjas were channeling fire-style chakra into the scrolls. Orochimaru couldn't help admiring the level of their Sealing Jutsu.
But when the parts were put together, he couldn't make head nor tail of them.
Jiraiya watched the ninjas assemble the rocket launcher with an easygoing air. It was a meter long. He hefted it in his hands to judge its weight.
"Second Uzukage, what's this thing for? Do you load it with explosives and have a ninja throw it? But it's so heavy. Wouldn't it be better to attach an Explosive Tag to a shuriken?"
Uzumaki Shori's mouth twitched. How had Jiraiya come up with the idea of having someone throw it?
"Jiraiya, you're right. It's meant to be launched, but not by a person. Come with me."
"Uzumaki Jiro, go tell everyone I'm going to test-fire the rocket launcher. Don't let the explosion startle them."
Orochimaru was eager to see how powerful the combination of a Sealing Scroll and explosives would be.
When Uzumaki Sasuke saw the Second Uzukage arrive, he hurried over to greet him.
"Lord Uzukage, the rocket launcher's twenty-four I-Beam Launch Rails aren't finished yet. Should we wait until they're ready before test-firing it?"
Uzumaki Shori shook his head, then gestured for Jiraiya and Orochimaru to follow him to the training ground to test-fire the rocket launcher.
Jiraiya didn't put down the rocket he was holding. Instead, he hoisted it onto his shoulder and headed for the training ground.
They found an open space at the training ground. Seeing a tree on the opposite hillside, Uzumaki Shori nodded.
The rocket launcher had a range of nine kilometers and a speed of ninety kilometers per hour. This spot was just right.
Uzumaki Shori formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall Technique—Modified!"
He raised the soil into a single-barreled rocket launcher. Since the earth wasn't sturdy enough, he formed Hand Seals again.
"Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"
It could make the earth harder than rock. The two techniques worked perfectly together to create a single-barreled rocket launcher.
"Jiraiya, put the rocket you're holding into the launcher. I'll demonstrate the power of our new weapon."
Curious, Jiraiya inspected the launcher. What could the two things possibly do together? He shoved the rocket inside.
"I'll give it a try. Uzukage, tell me how to start it."
Uzumaki Shori thought for a moment, then nodded. He held up his index finger to test the wind, calculated the projectile's trajectory, formed Hand Seals, and adjusted the launch platform.
"Good. You can operate it. Take the fuse and move farther away, then feed it fire-style chakra. It'll launch successfully."
Elder Keimei arrived at the training ground with the squad leaders just then. Seeing them panting, Uzumaki Shori looked puzzled.
"It's like this, Lord Uzukage. We've only heard you talk about the rocket launcher's power, but we haven't seen it for ourselves. We came to watch the test."
Uzumaki Shori still felt a little pressure about the test. If it failed, the squad leaders might lose all hope.
He looked up at the sky. The weather was lovely.
"Get started, Jiraiya. Give everyone a good look. I've already aimed it at the target—the tree ahead."
Seeing how many people had gathered, Jiraiya immediately regretted agreeing to test-fire it himself.
He went to the launch position, steeling himself, and gathered fire-style chakra. He channeled it into the fuse and waited two seconds. Nothing happened. Had he done it wrong?
Suddenly, a loud boom rang in everyone's ears.
The rocket shot into the sky, and its second-stage ignition made it accelerate.
With a whoosh, it glided down through the air at ninety kilometers per hour, struck its target precisely, and exploded.
The rocket's explosives had been enhanced by fire-style chakra, giving them three times the power of ordinary explosives.
The entire tree was blown to pieces. Metal fragments scattered everywhere, leaving numerous small, deep craters at the impact site.
Jiraiya watched the rocket soar into the sky, then strike its target moments later. The tremendous blast left him completely stunned.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted, revealing his astonishment.
This was already on par with a B-rank jutsu, yet it didn't require a jonin to use. Even students at the Ninja Academy could operate it. The battlefield might change with the advent of new weapons.
Elder Keimei stood with his mouth agape, dumbfounded. Lord Uzukage's talent was unmatched. How had he come up with this weapon? It seemed the Uzumaki Clan had heaven's favor.
"Lord Uzukage, we'll do everything we can to produce more rocket launchers within three days."
Uzumaki Kyokei was so delighted that he jumped for joy.
"I'll head back and start making equipment!"
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