In terms of results, although the Land of Water's army had fully occupied the islands of the Land of Whirlpools, it had failed to achieve its intended strategic objective. Instead, it had allowed the Konoha Ninja Village forces to return home with the surviving people of the Land of Whirlpools. As the commander, Hozuki Lengyue had hardly covered himself in glory. Despite commanding a force far larger than the enemy's, he had still let them escape. Fortunately, they had not driven him back outright. That would have been more than embarrassing—it would have been utterly humiliating.
To some extent, however, the consequences for the Land of Water were not that serious. The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu was troublesome, but the Land of Whirlpools' geographical position was an even greater problem. It, too, was an island nation, situated in the sea between the Lands of Fire and Water, making it ideally suited to serve as a staging point in a war between them. Now that this major concern had been eliminated, the remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan no longer posed a strategic threat.
In that respect, the Land of Water had the shortsighted leaders of the Land of Whirlpools to thank. Konoha Ninja Village certainly had not overlooked the Land of Whirlpools' strategic importance. Yet, even though it had ultimately evacuated the people, it had still lost the islands. Whatever the reason, that showed how little Konoha Ninja Village had been able to do.
After the Land of Whirlpools Campaign ended, Hozuki Lengyue was ordered to establish a base on the islands, providing an intermediate supply station for the Land of Water's army to land in the Land of Fire. With the Land of Whirlpools occupied, no island nation remained in the intervening sea that could obstruct the Land of