"Yes! Seal off the sea!"
Orochimaru's holographic image stood at attention. He raised his right hand and gave a slightly stiff military salute.
The blue light flickered twice in the air.
"Snap."
The image shattered into a shower of electronic snowflakes, vanishing completely.
The Hokage's office returned to its dim light. Only the cold wind from outside the window stirred the ashes from the paper on the mahogany table.
Konoha, Shipbuilding Base No. 3.
The red air raid siren lights spun wildly. The piercing siren tore through the salty sea breeze.
On the concrete dock, thousands of ground crew ninjas in black vests were running wildly.
The rubber-soled shoes made a "pat-pat" sound as they stepped on the ground.
"Pull the hose! Fully open the water valve!"
High-pressure water jets shot out from the cement pipes and slammed into the giant dry dock.
Large patches of white foam rose to the surface of the water.
A colossal steel beast, a kilometer long, lay on the water's surface, its manganese steel shell reflecting the cold light of a searchlight.
Chakra.
At the top of the island superstructure, a plume of white steam billowed from a thick copper pipe chimney.
"Waaaaah--!"
A deafening blast of the ship's horn erupted, the sound forcefully pushing aside the oil slick on the sea surface.
This mobile steel fortress has moved.
On the edge of the Land of Water, near the sea.
A thick, gray fog blanketed the sea, obscuring any human figure beyond ten meters.
The seawater lapped against the side of the boat. "Splash!"
The sea was packed with ships, tens of thousands of them.
There were three-story wooden warships, dilapidated fishing boats pulling nets, and even bamboo rafts hastily tied together with hemp ropes.
The planks were pressed tightly together, rising and falling with the waves.
It made a crunching sound that made your teeth ache.
The Third Mizukage stood at the bow of the flagship.
He was wearing a dark blue robe. The right sleeve was empty.
His right arm, severed by an electromagnetic pulse in the Land of Iron, was held in place by two splints. A thick white cloth hung from his neck.
A sharp, throbbing pain shot out from the gaps in the broken bones.
Mizukage gripped the wet wooden railing of the ship's side tightly with her left hand.
With a flick of his fingers, his fingernails dug several deep marks into the wood grain.
A cold wind carrying moisture blew by, and he shivered.
"Maintain the Hidden Mist Technique! Don't stop!" he roared, turning his head to the side.
My throat is as dry as sandpaper. My voice is cracking.
On the deck, a dozen or so Kirigakure Jonin cross-legged.
He Hand Seals and recklessly drew out his Chakra.
A Jonin was deathly pale. Two streams of blood flowed from his nose, dripping onto the deck.
He didn't wipe it off, gritting his teeth as he continued to exhale white smoke.
The cabin below was crammed with civilians and Genin.
The cabin reeked of sweat and the sour smell of vomit.
A five- or six-year-old boy huddled in a pile of burlap sacks, shivering from the cold, his mouth open as if to cry.
The woman next to him, her face covered in mud, quickly covered his mouth.
The woman's palms were covered in cold sweat.
"Don't make a sound." The woman's voice trembled violently.
The entire village has been emptied out.
They smashed all the pots and pans they couldn't take with them and threw them on the shore.
This thick fog is their only fig leaf.
Mizukage turned her head and looked at the white mist ahead.
He released the railing with his left hand and reached for the nautical chart in his pocket. The parchment was slightly damp.
Once you break out of this coastal area, head east.
Escape to those wild seas not marked on the nautical chart. Find a deserted island.
Those land-dwelling monkeys from Konoha would never find them in the sea.
He bit his lower lip; the taste of blood filled his mouth.
This is the last chance for the Land of Water to survive.
The flagship sank with the waves.
A dull thud came from the bottom of the boat.
Sudden.
A strange noise came from within the fog.
It wasn't the sound of waves.
It was the heavy roar of some massive machine crushing the seawater.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble."
The water began to tremble violently. The flagship's deck felt a tingling sensation.
Mizukage stumbled and bumped her back against the solid wooden mast behind her.
The severed arm slammed heavily against the wood.
"Well!"
He doubled over in pain, cold sweat pouring down his back, soaking his undershirt.
"What happened?" Mizukage gritted her teeth and straightened up.
The thick, grayish-white fog ahead suddenly began to churn violently, like a pot of boiling water.
"Waaaaah!"
A whistle blared, even more loudly than a thunderstorm.
It exploded with a deafening roar from the depths of the thick fog.
The sound waves transformed into tangible air currents, like a pair of invisible giant hands.
It directly tore through the thick layer of Chakra mist on the water's surface.
The dozen or so Jonin who were maintaining the Hidden Mist Technique Jonin as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer.
They all coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the deck, convulsing.
The screams were completely drowned out by the roar of the steam horn.
The fog has dissipated.
Mizukage raised her head.
A black wall appeared on the sea less than 500 meters ahead.
A massive steel wall, tens of meters high and thousands of meters long.
Chakra.
The massive bow resembled a giant iron axe cleaving the ocean, forcefully splitting the seawater.
The towering waves, reaching heights of over ten meters, rolled to both sides.
The waves crashed in.
The outermost few hundred wooden fishing boats looked like plastic toys in a washbasin.
It was directly overturned by the waves.
The sound of breaking planks echoed throughout the room, making a series of cracking noises.
Civilians slipped off the deck and fell into the icy sea.
The scream had barely begun when a giant wave gushed into his mouth.
The person bobbed up and down on the water's surface a couple of times before being swept into the undercurrents at the bottom of the aircraft carrier and disappeared.
Only a few broken planks remained on the water's surface.
The Mizukage stared wide-eyed.
The sea breeze rushed into his throat, but he couldn't make a sound.
That steel monster, as massive as a mountain range, blocked out half the sky.
The sunlight was blocked by the ship's hull. A huge shadow enveloped the wrecked fleet of the Kirigakure Village.
On the aircraft carrier's wide deck, a layer of dark blue electromagnetic shields was faintly visible.
Four elevators were operating at high speed, producing a dry, meshing sound as the gears meshed.
Dozens of silver-white Chakra fighter jets were pushed onto the takeoff track.
Blue flames shot out from its tail. The intense heat distorted the surrounding air.
"Boom! Boom!"
Fighter jets were launched one after another and circled overhead.
The six-barreled machine gun under the fuselage was a dark, gaping hole, pointing downwards at the wooden boat.
The belt of the tungsten carbide armor-piercing projectile reflected a cold light in the sunlight.
Under the sea.
Large white bubbles rose to the surface of the water, like a pot boiling over.
Dozens of enormous black spines emerged from the water one after another.
Nuclear- Chakra submarine.
The massive submarine group completely surrounded the Kirigakure fleet.
The submarine's foredeck slid open, revealing twin torpedo tubes.
The red fire control laser struck the wooden side of the flagship.
The red dot flickered on the wood grain.
The side of the aircraft carrier.
The hydraulic armor plates flip upwards.
Two secondary anti-satellite guns, each over ten meters long, slowly emerged from their barrels.
Seawater still clung to the surface of the massive cannon barrel, droplets of which pelted the steel plate below.
The turret rotated, emitting a sickening metallic grinding sound.
Slight pressure applied to the muzzle.
It was precisely aimed at the wooden flagship where the Mizukage was located.
The Chakra Threads began to charge, emitting a blinding blue light.
A strong smell of ozone instantly filled the air.
Mizukage stood on this three-story-high wooden boat.
His flagship, which he was once so proud of, now stood before this steel fortress.
It's as brittle as a crumpled piece of paper.
He released the railing with his left hand, pressing his thumb against his index finger.
I want to Hand Seals.
I want to use a Water Release, at least to create a splash.
Even if it's just hitting this sheet of metal and making a sound.
But his finger got stuck in mid-air, frozen.
The knuckles were deathly pale.
He looked at the fighter jets circling overhead and at the densely packed submarines all around him.
Looking at that giant cannon that could instantly evaporate an entire sea area.
What can we use to fight?
Even if he drained all the blood from his body, the Water Dragon Bullet he unleashed wouldn't even scratch the paint off that piece of metal.
Rebellion became the most ridiculous joke.
Mizukage's legs went numb, and her knees buckled.
"Thump."
He knelt on the wet wooden deck.
The wooden plank made a dull thud.
He was trembling all over as if he had been thrown into an ice cellar; his teeth were chattering.
Mizukage closed her eyes.
Tears welled up in her eyes, mingling with the salty sea breeze, and slid down her cheeks.
It crashed onto the deck.
Faced with absolute dimensional reduction attack.
Even escaping became a luxury for them.