Three jet-black steel monsters revealed their cold, metallic backs on the water's surface.
Seawater flooded into the dry dock.
The turbocharger at the stern of the submarine started up, emitting a deep, muffled roar.
The propeller began to spin. The seawater was churned up.
Huge white waves churned at the stern of the ship.
The hatch on the submarine's bridge slowly closed. The massive hydraulic rods retracted and locked in place.
The massive black hull slowly sank.
The icy seawater washed over the manganese steel casing.
Several strings of white bubbles rose. The three submarines completely disappeared from the surface of the water.
All that remained were Utakata swirling on the surface of the dock.
Orochimaru gripped the stainless steel railing, licking his dry lips.
Shu Shiraishi looked at the water's surface, then put his hands back into his trench coat pockets.
"Let these bumpkins see what they're made of."
The East China Sea. Dark night and high winds.
There was no moon. Thick fog hung low over the sea.
The waves were over two meters high. The pitch-black seawater was like ink that couldn't be dissolved.
One hundred and twenty large wooden warships, arranged in three enormous goose-feather formations, rose and fell on the crests of the waves.
The bow was covered with cast iron. A blood-red, Kirigakure sail hung from the mainmast.
It was puffed up by the sea breeze.
On the flagship's deck.
The Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki, stood at the bow of the ship.
He was wearing a long gray overcoat. He had no eyebrows and a small mustache above his lip.
The sea breeze was too strong, carrying with it a damp, moist atmosphere.
Gengetsu sniffed. "Achoo!"
He rubbed his aching nose and cursed, "This damn weather."
Kirigakure from Kirigakure Jonin him a dry towel.
Gengetsu took the towel, wiped her face haphazardly, and tossed it into the wind.
How far is it from Konoha's port?
The Jonin looked down at the nautical chart. "Less than thirty nautical miles. Expected contact with the coastline in an hour."
Gengetsu placed her hand on the iron hull plating of the ship.
There was a small patch of rust on the cast iron. He rubbed it with his thumb in disgust, but it didn't come off.
What's going on in Konoha?
"No. I didn't see a single patrol boat on the sea." The Jonin grinned.
"Normal." Gengetsu stroked his mustache.
"Those monkeys from the Land of Fire, rolling around in the mud, what do they know about naval warfare?"
He turned around and looked at the massive fleet behind him.
More than a hundred warships cut through the waves, their sides lined with fully armed elite Kirigakure.
Fifty light assault boats were deployed among the capital ships.
This is the wealth accumulated by the Land of Water over several decades.
" Konoha thinks they can stop us by relying on coastal defenses?" Gengetsu sneered.
"First, use dense fog to blockade the port. Then, send the assault boats up and blow up their Chakra ore warehouses."
He patted the Jonin the shoulder. "Tell the men below, once they're in the water, go all out and kill them."
"This sea is under the control of Kirigakure."
The Jonin the order and turned to run towards the messenger under the mast.
Underwater, at a depth of fifty meters.
There are no waves here. The seawater is cold and calm.
Three black Chakra submarines, resembling three ghosts, sailed underwater in a triangular formation.
Inside the No. 1 submarine.
The red tactical lights were on. There was a faint smell of engine oil in the compartment.
The Hyuga Clan's observer sat in a radar chair.
He wasn't wearing Forehead Protector. Blue veins bulged around his eyes, Byakugan seemed to pierce through the dozens of meters of seawater.
"Straight ahead, two nautical miles away, a large number of wooden structures are floating on the water."
The observer kept his eyes fixed on the sky. "One hundred and twenty large targets. Fifty small targets."
The Uchiha fire control operator next to him pulled over the throat microphone. "The numbers match. It's Kirigakure's main force."
He pressed the communication button in front of him. "All vessels, take up attack positions."
"Level the depth. Prepare to fill the torpedo tubes with water."
The submarine dipped slightly. The turbocharger at the stern reduced its speed.
Six circular launch covers slowly slid open onto the thick manganese steel casing.
Seawater rushed into the launch tube.
"Launch tubes one through six. Chakra high-explosive torpedoes fully loaded."
The fire control operator looked at the mechanical sight in front of him. The red crosshair was locked onto the largest flagship on the sea.
"These idiots who pieced together a boat from planks." He gave a mocking smirk.
His hand rested on the red launch lever.
"Send them back to their hometown."
Push the lever all the way down.
The bow of the submarine jolted violently.
Six two-meter-long Chakra torpedoes burst out of the launch tubes propelled by compressed gas.
They resemble six long, black spears, leaving long trails of white bubbles underwater.
They headed straight for the convoy of wooden boats on the sea.
Next came boat number two and boat number three.
Eighteen torpedoes. Drawing eighteen white lines of death.
On the sea.
Gengetsu was leaning against the side of the ship, resting with her eyes closed.
On the right side of the flagship, a sensory-type Kirigakure Chunin lay down on the deck.
He pressed his ear against the wooden deck.
"What's that sound?" The Chunin frowned.
Amidst the sound of the waves, there was a strange buzzing sound.
It looked like something was cutting through the seawater at high speed underwater.
It's getting closer and closer. It's getting louder and louder.
The Chunin scrambled to the ship's side and leaned half his body out to look down.
Beneath the pitch-black sea surface, several white streaks of bubbles are shooting straight ahead.
The speed was beyond his common sense.
"There's something underwater!" the Chunin shouted at the top of his lungs.
The sound changed in the sea breeze.
Gengetsu opened her eyes.
It's too late.
The first torpedo slammed into the waterline of a capital warship.
Thick, three-inch-thick hardwood planks were like a thin, brittle pancake in front of the steel thunderbolt head.
It penetrated directly into the ship's interior.
Impact fuse triggered.
The Lightning Release Chakra, imbued with an array of Explosive Tag, detonated with a deafening roar in the center of the ship's cabin.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar.
The entire warship, weighing over a hundred tons, suddenly jumped upwards on the sea surface.
Then, it was broken in two right in the middle.
Blinding blue-white lightning burst forth from the cracks in the wooden planks, illuminating the night.
A fireball shot into the sky, reaching a height of over ten meters.
Planks, sails, and broken limbs rained down on everything around them.
The surrounding seawater was instantly electrified by the Lightning Release.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions resounded across the sea.
Eighteen torpedoes were fired, and none missed their target.
The sea surface turned into a giant boiling pot.
One after another, the Kirigakure warships were torn to pieces amidst blue and white lightning.
The wooden hull simply could not withstand this level of destructive force.
Huge columns of water rose one after another, carrying scalding steam.
The flagship where Gengetsu was located was affected by the shockwave from the explosion of a warship to the side.
The flagship shook violently.
The mainmast made a grating creak and broke in half.
The blood-red sail crashed heavily onto the deck, crushing three Hidden Kirigakure Ninja couldn't dodge in time.
"Enemy attack! It's Lightning Release!"
The Jonin gripped the broken side of the ship and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Go into the water! Everyone, get into the water and form a battle formation!"
The Kirigakure Ninja jumped out of the burning ship's hold like dumplings being dropped into a pot, leaping into the sea.
This is their usual tactic. Even if the boat is destroyed, the men can still fight in the water.
But today, the sea is not their home ground.
A Kirigakure Chunin just fallen into the water, his soles barely touching the surface.
The remaining high-voltage Lightning Release electric grid in the seawater surged towards them with the current.
The Chunin froze.
He didn't even have time to scream before his muscles convulsed violently. His eyes rolled back and he sank to the ground.
Hundreds of Kirigakure Ninja jumped into the sea instantly became dead fish.
One by one, charred corpses floated to the surface of the water.
The sea breeze carried the pungent smell of burnt flesh.
Underwater, at a depth of fifty meters.
The screams from above could not be heard from inside the submarine.
The Hyūga radar operator watched as the green dots on the screen went out in clusters.
Sixty targets have sunk. Numerous people have fallen into the sea.
Uchiha, the fire-controller, stroked his chin.
"Ignore the people. Dismantle the ship first."
He pulled up his second putt.
Eighteen more torpedoes burst out of the hatch.
On the sea, Gengetsu stood on the violently tilting deck.
His prized fleet was halved in just two minutes.
The water's surface was covered with burning planks of wood. The Kakkō cast a terrifying orange-red hue onto the thick fog.
"Underwater!"
Gengetsu bit her lower lip, and blood flowed into her mustache.
He quickly Hand Seals.
The second wave of torpedoes has arrived.
Three shots directly locked onto the flagship.
"Boom!"
A large hole was blown in the port side of the flagship, and seawater flooded in.
The second shot then hit the keel of the ship.
The entire flagship disintegrated in the explosion.
The massive deck tilted up, sending the Gengetsu flying into the air.
He flipped over in mid-air.
My feet were firmly planted on the undulating sea surface.
Chakra adhered to the soles of the shoes, causing two dents in the water's surface as they stepped on them.
One after another, the Kirigakure warships were broken in two by the explosions.
Burning planks and broken masts crashed into the sea, emitting choking white smoke.
Those elite members of the Kirigakure Sect who could normally hold their breath underwater for half an hour were now reduced to rotten flesh in the icy seawater.
The screams grew fewer and fewer, soon swallowed up by the waves.
Hozuki Gengetsu stepped on the water.
He still held the hand seal he hadn't yet released, but didn't know where to aim it.
We didn't even see a shadow of the enemy.
He watched the sinking fleet.
The skin at the corner of his eye was taut. Several red veins popped out in the whites of his eyes. His teeth were clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.