Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 404 Lure the enemy deeper
Before the Third Mizukage could recover from his jealousy, the turrets of the Land of Waves' ironclad warship had already turned and locked onto the target.

"Om-"

A piercing charging sound rang out, and a chilling chakra light gathered at the muzzle.

"Fire!"

Six beams of chakra, condensed to the point of being almost tangible, instantly pierced the sky, carrying an aura of tearing everything apart, and hurtled towards the Hidden Mist Fleet.

"Defend! Defend now!" The Third Mizukage roared in fear and panic.

The Hidden Mist Water Release ninjas abandoned their attempts to stir the seawater and frantically formed hand seals, constructing water arrays and water prisons in front of the fleet. The Third Mizukage even personally intervened, rapidly forming hand seals and unleashing a massive surge of chakra.

"Ice Release·Bingyan Tangwu!"

Instantly, massive, incredibly thick ice walls solidified directly in front of "Blood Mist II," firmly protecting it.

Meanwhile, on another Hidden Mist warship, the young Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Yagura Karatachi, also sensed a deadly threat. His petite body erupted with powerful Tailed Beast Chakra, and as he swung his Coral Staff, a defensive barrier combining Tailed Beast Chakra and Water Release rose up, protecting the warship he was on.

The other Fog Shadow warships that were locked on were not so lucky.

The warship, commanded by the new patriarch of the Kaguya clan, had activated its Shikotsumyaku defense, with countless hard bones bursting out to try and resist. However, it was still vulnerable to the chakra cannon, which was powerful enough to pierce through mountains. The chakra cannon directly shattered most of the bone defense, its momentum slightly reduced, and pierced through the bow of the ship.

"boom!"

With a tremendous explosion, the bow of the warship was shattered, seawater rushed in, and it sank rapidly, killing many ninjas on board instantly.

The other three locked-on Kirigakure warships were like paper against the chakra cannons, instantly pierced and torn apart, their hulls exploded violently, bursting into flames, and quickly sank to the bottom of the sea.

In just one salvo, Kirigakure lost four warships!

Upon seeing this, the Sound Ninja of the Land of Waves erupted in deafening cheers, while the Hidden Mist Village remained deathly silent, fear spreading like a plague.

Kakuzu's eerie green eyes gleamed with excitement as he prepared to order a second volley to crush the Kirigakure fleet in one fell swoop.

"Wait, Kakuzu-senpai!" Hiruko suddenly reached out and stopped him.

Kakudo looked at Hiruko with a puzzled expression.

Hiruko pushed up his glasses and calmly analyzed, "The chakra cannon is incredibly powerful, but its charging and consumption are equally astonishing. If you fire several more rounds like this, you might indeed severely injure Kirigakure, but you could also easily drive them away."

Don't forget that Lord Yinying's order was to lure them into Boyue Bay and annihilate them.

"Our surface warships and submarines are limited in number. Once the Fog Concealment collapses and escapes, we won't be able to intercept many, and the number of prisoners and spoils will be greatly reduced."

Upon hearing that the spoils had been reduced, Kakuzu felt as if he had been doused with cold water, instantly sobering up from his frenzy and regaining his rationality.

He stroked his chin: "You're right! We can't scare these mobile wallets away, so what's your opinion?"

A sly glint flashed in Hiruko's eyes: "Slow down the attack frequency, feign weakness, fire the chakra cannons intermittently, maintain pressure but no longer pursue maximum damage with a single volley, continue the underwater wolf pack harassment, but be careful to preserve your strength. Most importantly... the two of us have to personally put on a show."

Kakuzu immediately understood Hiruko's plan: "Feign exhaustion to lure the enemy deep into our territory?"

“That’s right.” Hiruko nodded. “Let the ironclad ships begin a fighting retreat, while the two of us block them on the sea. This will give them the illusion that we’ve used all our trump cards and can only rely on our strongest ships to cover our retreat. As long as we control the intensity, making them think that they can devour us with just a little more effort, we won’t have to worry about them not chasing us all the way to Wave Moon Bay!”

Kakuzu considered it for a moment and thought the plan was brilliant. It would save on the consumption of the chakra cannon, perfectly execute Boss Umino's plan, allow him to stretch his muscles, and see if he could take a few hearts from the corpses of the strongmen of Kirigakure to replenish his inventory.

“Alright! We’ll do it your way! As long as it saves money… oh no, it’s for the perfect execution of the plan, I’ll follow your arrangements!” Kakuzu said righteously.

Hiruko chuckled: "You said it yourself, and I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time."

Kakuzu immediately issued a new order: "All ships, switch chakra cannons to free fire to conserve energy and focus on jamming! The entire fleet shall turn toward Hagetsu Bay and retreat while fighting!"

With the order executed, the frequency of the ironclad warships from the Land of Waves noticeably decreased. They ceased their terrifying salvos and instead fired sporadically. Although still accurate, their deterrent effect was greatly reduced. The three ironclad warships also began to adjust their course and slowly retreat.

Seeing this, Hiruko took a deep breath, leaped off the flagship's deck, and landed lightly on the sea. He gathered chakra in his feet and stood firmly.

Kakuzu also grinned maliciously, followed closely behind, and stomped heavily on the sea, stirring up a wave.

The Third Mizukage, who was far away, had been closely monitoring the movements of the Land of Waves fleet. When he saw that the enemy's artillery fire had weakened, the ironclad ships had begun to retreat, and even two seemingly commander-level powerhouses had jumped ship to cover the rear, he was first stunned, and then a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

"Their chakra cannons are powerful, and they certainly consume a lot of energy! Looks like they're running out of energy! They're trying to escape!" The Third Mizukage excitedly patted the gunwale. "A golden opportunity! We can't let them get away!"

Ao, standing to the side, frowned deeply. As a sensory ninja, he had been carefully observing and analyzing the battle situation.

"Lord Mizukage, something's fishy! Those three ironclad ships may not have run out of energy, and these two... have very high chakra levels. If we pursue them rashly, it might be a trap."

Upon hearing this, the Third Mizukage's fiery temper subsided slightly, but looking at the three high-performance ironclad warships of the Land of Waves, and considering the wealth of the Land of Waves' merchant alliance, greed and a sense of crisis ultimately overwhelmed his caution.

“Qing, your concerns are not without merit, but think about it, how long has the Land of Waves been developing? How can it possess such a powerful navy? If we give them a few more years, will the Land of Water still have a place to stand on the high seas?”

If they blockade us, wouldn't our Water Kingdom become an isolated island at sea?
Therefore, we must nip them in the bud now!
I refuse to believe that they've only been developing for a few years, yet their strength has already surpassed that of my Hidden Mist Village. This must be their limit!

"Pass on my order: full pursuit! Maintain formation! Water Release: continue underwater harassment; Lightning Release: be ready to counterattack at any moment. Strike straight for the Land of Waves' mainland!"

The Third Mizukage's words carried a do-or-die determination, igniting the pirate-like and bandit-like nature deep within the Hidden Mist ninja.

The thought of the Land of Waves' wealth ignited the eyes of the Hidden Mist Villagers, who roared and steered their warships in a full-scale pursuit.

Faced with the Mist Shadow Fleet's aggressive pursuit, the underwater submarine force, following orders, closed in even more boldly. The wolf pack tactics became denser once again, relentlessly tearing at the enemy and slowing down the Mist Shadow Fleet, buying time for the three ironclad ships to retreat. At the same time, it further created the illusion for the Mist Shadow Fleet that "the enemy is desperately covering their retreat."

Seeing the submarine attack intensify, the Third Mizukage was not angry but pleased: "Just as I thought! They're getting desperate! Keep chasing them, ignore these petty harassments, target the Land of Waves!"

Ao, his face grave, stared intently at Kakuzu and Hiruko, who were covering the rear on the sea, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Mizukage, the Land of Waves actually has strong individuals as well. The chakra reactions of these two are extremely strange?"

The Third Mizukage scoffed, "It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot! I'll go and deal with them myself! Once we take down these two, the Land of Waves will be leaderless and will surely fall!"

After saying that, the Third Mizukage leaped off "Blood Mist No. 2," his feet treading on the waves as if walking on flat ground, and rushed straight towards Kakuzu and Hiruko.

On the other warship, Yagura Karatachi jumped off the ship without hesitation, holding a coral staff, and followed in the footsteps of the Third Mizukage.

Soon, the four Kage-level powerhouses clashed violently on the turbulent sea. The Third Mizukage went straight for Kakuzu, whose aura was even more unpredictable and mysterious.

"Ice Release: Ice Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A gigantic ice dragon appeared out of thin air, roaring as it lunged at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu snorted coldly, and the black lines of earth resentment within his body surged, causing the Lightning Release Masked Monster and the Wind Release Masked Monster to appear simultaneously.

"Thunder Escape·Pseudo Darkness!"

"Wind Escape·Press!"

Lightning and wind merged to form a violent thunderstorm, which collided violently with the ice dragon. With a deafening roar, ice shards and lightning scattered everywhere.

On the other side, Hiruko faced off against Yagura Karatachi.

"Coral Staff Kill!"

Although Yagura was young, as a Jinchūriki, his combat instincts were extremely sharp. With a swift movement, his coral staff, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, aimed at Hiruko's vital point.

"Netherworld Escape - Absorption Hole!"

Hiruko extended his palm forward, combining offense and defense, generating a powerful suction force in his palm to try to block the staff strike while simultaneously absorbing Yagura's chakra.

The two moved like lightning, colliding and clashing at high speed on the sea surface, the roar of chakra filling the air.

At first, Hiruko was able to gain a slight advantage by using the strangeness of the Dark Release and absorb a lot of chakra. However, as the battle progressed, Yagura gradually adapted and began to mobilize the tailed beast chakra within his body.

A crimson, violent chakra cloak slowly enveloped Yagura's body, instantly boosting his speed and power to a new level.

"Roar--!"

With a low roar, Yagura's attack became incredibly fierce. As he swung his coral staff, streaks of red chakra blades appeared, forcing Hiruko to retreat repeatedly. Hiruko's absorption speed of Dark Release was far from keeping up with Yagura's chakra burst, and he immediately found himself in a fierce battle.

Fortunately, Hiruko's strength has greatly increased since absorbing the Nether Release technique. Although he is being suppressed, his life is not in danger for the time being.

On Kakuzu's side, thanks to the near-immortality granted by the Earth Grudge Fear, he fought back and forth with the veteran Third Mizukage. He was adept at using the five elemental ninjutsu of water, fire, lightning, earth, and wind, creating endless combinations that even made the Third Mizukage, who was skilled in ice and water ninjutsu, quite troublesome.

"Hmph, the Third Mizukage is nothing special!" Kakuzu mocked as he used Hardening Technique to withstand an ice spike.

The Third Mizukage's face flushed red with shame and indignation, and his attack became even more ferocious: "Evil monster, you're asking for death!"

The fierce battle between the four powerful figures attracted most of the attention on the battlefield. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the ironclad warships of the Land of Waves quickly widened the distance again. Seeing their Mizukage and Jinchuriki take action, the Mist Village's morale soared, and they pursued even more enthusiastically.

Kakuzu and Hiruko fought and retreated as planned, gradually moving towards the Bay of Waves. They seemed to be suppressed, but they were always able to defuse fatal attacks at critical moments, maintaining a delicate balance.

On the Kirigakure side, some Jonin, seeing that the Third Mizukage and Yagura were unable to defeat their opponents, began to get restless and wanted to jump off the ship to join the siege and end the battle as soon as possible.

Kakuzu seized the opportunity and used a combination of Lightning Release: False Darkness and Fire Release: Head Hardening to temporarily force the Third Mizukage to retreat.

He sneered, "Is all Kirigakure knows how to do is gang up on the weak? What a disappointment!"

Hirukoya used a clever Dark Release absorption technique to escape Yagura's continuous attack range and rejoin Kakuzu.

The two exchanged a glance, knowing that the charade had been going on for a while. The three ironclad warships had already retreated to relatively safe positions, and the underwater submarines were also retreating in an orderly manner to provide cover.

"Retreat!" Kakuzu shouted in a low voice.

The two ceased their fight and retreated rapidly, speeding towards Wave Moon Bay.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" The Third Mizukage was not about to give up and immediately gave chase, with Yagura Karatachi following silently.

at this time.

A loud cry came from the distant horizon. A huge desert falcon broke through the clouds and swooped down at an extremely fast speed. As it descended, it was Senju Nawaki who came to meet it.

Senju Nawaki maneuvered the Desert Falcon with a graceful glide, precisely skimming low into the air, and approaching Kakuzu and Hiruko, who were racing across the sea.

"Come up!" Senju Nawaki called out simply.

Kakuzu and Hiruko leaped up simultaneously, landing steadily on the broad back of the desert falcon.

Upon seeing this, the Third Mizukage immediately unleashed a Water Release attack: "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The water dragon roared as it charged toward the desert falcon flying low in the sky.

Senju Nawaki's eyes narrowed, and he formed hand seals, unleashing the Water Dragon Bullet Technique as well.

The two water dragons clashed, yet neither gained the upper hand, before disintegrating and turning into a shower of water droplets in mid-air.

"Shadow Clone Technique!" Senju Nawaki continued forming hand seals.

"Puff puff!"

Four shadow clones appeared instantly, and together with the original body, they unleashed a combined ninjutsu, releasing a massive surge of chakra.

"Water Release: Water Formation in a Wall!"

Instantly, the layers upon layers of water array barriers, like five insurmountable barriers, blocked all the water-style attacks from the Mist Village, and even knocked the pursuing Mist Ninja off their feet.

Hiruko stood on the back of the giant falcon, watching Senju Nawaki's exquisite combined water jutsu technique, a burning light flashing in his eyes.

He pushed up his glasses, his tone inquisitive: "Tree, it's only been a short time since we last met, and your progress in strength is truly astonishing... Could it be that you've awakened your grandfather's bloodline limit?"

As a mad scientist, Hiruko has an extraordinary obsession with bloodline limits. He had long suspected the identity of the ANBU member codenamed "Tree," and now he was even more convinced that "Tree" was Senju Nawaki, and that he had awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release.

(End of this chapter)