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

Chapter 413 The Water Country's Fat Sheep

Each of these old grievances, when settled, is a story of blood and tears.

Kirigakure implemented a policy of elite blood mist, and the total number of ninjas in the village was already far less than that of Konoha, Iwagakure, and other ninja villages. After being hit by Umino Sasuke's repeated blows, Kirigakure lost all its elites.

In terms of high-end combat strength and the number of existing ninjas, the Hidden Mist Village at this moment is probably not even as good as the Hidden Sand Village, which has been defeated and has already surrendered.

No! We still have hope!

Master Yuan suddenly stood up, forcibly dispelling the despair in his heart, his voice hoarse but carrying a hint of determination.

"As long as we in Kirigakure stop fighting amongst ourselves, unite as one, and rely on the foundation and war potential of our Land of Water, the Land of Waves will definitely not be our match! They are just nouveau riche after all!"

Ao, standing to the side, wore a worried expression and couldn't help but speak up: "Elder Yuanshi, I've heard that the Land of Waves has been undergoing vigorous reforms in recent years, inventing high-yield terraced fields, absorbing millions of refugees from the Land of Rivers, the Land of Tea, and other regions, and even annexing Uzushio Village. Furthermore, the Land of Waves Merchant Alliance, a behemoth, provides endless financial support behind the scenes… If given time to transform their population and resources into ninja power and military equipment, coupled with their terrifying naval and air force superiority, I fear our Hidden Mist Village will be—"

"Shut up!" Master Yuan interrupted Qing bluntly. What he needed least right now was this seemingly rational but discouraging talk; what he needed was to boost morale.

"As long as we are united and stop fighting amongst ourselves, we will definitely be able to defeat the Land of Waves! We definitely will!"

Qing realized he had misspoke and quickly chimed in, "The elder is right! We still have a chance! As long as we unite, Wuyin will not perish!"

Under the strong encouragement of the master and the pressure of reality, this remaining Kirigakure force managed to muster a meager amount of morale and, dragging their exhausted and wounded bodies, struggled back towards Kirigakure.

When their utterly miserable group finally returned to Kirigakure, the entire village was in an uproar.

If the news of the complete annihilation of the Wave Moon Bay fleet and the death of the Mizukage was like a bolt from the blue, then the news of the near annihilation of the three thousand ninja troops was like the sky falling and the earth collapsing!
The losses at Waiyue Bay in the past were mostly troops from the Third Mizukage's faction, but the three thousand ninja troops that went on this expedition included elite private soldiers drawn from various ninja clans in Kirigakure, who were the foundation of their standing in the ninja world!
Such heavy losses mean that every ninja clan is severely weakened, or even crippled!

I thought it was risk-free and victory was assured; I was just going to reclaim my spoils. I never expected to be defeated like this!
Panic, despair, anger, doubt, and other emotions continued to spread and fester in Kirigakure.

Without taking a break or tending to his injuries, Master Yuan immediately convened an emergency meeting of senior leaders in his capacity as an elder.

At the meeting, he made no secrets, revealing the detailed course and tragic outcome of the Battle of Whale Harbor, and solemnly described the life-or-death crisis that Kirigakure was now facing.

"...Gentlemen, this is a critical moment for the survival of Kirigakure! The Land of Waves, a powerful enemy, is eyeing our village with predatory intent, seeking to destroy it! If you are still preoccupied with internal strife and concerned with the gains and losses of your own families, then Kirigakure's centuries-old foundation will surely be destroyed in an instant! Then we will be the eternal sinners of Kirigakure!"

Under the desperate appeals of the master and the pressure of harsh reality, the various ninja clans of Kirigakure, who had been locked in infighting, finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

The first to speak was Mizuki Yuki, the patriarch of the Mizuki clan. She stood up and solemnly said, "Elder Yuan Shi is absolutely right! With a formidable enemy at hand, our Mizuki clan is willing to set aside past grievances and fully support the elder to overcome this difficult time together!"

The death of the Third Mizukage means that the Mizuki clan has lost its most important top-tier combat force. She must fully support Elder Genji in order to gain his support and maintain the current situation of the Mizuki clan, which can be described as a win-win situation.

Immediately afterward, the elder of the Kaguya clan, whose temperament was hot-tempered and warlike but who had also suffered heavy losses, also stated in a gruff voice: "That's right! Now is not the time for internal strife! Let's wipe out those scum from the Land of Waves first, and my Kaguya clan will be at your disposal!"

Although Chief Terumi was still fearful, especially of Umibozu's terrifying strength that could take on a thousand troops with a single beast, he could only suppress his personal thoughts in the face of the bigger picture and express his willingness to unite against the common enemy.

Thus, under unprecedented external pressure, Kirigakure miraculously displayed a rare scene of unity.

Elder Yuanshi, with his seniority and tragic spirit, temporarily stabilized the situation and was tacitly regarded by the major families as their temporary backbone.

However, just as Master Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to consolidate his forces for a counterattack on Whale Harbor, an urgent letter requesting reinforcements from the Daimyo Prefecture of the Land of Water arrived before him.

It turns out that after Kakuzu stopped the land pursuit, he carefully assessed the situation and knew that it was unrealistic to launch a frontal assault on the heavily fortified Kirigakure with his limited forces. So he played a trick of feinting to the east while attacking in the west.

He dispatched the Sound Ninja air force, which had been resupplyed, to launch a large-scale feigned attack on the capital city of the Land of Water, where the daimyo's residence was located.

The Sound Ninja Air Force did not launch a full-scale attack on the city, but the overwhelming number of aircraft and cutting-edge chakra weapons still terrified the pampered daimyo and nobles.

Thus, this strongly worded, reproachful letter urgently requesting assistance was swiftly delivered to the overwhelmed Kirigakure village.

Kirigakure finally managed to reach a consensus and completed a new round of emergency mobilization, assembling a ninja army of 2,500 men. They had no choice but to rush to support the Daimyo's capital. Meanwhile, Kakuzu personally led the main ground forces of the Sound Ninja, guided by Hiruko's meticulously planned "wealth roadmap," and began to invade the inland interior of the Land of Water.

Their targets were no longer military facilities, shipyards, and ports, but rather the wealthy inland commercial cities and noble territories. With his extensive knowledge and in-depth research on the history of the Water Kingdom, Biluhu chose targets that were all "fat sheep" with astonishing wealth!
The defense forces of these inland commercial cities and territories might be more than enough to deal with mountain bandits and brigands, but they would be utterly helpless against the well-equipped, highly trained Sound Ninja Assault Team led by Kage-level experts.

Often, the city defenses have barely sounded the alarm when the Sound Ninja have already breached the defenses and stormed into the noble mansions and merchant guild vaults.

Looting, hauling, arson... the Sound Ninja executed the process efficiently and ruthlessly.

Truckloads of spoils, including gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, chakra metals, and rare medicinal herbs, were quickly transported to Whaling Harbor.

By the time news of attacks on inland cities and requests for help reached Master Yuan like snowflakes, the spoils transport team of the Wave Country raiding squad had already made several trips to and from the Whale Fishing Port!
"Damn it! These despicable bandits! Their real target isn't Daming Prefecture at all, but our wealth!" Yuan Shi trembled with rage, finally understanding Kakuzu's feint attack.

He made a decisive move, leaving behind a force of about 500 men to help guard the daimyo's capital, while he personally led the main force of nearly 2,000 ninja soldiers, rushing menacingly toward Diaojing Port, determined to annihilate this despicable "bandit army" and reclaim the plundered wealth.

It must be said that Kirigakure, as one of the five great ninja villages, possesses formidable war potential and the prestige of its elder, Master Genji. Even after suffering heavy losses of elite troops under Sasuke Umino's repeated attacks, they still managed to assemble a ninja army of 2,500 men in a short period of time. A ninja army of nearly 2,000 men is undoubtedly a formidable military force on land.

Kakuzu was well aware of this. He knew very well that the advantage of the Sound Ninja lay in their superior equipment and top-notch combat power, while their disadvantage was a severe shortage of ninjas. In the water, Umibozu and Samehada could exert battlefield dominance comparable to the tailed beasts, and the outcome was uncertain. However, once they were on land, Umibozu and Samehada's combat power would be greatly reduced, and facing the siege of nearly two thousand ninja soldiers, the outcome was unknown.

More importantly, in Kakuzu's view as the "financial manager," every registered Sound Ninja is a valuable asset, a "capital" capable of continuously generating wealth. Sacrificing them in a direct war of attrition against Kirigakure would be an extremely unprofitable deal.

Therefore, after plundering several more richly wealthy targets, Kakuzu decisively ordered the air force to immediately withdraw from the feint attack on Daimyo Prefecture and return to the main battle zone to harass and slow down the march of the Kirigakure main force, thus buying precious time for the last batch of treasure and spoils transport teams to evacuate.

Compared to their previous aggressive approach, the Mist Legion, having suffered heavy losses, has become unusually cautious this time.

Even though the scout ninjas reported that the Sound Ninja of the Land of Waves were retreating in a "hasty" manner, carrying a large amount of treasure and supplies, and moving slowly, the commander dared not order the entire army to advance.

The tragic ambush at Whale Bay is still fresh in everyone's mind, leaving a huge psychological scar on all the survivors.

Looking at the slowly advancing troops and the Sound Ninja air force constantly harassing and attacking from afar, Qing couldn't help but suggest to Master Yuan: "Elder, the Sound Ninja's forces are limited. Why don't we launch a full-scale attack and take them down in one fell swoop, and we'll surely be able to capture them and reclaim the treasure!"

Master Yuan frowned, deep in thought.

From a tactical perspective, Qing's suggestion was undoubtedly correct, and a full-scale assault could very well yield great results. However, Chief Zhao Mei, standing to the side, was filled with worry.

"Elder, we must not be reckless! These bandits from the Land of Waves are extremely cunning, and their greatest skill is setting traps and ambushes. They are now specifically taking routes near rivers and lakes, and it's possible they're trying to lure us into waters where Umibozu and Samehada can excel. If we fall into their trap again, we won't even need the other ninjas from the Land of Waves to intervene; those two monsters alone would be enough to inflict heavy damage on us again, or even... wipe us out!"

Some Jonin who had narrowly escaped death in Whale Fishing Bay echoed this sentiment with lingering fear:
"Yes, Elder, Chief Mei is right!"

"Umibozu is too terrifying; you can't fight him at all in the water!"

"We should play it safe and not fall into their trap again..."

After listening to his subordinates' advice, Elder Yuan was finally persuaded. Reason told him that when facing an enemy with four Shadow-level combat power, no amount of caution was too much.

Kirigakure can no longer afford another crushing defeat like the one at Whale Harbor; that could very well lead to the village's annihilation!
"Pass down the order: maintain formation and advance steadily! Reconnaissance units expand their reconnaissance range, paying special attention to the waterways along the way!" In the end, the Yuan general chose the most conservative and prudent strategy.

Thus, although the Hidden Mist Army had an absolute numerical advantage, it advanced slowly and cautiously, like an old woman with bound feet, giving the Land of Waves' transport convoy ample time to evacuate.

However, just as they crossed the stone bridge over a wide river, a strange change occurred.

"Roar--!"

A deep roar came from under the bridge, and the river water suddenly burst open. A water monster more than ten meters tall leaped out of the river, which was one of Umibozu's water clones.

Although this clone was far smaller than the original, it still exuded a chilling aura. It opened its huge mouth and fired a highly compressed water cannonball, which accurately hit the pier of the stone bridge.

"Boom——!"

The stone bridge snapped in mid-air, and dozens of Kirigakure ninjas who were crossing it were caught off guard and fell into the river with screams.

"Help!"

"There's a monster in the water!"

"what--!"

Before the ninjas who fell into the water could even struggle, they were easily torn apart or dragged into the deep water by the Umibozu clones lurking underwater, and their blood instantly stained a large area of ​​the river red.

"Attack! Attack the monster in the water!" The Mist Ninja on the shore were both shocked and furious, and various Fire Release and Wind Release ninjutsu rained down on the river surface.

However, after completing the surprise attack, the Umibozu's clone immediately merged into the river and disappeared without a trace, leaving only rippling waves and gradually spreading blood.

Looking at the now calm river surface, Minazuki Yuki frowned and said, "This is Umibozu? He doesn't seem as invincible as the rumors say. His strength is probably only at the level of an elite Jonin."

Chief Terumi shook his head gravely: "You don't know this. This is just a clone of Umibozu. Umibozu's complete form is over a hundred meters tall, and its chakra is as vast as the sea. Even ordinary water-style techniques it uses in the water are comparable to S-rank forbidden techniques. Its combat power is definitely no less than that of a tailed beast! Fortunately, we didn't launch a full-scale attack. If the complete Umibozu had been lurking in a large river or lake and ambushed us, even if we could have repelled it with our numerical advantage, we would have paid an extremely heavy price!"

Upon hearing this, Minazuki Yuki gasped, "The complete form is no less than a tailed beast?! How on earth did Umino Sasuke raise such a monster?!"

After this experience, the Mist Legion became even more cautious in their marches, almost to the point of being paranoid.

Whenever they encountered a slightly larger body of water, they would first send out a large number of scout ninjas to repeatedly confirm the location before daring to pass through slowly, which further delayed their march.

When they finally made their way to within a hundred miles of the Whale Harbor, they could vaguely see through their binoculars that the Land of Waves' transport convoy was loading the last loads of treasure and spoils onto the transport ships anchored in the port.

(End of this chapter)