Uchiha's personal opinion

However, the vast majority of them were just low-ranking ninjas used to make up the numbers.

This seemingly powerful but actually bloated ninja army still needed to draw its elite troops to be stationed in the daimyo's capital to guard against the shogunate's direct invasion of the daimyo's capital from the sea.

Two thousand elite ninja were drawn from Daimyo Prefecture alone.

Left with no other choice, the elders had to ask the Mizukage for support. After paying a considerable price, they received a Kirigakure ninja army led by Yagura Karatachi.

Although Yagura's ninja army did not garrison the daimyo prefecture, it was stationed in the county town north of the daimyo prefecture, so that it could provide timely support should anything change.

However, in addition to the western and northern islands that were secretly forming a self-protected separatist regime with the support of the Mizukage, the southern islands in the Kinki region of the Daimyo Prefecture and the eastern islands that had been plundered by the three clans of ninja also needed to be defended. It was almost impossible for the remaining three thousand or so ninja soldiers to control such a wide coastline.

To avoid a repeat of the disastrous defeat where the defenses were easily breached by a mere few hundred shogunate ninja, the elders selected nearly a thousand ninja from the three thousand ninja to form a support force. This force was intended to provide timely support to the various defenses in the event of an attack by the shogunate ninja, while also proactively withdrawing and "strategically abandoning" some less important sea areas.

After a series of elaborate maneuvers, the defense line painstakingly constructed by the elders finally took shape.

The imagined shogunate ninja army never arrived.

……

The shogunate's ninja army would certainly no longer target the eastern islands for attack!

In the last raid, the nobles of the Eastern Islands had been plundered by the Shogunate's ninja army, and most of the major nobles had been killed. Even if they were to be captured again, there would be nothing left to gain. Uchiha Tokumitsu would only choose to land in the Eastern Islands again if he had nothing better to do.

He also needs to rely on war spoils to make up for the deficit in hiring Hanzo the Salamander and the Rain Ninja Army!

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu set his sights on attacking the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Water for this battle.

The achievement of going to Kyoto, which was thwarted by various concerns in the Land of Fire, was intended to be accomplished in the Land of Water. The ninja army's plundering territory was directly aimed at the southern islands of the Land of Water in the Kinki region of the Daimyo's capital.

The core challenge in achieving this tactic is how to conceal the movements of a large fleet at sea, while simultaneously launching an effective feint attack on the eastern islands to mislead the defending Kirigakure ninja forces and thus distract and disperse their strength.

Therefore, even though his ninja army was ready, Uchiha Tokumitsu patiently dispatched a small team composed of members from the three Kirigakure clans to infiltrate the Land of Water and gather intelligence, without rushing to launch an attack.

As for Hanzo of the Salamander, who was the core of the battle, he found the waiting time rather boring and was somewhat worried about the situation in the Land of Rain. However, considering that Uchiha Tokumitsu's employment was on a daily basis, he did not say much. He simply asked the shogunate officials to designate a forbidden sea area as his training ground, and went there to train himself whenever he had free time.

During his training, Hanzo the Salamander was also surprised by the wealth displayed by the Uchiha clan.

He had casually asked Uchiha Tokumitsu for some specially made waterproof explosive tags to improve his Fire Release Secret Technique: Exploding Flame Array. However, Uchiha Tokumitsu waved his hand and had someone send him 10,000 explosive tags made by the Uchiha clan, saying that if the quantity was not enough, he would allocate more.

Such a grand gesture was something even Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of a ninja village, had never experienced.

It wasn't that they couldn't afford to buy or use it, but for the impoverished Rain Village, every useful resource was precious, and Hanzo the Salamander couldn't bear to squander it like that.

But the effects of such lavish spending were indeed immediate.

Uchiha Tokumitsu once shared some profound insights about the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags Technique and the Flying Talisman Formation with Hanzo of the Salamander during the "Discourse Meeting," which inspired his inspiration to improve his ninjutsu.

The original explosive fire array used a trigger mechanism similar to landmines, requiring a large number of explosive tags to be buried underground beforehand, and then detonated to cause damage when the enemy entered the ambush area.

However, after improvements, Hanzo the Salamander combined summoning techniques with his small salamanders from his contracted summoning beast clan to carry a large number of explosive tags and lie in wait underground. This allowed him to bury the explosive tags under the enemy's feet with minimal disturbance, thus achieving rapid and targeted detonation.

Although it is not as agile as Uchiha Tokumitsu's Mutual Multiplication Explosion Tags technique, it has its own unique advantages in terms of concealment.

"As expected, financial resources are the most important thing for a ninja's training..."

After completing the ambush and detonation process of the Exploding Flame Array once again, Hanzo the Salamander wrote his insights into the technique into a scroll, sighing with admiration.

It turns out that the number one ninja clan in the ninja world is incredibly wealthy!

With so many resources and the power of bloodline inheritance, it's no wonder that the Uchiha clan's ninja army was able to dominate the battlefield and remain undefeated in the Second Shinobi World War.

Accepting this job has really opened my eyes!

Suddenly, Hanzo the Salamander's ears twitched slightly.

A figure shot out from behind and landed on a rock behind them.

"Lord Hanzo!"

The newcomer was none other than Amada, a Jonin from the Rain Village.

"what's up?"

Hanzo the Salamander turned around, his eyes, hidden behind a gas mask, discreetly scrutinizing his subordinates dressed in full shogunate attire.

What bothered him the most was the shiny Uchiha fan emblem on Yutian's forehead.

Although changing his headband was for the purpose of concealing his identity, Hanzo the Salamander was still very unhappy.

"Lord Deguang is preparing to hold a pre-battle meeting and requests your attendance."

Yutian said respectfully.

"finally……"

Hanzo the Salamander clicked his tongue, put away the kusarigama that was placed aside, and used the Body Flicker Technique to return to Midway Island.

……

"Operation codename: Knock on the Gate!"

At the Midway Island ninja command post, Uchiha Tokumitsu officially announced the battle plan.

Through the constant reconnaissance by spies from the three Kirigakure clans, the Shogunate has learned almost everything about the Kirigakure Ninja Army, and even the weaknesses in their various defenses are clearly marked on the map.

"The first, second, and third detachments of the Eastern Border Defense Force are responsible for the feint attack on the eastern islands, while the fourth detachment is responsible for mobile support!"

"As ordered!"

The four detachment leaders stood up with their heads held high.

"The First Division of the Red Guard, the Kaguya Squadron, and the 500 Rain Ninja Army have launched a frontal attack from the southern islands!"

"I obey your command!"

"The rest of the ninja forces will follow me into battle!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu stared with his scarlet Sharingan eyes, scanning his subordinates one by one.

Everywhere his gaze fell, everyone stood tall, ready to face Uchiha Tokumitsu's scrutiny with utmost spirit.

"Operational target: Daimyo's residence in the Land of Water!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu threw a kunai, which hit the location of the Daimyo's mansion on the map.

"This battle is between the Shogunate and the Ninja Village. I urge you all to do your utmost to achieve victory!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu pointed his halberd and swore: "In the name of the Uchiha clan, I will never mistreat any loyal and brave man who serves the shogunate!"

"To die for one's lord!"

Surprisingly, the first person to rise and kneel was Hyuga Shuhiro, a Jonin from the Hyuga branch family.

"To die for one's lord!"

Immediately, all the Jonin in the hall knelt down in submission.

Only Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hanzo of the Salamander remained standing.

Witnessing this scene, Hanzo the Salamander was also filled with overwhelming emotions.

Among the kneeling Jonin before him, many were former Amegakure Jonin, only dressed in Shogunate attire.

Is the allure of money really that strong...?

"Mr. Hanzo..."

After Uchiha Tokumitsu rallied the group, he smiled and said to Hanzo of the Salamander, "The upcoming war will be the time for us to fight side by side."

Hanzo, unsure how to respond, placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

……

On October 5th of the 37th year of Konoha, the Tokukō Shogunate launched another large-scale offensive against the Land of Water.

War raged across the southern and eastern islands of the Land of Water, and the Hidden Mist Ninja Army was exhausted from fighting.

On October 10th, under the cover of dozens of small warships, three black-painted ironclad warships, concealed by a barrier spell, quietly appeared in the open sea not far from the port of the Daimyo's capital in the Land of Water at dawn and launched a surprise attack.

This event was later known in history as the "Black Ships Knocking on the Gates".

Chapter 195 The ruthless Uchiha clan lands at a port in the Kinki region.

Uchiha Tokumitsu stood on the bow of the ironclad warship "Ninja Clan Will", observing the chaotic Kinki port ahead.

The shielding barrier set up by the Uzumaki ninjas on the ship could only block sensory ninjutsu, but could not block direct visual observation. Therefore, when the fleet approached, the Kirigakure coastal defense forces in the port also discovered the traces of the Shogunate ninja army.

The stationed Mist Ninja Army was completely unprepared at this moment.

The shogunate's feint attacks on the southern and eastern islands were unusually frequent, so the Kirigakure elders' most elite support troops had been transferred south two days ago to resist the shogunate's harassment. Although the daimyo strongly demanded that the Kirigakure elites be stationed in the daimyo's capital, the elders, who were short of troops, secretly transferred a lot of personnel.

Uchiha Tokumitsu did not have the habit of letting the enemy prepare before starting the battle; after observing for a while, he officially gave the order.

"Fleet combat preparations!"

At Uchiha Tokumitsu's command, the three sailing ironclad ships lined up in a row, propelled by the wind-style ninjas, with their sides facing the harbor. Hozuki and Mizuki ninjas, aboard smaller ships, moved forward on water, while the Rain Ninja mercenaries, acting as a frogman unit, checked their diving equipment.

At this moment, groups of Kirigakure ninja on the shore, urged on by the Jonin of various divisions, jumped into the water like dumplings, using their swimming skills to dive and get close to the enemy.

Just like the tactical simulations conducted by Uchiha Tokumitsu before the battle, when the Kirigakure ninja army discovered the Shogunate fleet, their first reaction was to leverage their traditional naval warfare advantages to offset the disparity in ships.

"Underwater sensing barrier activated!"

The attendant ninja, Uzumaki Kae, took over tactical command.

"Underwater detection lock!"

"Torpedoes ready!"

"Torpedoes ready!"

"Lord Deguang, please give the order..."

Having completed her tactical preparations, Uzumaki Kaori teleported to Uchiha Tokumitsu's side and requested permission to launch a formal attack.

According to Uchiha Tokumitsu's perception, the Hidden Mist ninja who were diving to attack had already swum halfway.

As expected of Kirigakure, the best naval village among the five great ninja villages, without prior preparation, the relatively small number of Kirigakure clans and Amegakure mercenaries fighting underwater would have been in serious trouble.

"Let's start frying the fish!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's face also showed an expectant expression.

Uchiha Tokumitsu hoped to use a torpedo made of specially designed explosive tags to test its effectiveness against underwater ninjas in actual combat.

Thick torpedoes ignited and shot out from the torpedo tubes on the side of the ship, leaving trails of bubbles on the water's surface as they hurtled towards the direction from which the Misty Shadows were diving.