If Ninjutsu Doesn't Work, Use Science and Technology

"Captain Komoku, do you really think Lord Ryuto's method will work?" asked a ninja from the Whirlpool Village, his face etched with concern.

Given the current situation, would they be able to protect the Land of Whirlpools?

They were up against the Hidden Mist Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, which boasted several powerful clans, while they only had the Uzumaki Clan.

Although the Uzumaki Clan had many members, they couldn't establish a nation without them. However, their high-end battle strength was minimal, and they didn't even have a single Shadow clone.

"It will definitely work," Uzumaki Komoku said solemnly. "Because... we cannot lose."

Yes! They couldn't lose, absolutely not! If they lost, their homes, loved ones, and clansmen would all disappear, and even their property would be seized by others.

Everyone fell silent.

"Don't look so dejected," Captain Komoku said with a faint smile. "Trust Lord Ryuto, trust the clan leader, and trust the daimyo. We will surely win."

However, everyone could see the concern in Captain Komoku's eyes, but they had no choice now but to believe in Lord Ryuto's method.

"How's your Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and Mutually Complementary Explosive Tags?" The captains looked at each other, realizing they couldn't let the atmosphere remain gloomy before the war had even begun. How could they fight with such low morale?

But they had no way to motivate their troops, so they decided to shift their focus for the time being.

As per Lord Ryuto's arrangements, the captains first transcribed the ninjutsu, and their team members copied it from the captains, saving time. They had already completed the transcription on their way.

"Let's focus on the Mutually Complementary Explosive Tags for now," the captains said. "We can deal with the initial attacks using the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Understood," the team members replied.

"Now go and place the explosive tags in your assigned positions. Make sure they're well-hidden, buried in the ground, inside trees, or even weighed down by rocks. Just make sure they're concealed," the captains instructed.

"As for the explosive tags in the middle positions, don't make them too hidden. Let the Hidden Mist Village discover them, but not too easily. Let these explosive tags draw their attention."

"Yes!" the team members acknowledged.

...

"According to the intelligence report from seven days ago, the Hidden Mist Village is preparing their fleet and is expected to set sail within two days," the clan leader said to Uzumaki Ryuto, who was holding a strange bamboo tube-like object and inspecting it curiously. "Little Ryuto, what is that thing you're holding?"

"Oh, Uncle Clan Leader, this is a telescope," Uzumaki Ryuto said, handing the telescope to the clan leader. It was still before the Konoha era, so telescopes and television were likely not invented yet.

Seven days ago! That meant they had already covered five days of the journey. Considering the distance between the Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Whirlpools, they probably had about five more days to prepare.

Uzumaki Ryuto pondered, fearing that the Hidden Mist Village might sense them, so they found a higher vantage point and used the telescope for observation.

He had brought over a million explosive tags with him, and he was confident they could take down a few ships.

The only question was how to place the explosive tags in areas the enemy wouldn't notice. He wasn't sure if water bombs would work, but the thought of engaging the Hidden Mist Village on water made him uneasy. After all, the Uzumaki Clan couldn't compete in that domain.

The Uzumaki Clan had no special techniques; they relied on sheer force, using chakra and life force. In a head-on confrontation, the stronger party would prevail, but they weren't stronger than the Hidden Mist Village.

They were outnumbered and outmatched, so trying to defeat them in their element was nothing but a dream.

That's why water-based explosive tags were not an option either!

If only they had Clay Explosion Bombs like the Akatsuki's Deidara.

Uzumaki Ryuto took out his gasoline bottles, thankful that this world's technology allowed for their existence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to refine gasoline himself.

As for why he didn't manufacture gunpowder, the ninja world already had explosive tags, and creating traditional gunpowder was complicated, expensive, and impractical when they had a superior alternative.

And then there was oil...

The Land of Whirlpools had a small oil field within its borders, which Uzumaki Ryuto had accidentally discovered. In the Whirlpool Country, oil was considered the "blood of demons" – a sentiment likely shared throughout the ninja world. Wherever there was an oil field, no plants could grow in the surrounding area.

Therefore, that region in the Land of Whirlpools was largely avoided.

Refining oil was a hassle, and their current tools were quite primitive and inconvenient. Moreover, Uzumaki Ryuto lacked the necessary expertise to create anything that could utilize oil.

They would have to resort to traditional methods!

"Is this really effective?" the clan leader asked, picking up one of the gasoline bottles and inspecting it curiously, after putting down the telescope. This telescope was impressive, allowing him to see far without using chakra or sensory abilities. It would be challenging for the Hidden Mist Village to detect them using this method.

"Gasoline bottles," Uzumaki Ryuto explained. "Once ignited, water cannot extinguish the flames; in fact, it will only make them burn more intensely."

He believed that the power of science, combined with the efforts of the entire nation, would be enough to defeat the Hidden Mist Village. He had secretly given some gasoline bottles to the guards who would participate in the battle. If the Hidden Mist Village gathered and set up camp, they could throw the bottles at them. Uzumaki Ryuto doubted they would dare to camp if they couldn't find a way to extinguish the flames.

The only problem was that there wasn't enough gasoline. If they had more, they could secretly take a ship to the Hidden Mist Village and douse the entire ninja village with gasoline. He didn't believe the Mizukage would still dare to invade under those circumstances.

"Is this true?" the clan leader and elders were astonished, picking up the bottles and cans scattered on the ground. Could this substance really be so powerful?

"If that's the case, isn't it like the legendary Black Flames of the Celestial World?" the elder asked, puzzled. "Something that only exists in legends."

"No, it's different," Uzumaki Ryuto shook his head. While the Black Flames were said to be inextinguishable and could burn anything except living beings, gasoline could burn anything and was particularly effective against the Hidden Mist Village since water couldn't put out the flames. However, it might pose a challenge against the Hidden Sand Village.

The problem was that the supply was limited, as Uzumaki Ryuto could only produce a small amount in secret with a few guards. They couldn't reveal this substance openly, or the Land of Whirlpools would truly face annihilation, and not just from the Hidden Mist Village.

This was a weapon of war, after all!

He hadn't dared to use it earlier because the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were once close allies, even if it was a one-sided relationship due to the naivety of the Uzumaki members.

If he had revealed it then, Konoha would have likely obtained it as well.

"I see," the elder nodded, understanding that this substance couldn't compare to the mythical Black Flames.

"It will be used to burn down the Hidden Mist Village's ships," Uzumaki Ryuto explained. If he weren't worried about being discovered by the Hidden Mist Village, he would have already unleashed a rain of explosive tag-tipped arrows. As for why he didn't use kunai, they were too expensive for one-time use, so arrows were more cost-effective. The Land of Whirlpools had an abundance of wood, and while crafting high-quality arrows was difficult, simple ones would suffice, as they were only meant to carry explosive tags, not hit targets.

And Ryuto had already prepared the arrows, distributing them among the other ninjas. With the encircling explosive tags plus the arrow rain of explosive tags, he didn't believe the Hidden Mist Village could escape unscathed, even if they piled up all their money as a shield.

He wanted them to know not to think about invading the Land of Whirlpools. They were poor!

They had spent all their money on explosive tags. Even if the Hidden Mist destroyed their nation, they wouldn't get a single coin.

And the later Land of Waves, both poor and weak, was probably related to the Hidden Mist Village. After all, the Land of Waves was established from the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools. If it had no connection to the Hidden Mist Village, Ryuto didn't know what to believe.

He guessed the original plan for the Land of Waves was to block the Land of Fire's supply lines, since the Land of Whirlpools' territory was adjacent to the Land of Fire. However, the Hidden Mist Village ended up in isolation and their strength declined greatly, so they didn't dare cause trouble for fear of Konoha discovering them, resulting in them leaving it alone.

"Will it really work?" the clan leader and elders looked at Ryuto with doubt again. This small thing could really not be extinguished by water?

If not, then they would be exposed!

(End of chapter)