The Mizukage finally appears

"How much longer until we arrive?" A man in a high-collared windbreaker, with a black silk ribbon tied around his waist and a green undershirt, asked with a slight smile on his face. His black eyes were blank, without eyebrows, and a small goatee adorned his mouth. His hands were folded across his chest.

"Second Mizukage," the ninja behind him respectfully said, "We should arrive around noon tomorrow."

Gengetsu Hōzuki nodded after hearing this, gazing towards the Land of Whirlpools and softly chuckling, "Heh~, Konoha's friendship? Jinchūriki?"

They were almost killed by their own allies, these fools. The Uzumaki Clan must have woken up by now.

But it's all too late.

Jinchūriki, sealing techniques...

Truly tantalizing things!

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha is truly a hypocritical bunch!"

"Everyone, prepare to rest. Tomorrow at noon, we will officially declare war on the Land of Whirlpools." Gengetsu Hōzuki shouted loudly to the surrounding ninjas. A village without Tailed Beasts ultimately posed no significant threat to Kirigakure. They had to conquer the Land of Whirlpools and exterminate the Uzumaki Clan before the war ended. He turned to his aide and calmly said, "The Tailed Beasts have been sealed, right?"

"Yes, they're ready," the aide replied. "The Sealing Corps has been watching over them non-stop. There won't be any problems."

Hearing this, Gengetsu Hōzuki coldly smiled and nodded, "Yeah!"

The conquerors of the Land of Whirlpools—Kirigakure!

...

"They're here." The clan leader put down his telescope, his left hand clenched into a tight fist as he said sternly, "Kirigakure has arrived."

He sighed inwardly. War had ultimately begun, and their ally, Konoha, still hadn't sent any support.

He was pensive, realizing that in the face of interest and war, any relationship was fragile. He didn't know how Hashirama-sama would react upon learning of this, perhaps only feeling ashamed and apologizing to the Uzumaki Clan. However, he wouldn't intervene in Konoha's affairs but would risk his life to protect his friendship with the Uzumaki Clan.

After all, Hashirama-sama was also a bit foolish.

They're here?

Uzumaki Ryuto and the village elders quickly turned their heads upon hearing the clan leader's words and asked, "They're here?"

The clan leader nodded and said, "A massive fleet of ships, with ninjas densely packed on the decks. They'll likely start landing soon."

"Notify the ninjas in the rear." Uzumaki Ryuto pondered for a moment and said, "We can only hope to win if we manage to defeat a large portion of the Kirigakure ninjas in the initial stages."

A ninja village that has been beaten up on the front lines must not be doing well, huh? The Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki probably isn't having an easy time in Kirigakure either!

Starting a war without any achievements, and on top of that, getting beaten up badly. That's why he plans to strike from the rear and hopes to use the feat of conquering a nation to silence the dissenting voices in Kirigakure.

But he didn't expect that even if he succeeded, he would still end up like the Tsuchikage.

And this time, he probably won't fare well either!

Because there's a time traveler here, and the Land of Whirlpools isn't so easily conquered, especially when they're prepared. Wanting to achieve the feat of conquering a nation will only result in losing his teeth. So if this invasion fails, Gengetsu Hōzuki will truly end up like the Tsuchikage because...

He's a Kage!

Uzumaki Ryuto watched the village elders and clan leader and said, "For now, stay hidden and use telescopes to observe Kirigakure's movements. Just observe their Chunin or Genin."

After all, the sensory abilities of powerful ninjas are quite strong, especially those Kirigakure ninjas who have been active on the front lines. If it weren't for the war nearing its end, Kirigakure wouldn't have been able to allocate so many ninjas for this invasion. Although telescopes don't use sensory ninjutsu, they might still be detected by someone with keen animal-like instincts if they're stared at for too long.

"Once the Mizukage and the main force enter the forest, we'll take action." Uzumaki Ryuto said seriously, "And remember, if they try to rest, we'll go and disrupt them, not allowing them any rest."

Guerrilla warfare means disrupting them when they rest and resting when they're active.

The clan leader and elders all nodded solemnly.

War is no joke!

...

"Mizukage-sama." Upon seeing the main Kirigakure force finally land, especially the Mizukage's figure at the front, the vanguard commander quickly went forward and respectfully said, "What's the situation?"

"Horikoku Takeshi, huh?" The Mizukage said warmly to the vanguard commander, "What's the situation?"

Horikoku Takeshi, an elite Jōnin of Kirigakure, a genius born to civilians, and the vanguard commander.

Horikoku Takeshi pondered for a moment and said, "The Uzumaki Clan seems prepared for war. They're using the forest as a boundary to try and block our forces from advancing. But there are too many of them, and we can't discern anything. Additionally, the ninjas currently in the Land of Whirlpools don't seem very strong."

Densely packed groups of people, although mostly Shadow Clones, still contained a considerable number of actual ninjas. However, their strength was too weak, and a mere touch would cause them to disperse like... deflated balloons.

"Pong—." One sound, and they were gone.

However, Horikoku Takeshi didn't know that most of those ninjas were Shadow Clones combined with the Transformation Jutsu. After all, to invade an entire nation, they needed sheer numbers to intimidate.

"Strong? The strong ones were all killed by Konoha." The Mizukage casually laughed, "Truly befitting Konoha's good 'brotherhood'!"

"..." Horikoku Takeshi fell silent upon hearing the Mizukage's words, unsure whether to voice his thoughts. The fact that the Uzumaki Clan didn't come to intercept them despite their small force setting up camp here... Did they really not want war?

Were they planning to wait for the Mizukage to come and negotiate a truce, preferring not to kill anyone?

No, that's not right. They did kill three of our ninjas during a previous reconnaissance mission, and we lost another one. But if we don't move around randomly, the Whirlpool Village ninjas don't bother us.

They...

Just what are they trying to do?

"Mobilizing the entire nation's forces, huh?" The Mizukage stroked his chin in amusement and said, "With so many Jōnin killed on the Konoha battlefield, how many Jōnin can the Land of Whirlpools muster now?"

Gengetsu Hōzuki waved his hand and shouted loudly, "Move out immediately."They were too weak, too weak for him to feel motivated. Without any Kage-level ninjas, how could the Whirlpool Village possibly stop them? It's better to end the war quickly and silence the dissenting voices in the village.

"Yes!" The ninjas behind the Mizukage responded loudly.

"Mizukage-sama, shouldn't we devise a plan first?" the Mizukage's aide asked. "It would be disastrous if we fell into the Land of Whirlpools' trap."

"No need. With absolute strength, any plots or tricks are useless." Gengetsu Hōzuki touched his browless forehead and said nonchalantly,

"Most of the Whirlpool Village's Jōnin died on the battlefield. All that's left are some elderly and disabled ninja." 

Moreover...

Only a swift victory would bring Kirigakure more benefits. Many were eyeing this fat prize from the shadows!

"The Land of Whirlpools cannot stop us now." Gengetsu Hōzuki waved his hand, signaling the Kirigakure ninja to move out. "Especially with most of the other villages watching closely. Konoha..." He narrowed his black eyes. "It's not so easy to use Kirigakure for their own gain."

"But the Whirlpool Village is still a ninja village, no matter what," the aide said worriedly. "And the Uzumaki clan has been a powerful clan since ancient times."

"Yes, they are powerful," Gengetsu Hōzuki said. "Their vast chakra and vitality, coupled with their powerful sealing techniques, are truly formidable!"

"But without any Kage-level ninja or Tailed Beasts, they are merely a small ninja village in the end."

"And the Uzumaki are just a bunch of fools. We only need to provoke them."

Hearing the Mizukage's resolute tone, the aide could only shake his head helplessly. The order had been given, and the Kirigakure ninja were on the move. Moreover, the Mizukage was right - although the Uzumaki clan was powerful, they were ultimately just a clan. No matter how they styled themselves as the Whirlpool Village or Land of Whirlpools, it couldn't hide their lack of numbers, especially after so many died on the front lines. The Whirlpool Village must be struggling too.

But Kirigakure was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. For a village to attack a single clan, even if the Uzumaki didn't help Konoha, they should still win, it would just be troublesome. But now?

It could only be blamed on his own foolishness.

The heavens are fair - they gave the Uzumaki vast chakra and vitality, but also hotheaded brains at the same time.

They're simply fools!

...

"Pay attention, Kirigakure's forces have officially entered the forest." A Whirlpool Village ninja sternly told the others, "Be sure to remember Lord Ryuto's orders - retreat if you can't win, don't risk your lives."

Lord Ryuto had reminded them many times. He knew the Uzumaki clan's situation - they never schemed or plotted, only using brute force with their chakra and vitality. But the situation was different now!

With few numbers and powerful ninja, any mishap could lead to the clan's extinction.

So...

Brute force wouldn't work!!

Otherwise, the Land of Whirlpools would have to file for bankruptcy, and then have its assets occupied by the lingering scoundrels behind them.

The surrounding ninja nodded solemnly, all aware that this was no game. They had to control their chakra and minds, not letting the enemy provoke them into recklessly charging with surging chakra and roars.

"They're coming in." The Whirlpool Village commander gestured for them to stay calm while saying, "Remember to use Shadow Clones and Transformation Jutsu to put on a show of fighting to the death."

...

"Stop." The Mizukage looked around, seeming to notice something amiss as he frowned and asked Horikoku, "Is this the place?"

"Yes." Horikoku nodded seriously. "The Uzumaki clan's camp is just ahead..."

Before Horikoku could finish...

"Shhhh..."

Suddenly, dense groups of Whirlpool Village ninja emerged, instantly forming a human wall in front of the Kirigakure forces, as if blocking their advance.

"Leave this place, Kirigakure ninja." As the temporary guerrilla commander of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Kai walked out with a serious expression. Seeing the windbreaker-clad, browless old man at the front of the Kirigakure forces, he raised his eyebrows. Damn, is that the Mizukage?

A Kage-level ninja!

Apart from Mito-sama, who was also elderly, the Land of Whirlpools had no other Kage-level ninja. With few remaining elite Jōnin, mostly killed in action, the Mizukage could probably steamroll the Land of Whirlpools by slowly advancing.

But Uzumaki Kai still stubbornly put on an imposing front, sternly saying, "You are not welcome here."

Seeing the dense crowd of Whirlpool Village ninja before him, Gengetsu Hōzuki's eyes narrowed. The Land of Whirlpools...

Had this many ninja?

But as he sensed the chakra of the surrounding Whirlpool ninja, confirming they weren't just clones, he remained unconcerned. They were too weak, far too weak. Most here were merely cannon fodder Genin who could only cause minor trouble, posing no real threat to Kirigakure's main force.

"Uzumaki Clan, lay down your weapons and unconditionally surrender to join Kirigakure." Gengetsu Hōzuki sneered, "I can spare your lives."

They were so weak it didn't motivate him at all. He doubted even the top Kirigakure brass needed to get involved for the Land of Whirlpools to face conquest.

Although they knew these despicable invaders wouldn't be driven off so easily, hearing the Mizukage's disdainful tone still infuriated the Uzumaki clan. And join Kirigakure?

Heh!

Everyone knew the crooked ways involved. They'd probably have to kill all the adults and elders, leaving only some children for breeding to produce a new generation to brainwash. After all, who could be fully trusted?

Just as they were about to forget everything and show these invaders the glory passed down for a thousand years in the Uzumaki clan, the calmer Uzumaki clansmen held them back.

Don't get riled up, big brother!

We can't afford sacrifices, we must follow the commander's arrangements.

Uzumaki Kai secretly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. This Mizukage was truly insidious. As an ancient clan passed down for generations, how could they simply surrender?

Defiance until death was their clan's ancient teaching. 

He almost lost control, which is why Lord Ryuto had to repeatedly remind them!

"Despicable invaders, leave this place." Seeing the Kirigakure ninja remain unmoved, Uzumaki Kai shouted again, knowing it was useless but following Lord Ryuto's plan...

The Uzumaki clan had to put on the appearance of fighting to the death.

"Hahaha!" Gengetsu Hōzuki scoffed disdainfully. "The weak have no right to negotiate with Kirigakure. Surrender, Uzumaki Clan." If they truly surrendered, it would be easy - kill the stubborn elders, and the remaining innocent children could be raised to become Kirigakure's new clan with vast chakra and vitality. They could even serve as Jinchūriki, which would be perfect as Kirigakure had acquired two precious Tailed Beasts from Konoha but hadn't found suitable hosts yet!

It would also deal a huge blow to Konoha. Let's see how you handle relocating the Nine-Tails when the Uzumaki Clan belongs to Kirigakure.

However, Gengetsu knew this was impossible. A clan that endured for a thousand years would never simply surrender like that.

....

"It has begun."

(End of chapter)