The war finally begins...

After so many chapters of build-up, the war has finally started...

"It's begun," Uzumaki Ryuto said, watching the distant forest where explosions and colorful chakra bursts were occurring continuously, indicating that the Uzumaki Clan and the Hidden Mist Village had engaged in combat. He also glanced at the landing site of the Mist Village's fleet...

What a massive naval force!

Befitting a maritime powerhouse, he didn't know if their team of ten could dismantle all the Mist Village's ships. This move was also crucial. If they could inflict severe damage on the Mist Village's fleet, their chances of victory would increase.

Afterward, he didn't believe the high-ranking Mist Village officials and clans would fund the Mizukage to rebuild the fleet. As long as they realized that invading the Land of Whirlpools would yield no benefits and incur severe losses, the Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki's position would become precarious!

Moreover...

A cold smile appeared on Ryuto's face. He wondered how the Mist shinobi would react when they discovered that no matter which Uzumaki they killed, they would simply disappear with a 'poof,' leaving only a cloud of mist behind. By the end, despite the Uzumaki's diverse appearances, they would realize that they were all just Shadow Clones.

"There are about a hundred Mist shinobi guarding the fleet," the clan leader said, looking through binoculars. "Should we strike now?"

If they attacked now, while the main force was distracted elsewhere, they would only have to deal with around a hundred enemies. Additionally, their primary objective was not to kill the Mist shinobi but to destroy the ships. If they were cautious, there should be no problem.

Ryuto pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Not yet."

The war had just begun, and the Mist shinobi in the rear were likely still on high alert. They would have to wait until their guard was down before they could achieve a significant victory. After all, completely destroying hundreds of ships was no easy feat. Even if they couldn't destroy them all, damaging eighty percent would still be a severe blow to Gengetsu Hōzuki.

Moreover, having only two people draw the enemy's attention while the others threw Molotov cocktails would be challenging. Underwater operations were out of the question, so...

Ryuto considered his options and took out the materials he had prepared.

"What's that?" the clan leader and elder asked curiously as Ryuto pulled out two large bamboo baskets from his ninja pouch.

"This?" Ryuto sighed. This was a traveler's essential tool, albeit a bit primitive and difficult to make, as finding airtight fabric in this era was challenging.

Correct, these were hot air balloons.

Fortunately, in this period, few individuals could fly, probably limited to the Air Nomads' Wugo Fortress, the Third Tsuchikage's Lightweight Rock Technique, Konan's Paper Ninjutsu, Deidara's Explosive Clay, and other special ninjutsu.

The Ninja World was merely a slightly elevated martial arts world. Apart from projecting chakra and casting jutsu, travel relied on running, communication on shouting, and flying was incredibly difficult, achievable only through jumping, triple jumps, quadruple jumps, and incremental ascents. Of course, this excluded extraterrestrials like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

"This is called a hot air balloon."

...

"It seems the Second has already started," a Mist shinobi leaning against the ship's bow said, gazing towards the Mist Village's departure point. "Are we just going to wait here?"

"We'll wait until the main force finds a campsite and unloads the supplies. Then, we'll leave," another Mist shinobi said, smoking casually. "We'll come back once the supplies run out."

"We probably won't even need to come back," a Mist shinobi lounging on the deck remarked. "With this much time, the Mizukage should be able to conquer the Land of Whirlpools directly."

"That's right, that's right. The Mizukage can easily make the Uzumaki Clan a thing of the past."

"A village without Kage-level shinobi or Tailed Beasts can't be called a major..."

"Holy crap!!" 

Suddenly, the Mist shinobi standing at the bow shouted.

Then...

"Bang--!"

"Roar--!"

A blazing beam of light shot into the sky, accompanied by a thunderous boom that shook the entire Land of Whirlpools.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Explosive tags, so many explosive tags!"

"What about the Mizukage and the others? Did they fall into the Land of Whirlpools' trap?"

"Impossible, the Mizukage and the others are incredibly powerful!"

"What should we..."

"Shut up and follow the Mizukage's orders." Seeing the Mist shinobi display a hint of confusion and unease, the commander guarding the fleet shouted sternly, "It's just a bunch of old, weak, and disabled people, right?"

"That's right, that's right. They were probably all killed by that explosion."

"Exactly, we're so strong, and we have the Mizukage leading us."

"And we have the Tailed Beasts, so many Jōnin, and powerful shinobi."

"..."

However, as the Mist shinobi argued, the one lying on the deck suddenly noticed the scorching sun being blocked, muttering in puzzlement, "What's that?"

No way!

The Mist shinobi sitting upright looked towards the sky at the massive, strange object and exclaimed, "What is that?!"

...

Two hours earlier...

"Bang--!"

Another one!

"Bang!"

And another...

"What the hell is going on?" the Mist shinobi frowned in annoyance. "Why are they all Shadow Clones from Konoha?"

"Bang--!"

Although not powerful, it was infuriating!

After all this time, they still hadn't killed a single Uzumaki. Were they all Shadow Clones?

Gengetsu Hōzuki also frowned as the Shadow Clones around him kept disappearing with a 'poof.' What was happening?

Why were they all just clones? With a single jutsu, he could dispel a large group of them, but these clones were insignificant compared to the endless stream of ninjutsu!

What were these Uzumaki from Whirlpool Village trying to achieve?

"Bang--!"

Another group of clones was destroyed.

"Huh? What's this?" The Mizukage suddenly noticed some gray paper slips exposed by the exploding earth.

"Explosive tags!" Gengetsu Hōzuki exclaimed in alarm, looking up sharply. "It's a trap! Retreat!"

"Attack!" Seeing the Mist shinobi had discovered the trap, Uzumaki Kai knew it was time to strike. He quickly shouted, and immediately, the voices of the Uzumaki Clan echoed all around.

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"..."

They formed hand seals!

"Mutually Complementary Explosive Tags!"

"Mutually Complementary Explosive Tags!"

"Mutually Complementary Explosive Tags!"

"..."

Scorching flames erupted around them, accompanied by deafening explosions.

"Boom--!!"

It seemed like the entire Land of Whirlpools shook.

(End of Chapter)