Chapter 34: The Mizukage Attacks

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A small shop in the Land of Whirlpools.

"Are you certain it was Konoha who sent someone?"

"Yes, the leader of the team is one of the Twin Stars of Konoha, the Silver Fox of Konoha."

"Damn it! Haven't the Wind Country and the Rain Country put a lot of pressure on Konoha? How can they still send people to support the Whirlpool Country?"

"I don't know about that. How about we report it to Lord Raikage? We alone might not be a match for the Silver Fox of Konoha."

"Alright, I'll report to Lord Raikage right away. You continue to keep an eye on the situation in the Hidden Whirlpool Village, and report to me immediately if there are any unusual movements by the people of Konoha."

"Yes!"

…

As soon as Yuta and his team arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, spies from various forces immediately received the news.

"Damn it! Is Konoha really planning to start the Second Ninja World War? Do they really think I'm afraid of them? Dodai, prepare the troops for me immediately. I want to meet this Silver Fox of Konoha in person." After receiving the information from his subordinates, the Raikage angrily slammed the report on the table.

If Konoha still had the First or Second Hokage, he would still be somewhat wary. But now, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was nothing but a politician showing off his literary talent, and he actually dared to oppose them.

If he hadn't come up with a book called "Three Character Classic," would they have been so anxious to attack the Uzumaki clan? The Uzumaki hadn't caused any trouble for Konoha yet, but Konoha had already caused trouble for them.

At first, the "Three Character Classic" could indeed enhance the reputation of the Kage of each village, but as time went on, the Daimyo of each country, with their vast populations, quickly overshadowed the Kage of each ninja village. 

To prevent the Daimyo from dissolving the one-country-one-village agreement, the villages had been forced to focus on their own tailed beasts. However, currently, aside from Mito, there was no perfect Jinchūriki in the ninja world.

Therefore, the villages were targeting Whirlpool Country this time for their own protection, otherwise they would be swept up by the daimyo's overwhelming public opinion and become nothing more than the daimyo's thugs.

"Lord Raikage, there might be something suspicious about this matter. Please don't get angry just yet; let's observe Konoha's next move." At this moment, Dodai, who was standing nearby, saw that the Raikage was planning to personally go to the Land of Whirlpools and immediately stepped forward to dissuade him.

If the Raikage did that, the Second Ninja World War would likely erupt very soon.

The Land of Earth had always coveted the Land of Lightning. If the major powers weren't wary of each other, the Rock Ninja would have gone to war with them long ago. If the Raikage left with a large number of troops now, the Rock Ninja would definitely seize the opportunity.

"Then what is there to see? Didn't the Konoha Silver Fox already bring people over to support?" The Raikage was somewhat receptive to Dodai's words. He sat back down, waiting to hear his advisor's reasoning.

"The current situation in the ninja world is that Hanzo of the Rain Country is dissatisfied with his country's status and has been provoking Konoha. The Wind Country can no longer suppress internal conflicts and needs to divert attention abroad, so they have recently stationed troops at the Fire Country border. Konoha is now under attack from both sides and will definitely not send a large number of people to support the Whirlpool Country."

"What did the Konoha Silver Fox say?" The Raikage still hadn't dismissed the threat entirely.

"Don't forget how old the First Hokage's wife is. Konoha also needs to make plans for the next Jinchūriki!" Dodai said mysteriously.

"Hmph! Konoha is truly full of villains. They didn't even save their allies and wanted to take advantage of their misfortune. Should we cause them some trouble?" Seeing that he wouldn't have a major fight this time, the Raikage started to complain about Konoha's character again. In the end, he still wanted to stir up some trouble for them.

Dodai shook his head and said calmly, "Someone will be more anxious than us."

"Mizukage!" The Raikage suddenly realized what Dodai meant and burst into laughter. "Then let's see how this Mizukage will handle this matter."

Iwagakure Village in the Land of Earth.

Ōnoki was quite disappointed to see that the Raikage did not send troops to the Land of Whirlpools this time. He decided to wait and observe how the Mizukage would deal with the situation.

However, the Land of Wind was too far from the Land of Whirlpools. After receiving the news that Konoha had begun sending people to support Whirlpool Country, it almost immediately withdrew its own personnel from the island.

In any case, they had merely intended to test the waters. In the end, Chiyo had dissuaded them, arguing that such an action would easily damage the Sand Village's credibility.

Hanzo, unable to remain idle after receiving the news, disregarded the troops stationed at the border and headed directly towards Whirlpool Country. 

This action marked the beginning of his Rain Country's ascent towards great power status. If they could join forces with other major ninja villages to obliterate Whirlpool Country, who would dare to call their Rain Country a small nation in the future?

En route, he encountered the Mizukage, who was also urgently traveling to Whirlpool Country. The two leaders boarded the Water Country's flagship, proceeding together.

The Water Country's intentions were clear. This time, they aimed not only to destroy Whirlpool Country to acquire the secrets of tailed beast utilization but also to completely occupy the island nation, using it as a strategic foothold for future incursions onto the mainland.

Thus, upon receiving his subordinates' report, the Mizukage had swiftly led his forces towards Whirlpool Country.

Seeing Hanzo also heading to the same destination, the Mizukage had offered him passage, hoping to minimize his own potential losses in the upcoming conflict.

...

Yuta and his team had initially planned for an immediate departure after collecting the designated individuals. 

However, the Uzumaki clan leader requested to take the group of clan members destined for Konoha with him for one more day to organize their inherited ninjutsu scrolls, causing a delay.

After Yuta and his group bid farewell to the Uzumaki clan chief, Yuta noticed a small girl, around three years old, in the crowd. This girl was the patriarch's granddaughter and the future second Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina.

But now she was being sent to Konoha prematurely, and Yuta couldn't help but wonder if the future would be altered.

Over forty Uzumaki clan members accompanied Yuta and his team to Konoha this time, but only one adult male was among them, his arm visibly broken—a testament to the Uzumaki clan's bravery. As long as they were capable of fighting, they had chosen to stay behind.

It was only after repeated pleas from his fellow clansmen that the injured man had agreed to go to Konoha, so he could look after the others in the future.

Once Yuta and his companions were aboard the ship, they slowly sailed away from the port. Just as Yuta was about to offer words of comfort to the Uzumaki clan members, several warships entered his sensory range.

"Turn back immediately! Quick! Return to the Land of Whirlpools! Enemies are approaching!" Yuta shouted to the sailors.

"Captain, where are the enemies coming from?" asked a ninja. He wasn't from the Senju clan but one of the five individuals sent by the Third Hokage.

"Four warships at sea! They are the warships of the Water Country!" At that moment, someone on the ship also spotted the dark shapes appearing on the horizon. He raised his telescope for a closer look and immediately yelled the warning.

The crew and ninjas on board swiftly maneuvered the ship to return to the Land of Whirlpools. Engaging in a naval battle with the Mist Ninjas out at sea was a reckless proposition they were not yet prepared for.

The people on the shore also noticed the unfolding situation. The Uzumaki clan leader immediately began organizing everyone to prepare to meet the approaching threat.