Chapter 9: This Old Coot Is Truly Wicked

If they were discovered, they stood no chance against a hundred enemies. As the heir to the Land of Whirlpools, it would be pathetic to die before even getting a chance to protect his people, his gun still holstered.

"Hmm, when the time comes, the Clan Head and Elders just need to spam Exploding Tags, scattering them widely and placing some around the perimeter to draw their attention," Uzumaki Satori explained. "I estimate there won't be many ninja guarding the ships, and they probably won't stay long."

After all, these were the Five Great Shinobi Villages!

They couldn't possibly believe that Whirlpool Village's ninja would charge through their defenses, let alone suspect…

Someone was crouching in the grass, planning an ambush!

This was their advantage. If the Land of Whirlpools remained cautious and avoided foolishly shouting "For glory!" while rushing to their deaths, they might actually stand a chance.

Uzumaki Satori sighed. This victory was truly being bought with money.

If he hadn't secretly sold some of his homemade sea salt, he never would have raised enough funds. In ancient times, salt was incredibly valuable.

Uzumaki Satori dared not sell too much salt. If others discovered the Land of Whirlpools possessed vast salt reserves, it wouldn't just be Kirigakure attacking—all five Great Shinobi Villages might join the fray. Don't underestimate the allure of profit!

Why do ninja undertake missions? For profit!

Why do Great Shinobi Wars erupt? For profit!

As for Konoha, they likely wouldn't launch an open assault. Instead, they'd loudly proclaim their generations-long friendship, mutual cooperation, and then…

The foolish leaders of the Uzumaki Clan, moved by such rhetoric, would eagerly hand over their clan's technology to Konoha.

Or, after the Land of Whirlpools falls, Konoha might emerge to condemn the Four Great Shinobi Villages, claiming their role as the Land of Whirlpools' allies to seize its legacy.

Thinking of this, Uzumaki Satori felt a surge of resentment. A thought lingered in his mind, one he wasn't sure he should voice:

He would settle the score with them sooner or later.

When Senju Hashirama sold the Tailed Beasts, why didn't the smaller Ninja Villages approach the Land of Whirlpools instead of the Taki Ninja Village? Was it because the Uzumaki Clan wasn't small enough, or because the Land of Whirlpools lacked funds?

Uzumaki Satori speculated…

Perhaps Hashirama believed they were close allies, assuming Konoha's protection would suffice for Whirlpool Village. After all, if Whirlpool Village received the Tailed Beasts, wouldn't they effectively belong to Konoha anyway?

"Holy shit, look at this! People have been claiming the Land of Whirlpools belonged to Konoha since ancient times!"

Meanwhile, Uzumaki Satori strongly suspected Tobirama was behind the scheme. The Uzumaki Clan possessed immense chakra and vitality, capable of suppressing even the Tailed Beasts. If Whirlpool Village were to have its own Jinchūriki, wouldn't they inevitably produce a Whirlpool Shadow? What would happen to him, the elder brother, then? If his brother were still alive, he wouldn't dare act out of respect for his sister‑in‑law. But with his brother gone…

Who gives a damn about you?! Don't underestimate him! This is the man who backstabbed even his best friend Hashirama's clan, despite co‑founding a Ninja Village together! How else would they have discovered the sinister chakra that awakens in the Sharingan unless they conducted human experiments on the Uchiha?

Did the Uchiha willingly share this information? Or perhaps they offered their clansmen for research?

Stop joking!

Therefore, to ensure only Konoha could possess Jinchūriki while other Ninja Villages remained without, Tobirama would undoubtedly resort to underhanded tactics. This was also due to the other villages' limited understanding of sealing techniques at the time, lacking the Uzumaki Clan's expertise. That's why Uzumaki Mito remained the sole Jinchūriki.

The other Ninja Villages, desperate to acquire Jinchūriki, would undoubtedly come to the Land of Whirlpools. If they could trade, fine. If not…

Heh!

The significant advancements in sealing techniques across the nations in later years were likely connected to the Fall of the Land of Whirlpools.

Uzumaki Satori strongly suspected that this was also why Konoha Village had backstabbed them, refusing to lend a hand. They probably thought, "One Uzumaki Clan member is enough—perfect for a Jinchūriki. And it has to be Konoha's Uzumaki. To prevent other villages from getting their hands on them, the Land of Whirlpools must be destroyed!"

After all, Kirigakure had imported two Tailed Beasts from Konoha!

Were they just keeping them as decorations?

So, even if they didn't have a Jinchūriki now, they would definitely make a move to secure sealing techniques and members of the Uzumaki Clan.

Since it wasn't their own territory, they could simply destroy it if things went south—just unleash nuclear weapons. What could the Land of Whirlpools do then?

Damn it!

They didn't even have any Kage‑level experts! In the end, they'd have to rely on the Clan Elders to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

And that was an inescapable technique!

Didn't the Third Hokage himself resort to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal later on?

If the Fourth Hokage was Kushina's student, then who taught the Third Hokage?

No need to ask—he definitely stole it. That old fox is cunning as hell. He probably waited in the shadows until Kushina and the Fourth Hokage died before emerging to "raise" Foolish Prince Naruto with such "dedication."

What a master manipulator!

To undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, one must first obtain the Death God Mask. Currently, the mask remains in the Uzumaki Clan's ancestral shrine, untouched by Konoha.

See? This is a classic case of killing you, seizing your wife, and plundering your family's legacy!

But trapping a Tailed Beast is no easy feat. Aside from Mito, the Uzumaki Clan currently lacks any Kage‑level shinobi. If Jonin could seal Tailed Beasts, why would they have needed Minato in the first place?

They could have simply taught the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to a group of Jonin and sent them charging onto the battlefield, screaming and using the technique on their enemies!

One Jonin traded for another ninja village's Kage‑level shinobi or a Tailed Beast? What a bargain!

Uzumaki Satori shook his head. It seemed he truly needed to prepare defenses against the Tailed Beasts.

Otherwise, if Kirigakure unleashed two Tailed Beasts to rampage, they'd be doomed.

What exactly are Tailed Beasts, anyway?

They're concentrated masses of Chakra!

Even if we throw these gasoline bottles, they'll probably just roll away with a few scrapes.

If that doesn't work, we'll have to throw lives at them. If we let our guard down, the Land of Whirlpools will fall, and we'll be hunted everywhere—not just by other Ninja Villages, but by Konoha too. After all…

One Jinchūriki is enough.

And Uzumaki Satori wasn't confident enough to confront Konoha. Those guys are full of cheaters—we can't afford to provoke them!

"Just douse Kirigakure's ships with this gasoline," Uzumaki Satori instructed the Clan Elder and Head. "Then use Fire Release ninjutsu."

The ships of this era were still wooden. The gasoline fire should catch, right?

If it doesn't, we'll have to throw lives at them. No matter what, we can't let these ships leave.

"What should we prepare in the meantime?" the Clan Head nodded. "Just wait here?"

"No, let's create some 'escape trails' first," Uzumaki Satori said after a moment's thought. After all, a hundred million Exploding Tags awaited them ahead.

They couldn't afford to let anyone slip through, and why had they ordered the citizens to hide in the first place?

To create the illusion that the entire population of the Land of Whirlpools was fleeing!

They needed to scatter clothing and luggage on the water, and litter the roads with miscellaneous items to stage a convincing mass exodus. This was no small task—it was an entire nation in flight.

And it wasn't just about randomly discarding things. They had to carefully plan the routes, using these "escape trails" to lure Kirigakure's forces into the Explosive Circle.

"In that case, let's move now!" the Clan Head declared. "Kirigakure's vanguard will likely advance first. We need to act quickly."

"Captain, we're about to enter the Land of Whirlpools' waters," Tayo, a ninja wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector, complained from the ship's bow. "The war's practically over. Why start another one now?"

"Shut up, Tayo," the Captain said, giving him a cold glare. "As ninjas, our only duty is to carry out orders."

"Fine, fine," Tayo waved dismissively. "There's no one else around anyway. No one will hear me."

"Enough, Tayo," another teammate said wearily. "We're just the vanguard. Our job is to secure a safe location for the main force to set up camp and investigate the current situation in the Land of Whirlpools."

"But that's still war!" Tayo pouted. "Honestly, enough already. I hate war more than anything."

"Now that the war is nearing its end and Konoha's victory is all but assured, the Second Mizukage hasn't achieved any significant victories. Dissatisfaction has been brewing in Kirigakure for some time," another teammate said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Tayo. "To quell this discontent, the Mizukage launched the invasion of the Land of Whirlpools. On one hand, the Land of Whirlpools' strength has been severely diminished after aiding Konoha in the war. On the other hand, its strategic location bordering the Land of Fire would allow us to contain the Land of Fire and monitor Konoha's movements once we secure it."

This is also preparation for the next Great Shinobi War, he thought silently.

"Ebisu, this is so pointless," Tayo muttered, shaking his head. "I've always hated war. War is just…"

"Too terrifying," Tayo continued, his voice cracking. "Junpei's parents died in the war, and Yozane, Kaito… they're all gone." Tears welled up in his eyes as he shouted, "So why start another war? It's almost over! It's almost over! Don't you understand?"

"..."

Tayo's words plunged the entire squad into silence.

The Captain sighed softly. "That's what it means to be a ninja, Tayo. Do you understand?"

No one truly desires war, but ninjas have no choice.

"I don't understand! I hate war!" Tayo roared at the Captain. "How can you all launch wars so calmly? Why?"

"Shut up, Tayo!" The Captain snapped, seeing Tayo's anger clouding his judgment. "A ninja's duty is to carry out missions. There's no room for 'why' here."

"…"

Hearing the Captain's words, Tayo calmed down. The Captain's cold, furious tone reminded him that morale‑damaging words had no place in war, especially with other crew members present. His outburst had already begun to dampen their spirits. If he continued… the Captain would surely kill him.

"I don't understand… I don't understand any of this," Tayo murmured, lowering his head as tears dripped onto the deck.

Why must there be war?

"I see them," the Clan Head said, lowering his binoculars. "Three ships, about a hundred people. They're Kirigakure's vanguard."

"Do we engage?" the Great Elder asked Uzumaki Satori. Now that the war had begun, they were following Satori's orders completely. Engaging with only five of them against a hundred would be troublesome.

Satori considered the situation. Five people taking on a hundred would be difficult. They couldn't afford a direct confrontation. Moreover, this vanguard was likely scouting ahead. If they suffered heavy casualties, Kirigakure's main force would become extremely cautious. But letting them roam the Land of Whirlpools risked them discovering their preparations, which would be even worse.

What to do?

"Second Elder, inform the ninja behind us," Satori instructed. "Have them position a large group near the Explosive Circle, but not too close. Surround the vanguard and project an image of the Land of Whirlpools' fearlessness. Use overwhelming numbers, but not our strongest fighters. We want to appear weak, not slaughter them. Let them escape."

They would have to wait on the outskirts. When Kirigakure's main force arrived, they would be greeted by the "fireworks" the Land of Whirlpools had prepared for them.

The Clan Head frowned slightly. Though he didn't understand Satori's plan, he refrained from questioning it. These were extraordinary times; war had begun. In such times, no one could challenge the commander's authority.

(T/N: I feel you Toyo... War is starting. I didnt read the novel so I will also be surprise what will happen.)