"I see them," the clan leader said, holding a telescope.
"Three ships, about a hundred people. It's Kirigakure's vanguard."
"Do we take them out?" the elder asked Uzumaki Jun. Right now, they were following his plans. If they attacked, with only five of them, it'd be troublesome.
Uzumaki Jun thought for a moment. Five against a hundred, that was tricky. They couldn't afford a direct fight. And this hundred was just the scouts. If they were hurt, Kirigakure's main force would become wary. But if they didn't eliminate them, letting them roam Uzushiogakure might expose their preparations.
What to do?
"Second Elder, inform the others. Have a large group of ninjas wait near the explosive trap, not too far, to surround them. Make it look like Uzushiogakure is fighting desperately," Uzumaki Jun said. "Have many people, but not too strong. Show weakness. Don't kill too many, let some escape."
They'd have to wait on the outskirts, then greet the main force with Uzushiogakure's fireworks.
The clan leader frowned but didn't question it. This wasn't the time for doubts. The war had started, and no one could challenge the commander's decisions now.
----
The ships of Kirigakure officially reached the shores of Uzushiogakure. Led by their respective squad leaders, the ninja teams cautiously stepped onto Uzushiogakure's territory.
"It seems the citizens of Uzushiogakure have already begun evacuating,"
Abisu adjusted his glasses and crouched down, picking up scattered luggage left haphazardly on the beach. "The question is how many people remain in the country now."
"Evacuating?" The squad leader sneered. "Heh, surviving won't be that easy, especially..."
His voice trailed off, and he glanced at Tayu, who was in low spirits. Raising his voice sharply, he barked, "Tayu! This is wartime!"
Daydreaming during a war? If the ANBU found out, he'd be dragged in for questioning. Worse, this kind of negativity was contagious, someone would inevitably be scapegoated, and she couldn't afford to bear that blame.
Neither could her squad leader.
"Yeah—" Tayu replied half-heartedly.
...
"The Kiri-nin have landed," the clan leader said, lowering his binoculars. "Are we really not going to engage them now?"
"Not yet," Uzumaki Jun shook his head.
"We need them to witness the determination of Uzushiogakure's ninja to fight to the death. Only then will Kirigakure commit their main forces."
He smirked coldly as he watched the Kiri-nin below. "That's when we'll have a chance to take down most of them."
How dare they invade a transmigrator's country? If they succeeded, how could he inherit the nation, marry a wealthy beauty, reach the pinnacle of life, or exploit his citizens? After all, his golden finger—the system—hadn't even activated yet!
As for evacuation, Jun had considered it but dismissed the idea. In the Naruto world, only a handful of Uzumaki survivors had escaped, and their lives were miserable. Just look at Kyoko and her mother, had they even been treated as humans? And Kyoko's father...
The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became.
There was no way this didn't involve some hidden scheme. No matter how you looked at it, the Uzumaki clan was a major bloodline, and Uzushiogakure was still a nation. Yet, almost everyone had died, with barely any survivors.
Most likely, ninja from other villages were lurking around, waiting to capture fleeing Uzumaki members for use as jinchūriki, only to be eliminated by Konoha later. After all...
Only one jinchūriki was needed: the Nine-Tails' vessel.
And let's not forget Uchiha Madara, a fifty-something-year-old man with his Sharingan, lurking in the shadows, watching for someone worthy of inheriting his Rinnegan.
"Can we... really succeed?" the clan leader asked quietly.
"Shut up!" The elder snapped, then sighed and looked at Jun.
"If the worst happens... just abandon Uzushiogakure. Leave."
"Go to Konoha. Don't think about revenge, just survive and keep the Uzumaki bloodline alive."
Though Jun wasn't sure if they could win, he still forced a smile. "We will definitely succeed."
As for fleeing to Konoha? No way. He'd probably die on the way.
"Hah—exactly!" The third elder laughed heartily, seeing Jun's calm demeanor even now. "Screw Kirigakure!"
"That's right! We'll definitely win!"
"It's just Kirigakure. The Uzumaki clan has lasted a thousand years—we've faced worse!"
"After this, we'll slap Konoha in the face and settle the score!"
"Hah." The elder chuckled, watching the others rally under Jun's confidence. "I was wrong. The Uzumaki clan will rise to greatness."
The Uzumaki had never feared any challenge.
No one noticed Jun's fists clenched tightly inside his sleeves, his gaze icy as he stared toward the neighboring nation—the Land of Fire.
"Konoha... Heh."
...
"Alert!" The Kiri squad leader suddenly shouted, sensing something amiss in the forest ahead.
Immediately, the Kiri-nin raised their kunai, forming a defensive perimeter. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
"Uzushiogakure ninja, show yourselves!" the Kiri squad leader barked into the forest.
"Whoosh—!"
In an instant, ninja wearing Uzushiogakure forehead protectors emerged from the trees and bushes.
The Kiri-nin tensed as more and more enemy ninja surrounded them. Their hearts pounded, they were trapped.
"Kirigakure, you are not welcome here. Leave," one Uzushiogakure ninja stood atop a tree, glaring down.
"The Uzumaki clan is a peaceful people. We do not seek war."
Damn it. If not for Lord Jun's orders, they would've attacked already instead of wasting words.
"We're just here to observe, not to wage war," the Kiri squad leader replied dismissively. Peaceful? Then who were those Uzumaki with massive chakra reserves, formidable sealing techniques, and incredible vitality on the Konoha battlefield?
The Uzushiogakure ninja nearly cursed out loud. "Observe"? Did they think the Uzumaki were fools? They had tempers, but they weren't stupid. A fully armed invasion force coming to "observe"? Who'd believe that?
"Leave. Now," the Uzushiogakure ninja growled.
Seeing their patience wearing thin, the Kiri squad leader roared, "Attack! Break through!"