As they approached Tōga Port, Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked, "Enosuke, have the spies in the Land of Water sent back any messages?"
Enosuke said, "The spies have learned that Kirigakure has already dispatched an elite unit. Their target isn't the Land of Whirlpools, but the Land of Fire's Tōga Port."
"It seems the Land of Whirlpools Daimyō's concerns were not unfounded. They really are trying to kick us when we're down." Sarutobi Shinnosuke said:
"Targeting Tōga Port is even more intolerable. We must handle this crisis properly, so the Land of Fire Daimyō has no grounds for criticism."
In the shallow waters off Tōga Port, Kiri-nin emerged one by one from the sea.
They kept half their heads above water, watching the distant port.
As the mouth of the Nakano River, Tōga Port saw hundreds of ships entering and leaving daily.
The Kiri-nin quickly spotted a large multi-story ship flying the family crest of the Land of Fire's Daimyō.
After scuttling a dozen or so of the Daimyō's ships, the Land of Fire Daimyō would naturally reduce Konoha's missions.
In the past, such infiltration and sabotage missions were very dangerous. But given Konoha's current strength, it was unlikely they could spare the effort to guard against or pursue them over long distances.
Strike and flee – that was the tactic Kirigakure had devised.
On a ship some distance from Tōga Port, several important figures from Kirigakure had varying thoughts.
Yagura, and the clan heads of the Hōzuki, Kaguya, and Yotsuki clans, had all come to the outskirts of Tōga Port.
Hōzuki Kyougetsu, head of the Hōzuki clan, glanced sideways at Yagura, the commander of this operation.
Yagura was a genius cultivated by Elder Genji after the Second Shinobi World War, born with immense chakra reserves.
Elder Genji had even passed on his Water Mirror Secret Technique to Yagura.
Elder Genji had always allowed the conflict between Kekkei Genkai clans and civilian ninja to fester, using geniuses from among the civilian ninja to balance the Kekkei Genkai clans.
He acknowledged Yagura was a genius. However, having such a young half-pint giving orders here made him extremely displeased.
Hōzuki Kyougetsu said, "Yagura-sensei, there are two Konoha battalions around Tōga Port. What's the point of just scuttling noble ships? It would be better to attack those two outpost fortresses.
Konoha will definitely send people to retaliate against us, to attack Kirigakure's outpost fortresses in the Land of Waves.
Then, when we defeat Konoha's retaliation force, if Konoha can't even protect the Land of Fire's ports, how can they protect the Land of Whirlpools?
The share of Land of Whirlpools missions we couldn't get in the Second Shinobi World War – by taking advantage of Konoha's weakness, we might just get it after two or three such attacks and defenses."
Yagura sneered. He knew much intelligence that Hōzuki Kyougetsu was unaware of.
Konoha's new Foreign Affairs Advisor, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had just left the Land of Whirlpools and might arrive at Tōga Port very soon.
What was the point of attacking and defending Konoha's outposts? The important thing was to test Sarutobi Shinnosuke, to see what this Foreign Affairs Advisor was capable of and what his attitude was.
So what if he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's eldest son? If he should die, he would die.
If Sarutobi Shinnosuke showed a policy of appeasement, it would mean Konoha was very weak, and they could further encroach on Konoha's influence in the future.
Yagura said, "Clan Head Kyougetsu, you needn't worry about tactics. I am the commander. Follow my tactics. First, scuttle the Land of Fire Daimyō's large ships, make the Daimyō feel the pain."
Hōzuki Kyougetsu said nothing more. He thought Yagura was very childish. What could scuttling a few ships achieve? It was like children fighting.
The several of them stood on the deck, watching the distant large multi-story ship.
Soon, they all sensed something was wrong.
It was taking too long.
It was just scuttling one ship. Why was it taking so long?
The Daimyō's multi-story ship had a Konoha guard squad, but those guards still hadn't realized someone had infiltrated the ship's bottom.
Those sent to scuttle the ship were all elite Hōzuki clansmen capable of using the Hydrification Technique.
This shouldn't be happening.
Soon, behind the large multi-story ship, fish began leaping.
This was the excited behavior of fish when food in the water suddenly increased.
Sure enough, several bloody corpses surfaced on the sea.
Everyone else looked at Hōzuki Kyougetsu.
Hōzuki Kyougetsu frowned and said, "A mere Daimyō's multi-story ship has such strong guards?
They silently killed my Hōzuki clan's Special Jonin?"
"Water Release: Water Cutting Wave!"
A voice came, faster than the sound itself, was a sharp line of water.
The water line cut from the ship's stern to the bow, slicing the ship the Kiri-nin were on in two.
Some unlucky Kiri-nin who happened to be right in the center of the ship's hull were also bisected along with it.
The Kiri-nin jumped up, landed on the nearby sea surface, standing on the water.
The two halves of the ship tilted to either side and slowly sank into the sea.
The Kiri-nin had come to scuttle the Daimyō's multi-story ship, but the merchant ship they were hiding on was the first to be sent to the bottom.
They looked back and saw a group of people rushing towards them, standing on the sea surface.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke landed with a Body Flicker and said to the twenty-plus Kiri-nin:
"Kiri-nin, you have invaded a Land of Fire port and targeted the Daimyō's ship. Are you declaring war on my Konoha?"
The other Kiri-nin looked at Yagura.
"Advisor Shinnosuke, I didn't expect you to be so fast." Yagura glanced at the clan heads on his left and right, then said:
"Or perhaps my intelligence was leaked long ago, which is why you happened to arrive just in time.
If I find out who leaked the intelligence, I will not let them off.
As for you, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, instead of dealing with your village's rogue ninja Uchiha Madara, what are you doing here?
You, a Second-generation who rose through your surname, don't actually think you're qualified to be an advisor, do you?
Konoha has truly fallen, letting just anyone become an advisor."
Yōkō, standing nearby, saw this and immediately said to Sarutobi Shinnosuke with great indignation:
"Sir! No need to waste words on them!
They dare to attack the Daimyō's ship! We've Caught them red-handed! Let's kill them all today, leave none alive, and teach the Kiri-nin a lesson!"
Yōkō's words, both explicit and implicit, suggested that their group was far too powerful.
Nara Kyoi was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, Vice Chief Fox, are you misunderstanding something? The other side has Genji's personal disciple, plus three Kekkei Genkai clan heads, and over a dozen elite Kiri-nin.
Fox's killing intent was extremely real, instantly provoking the Kaguya clan head.
Hearing such arrogant words, the Kaguya clan head stepped forward and immediately fired bullet-like bone fragments.
Seeing someone had made the first move, Yōkō charged towards the Kiri-nin.
Today, he must kill some important figures from Kirigakure to establish Sarutobi Shinnosuke's authority.
This way, Sarutobi Shinnosuke would have to face Kirigakure's retaliation, and Yōkō couldn't possibly be by Shinnosuke's side at all times.
The thought was rather exciting.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
The Kaguya clan head grew bone spurs on his arms, making his fists resemble morning stars, and was the first to charge forward.
He saw Copper Fox take out a scroll. After a puff of white smoke, a broadsword appeared in Copper Fox's hand.
Copper Fox's speed was astonishing. He rushed across the sea surface, almost instantly closing the distance to the Kaguya clan head.
The heavy broadsword, half a meter wide, smashed fiercely towards the Kaguya clan head's chest.
Over a dozen bones sprouted from the Kaguya clan head's chest.
A series of cracking sounds rang out. The Kaguya clan head was horified to find his proud bones shattered instantly.
His originally hard bones were like the driest kindling.
Not only were the sprouted bones broken, but his ribs were directly shattered.
His chest cavity concave, the Kaguya clan head was sent flying backwards like a cannonball, skipping across the sea surface.
Only then did the turbulent airflow caused by Fox's strike reach the others' faces.
Several Kiri-nin nearby had their faces contorted by the shockwave.
Yagura hurriedly held his iron staff adorned with green flowers horizontally in front of him.
He somewhat regretted his earlier taunts against Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
According to intelligence, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the ANBU Chief, Copper Fox's former superior.
He hadn't expected Copper Fox to be so protective of his master, striking with such viciousness.
Yagura assessed the situation and realized he probably couldn't block such a terrifying sword technique.
That broadsword was also strange, incredibly hard, able to shatter the Kaguya clan head's bones.
In the distance, the Kaguya clan head floated on the water, breathing with difficulty.
He quickly manipulated his bones, trying to push his concave chest cavity back out.
Just then, the Kaguya clan head suddenly found his vision darkening.
Someone was blocking the sunlight! Someone had Body Flickered to his side!
"Truly hard bones, worthy of a clan descended from the Sage of the Six Paths."
Yōkō flung out Iron Vine, which wrapped around the Kaguya clan head and tossed him into the air.
The Kaguya clan head's chakra drained away, sucked out by the Iron Vine.
Yōkō, holding the Senju Broadsword, quickly jumped up, concentrating all his chakra into his arms, and swung the broadsword down with tremendous force.
Monstrous Strength!
After laying his cards on the table with Tsunade, she had let Yōkō look through the Senju clan's Scroll of Seals.
Yōkō had now also learned the Monstrous Strength technique.
Monstrous Strength paired perfectly with the indestructible Senju Broadsword.
Only this broadsword could unleash the full power of Monstrous Strength; only the broadsword could withstand the technique's force.
The Kiri-nin, while fighting the Konoha group, glanced sideways, observing the battle between Copper Fox and the Kaguya clan head.
The Kiri-nin with poorer mental fortitude slowed their movements for an instant.
They saw it! Konoha's Copper Fox swung his broadsword and actually cut the Kaguya clan head in half at the waist!
That broadsword was so thick, not sharp at all. To be more accurate, it wasn't cut; it was smashed apart!
Innards, bones, burst open mid-air.
The Kaguya clan head had already covered his skin with a layer of hard bone, but its hardness was far inferior to the indestructible Senju Broadsword.
The Kaguya clan head, who had been domineering in Kirigakure, was actually killed by Konoha's Copper Fox in just two or three moves after meeting.
Yōkō held the broadsword, looking at the Kiri-nin engaged with the Konoha group, searching for his next target.
Fox's gaze was like a blade. This sense of pressure caused all the Kiri-nin's movements to become distorted.
Yagura hurriedly shouted, "Retreat!"
Wasn't it said that Konoha had been severely weakened by Uchiha Madara's surprise attack?
Why did a major clan head die upon first contact?
The Kaguya clan was one of the top three clans in Kirigakure, their physical prowess and secret techniques allowing them to run rampant in the village.
Yōkō charged forward again.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
Yagura quickly created a water mirror.
Yōkō saw his own reflection in the water mirror.
The mirror's chakra formed an identical, masked Fox.
The mirror image was pale blue and also held a broadsword.
The two sides collided fiercely.
Yōkō was startled inwardly. What kind of 50/50 ability was this? The mirror image's strength was actually exactly the same as his own, stopping Yōkō in his tracks.
Yagura breathed a sigh of relief.
His secret technique was effective; the Water Mirror Technique was extremely unreasonable.
Yōkō released the Cross Seal on the back of his hand, and his chakra surged violently. The second strike shattered the mirror image created by the Water Mirror Technique.
When Yōkō looked again, he found the Kiri-nin had already submerged into the depths of the water.
Nara Kyoi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the fight was over.
The ocean was the Kiri-nin's home turf. Once they submerged, there was nothing to be done.
However, Nara Kyoi saw Fox forming hand seals.
The Kiri-nin had vanished into the sea. Did Fox-sama still have a method?
"Wood Release: Tree Binding Wall!"
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(End of Chapter)