After the Uzumaki shinobi withdrew to their defensive line one kilometre inland, the three approaching ships became clearly visible.
The moment the Uzumaki leaders saw the crowded decks, their expressions changed.
“This is bad.
Why have they brought so many shinobi this time?” First Elder Uzumaki Ryōta muttered, his face darkening.
Clan Leader Uzumaki Takamasa was equally astonished.
Previous attacks had involved only a few dozen shinobi, but the force approaching them now appeared to number at least several hundred.
“Elder Shigure, what do you think?” Nagakaze asked with a worried frown.
He understood that the preparations along the shore were not particularly threatening on their own.
Now that the enemy had brought several times as many shinobi as before, the situation looked even worse.
“Relax.
There’s no need to panic.” Shigure waved dismissively and gave Nagakaze a reassuring look.
True mastery lay in appearing completely unruffled while everyone else was panicking—and Shigure had perfected the art.
That single glance jolted Nagakaze out of his anxiety.
His restless thoughts immediately settled.
Does Elder Shigure still have another move prepared?
Uzumaki Hironari narrowed his eyes and secretly studied Shigure.
Takamasa and the other elders also turned towards him, eager to discover what he had planned.
However, Shigure merely leaned closer to Nagakaze and whispered a few instructions into his ear.
Realisation immediately dawned on the Second Elder’s face.
Without offering the others an explanation, Nagakaze hurried away with more than a dozen Uzumaki shinobi.
Everyone else was left thoroughly confused.
A sly smile appeared on Hironari’s face.
“It appears you’ve been hiding something from us, Elder Shigure.
Don’t you intend to explain?” Hironari had once again directed his hostility towards Shigure.
Shigure did not even bother looking at him.
Instead, he turned towards Takamasa.
“Takamasa, my boy—come here.” He beckoned to the clan leader without paying the slightest attention to Hironari.
Hironari’s face turned so dark that it was almost comical.
Gengetsu Hōzuki, Kaguya Kōtetsu, and the rest of the invasion force were rapidly approaching the shore.
However, the two leaders soon noticed something strange.
Not a single Uzumaki shinobi remained to defend the beach.
Instead, the entire force had withdrawn to a second defensive line far inland.
Neither man could understand why.
“Could it be a trap?” Kōtetsu asked, looking suspiciously towards the young Hōzuki prodigy beside him.
“A trap?
You’re overthinking it, Kōtetsu.” Gengetsu shook his head with a confident smile.
He immediately leapt from the deck and raced across the water towards the shore.
His hands rapidly formed a series of seals.
Streams of seawater rose around him before surging directly into his body.
“Secret Technique: Spectral Transformation!” As the seawater flowed into him, Gengetsu’s already powerful frame swelled dramatically.
His body became broader, and he grew noticeably taller.
It was clearly a special strengthening technique belonging to the Hōzuki Clan.
“Charge!” When Kōtetsu saw Gengetsu rush ahead without warning, he refused to fall behind.
At his command, the shinobi on all three ships leapt from the decks.
Kōtetsu’s body rippled and writhed as though something were about to tear its way out from beneath his skin.
Hundreds of Hōzuki and Kaguya shinobi raced across the surface of the sea, rapidly closing the distance to the mainland.
“They’re coming.” Takamasa’s eyes narrowed.
His hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
However, when his gaze fell upon the perfectly composed Shigure, the corner of his mouth twitched.
I hope Shigure’s strategy succeeds.
The Uzumaki Clan had placed its survival entirely in Shigure’s hands.
It was impossible for Takamasa not to feel nervous.
If the strategy worked, everything would be fine.
However, if the enemy discovered their plan, the Uzumaki Clan would suffer devastating losses.
If that happened, Takamasa would personally have Shigure executed—and ensure that his final moments were anything but pleasant.
As though he had sensed the clan leader’s gaze, Shigure abruptly turned and glared at him.
Killing intent?
Takamasa is actually directing killing intent at me?
No one present understood just how powerful Shigure’s Sensory Perception had become.
The instant Takamasa released even a trace of killing intent, Shigure detected it.
It really doesn’t pay to be too nice to people.
Shigure gave a quiet scoff.
The moment Gengetsu stepped onto the beach, an inexplicable unease rose within him.
It felt as though something important remained hidden just beyond his sight.
“What’s wrong?” Kōtetsu caught up and found Gengetsu standing motionless with a deep frown.
“Don’t you think it’s too quiet?” “Quiet?” Kōtetsu looked around blankly.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Subtle thought had never been Kōtetsu’s greatest strength.
“No.
Every other time we attacked, the Uzumaki fought fiercely to hold the shore.
Why would they suddenly abandon their first defensive line and retreat inland?” Kōtetsu had no answer.
Despite being only sixteen, Gengetsu was already regarded as the Hōzuki Clan’s second-greatest prodigy.
His instincts and judgement surpassed those of many experienced clan shinobi.
Unable to dismiss his suspicions, he ordered the invasion force to halt.
His hands then flew through another sequence of seals.
“Fire Release: Ghost Lantern Technique!” Nine ghostly flames, each roughly the size of a human head, appeared before him.
They shot forwards and struck different points across the beach.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ghostly flames exploded one after another, creating a blast zone that stretched for a hundred metres.
The next moment— RUMBLE!
A series of explosions erupted beneath the sand.
The flames had triggered the first chain of explosive tags that Shigure had ordered the Uzumaki to bury along the shore.
“So there really was a trap!” Violent explosions tore across the beach, blasting enormous craters into the sand.
The devastation was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.
The Hōzuki and Kaguya shinobi looked at Gengetsu with newfound respect.
“You truly are impressive!” Kōtetsu laughed.
“You exposed their trap before we walked straight into it!” A short while later, the final explosions subsided.
A confident smile spread across Gengetsu’s face.
He believed he had uncovered the Uzumaki Clan’s entire plan.
So that’s why they abandoned the shore and withdrew to their second defensive line.
“Now, follow me and crush the Uzumaki Clan!” Gengetsu swept his arm forwards and shouted.
The invasion force surged across the shattered beach.
One kilometre was not a great distance for shinobi.
Before long, they had crossed nearly half the ground separating them from the Uzumaki defensive line.
The Uzumaki shinobi waiting roughly five hundred metres ahead had now come clearly into view.
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.