I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 271

“Although compared to the mature jinchuriki in other Hidden Villages, I, Gaara, who is merely ten years old, have not yet reached the level of controlling a tailed beast’s power.

But in the eyes of Gaara, as long as we delay Tsunade and Konoha Village’s skilled ninjas like Uchiha Itachi, in the prolonged battle between the Sand and Konoha, finding a spot to toss Naruto Uzumaki into Konoha Village’s territory will suffice.

At that moment, Naruto will go berserk, and the power of the One-Tailed Shukaku will naturally erupt.

Even if Konoha Village manages to suppress Shukaku, the exertion of power and the casualties involved will definitely not be insignificant.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Sand Village’s forces entirely have the chance to break through Konoha’s defenses, already limited in strength and entangled with the tailed beast, to seize control of Tazuna River, securing the ultimate victory against Konoha on the Land of Rivers battlefield.

As for whether Naruto will be in danger at that time, Gaara does not concern himself with it.

Compared to the life-and-death situation of the Sand Village, he is willing to sacrifice even himself, let alone a son whom he already dislikes.

It’s just unfortunate that due to a miscalculation before departing, thinking they could swiftly take over the Land of Rivers, Naruto, this tailed beast weapon, was not brought along.

But making up for it now is better than not doing so.

Seeing Uchiha Itachi, who seems more imposing than before, Gaara realizes that it’s unlikely to deal with this person swiftly. He immediately orders a Sand ninjas to relay the message to bring Naruto Uzumaki to the frontline.

For now, Gaara, observing the stagnant state of the surrounding battle, can only proceed step by step.

…

Meanwhile, as the Sand ninjas hesitates, across the vast sea from the Land of Wind, on the harbors of the Land of Water, the Konoha’s fleet of carriers is undergoing another round of airstrikes.

Due to prior intelligence from Konoha spies, they learned that the Land of Water has been actively constructing numerous new ships, led by Mist ninjas, at a pace far exceeding expectations.

At the helm of the Land of Waves, Uchiha Shisui decisively altered the initial plan based on the information received. He deployed all six carriers, dealing a severe blow to the Land of Water’s ports and various shipyards.

The plan has been progressing smoothly.

Not only were many ships under construction in the Land of Water destroyed, but major docks also suffered devastating blows.

While the Konoha ninjas flew back triumphantly to their carriers,

On the ground beneath their sight, despite witnessing the extensive damage inflicted on their side by the airstrike, a group of elite Mist ninjas remained expressionless, even revealing a smile indicating ‘it’s finally beginning.’

Once their gaze withdrew from the Konoha ninjas in the sky, they eventually turned to a woman with fiery red hair and a stunning figure at the forefront.

Mei Terumi did not disappoint.

She swiftly commanded, “Ao, the task of tracking the carriers’ positions is entrusted to you.”

“Yes, Lord Mizukage.” Ao nodded and promptly led a team of adept Mist ninjas to dive into the sea, activating their Byakugan to track once more.

“Now, it’s time for us to act. It’s time to eliminate all these nauseating airborne Konoha individuals!” After noticing the complete disappearance of Konoha ninjas in the sky, Mei Terumi issued her final command.

“Yes, Lord Mizukage!”

At that moment, surrounding her, the elite of the Mist Village, like the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, the Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails, Utakata, and the new generation’s Seven Swordsmen’s leader, Chojuro, all echoed in unison.

Soon, led by Mei Terumi, the group arrived at a secluded sea area untouched by the bombings.

With a wave of her hand, after the Mist Village’s sealing unit swiftly performed hand seals, in an instant, a concealed barrier emerged.

Inside, a peculiar, well-maintained small vessel, combining mechanical power with sails, appeared before them.

“Board the ship.” Mei Terumi took a deep breath, her gaze resolute, taking the lead.

After setting the goal to destroy Konoha’s carrier fleet,

For the Mist ninjas, the crucial aspect was how to catch up with the carriers once they returned, a hundred miles away from the coastline of the Land of Water, immediately escaping upon the return of the Konoha ninjas.

While the carriers might appear massive, their actual speed, whether the traditional wooden ships of the Land of Water or the steel ones, couldn’t match the Konohas.

Though with the strength of Mei Terumi and others, forcibly catching up was possible, it would lead to massive chakra consumption, leaving them vulnerable and unfit for battle.

Therefore, Mist needed a fast vessel, essential for this task.

Hence, while officially constructing numerous ships in these three days, under the guise of concealment, their real effort was focused on crafting this particular ship.

Despite ample financial support from the Land of Water’s daimyo, given the urgency and technical issues, Mist could only produce this relatively small vessel, barely matching the carrier’s speed.

Fortunately, this mission involved only a handful of elite Mist ninjas, and the ship could accommodate them.

At this moment, after Mei Terumi boarded, the elite Mist ninjas followed suit.

After a long whistle, the ship under their feet surged forward with a long trail of white waves, following the guidance provided by Ao, swiftly navigating ahead.

…

Over an hour later,

Quietly following behind Ao’s Mist ninjas vessel, while other Mist elite were calm, excited, bloodthirsty, and various other emotions in anticipation of the impending battle, Utakata, the Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails, stood alone at the rear of the ship. Engaged in playing with a soap bubble blower absentmindedly, his eyes devoid of spirit, gazing into the distance, seemingly out of place.

Ever since the village forced him to become the Six-Tails’ Jinchuriki, this demeanor was quite common for him.

Others were used to it.

Only Utakata’s fellow Jinchuriki, Utakata Guren, had sensed something amiss with him.

However, due to the Blood Mist Incident, since Mei Terumi became the Fifth Mizukage and retired, he had secluded himself, refraining from involvement in external affairs and disregarding matters concerning the Jinchuriki.

Now, with this rare encounter with Utakata, realizing that something seemed even more amiss with him, Guren furrowed her brows, intending to engage in conversation.

Regardless, the matter concerning the Jinchuriki was of utmost importance; for the village’s sake, she had to do something.

Just then, an urgent message interrupted her thoughts.

In the latest intelligence reported by Ao, the position of the Konoha’s carrier fleet had been confirmed.

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