In the end, although the Land of Water's army completely occupied the islands of the Land of Whirlpools, they did not achieve their intended strategic objectives. Instead, the Konoha Ninja Village people took the remaining citizens of the Land of Whirlpools back to their homeland. As the commander, Hozuki Gengetsu, was utterly disgraced in this matter. He led a force far superior in numbers to the enemy, yet still allowed them to escape. Fortunately, he wasn't repelled by the enemy; otherwise, it wouldn't have been mere disgrace, but utter humiliation.
However, to some extent, the impact on the Land of Water was not that significant. Although the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were troublesome, the more problematic aspect was the geographical location of the Land of Whirlpools. The Land of Whirlpools was also an island nation, situated between the oceans of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Its geographical position made it an ideal transit point for wars between the two nations. Now that this major concern was gone, even if remnants of the Uzumaki clan remained, they posed no strategic threat.
From this perspective, the Land of Water still had to thank the shortsightedness of the Land of Whirlpools' leadership. The Konoha Ninja Village certainly did not overlook the strategic significance of the Land of Whirlpools. However, even though they eventually evacuated the citizens of the Land of Whirlpools, they still lost the islands of the Land of Whirlpools. Whatever the reason, it showed the Konoha Ninja Village's powerlessness in the situation.
After the Land of Whirlpools campaign ended, Hozuki Gengetsu was ordered to establish a base on the island, serving as an intermediate supply station for the Land of Water's army to land in the Land of Fire. After occupying the Land of Whirlpools, there was no longer any island nation in the intervening ocean that could hinder the Land of Water. They could advance unobstructed into the Land of Fire, and even if they encountered obstacles on the main battlefield, they could retreat at any time.
After the frontal war reached a stalemate, the Third Mizukage led his personal guard to the Land of Whirlpools—which was now under the administration of the Land of Water, and perhaps the name "Land of Whirlpools" should be dropped—to meet with Hozuki Gengetsu, who was responsible for establishing the base. As soon as they met, Hozuki Gengetsu apologized for his unfavorable performance in the Land of Whirlpools campaign. To be honest, the Third Mizukage was indeed angry about not eliminating the Uzumaki clan, but since the outcome was still acceptable, and with the passage of days, he had gradually calmed down.
However, the Third Mizukage was also considering punishment for Hozuki Gengetsu. Thanks to the glory of the previous Mizukage, the Hozuki clan had always held a very high position in the Hidden Mist Ninja Village. And Hozuki Gengetsu, due to his outstanding talent, had developed an arrogant personality. Although he wasn't a bad person, his interpersonal relationships among the village's high-ranking officials were not good, and he had offended many people.
Even though the outcome of the Land of Whirlpools campaign was acceptable, many people in the village still called for Hozuki Gengetsu to be punished, using the excuse that he had failed to achieve the intended mission objectives. Of course, there was an element of kicking him while he was down, but the Third Mizukage thought it might even be a good thing.
According to reports from accompanying jonin, Hozuki Gengetsu's unfavorable combat performance was largely due to his arrogant personality. If his temper could be tempered, it might be better for him in the future.
Of course, the Third Mizukage had no intention of genuinely suppressing Hozuki Gengetsu. He was also a bit worried about what to do if Hozuki Gengetsu was unwilling to accept it. Now, seeing Hozuki Gengetsu voluntarily accepting punishment, the Third Mizukage breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Are you truly convinced?"
"Yes." Hozuki Gengetsu himself understood that the outcome wasn't bad, but he had always been arrogant and wouldn't tolerate any flaws in his missions. The Land of Whirlpools campaign was humiliating, and he admitted his failure. However, no matter what, he would get his revenge.
—So, just you wait, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Thus, the Third Mizukage's punishment for Hozuki Gengetsu was, firstly, to revoke his right to lead a separate army and place him by his side to learn and obey orders;
Secondly, to hand over the family's inherited ninja swords for the ninja village's use, while retaining the Hozuki clan's summoning rights. Although they could be summoned back, they could not be easily recalled without the village's consent.
The former was expected by Hozuki Gengetsu in his heart, but the latter truly pained him. The ninja swords were the heritage of the Hozuki clan, painstakingly crafted by the previous Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu.
And now, because of his own mistakes, they were given away. Even though the family still held ownership and the village only had the right to use them, it was still heartbreaking.
Of course, since he had already agreed to accept the punishment, Hozuki Gengetsu naturally wouldn't choose not to accept it. Moreover, the village had also preserved the Hozuki clan's dignity by not completely seizing the ninja swords, but merely having the Hozuki clan agree to let the village use them—although this use came with some coercive elements—Therefore, Hozuki Gengetsu only planned to fight well in the upcoming war to wash away his shame.
The Third Mizukage was very satisfied with Hozuki Gengetsu's attitude. In the past, because Hozuki Gengetsu was powerful, even if he pointed out his problems, he completely disregarded them. But now, having experienced failure, he would surely truly listen to his words and grow.
The second condition was also not the Third Mizukage deliberately trying to make things difficult for Hozuki Gengetsu or cause trouble for the Hozuki clan. He believed that although Hozuki Gengetsu could skillfully use the ninja swords, he was ultimately only one person and could not simultaneously use seven ninja swords with different abilities and shapes. To some extent, he could not fully unleash their power. In that case, rather than having one person use them, it would be better to distribute them to others to enhance everyone's strength, which might be a better way to utilize the ninja swords.
The Third Mizukage explained the detailed reasons to Hozuki Gengetsu, and Hozuki Gengetsu understood. As long as the Hozuki clan, who had paid the price, had no complaints, others would certainly not say anything. In their view, the Hozuki clan had indeed been punished, which could also prevent any internal conflicts within the village.
The Third Mizukage instructed Hozuki Gengetsu to select suitable individuals to inherit the ninja swords and personally train them. Hozuki Gengetsu, who knew every ninja sword inside and out, could accurately identify the right people to inherit them. Furthermore, he also hoped to establish a teacher-student relationship between Hozuki Gengetsu and the ninja sword inheritors, which could better appease some dissenting voices within the Hozuki clan.
In the following days, Hozuki Gengetsu carefully observed the chunin and young jonin in the village, selecting six suitable individuals. He then passed on six of the ninja swords to them and taught them how to use them. These individuals already had a foundational strength, and after obtaining the ninja swords, their power increased another level.
The seven individuals, including Hozuki Gengetsu, were named the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" by the Third Mizukage. On the day they completed their training, they rushed to the front lines to fight against the Konoha ninjas, demonstrating exceptionally impressive combat abilities. As the Third Mizukage had said, although Hozuki Gengetsu alone could utilize the seven ninja swords to unleash combat abilities exceeding those of a jonin, he alone could not unleash their full power, and the increase in his strength was limited. However, after the ninja swords were evenly distributed, it was equivalent to the Hidden Mist Ninja Village having seven highly skilled jonin, and Hozuki Gengetsu's combat power was only slightly inferior to before. While his individual strength seemed to have decreased, the overall strength of the Hidden Mist Ninja Village was enhanced.
With the combined efforts of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, they for the first time subtly suppressed the Konoha Ninja Village's dominance on the battlefield. Although not decisive, it slowly eroded the Konoha Ninja Village's defenses, causing great headaches for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, the Konoha ninja forces' leaders.
Upon learning that the opponents were using the same ninja tools as the Hozuki clan ninja he had fought, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also surprised by the Third Mizukage's cleverness, saying, "This method of evenly distributing them to amplify overall strength is truly remarkable. I'm impressed he thought of it."
"You're still praising him? Shouldn't you be thinking about how to deal with those guys running around?" Shimura Danzo retorted, annoyed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, utilizing the convenience of the ocean, moved swiftly across the entire battlefield, creating immense pressure in localized battles. This led to an incident where Jiraiya was inadvertently surrounded by four of them, leaving him covered in blood and barely escaping with his life. Fortunately, Shimura Danzo's elite squad continuously tracked and scouted, preventing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from becoming too arrogant; otherwise, the outcome could have been far worse.
"So, you're saying the Hidden Mist Village has gained an advantage this time?" Tsunade was currently only responsible for medical tasks and was not directly involved in the war. This was her first time hearing about the war's situation from Jiraiya.
To avoid being overheard by others, Tsunade and Jiraiya returned to the tent where she had previously treated him. Jiraiya told her everything he could, making Tsunade understand the current war situation between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. After Jiraiya finished, Tsunade thought for a moment and asked, "Then have you thought of any way to deal with them?"
"Of course. But that's a matter for Lord Hiruzen and Lord Danzo. My job is just to obey orders and work hard," Jiraiya said. "But I can't fight right now. Look at these injuries, they hurt like hell."
"How long do you think you can rest? With these injuries, you'll be fully combat-ready in three days at most." Tsunade pouted and said.
"That fast?" Jiraiya was surprised. "Well, that's good. The sooner I go back, the sooner we can drive those Hidden Mist ninjas out."
"I wish I could help too, but regulations prevent me from going to the front lines. I can only cheer you on from the back and make sure you all stay alive." Tsunade's personality naturally couldn't stand idleness, but the rules for medical ninjas restricted her, making it impossible for her to set foot on the front lines. If it came to that point, the situation would be dire. Although she understood, it often made Tsunade, who considered herself a formidable fighter, sigh, feeling that her precious talent wasn't being fully utilized.
"With you medical ninjas backing us up, we front-line ninjas feel at ease. No matter how we get injured, you're always there to support us." Jiraiya smiled.
Three days later, just as Jiraiya had fully recovered and was ready to head to the front lines, news arrived that the Land of Lightning had officially declared an alliance with the Land of Fire. This news surprised everyone. Before that, everyone had thought that the Land of Lightning might side with the invading nations. Now, upon hearing this news, the gloom in their hearts instantly disappeared.
"Haha. It seems the people of the Land of Lightning are still very sensible, knowing who to help." Jiraiya laughed heartily, speaking to Tsunade.
"Quiet down. What you said is true, though. With the Land of Lightning joining us, the war with the Hidden Mist Village should go much better, and it might even end sooner." Tsunade said.
"That's for sure. The Hidden Mist Village has no reinforcements here, while we have the support of the Hidden Cloud Village. If it still takes a long time to end, I don't know what to say." Jiraiya took a sip of water. "I just wonder how Lord Hiruzen and the others will formulate their plan."
On the front lines, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were both stunned when they received news of the alliance. They had rushed to the eastern front early to fight and didn't know much about the situation within the village. They only occasionally heard about the movements of the Land of Lightning, and there were even rumors that the Land of Lightning might assist the invading nations. At most, they could only curse, but they couldn't do anything else; they could only see how the village handled it.
Now, hearing that the Land of Lightning had officially declared an alliance, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo both breathed a sigh of relief. The Land of Lightning was very close to here, and if war broke out, the pressure on the eastern front would be immense. Fortunately, they no longer had this concern, and they had gained a powerful ally.
"Masaki and the others did well. I heard it was Takefu who negotiated with the Land of Lightning, right? We should thank him for his efforts when we return." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile to Shimura Danzo.
"Hmm, once the Hidden Cloud Village joins us, we can start thinking about when to formulate a large-scale counterattack plan." Shimura Danzo nodded slightly. He had been racking his brains over the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and had always intended to wipe out the Hidden Mist Village's main base here. This way, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who only operated in small squads, would be less troublesome.
"Don't rush. We still need to meet with the Hidden Cloud Village people and discuss our next strategic objectives." Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately realized that he didn't need to think about it, as the village had already sent over the formulated strategic objectives. The specific details still needed to be considered by the eastern front commanders, but the general direction had already been decided: to expel the Hidden Mist ninjas from the Land of Fire, cooperate with the Hidden Cloud Village to prevent them from entering the ninja world continent again, blockade the Land of Water's homeland, and force them to withdraw from the war using starvation tactics.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo discussed it carefully and felt that this approach was feasible. The Land of Water was just an island nation, not very rich in resources. Without a strong navy at present, attempting to approach their homeland was unrealistic. Therefore, they would prevent landings from the land, where the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning excelled. Additionally, the Land of Water's closest neighbors were the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, with no countries to supply resources. Once the war reached a stalemate, the Land of Water would quickly face a resource shortage, and the only solution would be to withdraw from the war.
If executed well, the Eastern Front campaign might be the first to conclude. Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo couldn't help but get excited.