Perhaps Karatachi Yagura would never know that while he stood at the bow gazing out at the sea, on the other side of that vast blue expanse, a pair of green eyes seemed ready to pierce through the azure waters to watch him.
"Lord Kakuzu, you don't need to keep looking. The Mist ninja wouldn't be foolish enough to come charging across the sea in broad daylight."
Eishō smiled.
"Of course I know that. If not tonight, then tomorrow night."
Kakuzu's eyes remained fixed on the distant coastline, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
"My lord, surely you're not worried that the Mist has too many skilled fighters for us to handle? You can rest assured—our fortifications are complete and our supplies abundant. We have no disadvantage to worry about in that regard. As long as they dare come, we'll make sure they all stay on this Coin Beach!"
Hearing this, Kakuzu slowly withdrew his gaze and smiled.
"I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Have you noticed? Ever since the Battle of Moon Lake and the Battle of Lishi, traditional ninja warfare has fundamentally changed. Individual strength is no longer the key to victory or defeat in war—strategic deployment is what truly matters."
A look of reverence crossed Kakuzu's face as he spoke. Indeed, the Battle of Moon Lake led by Rasa and the Battle of Lishi led by Jinghang had pioneered an entirely new mode of ninja warfare. Puppets as the main force, talismans paving the way—pure money had literally crushed nearly ten thousand Leaf ninja to death. This style of combat was right up Kakuzu's alley.
Ever since taking charge of military affairs on the Yuexi Peninsula, he had repeatedly studied the processes of those two battles. Not only did he study them himself, but the entire coastal defense force studied them together, and they had now mastered the techniques down to the company level.
Not only that, but the Meat Bun Plan was now basically ready to execute, with the most crucial step being the last one—eliminating as many invading Mist ninja as possible.
Jinghang hadn't interfered with this military operation at all, giving Kakuzu complete authority and speaking very clearly:
"You're the local strongman of the Yuexi Peninsula. You know the situation there better than I do. Use the money however you want, deploy the ten thousand ninja however you want. How to arrange troops, how to attack and defend—I won't interfere with any of it. It's all up to you. I have just one requirement: of the ten thousand invading Mist ninja, you must leave at least sixty percent behind for me!"
Moreover, Jinghang had once again emphasized the significance of this battle to Kakuzu. Although the Yuexi Peninsula wasn't the main battlefield, it was constantly connected to the situation on the main battlefield. This time they had the advantage of planning against the unprepared, but the cost wasn't small either. Never mind anything else—just Maki alone was almost being squeezed dry... So they absolutely could not afford to fail!
When the boss had spoken to that extent, what more was there to say? So as soon as Kakuzu returned to the Yuexi Peninsula, he worked tirelessly day and night, conducting deductions and carefully planning. After considerable effort, he finally completed the final link in the Meat Bun Plan—Operation Dinner.
"What I'm worried about isn't anything else—I just think it's a pity."
Kakuzu sighed.
"A pity? Lord Kakuzu, what do you mean by that?"
Eishō was somewhat puzzled.
Kakuzu pointed toward the distant waters.
"This place is twelve nautical miles from the Iron Spike Blockade Line, right?"
"That's correct."
"Think about it. If I had an elite navy in my hands, once the Mist ninja abandon their ships and take to the sea, we could strike from the flank and definitely destroy all the Mist warships. Heh heh, and then when our Operation Dinner succeeds, what kind of scene would it be when the Mist remnants try to retreat!"
Eishō was instantly stunned by Kakuzu's powerful imagination, so he too spread the wings of his imagination and began to envision it.
"If that were the case, after the Mist ninja suffer heavy casualties in a fierce battle and then trek twelve nautical miles, their chakra would surely be depleted by the time they reach the Iron Spike Blockade Line. At that point, wouldn't they be at our mercy? Without much effort, all the Mist ninja could become fish and shrimp in the sea!"
As he spoke, Eishō's excited gaze gradually dimmed. Yes, if they had a "navy," this battle could not only leave all ten thousand invading Mist ninja behind, but could even launch a counterattack on the Hidden Mist Village. Unfortunately, they currently didn't have one.
A navy was an expensive military branch that required not only massive financial investment, but also the tempering of years. In the entire ninja world, only the Hidden Mist Village had such conditions. Although the Hidden Sand Village had suddenly become wealthy in recent years, it didn't dare rashly develop a navy. Training a qualified "sea ninja" required far more time and money than training a land ninja.
Therefore, over the years, the Yuexi Peninsula could only establish solid, comprehensive coastal defense fortifications while spending considerable resources to form a small water-style-specialized maritime anti-smuggling team. The scale was very small—less than a regiment—and normally they could only handle tasks like fighting smugglers and driving away pirates.
"How about letting the maritime anti-smuggling team try?"
Eishō suggested.
"Better not."
Kakuzu shook his head.
"That force is the seed of our Hidden Sand Village's navy. If we lose them, we'd have to start from scratch again. Besides, with just the dozen or so warships the anti-smuggling team has, fighting the Mist fleet still wouldn't be enough. It's a losing proposition—better not to do it."
After speaking, Kakuzu abandoned the idea and prepared to return to the war room.
Just then, something on the beach caught his attention.
"Huh? What's this?"
He was about to reach out and touch it when—
"Lord Kakuzu! Don't touch it! It's poisonous!"
Eishō immediately called out to stop him.
"That's called a Portuguese Man o' War. It's poisonous!"
"Portuguese Man o' War?"
Kakuzu asked in confusion.
Eishō pointed at the soft, translucent blob on the ground.
"This is a type of jellyfish that lives in the mid-ocean waters. Look at this head—doesn't it look like the hat a monk wears?"
"Hmm, it does look a bit like that."
Kakuzu nodded.
"These things like to travel in groups with half their bodies above the surface, looking just like floating monk's hats. At night, they even emit colorful, brilliant light. But once you get curious and touch them with your hands, you can easily get stung by their tentacles!"
Hearing this, Kakuzu immediately became interested.
"You just said this thing is poisonous?!"
"Yes, but these things are usually in the mid-ocean waters. How did it get here? Could there be a storm at sea?"
"How toxic is it?"
Kakuzu completely ignored Eishō's analysis.
"Quite toxic, though not fatal. But it causes excruciating pain. However, the antidote is simple—ordinary urine can stop the pain."
Kakuzu pondered for a moment, then whispered something in Eishō's ear.
"Brilliant!"
Eishō's eyes lit up.
"Go handle it!"
Kakuzu patted Eishō's shoulder, and Eishō ran off toward the camp at full speed.
"Since I can't recover the principal for now, I'll reluctantly collect some interest."
Kakuzu smiled wickedly.
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