The Dueling Arena*01

"Ah--!"

It wasn't a gasp, but a genuine, visceral fear squeezed from the throat.

Hideki suddenly turned her head.

He saw something white emerging from the ground next to the Daimyo's Wife's chair.

Half of its body had already emerged from the ground, like a deformed mushroom growing out of the soil. It was deathly white, had no facial features, only a gaping mouth, and was twisting towards Wakako.

Hinata Rei, who was sitting next to Wakako, reacted the fastest.

She hadn't even fully stood up when her right hand lashed out.

"Smack!"

The White Zetsu's head exploded like a watermelon, scattering white fragments that were still wriggling slightly on the ground.

Wakako's face turned deathly pale.

"Lady Wakako!" Lian's small body shielded Wakako, her Byakugan wide and veins bulging on her forehead. "Please hide behind me! I won't let anyone hurt you!"

Her voice was firm and resolute, without the slightest tremor.

Long appeared almost simultaneously.

He flipped down from the shadows above the stands, landing in front of the Daimyo and the Envoy, Kunai in his hand.

The Sharingan shone forth, its Mitsudomoe slowly rotating amidst the crimson light.

Then everyone saw the surrounding environment distort, and white humanoid creatures emerged from all sorts of places.

In the gaps between the stone slabs of the stands, under the benches where the audience sat, on the stone pillars supporting the roof, and even on the beams of the roof.

Everywhere, White Zetsu surged forth from all directions like a tide.

Some had only half their bodies left, while others had completely crawled out. They seemed unaccustomed to walking, but their movements were exceptionally swift, their sharp hands transforming into blades as they rushed towards the people in the stands.

"What is that?!"

"Run!"

"Protect Daimyo! Protect Daimyo!"

"Don't panic! Don't panic!"

The audience erupted in cheers.

The Ninjas reacted immediately, drawing their weapons to fight back.

But the White Zetsu weren't targeting them at all. Because they weren't used to protecting others, in just Setsuna of carelessness, the civilians behind them had their necks snapped and were left lifeless.

Upon seeing this, people became even more panicked.

Some people screamed and ran towards the exit, some were so frightened that they collapsed in their chairs, unable to move, some huddled in a corner with their children in their arms, and some knelt on the ground and vomited.

The sounds of swords being drawn, Ninjutsu hand seals being formed, and the strange shrieks emanating from the white objects mingled together, turning the entire Dueling Arena into a boiling pot of porridge.

"Everyone, crouch down! Don't run around!" Hikaku's voice boomed from the center of the stands, carrying the pressure of Chakra drowned out most of the noise. "Uchiha Clan! Protect the civilians!"

"Senju Clan! Follow me!" Senju Kai's voice rang out from another direction as he led several Senju Ninjas towards the nearest White Zetsu.

"Sarutobi Clan! Clear a path! Escort the civilians out! Get out of here!" Sarutobi Sasuke kicked a White Zetsu. He looked around and saw that the leaders of other clans were also loudly commanding their people. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Damn it! What is this?!"

In Setsuna, the bowstring twanged.

An arrow flew from a corner of the stands, traveled dozens of meters, and precisely pierced the head of a White Zetsu that was lunging towards the crowd.

The arrows were also fitted with Explosive Tags, instantly blasting away many other white monsters that tried to approach the people.

Akimichi Gaku was like a tank, crushing all the White Zetsu on the road into white pancakes.

Aburame Pin and his people released Kikaichū that resembled black mist, quickly covering the entire area.

Even those who had just attacked Izuna were now killing enemies from their respective positions.

Everyone was putting in their effort, but more and more White Zetsu were still pouring out, like a sea of maggots, a sight that made people nauseous.

On the Arena, Izuna stood there.

His expression was rather unpleasant.

He knew about White Zetsu's lurking presence, but he never expected that Black Zetsu, the attacker, would be so unethical as to kill even civilians.

What exactly does he want? Didn't he want Madara to implement the Infinite Tsukuyomi? Is releasing the White Zetsu now because he's afraid Madara isn't vigilant enough?

Could it be that they want to eliminate the reincarnations of Indra and Asura so that they can be reincarnated as soon as possible?

What good is White Zetsu hair?! How could these ugly, deformed people possibly deal with Madara and Hashirama? They couldn't even wear them down!

Or does he have something else to rely on?

His thoughts raced, and he immediately opened the map, zooming in quickly to identify the object.

But the white spots on the White Zetsu were everywhere, densely packed, like worthless weeds in a field.

But the Black Zetsu's markings are still incredibly eye-catching.

"Heh." Izuna couldn't help but chuckle, a surge of anger rising within him from somewhere within him. "Found you."

A White Zetsu peeked out from the edge of the Arena and reached for his ankle.

Izuna didn't even look, and stepped on it.

"Smack."

The White Zetsu's head was stomped into the ground, its body twitched twice, and then it stopped moving.

Izuna walked off the Arena by himself.

"Raisuke! Organize the men, don't let anyone leave here!" Izuna's voice was crisp and clear. "Don't worry about why! Just do as I say!"

"Yes!" Although Sarutobi Raisuke was Hashirama's confidant, he agreed without hesitation at this moment.

Sasuke also heard the order and immediately stopped the evacuation operation, instead protecting the civilians on the spot.

People were in an uproar, and in their panic, some hurled very harsh insults. However, the Ninjas were not someone they could resist. Even if some of the more emotional individuals tried to break through, they were immediately stopped and suppressed.

"Madara! Hashirama!" Izuna shouted, "Those things are called White Zetsu! Any place could become a habitat for their spores! And they could even impersonate our own people! All our current detection methods, including the Sharingan and Byakugan, are unable to distinguish them!"

Hashirama, who was using Wood Release to finish off his opponent, was horrified upon hearing this. "What do we do?!"

Ban couldn't help but frown. If that were the case, they would be in a very passive position.

Izuna looked towards Yamanaka Iharu had kicked White Zetsu away with her beautiful leg, "Haeharu!"

She turned to look at Izuna.

Izuna leaped twice to her side, "Could you try to Link my mind with the minds of all the Ninjas here?"

"Wow, this is challenging right from the start?" Haeharu asked, confirming, "With people from other countries too?"

"Yes, all of them, if that doesn't work..."

"Who says it can't be done?" The blonde beauty narrowed her beautiful, bright eyes slightly. "I'm the Clan Head's daughter! Everyone, right? Watch me!"

She immediately formed hand seals and began to sense everyone's Chakra.

Izuna opened his mouth slightly, "No, you're from a wealthy family too... Ah, never mind. That one over there! That one... Ah! Tadayo!"

Having Tadayo severed the head of a White Zetsu, Izuna's unfamiliar way of addressing him caused a slight expression of distress on his Jonin.

"Come help protect Haeharu."

However, Tadayo still obediently came over to help.

Just then, a scream came from the east side of the stands.

An Uchiha Ninja was clearing out White Zetsu with his back to his comrades when he suddenly felt a chill on his chest.

He looked down and saw a bloody blade protruding from his chest.

He turned his head with difficulty and saw the "Uchiha" behind him giving him a strange smile.

"You..."

The sword was withdrawn, Uchiha Ninja's body slumped to the ground. The "Uchiha's" face twisted and deformed like melted wax, revealing its true, deathly pale form— White Zetsu.

It shook the blood off its knife, transformed into another person, and silently blended into the crowd.

The Uchiha Ninja shouted with his last ounce of strength, "Watch out! They can transform!"

On the other side, a medical-nin who was treating the wounded had his neck snapped by the "wounded" person in front of him.

Her eyes were wide open; she died unable to understand why the person she had saved would turn on her.

Panic spread like a plague.

It's not that no one heard Izuna's shout, but no one expected that White Zetsu could imitate it to this extent.

Everyone started to doubt: Is the person next to you really there? Is the person who fought alongside you just now still the same person?

"Don't come near me!" A young Ninja raised Kunai at his approaching companion, his voice trembling. "Don't come any closer! Where did you go? What happened to the wound on your back? You—who are you?"

"It's me! Calm down!"

"Then answer me! Where did we go together after training yesterday?"

"... I don't remember."

The Kunai thrust forward, not towards a vital spot, but towards the shoulder. The "comrade" struck groaned, blood flowing from the wound—red blood. He looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief and hurt. "Are you insane?"

The young Ninja's hands were trembling.

Is it real? Is it really him? He rushed forward to check the wound, but the next second, the "comrade's" face twisted and turned into White Zetsu.

It looked at him with a grin, grabbed his neck, and forced him to the ground.

Nobody knows how to tell.

Appearances can be disguised, voices can be imitated, bloodstains can be faked, and even the Sharingan and Byakugan are rendered ineffective.

Their meridians are exactly the same as those of humans!

In an instant, everyone felt insecure and began to distrust those around them.

Izuna stood at the edge of the Arena, taking in everything.

To Izuna's surprise, he found himself feeling no fear whatsoever, only overwhelming rage.

Black Zetsu! You're fucking dead!

Just then, Yamanaka Iharu's voice rang in his mind.

"Link complete." Haeharu's voice carried a hint of weariness, but even more so, pride. "Everyone's here. What are you planning to do—"

Izuna opened the map panel directly.

Regardless of whether the system's existence would be exposed, he transmitted the map image he saw to Haeharu.

In his eyes, it was a map of the system, a two-dimensional graphic, a panel that only he could see.

But in Haeharu's eyes, this "seeing" became a three-dimensional sensory network covering the entire Dueling Arena and even half of Konoha.

The Chakra of every living creature appeared clearly before her eyes.

The White Zetsu are specifically marked with a striking red color.

A blinding, blood-red aura burned around them, instantly exposing the "White Zetsu."