White Zetsu Die When Killed

One hundred thousand White Zetsu attacked from three directions, and the shinobi likewise met them from three directions. Support units were also held back to guard against surprise attacks.

In terms of numbers alone, the Shinobi Allied Forces were at a disadvantage. But when it came to teamwork and combat flexibility, the White Zetsu were far inferior to the shinobi.

The First Combat Division led by Fugaku Uchiha rapidly raced toward the western border. Along the way, several shinobi would occasionally run from the front to Fugaku's side to report the situation.

They were the scouting squads, acting as scouts to investigate whether there were enemies or traps ahead. At regular intervals, they sent someone back to report to the main force, then merged into the formation and advanced alongside it while others took over the scouting duties.

Several jonin and chunin from the Hyuga Clan accompanied Fugaku as well, taking turns standing watch to minimize the risk of walking into an ambush.

The purpose of Sensor Ninja was to prevent tragedies like Nawaki charging headfirst into an Exploding Tag formation as much as possible.

After receiving a warning from the scouting squad, Fugaku raised a hand to signal a halt. Hyuga Tokuma activated his Byakugan and described the enemy's numbers and distribution to Fugaku.

The White Zetsu forces had no formation to speak of. They basically relied on their numbers and swarmed forward.

Since they were still within the Land of Fire, Fugaku compared the map and recalled the nearby terrain. As the captain, he had not come unprepared.

Fugaku swiftly deployed the forces into suitable positions. Close combat, ranged attacks, support—every unit was arranged in perfect order. He had even considered how to stall the enemy or direct a retreat if the battle turned unfavorable.

This battle was extremely important to Fugaku. Minato's decision to let him lead a force on his own was a sign of trust. As far as he knew, there were no fewer than five people in Konoha qualified to serve as captain of this combat division. Since Minato had chosen him, he had to make this battle a splendid one!

Before long, a white line appeared on the horizon and entered the shinobi's sight.

A massive group of White Zetsu was about to attack! And this was probably not the last wave.

As the white line gradually widened, the shinobi slowly made out those white humanoid creatures.

The White Zetsu marched forward in a vast tide. Their bodies were covered in plant-like patterns and spikes, and they wore no clothes. Their faces bore either savage or comical expressions. A rough estimate put their numbers at over twenty thousand.

Many young shinobi who had never experienced such a massive battle swallowed nervously. Tens of thousands of monsters had gathered together and were advancing steadily in their direction. The oppressive feeling made them involuntarily tighten their grips on their weapons.

Perhaps only at this moment did those shinobi who had never experienced war truly realize that this was a battlefield—a place where they could lose their lives at any moment.

Fugaku keenly noticed the change in the shinobi's mindset and encouraged them, "There's no need to panic. These enemies are called White Zetsu. White Zetsu die when killed. They aren't terrifying monsters. Don't worry about getting hurt; Lady Tsunade's Medical Unit is supporting us from the rear!"

"Oh!"

Encouraging shouts rose from the crowd, and they finally regained some of the vigor they had shown when setting out.

Perhaps it was the intelligence about the enemy, or perhaps Tsunade's name gave people an incomparable sense of security. Just thinking that the greatest medical ninja in the shinobi world was now their ally made their blood surge.

"Prepare your ninja tools! Attack!"

When the White Zetsu entered range, Fugaku gave the order, and the forces followed the usual shinobi battle procedure by throwing all kinds of ninja tools.

The shinobi from the other villages threw everything from Shuriken and Kunai to Shadow Windmills.

Only the Konoha Ninja threw nothing but Kunai, because Exploding Tags were easier to attach to Kunai, whether tied to the ring or wrapped around the handle.

As a result, after one round of attacks, smoke and dust rose everywhere. The White Zetsu's screams were drowned out by the explosions. All they could see was the White Zetsu in the rear continuing to advance, making it difficult to judge the results within the smoke.

"Don't just stand there. Keep attacking!" This was still within expectations, and Fugaku immediately issued the order. The more enemies they could eliminate with ninja tools, the fewer casualties they would suffer in close combat.

After a brief stunned pause, the Allied Forces shinobi instinctively obeyed and continued throwing ninja tools.

After several rounds of attacks, quite a few people noticed something was off. Did Konoha's Exploding Tags cost nothing?

If they had seen correctly, that kind-looking old man carrying a field pot on his back had already thrown out twenty or thirty of them, right? The other Konoha Ninja had used even more, and they did not look the slightest bit sorry for the expense.

With explosion after explosion ringing out, all they heard was the sound of money being torn apart! Could ordinary shinobi really afford this kind of offensive?

The Konoha Ninja really wanted to say they could! They could even keep this up for several more rounds!

Unfortunately, the enemy did not give them the chance. By the time they had used up less than half their Exploding Tags, the heavily battered White Zetsu army was already right before them.

That was because these White Zetsu only knew how to attack and were not affected by morale. If ordinary shinobi had been greeted by a rain of Exploding Tags the moment they entered the battlefield, their morale would probably have collapsed long ago.

Seeing the enemy draw close, Fugaku waved a hand, and nearly a hundred shinobi skilled in Fire Release stood in a line. "Fire Release Ninjutsu Unit, prepare! Attack!"

Most of these hundred or so shinobi were from the Uchiha and Sarutobi Clans, while only a small number of the others were skilled in Fire Release.

As he spoke, Fugaku himself stepped into the middle of the formation and led them in forming hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The Uchiha Clan shinobi lined up on either side of Fugaku and shouted in unison, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

It was not that they could not use other advanced Fire Release ninjutsu, but with so many people using ninjutsu together against this rabble, their signature Great Fireball Technique was already more than enough.

The Sarutobi Clan shinobi all used their clan's secret Fire Release technique instead. "Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"

Dozens of enormous fireballs nearly ten meters in diameter shot out from the Uchiha Clan side by side, merging with the fierce flames spewed by the Sarutobi Clan shinobi to form a sea of fire. In terms of coverage, it was even greater than Edo Madara's Great Fire Annihilation!

Then again, nearly a hundred people joining forces to use ninjutsu surpassing one person did not seem like anything worth bragging about...

Still, this spectacular display stunned all the newcomers. A wave of heat rushed toward them, turning everyone's faces red.

"What an incredibly powerful Fire Release!"

"So amazing! This is the first time I've seen such an outrageous ninjutsu!"

"Is this the power of shinobi joining forces?"

The flames swept toward the White Zetsu with the momentum to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, bringing disaster upon the White Zetsu standing at the front.

Several hundred White Zetsu collapsed to the ground, black smoke rising from their bodies. Even those at the very edges looked at least seventy percent cooked.

"Prepare for close combat!" Fugaku shouted, charging out at the front.

"Oh!"

The shinobi charged forward after Fugaku.

After several rounds of ninja tool attacks and ninjutsu bombardment, they had not only reduced the White Zetsu's numbers but also boosted morale, making everyone completely believe Fugaku's words. The enemy was far from terrifying!