First Day's Battle

The Second Division led by Huang Tu employed tactics similar to Fugaku's, and the comrades from the other ninja villages were likewise stunned by Konoha Ninja's lavish display.

The difference was that after several rounds of ninja tool volleys, Huang Tu led dozens of ninja skilled in Earth Release and used Earth Release: Great Earth Movement Core.

In an instant, they created a massive pit capable of holding several thousand White Zetsu. The White Zetsu were thrown into chaos, and then a rain of ninja tools and Exploding Tags descended upon them, inflicting heavy casualties.

Unfortunately, after recovering their senses, many White Zetsu quickly burrowed underground—they were very good at that.

The White Zetsu in the rear seemed to have been inspired and also drilled into the ground, apparently intending to launch an attack from below.

Faced with an empty battlefield, some ninja who did not understand Earth Release were left dumbfounded. They could only focus on guarding beneath their feet after being reminded by their more experienced seniors.

"Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation!" Passive defense was too risky, so Huang Tu made a decisive choice and immediately dug them out.

As Huang Tu pressed both hands against the ground, a small mountain of earth and rock rose before them. Tens of thousands of White Zetsu were flung out through an opening in the middle of the earthen mountain like an erupting volcano.

"Such a large-scale Earth Release! As expected of the Tsuchikage's son!"

"You really saved us, Lord Huang Tu!"

"That's way too strong!"

Listening to the Allied Forces' cheers, Huang Tu showed a faint smile before immediately turning serious again. "It's not over yet! The battle has only just begun! Stay alert!"

As they watched groups of White Zetsu erupt and fall to the ground, the Allied Forces readied themselves. They would engage the lucky survivors who had landed alive in close combat!

The Third Combat Division on the East Coast was led by Mei Terumi. As a candidate for the Fifth Mizukage, there was no one better suited to fighting in an environment near water.

The moment the White Zetsu surfaced from the water, Mei Terumi gave the order, and thousands upon thousands of ninja tools were fired at once, giving the White Zetsu a warm welcome.

When the White Zetsu were about to close in, Mei Terumi led dozens of ninja skilled in Water Style in simultaneously unleashing Water Dragon Bullet. Karin and Haku were among them as well.

Dozens of water dragons crashed into the White Zetsu. This overwhelming Water Style attack carried more than a little of Naruto's flair.

Mei Terumi waved her hand, directing the ninja behind her to give the enemy several more rounds of volleys, then subconsciously glanced at Karin.

That red-haired little girl was truly extraordinary. Even among a group of jonin, the Water Style she used stood head and shoulders above the rest. Konoha truly had an abundance of talent that others could only envy.

"All personnel, prepare for close combat!" With the enemy before them, Mei Terumi did not dwell on it and immediately issued her next command.

The opening ninja tools and ninjutsu of a war could only reduce the enemy's numbers and boost morale. The final outcome still depended on close combat. Not every ninja had Chakra like Naruto had money to burn, nor did every ninja have ninja tools like Tenten had money to burn.

When the tides of tens of thousands collided, the White Zetsu's advantage in numbers was not obvious, because the battlefield was only so large. Whether it was one hundred thousand White Zetsu against eighty thousand ninja, or even five hundred thousand against one hundred thousand, it was impossible to immediately create an ideal situation of five against one.

As for the White Zetsu's strength, ordinary genin would likely find it difficult to defeat one head-on. Chunin would probably need to exchange several rounds before having a chance to take one down, and a moment of carelessness could even lead to defeat.

Take Iruka as an example. He could confidently handle one or two, but being surrounded by three or more would be very dangerous. Of course, with suitable tactics and ninjutsu, it was not completely impossible.

The White Zetsu were numerous, fearless of death, and would not hesitate because of their comrades' deaths. The ninja forces, meanwhile, had high morale and coordinated with Tacit understanding. It could be said that both sides had their strengths and weaknesses.

As the armies became entangled, ninja casualties began to appear alongside the White Zetsu's deaths and injuries.

Ninja had emotions. Watching comrades fall wounded or dead one after another, a small number of them inevitably became fearful, but far more were overcome with grief and rage.

The Uchiha clan was naturally the most visibly affected by those emotions. Who knew how many of them had been swept up in the atmosphere of the battlefield and killed until their eyes turned red, only for their eyes to truly turn red afterward due to the loss of their comrades.

Only then did they understand what their Clan Head had once said: our clan takes pride in our Sharingan, but sometimes we wish we would never awaken it at all.

Zuo Zhu, Gan, Wen, and Cui were among the very few exceptions.

But those who had already awakened their eyes had no time to regret it. They could only desperately swing the Kunai or ninja swords in their hands, hoping that doing so would let them temporarily forget the pain of losing their closest friends.

The great battle continued from when the sun hung high in the sky until the setting sun was red as blood.

The White Zetsu continued attacking in an endless stream. Many ninja could no longer hold up physically or mentally; fighting for the same amount of time was nothing like training for that long.

The White Zetsu took this opportunity to inflict quite a few casualties.

The Fourth Combat Division, responsible for support, had also joined the battlefield long ago, relieving a great deal of pressure across the various fronts.

Relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto and Tenten rushed between the battlefields to help transport many severely wounded personnel. Of course, Naruto's Shadow Clones were more efficient at this.

Naruto even could not stand it anymore and threw several Tailed Beast Balls into the White Zetsu's rear.

After assessing the situation, the Five Kage at headquarters ordered an orderly retreat and prepared to fight again tomorrow.

Gaara, Yagura, Utakata, Fu, Naruto, and Kushina each went to one of the three battlefields to cover the retreat with Mouth Cannon.

Worried that the Jinchuriki might be taken away in the chaos, Minato specifically sent several Shadow Clones to follow them.

As several flashes of white light shone, explosions rumbled across the battlefield, and the first day's battle temporarily came to an end.

The various combat divisions retreated to suitable locations, set up tents, cooked meals, and prepared to rest.

Naturally, they also arranged patrols, erected barriers, and carried out other defensive measures.

As the exhausted ninja drifted into sleep, the Medical Unit was at its busiest. Many severely wounded required treatment and care, forcing them to work overtime.

Naruto and Kushina also had to work overtime.

During battle, some people would inevitably have their Chakra absorbed by White Zetsu. White Zetsu could use this to disguise themselves as those whose Chakra they had absorbed, even perfectly imitating their Chakra, something most sensory ninjutsu could not identify.

To prevent White Zetsu from turning into allies and causing sabotage, Naruto and Kushina had no choice but to serve as True Sight Wards using the Nine Tails' evil-sensing Perception Ability.

Moreover, mother and son both knew the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, so they could spread out among the various camps.

The Five Kage were currently in a meeting, or rather, listening as Nara Shikaku and Mabui summarized the battle reports.

Upon hearing the casualty figures, the Raikage slammed the table and rose to his feet. "We fought all day without seeing a single living enemy! The enemy lost White Zetsu, while every loss on our side was a living, breathing ninja!"

"Lord Raikage, please calm down. Mr. Shikaku has not finished speaking yet," Mabui advised.

Shikaku said, "In today's battle, the enemy did not scout or probe us. They directly assumed the posture of a full-scale assault. Something is very wrong. Aside from wearing down our forces, I feel they may have some other objective."