"Who cares if they're being controlled!" Murder blazed in A's eyes, his iron will unshakable. "Execute them! Anyone who attacks a comrade is to be killed on sight! We cannot let them break our formation!"
Though the Kumogakure ninja hated to do it, the Raikage's orders were absolute. Amid flashing blades, the controlled ninja were swiftly cut down.
Yet the instant they were slain, something bizarre happened. Instead of spilling more blood, the fallen bodies rapidly swelled and writhed like melting mud, finally turning into masses of thick white substance. They were unmistakably White Zetsu's clones!
"White Zetsu... It's Zetsu!" Darui's face turned ashen. At last, he understood. This was the Akatsuki's true objective.
A's expression grew frighteningly dark. As he watched the bodies turn into White Zetsu, the fury in his eyes burned hotter. Once again, the Akatsuki's insidious tactics had utterly enraged him.
"Very good... Very good!" A's voice was low, but it held back rage like a volcano on the verge of erupting. "Akatsuki, you've really made me angry now!"
Before his roar had faded, several more ninja in the chaotic Cloud Ninja ranks swung their blades at their comrades, their eyes vacant. This time, however, the Cloud Ninja did not panic. Under A's roaring orders and Darui's calm direction, the well-trained Cloud Ninja reacted swiftly.
"Tiger-Rabbit-Dragon! Identification code!" Darui shouted, his hands rapidly forming a complex sequence of hand seals.
The nearby Cloud Ninja immediately understood. They quickly exchanged a prearranged gesture with the comrades beside them-palm up, thumb lightly touching the index finger. The controlled "comrades" remained blank-eyed and stiff, unable to give the correct response.
"It's White Zetsu! Kill him!" One sharp-eyed Cloud Ninja reacted instantly. His blade flashed, cutting a "comrade" who was swinging at him in two.
The slain White Zetsu Clones