The plains battlefield, central command post.
Hashirama Senju stood on the raised platform, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, his Wood Release Clones sharing their vision with him.
All five fronts were advancing steadily.
On the first front, where Madara and Izuna were, Susanoo plowed straight ahead like a bulldozer. White Zetsu fell in swathes.
On the second front, Yotsuki A and Hyūga Sōto, one fast and the other precise, worked together as though they were cheating.
On the third front, Uzumaki Ashina and Sarutobi Sasuke kept the enemy firmly contained with seals and Fire Release.
On the fourth front, Reto and the Ino-Shika-Cho used shadow control and Wind Release to clear the field with considerable efficiency.
On the fifth front, Ishikawa and Byakuren had altered the terrain beyond recognition. Once the White Zetsu fell into the pits, they could not climb out.
"Lord Hashirama." A sensory ninja ran over. "The battle reports are in. The five fronts have eliminated over fifty thousand White Zetsu in total. We have seventeen lightly wounded and no deaths."
Hashirama opened his eyes. "How far have they advanced?"
"They're less than five kilometers from the God Tree's outer perimeter."
"That fast?" Hashirama frowned.
"The White Zetsu are putting up less resistance than we expected," the sensory ninja said. "They seem to have... no tactics at all. They just charge straight in. With the teams coordinating well, we've been clearing them out faster."
Hashirama considered this. "Tell every team to maintain their pace and not rush ahead. What's happening at the God Tree?"
"The energy fluctuations are... very calm." The sensory ninja hesitated. "Strangely calm."
"Strangely?"
"Yes. The God Tree is supposed to be devouring chakra to create White Zetsu, so its energy fluctuations should be extremely intense. But what we're