The White Zetsu down in the pit actually had a gleam of amusement in its eyes!
"So you're the outsider interfering with Master's plan!" These creatures spoke in unison as they leaped out of the crater. They were huge—nearly triple Ye Liang's height!
"These White Zetsus are off—they're not the same kind from the original plot!"
Ye Liang warily activated his Kanka mode.
Ninjutsu Level 4!
Taijutsu Level 4!
Although individually weaker than Ye Liang, there were over a dozen of them—definitely not something to underestimate!
"Damn this is disgusting!" Ye Liang clenched his fists tighter.
The White Zetsu's appearance truly revolted him.
Long corpses without clothes, their bodies wrapped in countless chunks of blood and gore—one of them even had half an intestine draped around its neck.
Clearly, that was part of one of the students.
"Sage Art - Tailed Beast Ball!"
Ye Liang struck first!
A tailed beast ball surrounded by white light shot rapidly toward the center of the gathered White Zetsus. In an instant, it exploded and killed several blocking ones on impact.
"This doesn't add up—the intel on this guy must be wrong!" One of the White Zetsus started to doubt.
"Did Black Zetsu betray Master?"
From previous clues, although Ye Liang had become a major threat to their Master, he was supposedly only at the Kage level—no real threat at all.
But unexpectedly, so many comrades died just from the initial clash. They had to reassess Ye Liang immediately.
"Guess we'll have to end this quickly!"
With that thought, these White Zetsus immediately circled around Ye Liang angrily—it looked like they planned to gang up on him, but the latter remained calm.
Exactly what Ye Liang was hoping for—these guys were clumping up nice and tight!
He began gathering another Tailed Beast Ball again!
Such a golden opportunity could absolutely not be missed!
The White Zetsus immediately began forming hand seals in unison. Since they decided to charge together, there was no way they'd let Ye Liang use another Tailed Beast Ball.
[Wood Release - Advent of the Grove!]
Instantly!
Thick roots sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, twisting and turning like endless centipedes wrapping directly toward Ye Liang.
"Wood Release?!"
Ye Liang was shocked.
Soon after,
countless trees erupted from the ground—and beneath his feet, thick old roots twisted and gripped relentlessly, flipping his legs out from under him.
Ye Liang's Tailed Beast Ball was interrupted.
"They even have Wood Release?!" Ye Liang became curious.
Originally, in the original story, the Hashirama cells were given to White Zetsu by Madara Uchiha. But in this era, the older Madara had already been dealt with by Ye Liang, meaning these White Zetsus definitely didn't get the cells from Madara.
So then—who was their Master?
Ye Liang smiled slightly. He quickly called out to Terumi Mei: "You take the other students and retreat first."
White Zetsus possessing Hashirama cells couldn't be simply one-shotted anymore. Besides regular ninjutsu, they had mastered the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's kekkei genkai.
Wood Release.
To prevent collateral damage, Ye Liang had no choice but to order Terumi Mei and the others to retreat immediately!
"Alright! Got it."
Terumi Mei nodded in agreement and immediately used Lava Release to melt a path open for the students. When it came to clearing the path, her ninjutsu was as sharp as ever.
The remaining White Zetsu started to panic.
Ye Liang's strength had already far exceeded their expectations. Although they could stall for a short while, death would ultimately await them all.
They didn't want to die!
They had once been human too, and retained the emotion of fear.
"We must stop those students!"
"If we can take someone hostage," one thought, "maybe we can escape from Ye Liang."
This idea quickly spread among the White Zetsu.
Madly, they threw aside their nearby comrades, attempting to approach the students by doing so. As long as just one student was captured, Ye Liang would hesitate out of concern for collateral damage, and perhaps then, they could slip away.
After all, who on earth would willingly choose death when there's still hope?
However, things wouldn't be that simple.
Just as they were about to act, an old man blocked their path.
"Dust Release - Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
"Crack!" Several White Zetsu tore apart into pieces by the air itself.
"As long as I'm here, you won't lay a finger on those students!"
Grand Elder Onoki roared furiously, then gave Ye Liang a meaningful glance everyone understood.
He would cover the retreat.
Ye Liang nodded.
Since Onoki volunteered to act as rear guard for the students, Ye naturally felt unrestricted himself — after all, the power of a Tsuchikage was still worth something.
In response, Ye Liang immediately formed hand seals. Against a swarm tactic, the appropriate response was also a swarm strategy!
[Ninjutsu - Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
His Shadow Clones were anything but ordinary. Not only did they have Nine-Tails' power enhancement, but through Daily Mission bonuses, they had reached an incredibly terrifying level!
Ordinary Shadow Clones inherited merely half of the user's strength, but Ye Liang's clones inherited a full ninety percent!
Remember, under Sage Art's enhancement, Ye Liang had already reached an ultra-Kage-level standard, meaning each of his Shadow Clones possessed at least Kage-level strength to start with!
White Zetsu was only quasi-Kage after all!
There was simply no way they could be his match.
The battle turned one-sided in an instant.
"Is this guy even human?" The White Zetsus lamented bitterly as they helplessly watched their comrades get blown into powder.
Sure, Quasi-Kage carried the name 'Kage', but compared to true Kage-level masters? There was a world of difference. No matter how desperately these White Zetsu resisted, they couldn't escape total annihilation.
At this moment, a black-skinned, half-bodied man suddenly emerged from the cavern ceiling. "Seems like Master's caution toward you wasn't unwarranted!"
The dark-skinned man shot a cold stare at Ye Liang.
Because the cavern ceiling was pitch black, Ye Liang hadn't noticed this person earlier.
Ye Liang turned to leave.
He took two steps back and let out a breath of relief.
Now that he'd eliminated all the White Zetsu, there was no reason for him to stay any longer.
Right at this moment—
Clang!
A black, expressionless mask suddenly dropped down from above. The sharp metallic clang rang out clearly inside the silent cave entrance.
"What is this?"
Ye Liang shifted his gaze.
...
Outside the cave.
Terumi Mei had finally escaped to safety.
She rushed the students back to the village. Although Ye Liang had dealt with those White Zetsu, Terumi Mei still didn't feel at ease.
Because Ye Liang had told her before—the enemy this time was definitely not that simple! They might even face an opponent beyond Kage-level power!
But the White Zetsu today clearly hadn't reached that level!
"What did I miss? Why does something still feel off?"
Terumi Mei kept pacing back and forth, deep in thought.
At that moment, the students in the distance all stared at her in terror, eyes locked on something behind Terumi Mei as if there was something horrifying right there!
"You forgot about me, didn't you?"
A chilling voice suddenly whispered into Terumi Mei's ear. A chill ran down her spine—she knew exactly what was happening!
It was Onoki!
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