At the border of the Land of Fire, the headquarters of the Allied Shinobi Forces had been established. It lay less than fifty kilometers from the Land of Rain, while the hiding place of the one hundred thousand White Zetsu was located within Rain Country territory.
As the supreme commander of the alliance, Tsunade was currently listening to Nara Shikaku's report.
"According to the reconnaissance unit, the intelligence Itachi sent back was accurate. The location of the one hundred thousand White Zetsu has been confirmed. However, their hiding place contains an extremely complex underground network. Coupled with their ninjutsu that allows them to move through vegetation, once hostilities erupt, they could emerge at almost any location."
"Then we'll find a way to trap them in one place…" Tsunade muttered. "It's a pity Iwagakure was destroyed. If their Earth Release were still available, this would be much easier."
Tsunade couldn't help but regret not intervening sooner to prevent Iwagakure's destruction. Unfortunately, many people only act once the coffin is right in front of them. Without Iwagakure's fall, the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces would never have gone this smoothly—perhaps it might even have failed altogether. Gains and losses were intertwined; it was impossible to say whether the price paid had been worth it.
Just as she was about to lay out the battle plan, the massive sensory water sphere in the command center suddenly began to gurgle. Yamanaka Inoichi's voice rang out.
"A large amount of chakra is moving. It should be the one hundred thousand White Zetsu—they've begun their operation."
"Inoichi, report their positions."
Inoichi immediately used the Mind Transmission Technique to synchronize the locations with Tsunade and the others. The sensation was almost like real-time location sharing—once the information was received, no verbal explanation was necessary. Everyone instantly grasped the movements of the White Zetsu forces.
"Something's wrong," Nara Shikaku said grimly. "They've split up—and into four groups at once. Judging from their trajectories, one unit is heading toward the Land of Fire, another toward the Land of Earth. As for the remaining two… could it be the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning?"
Shikaku analyzed the situation immediately. The Fifth Mizukage and the Fourth Kazekage also received the synchronized intelligence. The Fourth Kazekage quickly confirmed that one of the units was indeed advancing toward the Land of Wind.
"That direction is definitely the Land of Wind. Are they planning to attack all Five Great Nations at once?"
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī, nodded in agreement. "The Land of Water lies offshore and isn't connected to the continent, so they didn't deploy forces there. Aside from that, the other four great nations are all targets. The Akatsuki have truly gone mad."
"It's not just the great nations!" the leader of Kusagakure shouted anxiously. "Smaller countries like ours are probably within their attack range as well! The unit heading toward the Land of Fire has already changed direction—Lady Tsunade, please deploy troops immediately, or the Land of Grass is finished!"
Having received the shared intelligence as well, he had immediately noticed a White Zetsu force entering Grass Country's borders. Judging by the chakra fluctuations, they weren't just passing through—they had already begun combat.
Faced with this situation, Tsunade had no choice but to split her forces. Unfortunately, due to geographical constraints, they could only divide into three divisions to intercept the White Zetsu attacking the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Lightning. As for the unit invading the Land of Earth, it lay in the complete opposite direction—there was nothing they could do.
Through Yamanaka Inoichi, Tsunade's orders were instantly transmitted into the minds of the frontline commanders. The Allied Shinobi Forces rapidly divided into three armies and advanced toward the oncoming White Zetsu hordes.
Among them, the commander of the Land of Fire division was Uchiha Izumi. By now, she was already capable of fully closing her Rinnegan, presenting only her Sharingan to the world.
Although more than fifty members of the Uchiha clan had awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Izumi remained—aside from Uchiha Rokuro—the most prestigious and unanimously acknowledged second-strongest figure. With her leading the unit, no one raised any objections.
As Izumi led the troops forward, she turned her head to look at Naruto and Neji.
"Naruto, Neji—this is a battlefield. The intensity of the fighting we're about to face will far exceed anything you've experienced before. The danger level is well beyond even S-rank missions. You are absolutely not to leave my side. Especially you, Naruto."
"The Akatsuki's target is the Nine-Tails within you. Once the war erupts, you will become their primary focus. You must be extremely careful."
"Got it, Master!" Naruto replied earnestly. "But… isn't Sasuke coming with us?"
Ever since following Rokuro, Naruto's strength—and emotional intelligence—had grown far beyond his original self. He clearly understood the tangled hatred and unresolved bonds between Sasuke and Rokuro.
He had once fantasized that as their bonds deepened, the hatred in Sasuke's heart might gradually fade and eventually disappear. But now, he knew that was impossible.
"Uchiha Sasuke has his brother watching over him—there's no need for you to worry," Izumi said calmly. "Moreover, since the Akatsuki's target is you, staying near you would actually be more dangerous for him. Sasuke's unit is heading to support the Land of Lightning, which is relatively less risky."
After giving her instructions, Izumi said no more and surged forward at full speed.
Naruto hurried to follow, then suddenly asked about Rokuro.
"Rokuro is rushing to finish crafting ninja tools designed to seal tailed beasts, so he won't be able to join us for now. But don't worry—when the critical moment arrives, he will definitely appear!"
Although the Allied Shinobi Forces had split into three divisions, each division included Uchiha members—and all of them were captains.
The boost in strength granted by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was simply too great. Even though many had awakened it only recently and couldn't yet skillfully use their unique dōjutsu—let alone manifest Susanoo—their enhanced dynamic vision and chakra reserves alone already placed them firmly at Kage level.
In the unit supporting the Land of Lightning, the Uchiha brothers—Itachi and Sasuke—were among the ranks.
"Sasuke," Itachi asked while moving forward, "how do your eyes feel? Any discomfort?"
Sasuke excitedly opened his Mangekyō Sharingan, his entire demeanor brimming with fighting spirit.
"Fantastic! Better than ever before! Brother, I feel invincible right now. Even if I faced my master—Uchiha Rokuro—I don't think I'd lose!"
With his "pretending to be weak" passive fully activated, the second pillar now felt utterly unrivaled.
"Sasuke," Itachi cautioned, "you've only just awakened the Mangekyō. While you don't face the risk of blindness, you're still not proficient with your unique dōjutsu or Susanoo. You must not be careless in the upcoming battles. The Akatsuki are no ordinary enemies—they all possess Kage-level strength."
"Haha! Kage level, that's all?" Sasuke scoffed. "Before we set out, I took a look at the Fourth Kazekage and the Fifth Mizukage from afar. They were nothing special—no match for me at all. If the Akatsuki are only at that level, I can slaughter them with ease. Brother, this great ninja war is the perfect opportunity for me, Uchiha Sasuke, to make my name known to the world!"
Itachi frowned silently, about to warn his brother again—when the distant ground suddenly split apart.
Moments later, waves of White Zetsu burst out from beneath the earth, charging straight into the ranks of the Allied Shinobi Forces. The battle erupted instantly.
Itachi grabbed Sasuke, who was about to rush in headfirst. The brothers leapt swiftly onto a nearby high ground, intending to first assess the battlefield.
But the moment they reached the elevated position, a thunderous sound of rushing water roared beneath their feet.
A towering column of water erupted upward, obliterating the high ground in an instant.
Amid the surging waves, a familiar voice reached Itachi's ears.
"Itachi… it's been a long time. I didn't expect to meet you on this battlefield. Perfect timing—our last spar never ended with a clear winner. How about we continue?"
END OF CHAPTER
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