The attacking forces had grown even larger.
There were still over 80,000 White Zetsu.
More than 3,000 Edo Tensei-revived shinobi.
And now, several dozen more terrifying Kekkei Genkai monsters have joined their ranks.
The Hyūga clan's Byakugan users quickly detected this and immediately reported it to Fūnan.
But he wasn't the least bit concerned—he simply continued his preparations in silence.
The Nara clan members, working with other shinobi, were pushing their brains to the limit, carefully positioning every fighter where they'd be most effective.
This was the largest battle in the history of the shinobi world.
Yeah, the Nara were practically frying their brains at this point.
To keep them going, each strategist was assigned a team of medical-nin, ready to heal them on the spot and use medical ninjutsu to keep them from burning out.
As for rest?
Heh, you can rest all you want when you're dead.
The strongest fighters were making their final preparations.
That included Sunagakure and Kirigakure.
The enemy was coming at them full force. If they didn't stand together now, they'd have no one to blame but themselves when they got wiped out.
Meanwhile, the logistics teams were running themselves into the ground.
The Hyūga clan's Byakugan users had bloodshot eyes from constant surveillance,
always watching for any enemy that might slip through and attack Konoha's main base.
They also had to be on the lookout for spies who might leak their battle plans.
Everyone had a job to do.
Every group had a duty to fulfill.
All were making their final efforts for the ultimate showdown.
Even Hashirama was no exception—he was hunting for Madara.
Tobirama's research had made even more breakthroughs, and as a result, Hashirama had grown even stronger.
His confidence had returned. This time, even if he couldn't defeat Madara, he was sure he could at least hold him off.
Unlike most, he possessed Sage Mode.
Tobirama was also pushing himself to the limit, determined to take his brother's power beyond its absolute peak.
To make that happen, Fūnan had even gone so far as to kill several enemy researchers, only to revive them later and force them to assist Tobirama.
As everyone worked tirelessly—Fūnan stood silently atop a mountain.
Below him, the vast army of White Zetsu marched forward.
Behind him, dozens of Jōnin stood, making their final preparations.
"Hokage-sama!"
Itachi approached, his voice low and steady. "Everything is in place. We can begin at any time."
"Don't hesitate. Do it." Fūnan's expression remained calm. "Itachi, you too. Fugaku as well."
"Yes."
The two Mangekyō Sharingan wielders responded firmly.
The Jōnin took their positions, sitting in a precise formation, forming a six-pointed star.
Eight in total.
"Everyone—begin!"
At Itachi's command, the ninjas each pulled out a scroll and slammed it into the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
[Boom! Boom! Boom!]
A series of explosions erupted white smoke billowing into the air.
Eight colossal figures emerged.
Tailed Beasts.
From the One-Tail to the Eight-Tails—they were all here.
Only the Nine-Tails was missing.
"They noticed us?" Fūnan's gaze remained locked on the White Zetsu army below.
"Heh, not a bad reaction… Too bad it won't make a difference."
Fūnan waved a hand. "Move fast—we've already been spotted."
The eight Tailed Beasts charged up the mountainside, their eyes burning with fury as they glared down at the White Zetsu army, the Edo Tensei-revived shinobi, and the monstrous creatures below.
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
All eight Tailed Beasts opened their massive jaws, energy surging within.
"Shit!" Obito and the others immediately realized what was happening, and their fury erupted.
[Boom! Boom! Boom!]
Eight Tailed Beast Balls detonated at once.
"I'm in too!" Itachi shouted as his Susanoo materialized. "Yasaka Magatama!"
Fugaku also activated his Susanoo. His large-scale attack formed a black sphere—a technique somewhat similar to a Tailed Beast Ball, packed with devastating energy.
Ten attacks! In an instant, they fell upon the White Zetsu army and the monstrous creatures below.
[Boom!!]
A deafening explosion tore through the battlefield.
Countless White Zetsu were obliterated instantly, their bodies reduced to dust. Many more were sent flying by the shockwave.
Several of the monstrous creatures were wiped out on the spot.
"Goddamn it!!!"
"Uchiha Fūnan! You're dead, you hear me?!" Obito roared in fury, his voice echoing as the space around him distorted.
A second later, he vanished.
"Huh?"
Hiruko and Orochimaru exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Obito actually went after Uchiha Fūnan?
Did the Rinnegan really give him that much confidence?
Uchiha Fūnan was someone who had suppressed Nagato and was on the same level as Madara and Hashirama.
At that moment, Fūnan activated his Susanoo as well. Standing roughly fifty meters tall, he wasn't even using his full strength—he didn't need to.
As the Edo Tensei-revived shinobi charged at him, Fūnan swung his massive crimson blade.
[Boom!!!]
The incoming Edo Tensei shinobi were blasted apart before they could even get within a few hundred meters.
"Now this is fun." Fūnan let out a hearty laugh. "If we keep playing like this, I want to know how many of these White Zetsu will be left when they reach Konoha. Don't let the action of gathering the allied shinobi forces at the end be in vain, or Naoto will go crazy."
[Buzz!]
A figure appeared silently behind Fūnan, a hand reaching for him.
"Lord Hokage, behind you!"
Itachi and the others spotted it and shouted in alarm.
[Swish!]
Fūnan spun around, slashing his kunai—But it passed right through the figure.
Fūnan smirked and abruptly stopped his hand.
He left it exactly where it was—inside Obito's intangible body.
The scene was bizarre.
What the hell?!
Obito's mind went blank.
Shit! If he deactivated Kamui now, wouldn't that just mean stabbing himself in the gut?!
Without hesitation, Obito phased away, quickly retreating.
And just to be safe, he sank into the ground, reappearing a distance away, cautiously emerging from below.
Itachi and the others quickly moved around Fūnan's Susanoo.
The Tailed Beasts, meanwhile, fixed Obito with cold, murderous glares.
Many of them had suffered at his hands before.
"Well, well, if it isn't Uchiha Obito. What a surprise."
"Huh?"
Itachi and Fugaku stiffened.
Uchiha Obito?
The masked man… was actually Konoha's Uchiha war hero, Uchiha Obito?
They both knew that name all too well.
For one, because of their captain, Kakashi.
For another, because they were more than familiar with Obito's personality.
Back in the day, Fugaku had already been the young leader of the Uchiha clan, while Obito was still just a student.
With how eccentric he was, Fugaku couldn't have forgotten him even if he wanted to.
"Man, you sure ran fast." Fūnan smirked. "So, Obito, what are you doing here? I don't remember inviting you to watch the fireworks."
Obito stared at Fūnan, his gaze icy.
"Nothing to say?" Fūnan shrugged. "That's fine. I'm not really in the mood for small talk anyway. I'd rather just wipe out all your White Zetsu."
"Uchiha Fūnan, don't get cocky. You won't be laughing for long."
"Oh, I'm counting on it." Fūnan clapped his hands and shouted, "Don't believe me? Look up—has the sky ever spared anyone?"
A ripple distorted the air.
Obito disappeared.
"Tch, seriously? That's it?" Fūnan shook his head. "Alright, let's move out. Their main force is on its way, and honestly? Fighting them is just a waste of time."
"Yes!"
Fūnan and his team returned to Konoha.
Meanwhile, Obito's face remained dark as he pressed forward with his troops.
Then it hit him—getting to Konoha was turning out to be way harder than he expected.
At this rate… he might not even make it.
Little did he know, after they left, an Edo Tensei-revived ninja appeared, silently collecting every fallen White Zetsu corpse before vanishing without a trace.
…
"What now?"
When Obito met up with Hiruko and Orochimaru, he didn't even hesitate. "I have no clue how to deal with this strategy. Any ideas?"
"There's not much we can do."
Orochimaru sighed. "What do you expect? They hit and run, and on top of that, they're throwing Tailed Beast Balls at us. Those things are insanely destructive."
Obito's scowl deepened. "So that's it? We're just going to sit here and let them tear everything apart?"
"There's only one way!" Hiruko raised a finger.
"What way?"
"The strong take on the strong!" Hiruko continued, "Their Tailed Beasts are tearing through our forces. But do you really think our strongest fighters can't return the favor?"
Yeah, no. Not even close.
Both Orochimaru and Obito had the same thought.
The enemy had Tailed Beasts. What did they have? Shinra Tensei from the Rinnegan?
Hiruko went on, "We'll have our strongest fighters keep theirs busy. If they keep this up, we'll hit Konoha's main base instead."
"Enough. Keep moving forward!" Obito suddenly ordered. "I'll handle the Tailed Beasts."
With that, space distorted around him, and he vanished.
The destruction caused by the Tailed Beast Balls was too much. This needed to be dealt with—fast.
Originally, Obito had complete confidence in his army of White Zetsu.
Enhanced by Hashirama's cells, capable of absorbing chakra, and even transforming into their enemies.
Not even sensory-type shinobi could detect them.
With that kind of advantage, how could they not throw the enemy into total chaos?
And yet…
Damn it. At this rate, they wouldn't even make it to Konoha.
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