Seeing the shocked expression on White Zetsu's face, Sakura said sympathetically, "There must be tens of thousands of you right here!"
White Zetsu twisted his face angrily, "Impossible! This absolutely cannot be happening!"
Mizuki cast a cold glance at him. Thanks to his Wood Release-enhanced chakra, there was no way he could go undetected.
However, he had no intention of explaining anything to these annoying nuisances. Without uttering a word, he started walking away.
Sakura knocked down the White Zetsu with a powerful punch and quickly rushed after Mizuki, "Senior Mizuki, can you explain how you detected them? I'm worried other divisions might have also been infiltrated by these bastards!"
Mizuki replied calmly, "They've been enhanced by someone using Wood Release techniques. Naturally, those who understand Wood Release can sense it."
"Enhanced through Wood Release..." Sakura's face turned pale, "Could it be that Captain Yamato went missing recently because he was captured by Akatsuki and used to strengthen these White Zetsus?"
"What's more, unlike our Third Division which has you to expose the White Zetsus, the other divisions will still be vulnerable!"
At that moment, hurried footsteps came from a distance.
Sakura turned her head and spoke happily upon seeing the newcomers, "Teacher Kakashi, quickly notify the other divisions! A large number of White Zetsus have infiltrated the Allied Forces using Transformation Jutsu. The only current solution is to use Wood Release chakra to detect them!"
Kakashi first cast a surprised glance at the line of White Zetsus nearby. After hearing Sakura's explanation, his expression turned even more serious, "Wood Release chakra? This will be difficult!"
There was indeed someone right here who could use Wood Release, but Mizuki was a guard assigned to protect Lord Seiki. It was already lucky that he had helped eliminate the infiltrators within the Third Division as a side task. Asking him to neglect his primary duty and help other divisions would be completely unreasonable!
"I'll make sure Headquarters learns about this White Zetsu situation!" Kakashi paused, then continued, "Just now, Headquarters sent two messages."
"First, Naruto and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from the Cloud Village secretly went out and encountered enemies. Although the enemies temporarily retreated, a large-scale response against them is expected soon! Therefore, Headquarters has ordered all divisions to move toward their location for immediate backup!"
"Naruto!" Sakura tensed slightly, then asked, "Why only 'immediate backup'? Naruto's father has the Flying Thunder God Technique, right? He should definitely be able to bring them back to Headquarters before the enemies arrive, shouldn't he?"
As she spoke, Sakura's expression changed, "Could it be Headquarters is using Naruto and his team as bait? That's outrageous!"
Kakashi sighed, "They clearly understood their importance, yet they still went out secretly. Headquarters probably wants to teach them a lesson!"
Sakura pouted slightly, "Still, would enemies really fall for such an obvious trap?"
"This was always an open and bold move," Kakashi replied. "If the enemies don't show up, Naruto and his team can naturally return safely. If the enemies do appear, then given the current situation where they're in the dark and we're in the light, this would already be good news!"
Sakura fell silent and shot a furtive glance at Mizuki. Thinking to herself, "Actually, it's not bad that all the squads are gathering. If any reckless White Zetsu dares provoke Mizuki again, it'll give him a perfect chance to eliminate this threat with ease!"
With this thought, Sakura asked, "Teacher Kakashi, what about the second matter?"
Kakashi looked at Mizuki with an apologetic expression. "Because Naruto accidentally revealed that Lord Seiki possesses Shisui Uchiha's eyes, Lord Seiki might now be targeted by certain ill-intentioned individuals."
"According to intelligence, the former Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist have been reincarnated through the Impure World Reincarnation technique and are rapidly advancing toward our location. They're very likely the enemy's vanguard force!"
"The Seven Swords?" For the first time, Mizuki's cold expression turned slightly "friendly." He chuckled, "Hmm, seems like we really are destined to meet!"
"Destined?" Sakura asked in confusion, "Sir, did you have any previous encounters with the Seven Swords?"
Mizuki's face turned nostalgic. "In my world, the Seven Swords were arguably the first major crisis we faced when Lord Seiki led us. After all, we were only twelve years old back then!"
"Twelve years old!" Sakura tried to imagine her own helplessness when facing Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams. Worriedly, she asked, "Then how did you all finally manage to escape?"
In her mind, she had already pictured a moving scene — Lord Seiki holding the line for the group, fighting valiantly in a blood-soaked battle, and finally waiting for reinforcements just before collapsing.
Kakashi also recalled how he'd just been promoted to Jonin at age twelve, the happiest moment of his life, only to suffer successive major setbacks. He couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, success never comes without a struggle. Lord Seiki must also have many hardships and blood-soaked stories behind his achievements."
"Escape?" Mizuki was momentarily stunned. "Oh, you're talking about the Seven Swords, right? Lord Seiki killed five of them, and the other two barely managed to escape."
"What?" Sakura froze. This didn't quite match what she had imagined!
"Senior, didn't you say they were a major crisis?"
"Exactly! Isn't a hero someone who creates miracles in danger?" Mizuki said matter-of-factly. "Inspired by Lord Seiki, we quickly learned the [Four-Corner Sealing Barrier] formation to split the Seven Swords. Although the formation could only last for a few seconds, it was enough time for Lord Seiki to kill five of them!"
Recalling how she had been so terrified by Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams that she couldn't even move, Sakura depressively lowered her head. "I'm useless!"
"We're different. Different..." Kakashi deeply felt that people's sorrows and joys are never quite the same. Kakashi could only be crushed by fate, but Lord Seiki was the one who created miracles!
After completing his daily routine of praising Lord Seiki, Mizuki felt refreshed and in a much better mood than before when those White Zetsus had ruined his day. He licked his lips cruelly and smiled. "Leave the Seven Swords to me. I was unhappy for a long time about only being able to hide behind Lord Seiki back then!"
Seeing Mizuki's expression that looked eerily similar to Orochimaru's, both Sakura and Kakashi shivered involuntarily and instinctively mourned for the upcoming fate of the Seven Swords.
...
Meanwhile, the former Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist and Haku, a total of eight people, were swiftly moving through the forest.
"We actually had to team up to take down just one guy? That shinobi's really playing it safe!" Gorō Samehada scoffed.
"Not caution—more like they don't know what we're capable of!" Jinin Akebino shot back.
"Hmph. Let's just hope this little alliance doesn't tarnish the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist's reputation," Kushimaru Kuriarare sneered at Zabuza and Ameyuri Ringo. "Especially you two juniors!"
Suddenly, Haku asked, "Have you seniors ever fought together before?"
The previously restless group fell silent.
They actually had teamed up before—but it was rather embarrassing.
"Stay out of adult conversations, kid!" Gorō Samehada snapped.
Zabuza smirked coldly, "What's worse is, when you teamed up, three of your guys still got taken down by a Konoha Genin. You've got no right lecturing me or my people!"
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