The enemy's deployment was strange.
After all, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, Naruto, and the Hachibi Jinchūriki, Killer B, were being secretly hidden in the Land of Lightning. Why would the enemy focus their forces in the south?
After receiving the report, Shigeo said calmly,
"Relax. No need to send reinforcements. Both the Land of Water and South Ink Country already have corresponding deployments in place. Even if they appear in the south, we don't need to worry for now. Their real targets are Killer B and Naruto. What we need to do is protect those two."
At the same time, this information was transmitted to Itachi via the Intelligence Division's Tsūshin no Jutsu (Communication Technique).
Previously, Shigeo had already convened a special meeting for the shinobi of Mo-nin Village.
If South Ink Country came under threat, their first priority was to protect South Ink itself. No one was allowed to make any mistakes on that point. As for the Allied Shinobi Forces, they were to remain at their assigned posts.
After all, no one knew what Obito was really planning.
What if this was a simple tiao hu li shan—a "lure the tiger from the mountain" ploy?
In that case, the north would not be able to hold!
So as long as they could endure, the overall deployment would not change.
On the battlefield, the northern Surprise Attack Division was intercepted by Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) forces: Sasori of the Red Sand, Shin, and three shinobi from the Land of Water who had been brought back from the dead.
Elsewhere, Edo Tensei Kinkaku and Ginkaku, together with several Konoha jōnin who had died in past battles, clashed with the First Division.
Among them, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were particularly troublesome opponents.
Meanwhile, the Second Division was blocked by White Zetsu clones.
However, these White Zetsu were not the same as the ones in the original timeline.
According to the Intelligence Division's reports to headquarters, Shigeo learned that some of the White Zetsu actually had three heads and six arms, while others had monstrous forms and were several times taller than a normal person. Their chakra reserves were limited, but compared to average chūnin and genin, their combat ability was still extremely high.
"Mutated White Zetsu…?" Shigeo frowned.
"Weren't these supposed to only appear later, in Boruto's growth era? Why are they showing up now—and in the Fourth War, no less?"
He knit his brows tighter, feeling that something about this development was deeply abnormal.
But with the war fully underway, no matter how strange things were, he had no time to dwell on them.
He formed Mokubunshin no Jutsu (Wood Clone Technique), splitting into eight wood clones, then divided them into two groups and sent them racing toward the First and Second battlefields as reinforcements.
On the Third Division's side, they were locked in combat with Edo Tensei jōnin resurrected from each village.
In the original storyline, the Third Division's enemies were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But now, those same Seven Ninja Swordsmen had appeared at the border of South Ink Country instead.
What's more, the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" here were not just a mere seven.
Included among them were the first-generation and second-generation wielders of the seven blades:
Jūzō, Fuguki, Kushimaru, Jinpachi, Jinin, Raiga, and Ameyuri—eight in total—arrived alongside thirty thousand White Zetsu on the northeastern border of South Ink Country.
Over in the Land of Water, the situation was similar.
Twenty thousand White Zetsu, together with several deceased jōnin from Sunagakure and Kirigakure resurrected by Edo Tensei, appeared along the coastline and began their assault against the Land of Water.
As for South Ink itself, although most of Mo-nin Village's shinobi had gone off to join the Allied Forces, the Lanxiang Gate members had remained behind to defend the village.
Wumang personally led the team, bringing the disciples of Lanxiang Gate to stand guard along the second defensive perimeter.
Further to the north, Deidara, Xieqin Magu, Zabuza, Haku, and Akahana manned the first defensive line on the northern border of South Ink Country, fighting against the White Zetsu army and Kabuto's Edo Tensei Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After that, Shigeo used space–time transfer to bring Itachi, Sasuke, and the immortal Kakuzu to the South Ink battlefield as well.
Even though there were only eight shinobi from Mo-nin Village on the first defensive line at South Ink's border, their opponents numbered thirty thousand White Zetsu, plus the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
However, the eight from Mo-nin were all top-tier elites.
Taking on such enemies was nothing they couldn't handle.
Up north, the Allied Shinobi Forces' Fourth Division stood firm against the White Zetsu clones, guarding the coastline of the Land of Lightning with iron defense.
The Fifth Division, on the other hand, faced powerful opponents in the form of Edo Tensei Granny Chiyo, Kimimaro of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), and several deceased Iwagakure jōnin.
Having completed her mission, Mei successfully delivered the daimyō of each nation to the secret base.
Although many complications arose along the way, she dealt with every one of them flawlessly.
Soon after, the first good news arrived from the Fourth Division.
With Gaara personally commanding the battlefield, no matter how powerful the White Zetsu clones were, they still could not compete with his Sabaku Taisō (Desert Layered Burial).
But less than a minute after this victory report, a cry of alarm came from the Intelligence Division.
Edo Tensei versions of the Third Raikage A, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, the Second Mizukage, and the Second Tsuchikage had appeared on the Fourth Division's battlefield.
The moment this news came out, the Fourth Raikage A, Tsunade, and Onoki all froze in shock.
"How could they appear there?!"
Shigeo was also puzzled.
Those four had clearly already been sealed away and hidden inside a secret underground base beneath Mo-nin Village's ANBU sector. So how had they ended up on the battlefield?
He could only conclude that this was the work of Obito or White Zetsu.
Within Mo-nin Village, only those two could slip in and out without a trace and evade the ANBU's surveillance.
Shigeo was furious.
"So that's how it is—one after another… If the tiger doesn't bare its fangs, do they really take me for Hello Kitty?"
He turned and gave his orders.
"Tsunade-dono, you stay here and oversee the overall situation. If anything happens, contact me. I'm going to take a look."
With that, he sprang away, vanishing from sight.
Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage A and Onoki rushed toward the front lines as well.
Although Shigeo's power was extraordinary, they didn't believe he could defeat four former Kage-level monsters, especially the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage.
"My teacher is above me in strength. Shigeo is dead for sure this time."
Onoki's lips curled into a cold sneer.
Although in this war they were all grasshoppers tied to the same rope, in Onoki's heart, he had never been able to accept Shigeo.
In his view, Shigeo had never once truly fought him head-on.
The first time Mo-nin destroyed Iwagakure, they had done it through a surprise attack. Later, during the shadowless joint battle in the southern region of the Land of Iron, Shigeo had even taken the daimyō of each village hostage as leverage. Without the daimyō being used as bargaining chips, the united Five Kage would definitely have taken him down.
Onoki could admit that he was old, and that in some aspects he might no longer be Shigeo's match.
But if he combined the full might of Iwagakure, he firmly believed that Shigeo would crumble easily.
Now that he'd heard his own teacher had appeared on the battlefield, he couldn't help a faint thrill of excitement.
If Shigeo didn't know his limits and went charging to his death, then Onoki had no intention of saving him. This was the perfect chance to show him:
There is always someone stronger, and there is always a higher sky above.
In the blink of an eye, Shigeo arrived at the Fourth Division's battlefield.
Around the same time, the Fourth Raikage A, Onoki, and Mei also reached the scene one after another.
By then, Gaara had already engaged the enemy.
Standing opposite him was his own father—the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
(End of Chapter)
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