Mōmō threw a punch, then pointed toward the location where the Uchiha Clan was battling Sasori and said to his clansmen, "We're going to support the Uchiha Clan!"
"But—"
A middle-aged Jonin wanted to say something but ultimately held it back.
The Senju Clan was hailed as the "Clan of Love" by the Shinobi World during the Warring States Period!
Mōmō rushed forward, and after a few Jonin exchanged glances, they gritted their teeth and followed suit.
For Gyokushun, a leader of the Senju Clan, to go deal with a group of Shinobi cats was truly the height of incompetence for him.
It was likely that all the Senju clansmen of his generation had died in battle, leaving only this incompetent fellow to ascend to the high position.
However, many others shared the same thoughts as Gyokushun.
If they couldn't beat Ryou and Satori, couldn't they at least beat a bunch of Shinobi cats?
Asuma was infuriated by his own uselessness when Kurenai was captured by Satori; he had lost face in front of his childhood friend.
He had to find a way to make up for it.
Seeing Gyokushun go after the group of Shinobi cats, he followed.
Seeing this, Ebisu also wanted to snatch some military merit; many incompetent Shinobi in the Allied Forces wanted to catch a few Shinobi cats to pad their achievements.
On the other side of the Great River.
Fish Ball, Fortune, and Nekomata stood at the front. They didn't panic when they saw the Shinobi from the Allied Forces crossing the river to deal with them.
Since the Shinobi cats army could take the battlefield, they had naturally considered how to deal with enemies or how to retreat.
Within the Shinobi cats army, Fish Ball, Fortune, and Nekomata had received Ryou's exclusive spores, granting them the combat power of a Jonin.
Elite Shinobi cats would be bestowed with White Zetsu Spores by Ryou, which were White Zetsu Spores formed from Yang Release chakra.
This kind of spore allowed for possession by White Zetsu, enabling them to perform White Zetsu's techniques.
Other than those, ordinary Shinobi cats were given ordinary spores—a simplified version of the White Zetsu Spore that only granted the Mayfly Technique.
They couldn't fight, but they could certainly escape.
Fish Ball shouted, "All units, submerge into the ground!"
At Fish Ball's command, the Shinobi cats all used White Zetsu's ability to dive into the earth.
"(￣△￣;)."
Gyokushun, Asuma, and the others were instantly stunned.
Tens of thousands of cats had dove into the ground right before their eyes.
Earth Release's ground submerging wasn't a particularly difficult Ninjutsu; for example, the Underground Projection was a C-rank Ninjutsu.
This was a Chunin-level Ninjutsu.
Most Earth Release Shinobi knew it.
But the Shinobi cats army had at least thirty thousand Shinobi cats, and all of them could use Earth Release to submerge.
This was equivalent to having thirty thousand Chunin, which was terrifying.
Fish Ball ordered again, "All units, give them a 'pedicure'!"
Cat claws suddenly poked out from underground where Gyokushun and the others stood. The claws were so sharp they glinted with a cold light, looking as if they could even tear through steel.
There were many cat claws; just around Gyokushun's feet, about twenty claws attacked from below.
Gyokushun was a Jonin, and a Jonin wouldn't be subdued by such a simple move.
He grabbed Asuma and Ebisu and used a quick Body Flicker to dodge the Shinobi cats army's "pedicure."
Gyokushun could dodge, but many Shinobi who underestimated the Shinobi cats had their soles "trimmed," rendering them useless on the spot before being dragged underground by the Shinobi cats.
Within a few breaths, blood seeped through the ground.
Gyokushun, Asuma, and Ebisu watched in horror.
They hadn't expected these cats to be so formidable.
Fortune laughed, "We are Shinobi cats of the Uchiha Clan; we've all received Shinobi training."
"If it weren't for our ancestors being so disappointing, our cat race could have established a Sect similar to Mount Myōboku!"
"Damn it, these Shinobi cats, we underestimated them. Every single one of them can perform high-speed Earth Release underground."
Gyokushun spoke to the headquarters via a telepathic link.
"Headquarters, find a way to suppress the arrogance of these Shinobi cats!"
Shikaku was annoyed—why did Gyokushun have to provoke those cats?
They were on the other side and weren't participating in the battle. Did their hissing bother you?
You just had to go and take advantage of them!
If you hurt Ryou's summoned cats and he goes on a killing spree, what are you going to do?
Shikaku didn't give Gyokushun any face and scolded him harshly.
But he couldn't just leave these Shinobi cats who could submerge into the ground alone. Their presence in the earth was an unstable factor that could affect the tide of battle.
Consequently, the headquarters directed a group of Earth Release Shinobi to deal with the Shinobi cats army.
Soon, the Allied Forces' Earth Release Shinobi all submerged into the soil to take care of the cat army.
Fish Ball ordered the cats to use the Mayfly Technique to dive deeper into the ground.
The Mayfly Technique wasn't Earth Release; it was White Zetsu's special ability, allowing one to merge with the earth and vegetation.
Not only could they burrow through soil, but they could also submerge into organic environments like vegetation, roots, and underground streams.
Moreover, it was extremely fast and could completely cut off all presence, making it hard for sensory Shinobi to detect.
This was one of the reasons why White Zetsu could become a top-tier intelligence Shinobi; with the Mayfly Technique, he could go anywhere he wanted.
Because the human body is also organic matter, White Zetsu could possess human bodies.
This meant he could even go inside the internal organs.
The Earth Release Shinobi' subterranean travel couldn't keep up with the cats who possessed the Mayfly Technique.
An Earth Release Shinobi from a small nation reported to the headquarters, "It's no use, we can't catch them. They're too fast."
Shikaku suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Oh no, it's a trap! Everyone, get out of there!"
Because the earth was not the home ground for Earth Release Shinobi, but rather the home ground for White Zetsu.
Fish Ball ordered again, "All units, surround and kill!"
The cats hadn't submerged to avoid the Allied Forces' momentum; they did it to lure the Earth Release Shinobi deeper into the ground.
The Allied Forces' Earth Release was not as sophisticated as the Mayfly Technique.
Their movement speed in the soil was too slow, and they would be obstructed when encountering non-earth environments like underground water, plant roots, or hard rocks.
Furthermore, Earth Release Shinobi couldn't stay underground for long because they were still human and needed oxygen.
The earth was White Zetsu's home turf, and since the Shinobi cats army had White Zetsu's spores, the earth was effectively their home turf as well.
For the Allied Forces to dare submerge into the earth was a death sentence.
Soon, the cats struck like venomous snakes in the dark, extending sharp claws and fangs to deal with the Shinobi who had entered the earth.
They were countless and appeared incessantly.
Even if an Earth Release Shinobi could dodge the first wave, they wouldn't have a chance to dodge the third or fourth wave...
The elite Shinobi cats, in particular, were like ghosts, appearing and disappearing unpredictably; with one swipe, a Chunin's heart would be gone.
The earth provided a boost, much like water does for fish.
These Shinobi cats were all cats that the Uchiha family had once trained for combat; even without the boost from Ryou's spores, they were killing machines.
Soon, the Shinobi who had submerged underground lost contact one by one, and the headquarters fell silent.
They had underestimated the Uchiha family's Shinobi cats, and even more so, the troops led by Ryou.
On the other bank, the faces of Gyokushun and some Jonin turned ashen. They had actually been toyed with by a bunch of Shinobi cats?
Who could they even complain to?
In the original story, even Kitsuchi, who specialized in Iwagakure's Earth Release, would find ways to force White Zetsu out of the ground rather than engage them in tunnel warfare.
Abandoning one's strengths to attack an opponent's specialty—it was the height of stupidity.