The First Division was the first to come under attack, and they were facing the strongest segment of Ye Zi's Edo Tensei army: a force composed of Kage-level powerhouses from every great village.
Among them were legends such as Hashirama Senju, the so-called "God of Shinobi," and the Uchiha clan's strongest warrior, Madara Uchiha.
Fortunately, things didn't go entirely as planned, Madara broke free of the Edo Tensei on his own. Rather than joining the battle, he chose to sit back and watch, as though enjoying the spectacle from the mountainside.
Both armies were already locked in a chaotic melee, leaving no one the time to pay attention to him. Even Orochimaru couldn't discern what Madara intended and could only avoid provoking him, though none could say what influence Madara's presence would have on the war.
At that moment, Ye Zi was moving toward the Allied Shinobi Forces' rear lines, effectively sandwiched between both fronts.
His current route would soon bring him into contact with the Second Division, the mid-range combat unit. Beyond them lay the long-range division, and further to the flanks, the special combat unit.
That special unit, composed of elite shinobi of every kind, could easily be considered the strongest force in the entire Allied Army.
The Uchiha clan's finest, masters of forbidden techniques, and bloodline-limit users from every village were all gathered there. Defeating such a division would exact a heavy price.
But from the very start, Ye Zi had no intention of defeating the Allied Forces head-on. After using White Zetsu's abilities to gather intelligence, he knew what he needed: only the Nine-Tails.
He had left ten thousand clones behind to engage Kakashi's unit, while the rest were dispatched to ambush the other divisions mid-route, cutting them off and isolating Kakashi's team.
As Ye Zi advanced toward Kushina's location, battles were erupting across every front.
The clone army was individually weak, but sheer numbers kept them locked in stalemate with the Allied Forces. Out of thirty thousand doses of enhancement serum, ten thousand were distributed across the three divisions, only the clones fighting Kakashi's unit lacked them.
All clones were now fully committed to battle. Several Edo Tensei bodies still rested within the dimensional space sealed in Ye Zi's right palm. As he moved toward the Allied rear, he planned to release them one by one according to the flow of battle, leaving Orochimaru to command them as chess pieces afterward.
Behind Ye Zi's army, the "Hebi Squad" was also en route, accompanied by several Edo Tensei. They too were a force that could not be underestimated.
Meanwhile, the Allied Forces' ambush squad, moving to strike from the rear, was likely to encounter the Snake Team head-on.
Ye Zi couldn't control every intricate detail of the war. His sole objective now was to find Kushina.
Before long, he approached the battlefield where the Second Division was clashing with twenty thousand clones.
His arrival immediately drew attention.
The sensory unit quickly relayed the information to comrades across the battlefield, and within moments, the message reached the Allied rear lines.
Commanding the Second Division was Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi of the Stone, son of the Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
When Kitsuchi spotted Ye Zi's figure, cold killing intent flashed across his face. His beloved had been slain by Ye Zi's hand.
Boom!
A massive rock-covered fist slammed down, crushing three clones into a smear of pale flesh.
That was Kitsuchi's way of fighting, using enormous rock-armored fists to kill. Risky, perhaps, but far more chakra-efficient. Against such overwhelming numbers, conserving chakra wherever possible was vital.
Ye Zi stood at the battlefield's edge, his cold gaze sweeping across the chaos. Perhaps he had overestimated the clones' strength. Given the numerical disparity, it was hard to judge which side held the advantage, but one glance told him the truth:
Almost all the bodies falling were his clones.
The clones are still too weak, Ye Zi thought, narrowing his eyes.
Thank goodness for the enhancement serum; without it, even with superior numbers, his army could never have stalled the Allied Forces for long.
His goal wasn't here. He extended his right hand, releasing a single coffin, then began moving along the flank, intent on bypassing the Second Division's battle entirely.
The coffin lid clattered to the ground, and from within stepped a man, Toroi of the Cloud, a master of Magnet Release.
Having released one Edo Tensei, Ye Zi saw no need to linger. Orochimaru could use this summon as a conduit to bring forth additional Edo Tensei.
"Wait, Ye Zi."
A voice called out, the Edo Tensei Toroi, speaking with Orochimaru's tone.
Ye Zi halted immediately, glancing over in puzzlement.
"Madara has broken free from the Edo Tensei," Orochimaru said through Toroi. "On his own."
Ye Zi's heart skipped. "Freed himself?"
"It was my oversight," Orochimaru replied darkly. "I didn't expect he'd know how to undo the technique."
Ye Zi's brow furrowed deeply. Not only had Orochimaru failed to anticipate it, he himself never would have imagined that Madara could reverse the Edo Tensei binding. That single revelation turned everything troublesome.
A shadow crept across his thoughts. He wanted to eliminate that unpredictable variable immediately, but he simply couldn't, not now.
"What has Madara done since freeing himself?" Ye Zi asked, voice low and tense.
"He's… watching," Orochimaru replied.
"Watching?" Ye Zi exhaled slowly, his tone turning cold. "Then let him. We don't have the luxury to worry about him now."
A dangerous impulse flickered within him, the urge to return to the First Division's battlefield and destroy Madara outright. But reason prevailed. Madara's motives were a mystery, and even free from Edo Tensei, stopping him would not be easy.
"Keep an eye on the Second Hokage," Ye Zi warned.
With Madara's example fresh in mind, he gave Orochimaru this final reminder before moving on.
"I know," Orochimaru answered coolly. The Second Hokage, creator of the Edo Tensei, would require constant vigilance, and even Hashirama, who didn't know the release method, would need to be guarded carefully.
"Beyond this point, there are two more battlefields. Once I pass them, I'll reach the Allied rear.
Even if Madara can act freely, he's still just one Edo Tensei. He shouldn't be able to affect my plan. Still… since he broke the summoning, I'll have to be wary of White Zetsu as well."
"My priority now is to seal the Nine-Tails' chakra into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, revive the Ten-Tails and then, using its power and Shokui's ability, tear open the very fabric of space…"
"Shin's safety must also be ensured. The Snake Team at the very rear shouldn't face much pressure, since several Edo Tensei are supporting them."
Though he tried to push the thought aside, the news from Orochimaru had planted a lingering unease in Ye Zi's chest.
It was an unpleasant feeling.
He widened his path to avoid the battlefield.
But someone wasn't about to let him leave so easily.
Just as Orochimaru, through Toroi, was preparing to summon a dozen more Edo Tensei to aid the clones, Kitsuchi rose into the air, blocking Ye Zi's path directly.
Both Ye Zi and Orochimaru noticed his movement.
Orochimaru ignored it, focused on his summoning.
Ye Zi's eyes, however, turned cold. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade.
He had no intention of wasting time on irrelevant opponents.
And then, the roar of thunder split the air.
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