The encounters faced by the suprise attack unit were playing out across all the major units of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Almost every unit ran into a combination of White Zetsu and Edo Tensei combatants.
The sudden clashes caught the Allied Shinobi Forces off guard at first. The bizarre abilities and fearless nature of the White Zetsu, combined with the Edo Tensei troops, inflicted heavy casualties on the alliance as soon as the fighting began.
However, as one order after another was relayed by the strategist corps through Yamanaka Inoichi—acting like a super Wi-Fi network—the Allied Shinobi Forces gradually regained their composure. They quickly adopted the most basic battle formation: "soldier against soldier, general against general."
Ordinary shinobi formed squads to deal with the White Zetsu, while the powerful elites from each village either fought one-on-one or teamed up to face the Edo Tensei warriors.
Behind these elite fighters were sealing teams that had long since been prepared. The moment an Edo Tensei combatant showed even the slightest lapse in control, the sealing teams would immediately step in and seal them away with sealing techniques.
Once this combat method was understood, the Allied Shinobi Forces began to steadily turn the tide, reclaiming their losses little by little. Several squads even managed to complete the sealing of Edo Tensei warriors in a very short time.
Taking the vanguard suprise attack unit as an example: since the abilities of the two Akatsuki members were already well understood, Sakumo quickly dealt with Sasori and Deidara. The third shinobi, from Root, was also swiftly subdued by Hyūga Himon and members of the Aburame clan.
Finally, the Kumogakure shinobi, Chūkichū, attempted to flee, but was easily caught and sealed by Sakumo.
...
Back at the Alliance Headquarters, Hoshiyomi—commander of the First Division—did not accompany his unit into battle. He had handed full command of the First Division over to Kitsuchi, choosing instead to remain at headquarters under the pretext of protecting the jinchūriki.
There was no need for him to personally deal with White Zetsu, nor did he have much interest in them. Until an enemy appeared that the alliance could not handle, Hoshiyomi planned to remain in the rear, coordinating operations from the center.
To be honest, watching the enormous sensory water sphere—formed by multiple sensor-type shinobi working together and enhanced by devices distributed by Orochimaru—was surprisingly interesting to him.
If he were to personally participate in those battles, he would find them dull. But observing the various battlefields through this massive sensory sphere gave him an unexpected sense of epic grandeur, like witnessing a vast, sweeping war from afar.
As dusk approached, the first round of clashes between the two sides came to an end.
The dispatched White Zetsu were either completely wiped out or recalled underground at Tobi's command, and the Allied Shinobi Forces finally had time to set up camp and tend to their wounded.
Seeing the White Zetsu and Edo Tensei forces withdraw, everyone in the command headquarters let out a long sigh of relief.
Just as people began congratulating one another on surviving the first day of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Hoshiyomi quietly tensed up. He wasn't sure whether events from the original story would play out the same way, but judging by Black Zetsu's sinister nature, he believed a nighttime raid was highly likely.
So while everyone else relaxed, Hoshiyomi silently left the command tent and headed toward the medical division's camp.
This location was an extremely critical stronghold in the Fourth War. If even a few medical shinobi were killed here, the total number of casualties in the war could easily rise by hundreds. For that reason, Hoshiyomi intended to ensure its safety from the very start.
...
Night fell. After a full day of nonstop work, the medical shinobi finally had a chance to rest.
Once shift rotations were completed, most of the medical shinobi returned to their tents, planning to get a good night's sleep so they could face the next day's treatment work in top condition.
Konoha's Sakura and Ino were no exception. After enduring a long day, they hurriedly washed up and prepared to return to their tent to rest.
Chatting and laughing, the two pulled open the tent flap and were about to step inside when they suddenly froze.
"Hinata? You finished washing up already?"
"Ah… yes."
Hinata seemed startled. She glanced back at Sakura and Ino, her pretty face inexplicably flushing red before she quickly lowered her head.
The two found her reaction a little strange, but thinking about how shy Hinata usually was—and how she had seen so many wounded soldiers while working with the medical unit that day—they quickly felt it was understandable.
"If you're tired, you should rest early,"
Sakura said softly as she took off her outer jacket, revealing a light pajama outfit, and walked over to Hinata.
Hinata still didn't say much. She quietly responded and then lay down with her back to Sakura and Ino. The two exchanged a glance, shrugged, and prepared to lie down as well.
What they didn't notice was that Hinata, facing the innermost part of the tent, was wearing a grim, eerie smile.
Just as the three were about to undress and go to sleep, a figure suddenly lifted the tent flap. Sakura and Ino were startled by the noise—Sakura had even readied a super-strength punch.
But when they turned around, both of them showed puzzled expressions.
"Lord Hoshiyomi?"
Seeing Hoshiyomi standing there calmly, the two girls lowered their heads and glanced at their slightly revealing sleepwear, their faces turning red. Sakura tugged at the blanket shyly and said,
"Lord Hoshiyomi, have you come to the wrong tent? Lady Tsunade's tent is to the east."
Ino looked at Hoshiyomi's mature, handsome face and thought to herself:
Even if Lord Hoshiyomi is really handsome, this kind of behavior can't be tolerated. Tomorrow I definitely should… um, maybe I'll just forget it.
While the two were lost in these thoughts, Hoshiyomi ignored them entirely and instead spoke directly to Hinata at the back of the tent:
"Are you coming out on your own, or should I go in?"
???
Sakura and Ino were instantly filled with question marks. What was going on here?
You come out, or I go in? Could it be… eek!
Does Lord Hoshiyomi have that kind of relationship with Hinata? Oh my god, does Lady Tsunade know?
He even wants to go in—don't tell me he plans to do it right in front of us…?
While the two girls' imaginations were running wild, Hinata—who had been facing away from them the whole time—suddenly lunged forward with lightning speed, pouncing on Ino. At the same time, her appearance rapidly transformed into that of a White Zetsu.
The sudden turn of events stunned both girls. Though they realized something was terribly wrong, the distance was too close—they had no time to evade.
Clang!
At that very moment, a crisp sword ring echoed through the tent.
Ino felt a gust of wind pass by her, followed by the dull sound of a blade cutting into flesh.
The two girls stared blankly as they looked up, only to see Hoshiyomi calmly sheathing his sword. As he did so, he spoke casually:
"Even though this thing isn't human, it still has some bodily fluids inside. You two kunoichi shouldn't mind, right? If you really do, go find Tsunade—there should still be spare beds over there."
After saying this, Hoshiyomi didn't look back at them. He turned and left the tent, leaving the two girls behind to stare in silence at the White Zetsu that had been split cleanly in two.
So powerful... I couldn't even see him draw his sword before the enemy was killed. And he ensured the tent behind him remained completely undamaged.
So cool...
...
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