"There's something distinctly unusual about those two Uchiha , Uchiha Yoruki and Uchiha Itachi," Black Zetsu observed with growing concern as he witnessed the First Tsuchikage suffering significant injury at the hands of Uchiha Yoruki.
His ancient voice carried a note of alarm that was rarely present, and he lowered his tone slightly as if afraid that speaking too loudly might somehow alert his enemies to his surveillance of their capabilities.
Through his manipulation and control of the reanimated dead scattered across multiple battlefields, Black Zetsu had been carefully monitoring and analyzing the shifting chakra patterns and energy signatures within both Uchiha warriors. What he had discovered was deeply troubling for their long-term strategic objectives.
The sudden and dramatic surge in their ocular powers could be traced to a single, game-changing factor that had completely altered the tactical balance of the conflict.
"The First Hokage's cells," he murmured with a mixture of admiration and concern, his understanding of the biological enhancement immediately clarifying the situation.
The Uchiha and Senju clans had originally been one people, descended from the same ancient bloodline before philosophical differences and territorial disputes had split them into opposing factions. Once members of the Uchiha clan gained access to Senju power through cellular integration, the two genetic legacies merged within their bodies, generating immense power that exceeded the sum of their individual components.
Even though both Uchiha Yoruki and Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan remained in their Mangekyō form rather than evolving to the Eternal level, the enhancement provided by Hashirama's genetic material had elevated their capabilities to unprecedented heights.
"It appears there's no longer any need to continue testing their limits through prolonged engagement," Black Zetsu concluded with a stern and calculating expression.
The time for subtle probing and intelligence gathering had passed. More decisive action would be required to counter this unexpected development.
On the battlefield where the First Division had established their operational theater, the tactical situation was rapidly evolving in favor of the Allied Forces.
Swish!
A brilliant flaming rainbow of light blazed across the sky like a divine sword cutting through the heavens, its trajectory marking the path of Uchiha Yoruki's legendary Totsuka Sword as it pursued its target with relentless determination.
The First Tsuchikage, having lost his left arm to the previous devastating attack, found himself temporarily unable to form the hand seals necessary for his most powerful earth-style techniques. The injury had severely compromised his combat effectiveness despite the regenerative capabilities provided by Edo Tensei.
In this particular engagement, Uchiha Yoruki clearly held the tactical advantage, his enhanced abilities proving sufficient to challenge even a legendary founder of one of the great ninja villages.
Meanwhile, in another section of the same battlefield, a different but equally significant development was taking place in front of Sakumo's position.
The notorious Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers suddenly halted their coordinated pincer attack with synchronized precision that suggested external control rather than independent tactical decision-making.
Their eyes, which had been the characteristic dark and emotionless orbs of Edo Tensei warriors, suddenly began trembling with visible agitation. Within those black depths, crimson light began blazing uncontrollably, indicating the activation of power that transcended normal reanimation limitations.
"Boom! Boom!"
Blood-red chakra erupted from both of their bodies with volcanic intensity, the overwhelmingly dense energy forming towering pillars of light that completely enveloped their figures. The transformation was both spectacular and terrifying, representing access to power that few beings in the ninja world had ever possessed.
"Nine-Tails chakra?!" Sakumo exclaimed with genuine alarm, his weathered features immediately growing tense as recognition dawned.
His entire body shifted into a state of full combat readiness, every muscle and nerve prepared for the escalation in threat level that such power represented.
The next moment brought confirmation of his worst fears as the two blood-red beams of light were torn apart from within. At each point of rupture, figures now completely engulfed in crimson chakra emerged, their movements and posture having taken on distinctly beast-like characteristics.
After successfully unleashing the Nine-Tails chakra that had been dormant within their modified bodies, both Kinkaku and Ginkaku experienced a dramatic increase in speed that elevated them to an entirely new level of combat capability.
"Hiss!"
The lightning chakra surrounding Sakumo's white dagger intensified dramatically, the electrical energy now emitting an ominous blood-red luminescence that spoke to the serious nature of the threat he was facing.
"Bang!"
Under the brothers' combined assault, Sakumo found himself with no viable option except to withstand the impact directly. The tremendous force behind their coordinated attack immediately knocked him backward several meters, his feet carving deep furrows in the ground as he struggled to maintain his balance.
After successfully forcing Sakumo into a defensive position, the Nine-Tails-enhanced Kinkaku and Ginkaku immediately shifted their attention to identify their next target. Their predatory instincts locked onto Uchiha Yoruki's position, and they dropped to all fours before charging toward him with the feral grace and speed of hunting beasts.
"Your opponent is still me!" Sakumo's voice rang out like thunder across the battlefield, carrying both determination and barely controlled fury.
An even more violent sound of electrical discharge accompanied his declaration as he channeled tremendous amounts of lightning chakra into his weapon.
"BOOM!"
The thunder created by his technique sounded like the territorial roar of a massive predator establishing its dominance. Sakumo gripped his lightning-enhanced blade with both hands and executed a powerful thrusting motion that seemed to tear through the very fabric of space.
With the blade serving as the focal point, the concentrated lightning chakra actually formed itself into the head of a gigantic beast whose features resembled those of a legendary wolf or tiger.
The lightning construct opened its enormous mouth, revealing rows of sharp, crackling fangs that promised instant electrocution for anything they touched. The beast head lunged forward and attempted to swallow both Nine-Tails-enhanced opponents in a single devastating bite.
The creature's jaws closed around Kinkaku and Ginkaku with apparent success, but immediately the sounds of violent collisions and impacts began echoing from within the lightning construct. Blood-red chakra could be seen overflowing from the gaps between the electrical fangs, indicating that the brothers were far from defeated.
No matter their current enhanced state, these two individuals remained the notorious criminals who had directly caused the deaths of both the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage during their original lifetimes. Although Sakumo possessed considerable power and skill, he was still somewhat outmatched when facing opponents who had access to Nine-Tails chakra enhancement.
The more blood-red energy that escaped from his lightning technique, the more distorted and unstable the electrical construct became. The containment was clearly failing under the pressure of the tremendous power struggling within.
"Crack!"
The lightning beast head finally proved unable to maintain its cohesion when faced with two sources of Nine-Tails chakra, and it shattered completely in a spectacular display of electrical discharge.
Immediately, the beast-like forms of Kinkaku and Ginkaku emerged from the dissipating energy, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they rushed toward Sakumo. Their claws were extended and ready to tear him apart with savage brutality.
Sakumo retreated as quickly as possible, but his tactical assessment indicated that he could defend against the assault of only one opponent at maximum capacity. If both brothers attacked simultaneously with their current enhanced abilities, he would definitely sustain serious injuries that could prove fatal.
"Whoosh!"
At that critical moment, distinctive black flames suddenly erupted across Ginkaku's body as he attacked from Sakumo's left flank. The cursed fire of Amaterasu began consuming his Nine-Tails chakra cloak with supernatural hunger.
"Roar!"
Ginkaku released a wailing cry of pain and frustration, and his coordinated attack immediately faltered as he was forced to deal with the eternal flames that threatened to consume him entirely.
Sakumo reacted with the lightning reflexes that had made him legendary, immediately seizing the tactical opportunity by taking the offensive. He raised his lightning-enhanced blade and launched a decisive counterattack.
"Crash!"
With a horizontal slash executed at full power, Sakumo's technique connected solidly with Kinkaku and sent the enhanced warrior flying through the air like a projectile.
Although Ginkaku's chakra cloak was being systematically consumed by Amaterasu, he had not completely lost his ability to move and immediately began retreating to reassess the tactical situation.
As soon as Ginkaku had withdrawn to a safer distance, Uchiha Yoruki appeared beside Sakumo's position with the fluid grace of someone who had perfectly timed his intervention.
"Thank you for the assistance," Sakumo said with genuine appreciation, his respect for the young Uchiha's tactical timing evident in his voice.
Yoruki nodded with acknowledgment and immediately focused his attention on Ginkaku, observing how the Nine-Tails chakra cloak had already begun regenerating to replace the portions consumed by Amaterasu.
Even with the damage inflicted by the cursed flames, Ginkaku's body still bore visible burn marks and injuries from the encounter. However, the characteristic paper-like fragments of Edo Tensei were already condensing around the wounds and rapidly healing the damage.
"This doesn't appear to be a battle we can win quickly," Yoruki observed with tactical honesty as he looked toward the First Tsuchikage, whose missing arm had basically finished regenerating.
His eyes darkened slightly with concern as he processed the strategic implications of facing opponents who possessed both Nine-Tails enhancement and immortal regeneration.
"We must utilize our current strength advantage to seal these troublesome opponents before the situation deteriorates further," Uchiha Yoruki concluded with growing urgency.
Although the coalition's elite combat units had not yet been fully deployed across all theaters, the enemy's Edo Tensei army was clearly far more extensive than what they were currently facing.
His enhanced vision allowed him to monitor another section of the battlefield where Darui of Kumogakure was already in serious danger from his confrontation with the Second Raikage.
"Flash!"
Yoruki's eyes immediately focused on that distant engagement. Just as the Second Raikage's black lightning technique was about to strike Darui with potentially fatal force, the Totsuka Sword materialized once again and intercepted the attack, slicing through the electrical assault with a single precise cut.
Temporarily extracted from immediate danger, Darui didn't have time to express his gratitude as he continued his desperate struggle against the legendary predecessor whose speed and power exceeded his own capabilities.
"We should coordinate our efforts rather than fighting separately," Uchiha Yoruki suggested to Sakumo with tactical wisdom. "Operating independently, our chances of achieving victory are quite slim against these particular opponents."
"These enemies are all Edo Tensei constructs, which means that as our battle continues, our chakra reserves will steadily decrease while theirs remain constant. As long as our opponents cannot be properly sealed, we'll always be fighting from a position of severe disadvantage."
"Agreed!" Sakumo nodded with immediate understanding, then exchanged a meaningful glance with Uchiha Yoruki that spoke to their shared combat experience.
"I've analyzed and determined the fighting patterns of both the First Tsuchikage and these two enhanced brothers," Sakumo reported with confidence.
The two experienced warriors hadn't just realized this tactical advantage in the current moment; they had previously separated during the early phases of combat specifically to gather crucial intelligence about their opponents' capabilities, weaknesses, and preferred attack patterns.
Uchiha Yoruki smiled with quiet satisfaction, the flame-like patterns in his Mangekyō pupils beginning to rotate slowly as he prepared to deploy his most powerful techniques in coordination with his ally.
Further north of the Iron Kingdom's border region lay the disputed buffer zone between the Earth Kingdom and the Lightning Kingdom, a desolate area that had been the site of numerous conflicts throughout ninja history.
On the endless, barren sandy plains that stretched toward the horizon, a White Zetsu army numbering nearly twenty thousand artificial warriors had assembled in perfect formation. Their identical pale forms created an unsettling sight that seemed to stretch beyond normal visual limits.
Now, this massive enemy force was confronted by the Second Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces, whose members had deployed in defensive formations designed to maximize their tactical advantages despite being significantly outnumbered.
Loess stared with grim determination at the vast enemy army arrayed before his forces, his experienced military mind immediately recognizing the scale of the challenge they faced.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been completely impossible to gather and organize such a large military force in such a short period of time, especially while operating under the constant surveillance of both Kumo and Iwa intelligence networks.
However, the White Zetsu possessed unique abilities that allowed them to emerge from underground networks and spread across geographic locations without regard for normal logistical limitations or detection methods.
The Allied Shinobi Forces maintained their positions at a considerable distance from the enemy formation, following established military doctrine for engagements against numerically superior opponents.
Just then, a gentle breeze suddenly disturbed the previously calm desert sands, causing the clothing and equipment of the Allied Shinobi to flutter with ominous implications.
The next moment brought a dramatic change as the sky ahead of the coalition forces suddenly darkened with unnatural speed. Yellow sand from the ground began rising continuously, creating an atmospheric disturbance that defied normal weather patterns.
"BOOM!"
Several tremendous sounds echoed between heaven and earth with the force of natural disasters. Suddenly, a massive sandstorm began forming directly in front of the coalition forces, its scale and intensity indicating supernatural rather than meteorological origins.
The rising sand within the developing storm could not completely block the enhanced vision of experienced ninja, but what they could see was even more alarming than simple weather phenomena.
Several enormous tornadoes, accompanied by sounds resembling the roars of wild and predatory beasts, began sweeping toward their defensive positions with devastating intent!
The assembled ninja felt genuine shock and alarm, because the tornadoes approaching their formation were definitely not natural phenomena. They represented the sophisticated application of wind-style ninjutsu on a scale that suggested the involvement of legendary practitioners whose power could reshape entire landscapes through elemental manipulation alone.