Madara and Kaguya stood on high ground, getting a bird's-eye view of the battlefield.
Madara had donned his red armor once again, a long-handled scythe slung across his back.
He sneered. "Zetsu, when exactly is your army going to show up?"
Zetsu emerged from Kaguya's sleeve, chuckling sinisterly. "Soon, very soon. Look, they're already here."
The original White Zetsu army of a hundred thousand had all died off, but it didn't matter. These were originally the killing moves Kaguya had prepared for the Otsutsuki God. The old lady had been muddled for a lifetime; using this cannon fodder to deal with the Otsutsuki God was sheer nonsense, but using them right now was extremely fitting.
Ino had given Kaguya a God Tree seed to extract its energy and replicate genetic information from Zetsu. One became two, two became four, four became sixteen. There was plenty of life energy in the earth; drawing a portion of it would eventually recover.
It took more than a decade, or even two decades, of training for a ninja to go from birth to participating in battle. But something like a White Zetsu could be replicated at a rate of one per minute. They could grow to a combat-ready state in three days, and possess partial intelligence in five. They were truly the premier choice for a sudden surge in troop numbers.
The number of the White Zetsu army this time exceeded a million.
When they were enemies, one would find these things terrifyingly ugly, impossible to kill off, seemingly endless. Now that they had become allied forces, the feeling was completely different.
The Demon Clan army was green, while the White Zetsu army was white. The two sides collided like two torrential floods. The ninja stood their ground, unleashing ninjutsu. Flesh and blood flew across the battlefield, severed limbs and scattered body parts everywhere.
Lord Madara swung his long-handled scythe and charged in to "dance." Kaguya activated her "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack," while Kakashi, Zabuza, and the others turned back to fight once more.
...
When the Demon Clan army was burning, killing, and looting everywhere, their numbers having swelled to the point where they could no longer be visually estimated, Konoha's airship division arrived.
Twenty-four-year-old Konohamaru was the supreme commander of the airship division, while Konan served as his advisor.
The two seemed to have a significant age gap, but calculating from Ino's side, they were only one generation apart. Counting from the Third Hokage, they were actually of the same generation.
Looking at the invaders swarming over the mountains and plains below, Konohamaru was filled with anger.
Three hours into the battle, green flames had already blanketed the entire Land of Waves and a small portion of the Land of Fire. These flames could even burn on the surface of the sea, and when the energy accumulated to a certain point, they would explode.
The trees, houses, and markets on the eastern border of the Land of Fire had completely vanished. Even though the Konoha ninja fought desperately, a large number of civilians still died tragically. The ones who had initially charged over were Demon Clan cannon fodder, but now, elite Demon Clan warriors riding giant wolves could be seen galloping left and right across the battlefield.
Ninja did not have the habit of wearing armor. Sharp blades infused with chakra could indeed slice open the enemies' throats, but the immense vitality of the Demon Clan still allowed them to launch a counterattack right before death. Since the start of the battle, the White Zetsu army had absorbed the brunt of the damage, yet more than ten ninja had still lost their lives.
Konohamaru spoke to the adjutant beside him, "Send a message to the village. The enemy's vitality is very strong; we need to bolster our defenses."
After observing for another half minute, he wasn't prepared to wait any longer. He declared in a loud voice, "Drop the bombs. Let these bastards see what we're made of."
Metal cylinders resembling pen holders, packed with explosive tags, were dropped from the airships like scattering flowers from a celestial maiden.
A cacophony of explosions erupted amidst the Demon Clan army. The sounds of shattering bones and flying flesh merged together. As more and more bombs were dropped with increasing density, they ultimately formed a continuous chain of massive roars.
Hundreds of Demon Clan warriors riding giant wolves were given special attention. These demons, who had been wantonly slaughtering civilians, were turned into minced meat along with their mounts, becoming the first major achievement of the airship division.
"Continue," Konohamaru said, showing neither joy nor sorrow.
More bombs fell into the midst of the Demon Clan army. This widespread offensive curbed the enemy's attack speed and boosted the morale of the civilians and ninja. The pressure on Kakashi, Zabuza, and the others was suddenly reduced by more than half.
The Demon Realm was lacking in resources, so they had very few aerial combat units. Coincidentally, Konoha was exactly the same!
Trying to cobble together an air force at the last minute was definitely out of the question.
Whether it was Deidara's explosive clay secret technique or Sai's Super Beast Imitating Drawing, both demanded a high level of aptitude from the learner. It wasn't that others couldn't learn them; it was simply a matter of needing time.
Facing the winged Demon Clan elites who soared into the sky, the airship division could only whip out their famous scientific ninja tools—and wildly fire their Gatling guns!
Various fireballs, wind blades, and ice arrows were shot out at a rate of three rounds per second. The Demon Clan air force, which consisted of large but fragile targets, couldn't withstand many hits before being torn to shreds by the ninjutsu.
Konoha Village.
Information from all sides converged on the Hokage's office.
Ino's attitude was fairly calm. She even had the leisure to pull out her GodPad and check on the battle situations in the other universes.
Shikamaru's staff department was so busy they were about to explode on the spot.
Shikaku, who had been retired for many years, came out of retirement to assist his son.
The staff officers who originally belonged to the other four great ninja villages all gathered together, discussing the enemy's main direction of attack.
The former secretary of the Fourth Raikage, Jonin Mabui, pointed to a nearby map and said, "The Land of Waves, the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Moon in the south, and the North Continent have all been attacked simultaneously. The information relayed by the ninja indicates that the enemy is plundering resources at all costs. The Land of Moon and the North Continent are rich in resources but have weak defenses. We should reinforce our troops in those two directions and drive the enemy back."
Chojuro's combat power was a bit subpar, so he had now transitioned into a staff officer for the village.
His perspective was more global. At this moment, he said, "We definitely should strengthen the defenses in those two directions, but we must also keep in mind: if resources are gone, we can always develop more. But if the people are gone, then we have completely failed."
Although Chojuro didn't state it explicitly, he undoubtedly believed that the people were the most important. As long as they protected the populations of the great nations, the remaining ores, trees, and gold were not worth mentioning. If the Demon Clan wanted them, then let them have them!
They had vast territories and abundant resources; what they lacked wasn't materials, but people.
As long as the people were protected, the rest wouldn't be a problem.
"I feel..." Jiraiya was about to speak, but Tsunade covertly jabbed him with her elbow. You're just a guy who writes dirty books, what do you know about strategy? Stop spouting nonsense and embarrassing me!
The staff officers had all sorts of opinions. Shikamaru and Gaara also supported Chojuro's suggestion of preserving the people while yielding territory, believing they could appropriately abandon some peripheral defense lines, concentrate their forces, and annihilate the enemy.
Ino felt that all of their viewpoints were flawed. She stood up, and the conference room instantly fell silent.
She first looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. "The advisors will separately contact the Five Great Nations. We need a stable rear. They cannot fall into chaos; whoever causes chaos, I will kill them! Tell those daimyo that the enemy's invasion has begun in full. From this moment on, we are entering a state of war. They can refer to the previous four Great Ninja World Wars. Exert all efforts to gather food, clothing, and medicine. This war won't end so quickly. We must prepare for a prolonged battle."
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