Zabuza also wins his battle against Juzo and slashes Juzo's body in half with a swing of the executioner's blade.
Sigh…
Juzo sighs and closes his eyes.
"I did many things which weren't honorable as one of the seven mist swordsmen. However, now I can rest in peace knowing that the future is in secure hands and Kubikiribōchō found a worthy wielder."
"Yes, you are right!" Zabuza walks beside Juzo and glances in Haku's direction.
"The future is indeed in secure hands, but I am not the worthy wielder of this sword. Like you, I also lived as a rogue and did many dishonorable acts. But unlike you, I got a second chance and was able to right my wrongs. So, I am only holding onto this blade until a worthy wielder for this blade appears." Zabuza gently caresses the blade of the Kubikiribōchō.
"I see!" Juzo closes his eyes and his body slowly dissipates away.
Zabuza walks towards Haku and pats the latter's shoulder. During the battle, he overheard the conversation between Haku and his uncle.
"Your uncle and mother don't want to see you sulk over their death. I am sure they would be proud of the current you."
Haku turns towards Zabuza and asks him.
"Zabuza-san, are you proud of me?"
"Me?!" Zabuza is stunned by Haku's question.
"Of course, I am proud of you. You have long exceeded my expectations and have grown far stronger than I ever could." Zabuza nods at him after a while.
Haku closes his eyes and nods at Zabuza's response. Kakashi notices the interaction between Zabuza and Haku.
'I see!' He shakes his head at Zabuza's cluelessness.
"Let's return to the camp." Kakashi turns to the captain and various vice-captains.
Other than the third sub-division, the rest of the division also underwent multiple battles. Although all of them successfully repelled the attacks, it came at a cost.
Back at the headquarters,
The intelligence division tallied the casualties, and the count reached a thousand deaths. With this, the Allied shinobi force suffered a death count of four thousand deaths on the very first day of the battle.
A clench his fists and slams the table as he reads the report.
"What are the search parties for finding Kabuto's whereabouts doing?"
"Raikage-sama, they are still looking for Kabuto's whereabouts?" The leader of the recon division has an anxious expression on his face.
"I think it's about time for us to enter the battlefield," Onoki suggests.
"Mm… Lord Tsuchikage is right! The Allied shinobi force suffered massive casualties. The morale of our shinobis is at an all-time low after witnessing the death of their close comrades. At this rate, we will lose this battle for sure." Rasa agrees with Onoki's words.
"Very well! Tomorrow, the Kages will enter the battlefield and we will reduce the perimeter of the battlefield. We will make a comeback with a fierce counterattack and destroy the enemy army." Minato shares similar sentiment as the rest.
"Also, about those figures in black, they?" Onoki inquires about the origin of a strange group of cloaked figures.
"They are a secret elite squad of my company," Mei replies to him.
"I see! No wonder!" Onoki nods in understanding. With the deep pockets of Kaminomegumi, it's not difficult for them to employ a few very powerful shinobis.
Despite their display of strength, Onoki and the rest of the group had some doubts about the familiar abilities of this group. However, they decide to keep their mouth shut since these shinobis are their allies. Minato, Tsunade, and Mei also didn't deem it necessary to further reveal any information about this group.
The meeting ends, and everyone returns to their camp to take a rest.
Minato sighs and stares at the giant map of the battlefield. Even though they expected a night raid from Akatsuki. Kabuto didn't hold back his punches and used most of his cards.
The allied shinobi force sealed a total of three hundred Edo Tensei shinobi and most of these were elites. The former seven mist swordsman were just a small part of it. The ambush group also included the members of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas from Konoha, members of the explosive corps from Iwagakure, the infamous puppeteer squad from Sunagakure, and the former Storm trooper squad from Kumogakure.
The puppeteer squad and the Storm Trooper squads were a famous group of shinobis from the era of the First and second shinobi war. The puppet expert Lady Chiyo was also a former member of the Puppeteer squad and the Storm Trooper squad was created by the First Raikage to act as bodyguards for the Kage.
Other than these figures, the main soldiers of the Edo Tensei army were the various former test subjects of Orochimaru. These test subjects consisted of several shinobis with Kekkei Genkai or inhuman strength and chakra. They retained their modifications before their death without any side effects and were the main group responsible for the high number of casualties on the battlefield.
It was a tough battle to neutralize the threats of these groups. However, the Allied shinobi group was able to pull through with the sudden arrival of a group of cloaked figures. There were a total of seven of those cloaked figures and all of them were at a level above elites. These cloaked figures took on more than one opponent and managed to defeat them with ease.
However, after sealing the Edo Tensei, these figures will vanish from the battlefield. The helpless captains from various squads could only consider them as part of the tactical reinforcement from the headquarters.
But of course, this cloaked group was none other than the shadow branch of the In-Yō. Prior to the battle, Minato instructed them to act as reinforcement during the war when required.
Back in a secret underground hideout,
Kabuto stares at the various black and white pieces on the Shogi board.
"I fulfilled my end of the deal with Tobi, and the war began with an explosive opening. Though, I lost several pieces in the process. For tomorrow's battle, I will pull back and let Tobi handle the rest. Also…"
Kabuto narrows his eyes and gazes toward the surface.
"There are several hounds of the Allied Shinobi Force in the vicinity. Sooner or later, they will locate my position. So, it's about time I change my location."
Kabuto picks up his Shogi board and enters the ground. He reappears above the surface and stares at the members of the recon division.
"Konnichiwa Mina-san!"
Kabuto's lips curl into a smile as several snakes escape from his body and bite the neck of those weak recon division members. A few of them attempt to fight back, but Kabuto easily overwhelms them.
Swish… swish…
He makes a series of hand signs and summons a giant snake.
"Manda, carry them or me!"
He issues an order to the giant snake and the giant snake opens its giant maw and swallows the unconscious group of shinobis and disappears. Kabuto also escapes with the spot using Earth Release: Earth Escape technique.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…
A few seconds later, several groups of shinobis arrive at the location of the battlefield. They quickly survey the traces of battles.
"It was Kabuto!" The leader of the group concludes and quickly sends a message to the headquarter.
The leader of the recon division learns of the death of his division members and grits his teeth in rage.
"Kabuto! You son of a bitch! I will tear you to pieces." The leader of the recon division, Sakuto Koriko, is a former war veteran of Kumogakure and is from the same generation as the three Sannins. Though he isn't as well known as them, he still made a name for himself during the second shinobi war.
"Relay my orders to all squads to group up and search every nook and cranny of the battlefield to search for Kabuto's traces."
"Yes, Lord Sakuto!" His subordinates swiftly retreat from the office.
"I will report this situation to Lord Minato and ask him to deploy the members of the special squad."
Meanwhile, somewhere in another secret hideout.
Fwoosh…
Black Zetsu pops out of the ground.
Swirl…
A few seconds later, Tobi walks out of the shadows.
"How was it?" He asks Zetsu.
"It was a trap! The entire Zetsu squad was annihilated."
"Hmm… it's not feasible to capture the Daimyos to gain an advantage in the war, to begin with. Our army is almost about to reach the battlefield. So far, Kabuto's performance in this war is satisfactory. It's time our main force enters the battlefield."
"What about the Eight and Nine-tails?" Zetsu questions him.
"The five nations hid them well and we have no hope of capturing them in such a short time. So, we have to continue the plan without them. Kisame brought a portion of eight tails chakra with him and we were able to acquire a portion of Nine-tails chakra from the Fire temple. Though not ideal, it should be enough to awaken the ten-tails." Tobi makes a few modifications to the plans.