(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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"Neji, what's going on?" The reanimated Hyuga Hizashi couldn't hide his astonishment, staring at his son's forehead in surprise and joy.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
Neij didn't miss that chance.
The powerful palm wind shattered Hizashi's body, and as he began to regenerate, Neji explained everything that had transpired.
"Hahahaha!" Hizashi stood still, not continuing his attack.
The deep resentment he had harbored towards the main branch of the Hyuga family dissipated at that moment, replaced by endless gratitude to the person named Colt.
Hizashi had accepted his fate as a branch member, but his one regret was that his son was also bound to a predestined fate.
Now, hearing such good news, Hizashi broke free from the control of the [Impure World Reincarnation] by sheer willpower.
His body gradually transformed into light.
"Neji, thank your friend for me, and survive this war." With a final glance at Neji, Hizashi returned to the Pure Land, a smile on his face.
Neji, tears streaming down his face, nodded solemnly as his father disappeared.
As time passed, the war that engulfed the entire ninja world entered a critical phase.
With their immunity to death, the reanimated army posed a great threat to the ninja alliance. Even when powerful ninjutsu managed to destroy the enemy, they would eventually regenerate.
In the ninja world, those skilled in the sealing techniques were few. It often took five or six ninja teams to find someone proficient in sealing, and those were typically elite squads, not the general rank-and-file shinobi.
The army of 100,000 White Zetsu was also a formidable force.
Most of the Ninja Alliance consisted of Genins and chunnins. The 80,000-strong ninja alliance quickly began to lose numbers as the battle progressed.
Fortunately, under Shikaku's command, the headquarters dispatched Mifune and the three divisions to provide support, gradually regaining control.
As the sun set and the bright moon hung high in the starry sky, a hidden cave became the scene of a secret meeting.
A dim glow lit the cavern as stalactites dripped into a pond with a rhythmic ticking.
Yakushi Kabuto frowned, studying the chessboard in front of him. As time passed, the white pieces on the board disappeared one by one.
After a while, he swept all the white pieces off the board.
Simultaneously, the reanimated army outside withdrew from their battles and vanished into coffins that suddenly appeared behind them.
Kabuto stood up and walked through a narrow tunnel into the depths of the mountain.
The area had been hollowed out, creating a vast, empty space where Orochimaru silently observed the part he obtained of Gedo Statue.
At that moment, the Gedo Statue's was sucking chakra from a figure suspended in the air.
"Orochimaru-sama, the army has withdrawn for now, but they will resume action tonight," Kabuto reported.
"However, the ninja alliance has learned how to deal with the [Impure World Reincarnation]. Tomorrow's situation may not be as favorable."
Orochimaru remained focused on the Gedo Statue, not responding immediately.
After a long pause, he turned to Kabuto with a smile.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Tomorrow, let your prized reanimations go out to meet the old friends and newcomers. After all, what appeared today was just cannon fodder."
Control of the reanimated army had mostly been handed over to Kabuto by Orochimaru, who kept only a few treasures worthy of his collection.
Kabuto smiled slightly.
"I must thank you for the Hashirama cells you implanted into me; otherwise, I wouldn't have the ability to control these legendary powerhouses."
"Since you agree, tomorrow I can also let loose and enjoy a big fight."
Orochimaru nodded slightly.
"I hope the ninja alliance can surprise me; otherwise, it will be too boring."
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With the Medical Troops.
As the reanimated army retreated, the ninja alliance was momentarily confused, but they quickly seized the opportunity to regroup.
The support troops swiftly gathered the wounded, transporting them to the medical base at the rear of the battlefield in batches.
Colt led a group of medical ninjas at the main camp, waiting for the injured to arrive.
With nearly 10,000 injured, many wore solemn expressions.
Even with all the medical ninjas in the ninja world assembled, it wasn't enough to treat so many wounded.
It was clear that many ninjas would suffer or even die because they wouldn't receive timely treatment. And these were just the most severely injured—those with minor injuries remained on the front lines.
However, the medical ninjas from Konoha seemed slightly more at ease.
"[Summoning Technique]!"
Colt formed seals with both hands, and a Katsuyu the size of dozens of meters appeared in the open space before him.
"Katsuyu, I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Leave it to me, Colt-sama."
A gentle female voice responded as Katsuyu's body split into countless smaller ones, which then climbed onto the bodies of the injured.
Colt clasped his hands together, continuously supplying chakra.
A glowing green light emanated from Katsuyu's clones, healing the wounds of the injured.
Colt's actions left the medical ninjas from the other villages stunned.
"Such powerful medical ninjutsu… he can treat so many people at once."
"I think Colt-san's chakra is terrifying. Even if we had such a powerful Summoning beast, we wouldn't have enough chakra to sustain them, would we?"
The Konoha medical ninjas looked on with disdain.
"This is nothing. When Colt-sama really gets to work, you'll see the difference."
At that moment, Colt made another move.
"[Wood Style: Wood Clone Technique.]"
Five [Wood Clones] emerged from behind him, each forming seals in unison.
"[Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!]"
A multitude of vines erupted from the ground, binding hundreds of ninjas tightly before rapidly growing into towering trees.
This sudden change shocked many, leaving them confused as to what Colt was doing.
Then they saw that the bound ninjas were slowly transforming, revealing their true forms as White Zetsus with sinister smiles.
"What is going on?"
The ninjas who had escorted them back were startled, unable to comprehend how their comrades had suddenly become White Zetsus.
Colt spoke calmly.
"White Zetsus can transform into any ninja's appearance, even the [Byakugan] or sensory ninjutsu cannot detect them."
"I was able to distinguish them by sensing the malice they emanated."
"Be careful from now on. Even your comrades might not be who you think they are."