Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 505, Battlefield 1

The Allied forces obtained an important piece of intelligence from Turtle Island in their rear.

White Zetsu possesses an extremely unique transformation ability. Not only can they freely change their appearance, but they can also absorb chakra and recreate it exactly as it was. This is an extremely dangerous transformation technique; even the most familiar person might not notice it without careful observation. They can even deceive special eye techniques and evade ordinary sensory ninjas. If they were to infiltrate the Allied Forces, they would undoubtedly cause a massive crisis.

However, "Hui," who had dealt with White Zetsu imposters for many years, was already prepared. They hadn't yet discovered that White Zetsu possessed the ability to mimic chakra, but that didn't prevent them from finding these little creatures who excelled at taking advantage of confusion. Because the Senju didn't rely on chakra to distinguish White Zetsu; they only needed to find their clan leader's cells.

Although the message was delivered, it was not immediately sent to the front lines because the front lines were in the midst of the most intense fighting.

The majority of the opponents on the first day were White Zetsu clones. These clones were endless and could seamlessly coordinate attacks, constantly draining the ninjas' stamina. Another, more dangerous group of opponents were the Edo Tensei reanimated ninjas mixed among the White Zetsu. Almost every one of these ninjas had left their mark on the ninja world, with numerous bloodline limit holders. Some were even comrades, teachers, or parents of the living, making the battles truly frustrating.

Without needing orders from the Allied Forces headquarters, the captains of each unit issued their instructions. The majority of the White Zetsu were assigned to the more evenly matched ninjas to ensure they had no opportunity to interfere with the other side of the battlefield. The elite ninjas, however, were divided into groups to deal with the troublesome Edo Tensei. Fortunately, they had established sealing squads during their troop deployment, placing one in each unit, so the immortality of the Edo Tensei wasn't too much of a problem for them.

The first battlefield to clash with the reanimated army was the First Battlefield, where the once-glorious Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist appeared. They inherited seven unique ninja tools, worked together seamlessly, and possessed both assassination and surprise attack capabilities; legend has it they could even easily conquer a small country. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen reanimated by Kabuto were the best of two generations. Who knows where he found the four lost swords? When these deadly weapons returned to their wielders, coupled with the most troublesome Hidden Mist techniques, our casualties on the First Battlefield increased dramatically.

"We must deal with the ninjas using the Hidden Mist Technique first; losing sight of them in the jungle is too passive."

Kakashi quickly assessed the situation. He first ordered all squads to gather in groups of four to five, centered around the sensory ninjas, to minimize the chances of the enemy succeeding in assassination. He then instructed the ninjas with the strongest sensory abilities to quickly locate the ninjas using the Hidden Mist Technique and seal them away.

"The seal will then be handed over to you, Ji."

The sealing squad does have other sealing techniques available, but most of them are slower than the ritual's "Tiger's Gaze," which not only seals but also restricts the sealed object's movement to some extent. This means that even if they fail to kill the impure spirit in one blow, completely incapacitating it, they can still complete the seal.

The ninja nodded and unfurled his scroll, but he still seemed somewhat nervous, his brushstrokes noticeably less steady than usual. His brother, Shin, gently patted Matsuri's head; though he didn't turn around and his other hand remained gripping his weapon warily, his words of comfort were clearly conveyed.

Ji's hand became much steadier, and there was no backlash like during practice. A majestic tiger quickly leaped onto the paper.

“There’s more than one person maintaining the Hidden Mist Technique, and there are usually two Ninja Swordsmen operating nearby, probably to protect them.” The person from the sensory unit was Nanshu, who had been discussing the current Allied Forces detachment plan with Shikaku. He quickly pointed in three directions and suggested, “They dispersed very quickly just now, but I could barely see a few people with the distinctive features of the Hozuki clan. If we don’t restrain the Ninja Swordsmen, I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to capture the ninja using the Hidden Mist Technique in one strike.”

"The Hozuki clan is most afraid of lightning release, right? I can lead a team to raid a location." Naifei, who also came from Dongfeng, volunteered.

To put it simply, the sheer number of hidden talents in "East Wind" was an eye-opener for Konoha. Quite a few ninjas achieved elite rank through the trials, and even those who didn't reach elite status generally possessed the qualities of Jonin, with very few even reaching Chunin rank. Such formidable combat power naturally led to their deployment to the battlefield.

Naitobi is a ninja skilled in both lightning and fire magic, which happens to be a counter to the Hozuki clan. His chosen targets are Ringo Ameyuri, wielding the lightning blade Kiba, and Suigetsu Hozuki, who has no sword—a combination that excels in both defense and offense, making them quite formidable. However, as the team leader, Naitobi casually grabbed a Konoha ninja and a Kumogakure ninja as conscripts, leaving without even taking any sensory-type characters.

Then, Nan Shu, who was thought to be just a weak and perceptive person, said with a smile, "I can take care of one by myself, as long as I don't get caught."

Kakashi was stunned for a moment, wanting to stop him, but then he saw the other person take out a special kunai and twirl it in his hand, as if showing it off to him on purpose. This time, he was not only stunned, but almost turned his three-tomoe kunai into a kaleidoscope. He wanted to deny the answer in his heart, but Nanshu just looked at him with a simple smile, even the curve of her lips was so nostalgic.

“…I understand.” Kakashi took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart and said, “Go, and be sure to come back safely.”

Nan Shu waved to him and vanished in an instant.

The remaining teammates looked at each other, not understanding why Kakashi was so confident in using a sensory type as a warrior, especially since he went alone.

“Next, it’s time for our operation.” Kakashi turned to a Nara clan ninja and asked, “Are you confident you can control both of them?”

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

"Okay, then let's proceed with this plan."

With their respective duties assigned, Kakashi plunged alone into the thick fog. He knew he was about to encounter Kusabi no Yaijin, wielding the blunt sword Kabuto, and Hozuki Mangetsu, who had no sword. Directly clashing with a blunt sword would be unwise, but it didn't matter; he wasn't fighting alone.

The heavy sword, which wasn't quite to his liking, was indeed cleaved in two by the blunt blade. It looked like the giant hammer was about to fall, and a puddle of water was silently approaching from the shadows; it seemed like a dead end. But the two opponents who had made contact with Kakashi suddenly lost their mobility, frozen in place. Kakashi immediately broke free of his opponents, and the dazzling Lightning Blade only lit up after he was a certain distance away from the two enemies.

A long shadow was emerging from the thick fog. It was originally connected to Kakashi's shadow. When it overlapped with the enemy's shadow, Nara's secret technique was activated.