The Edo Tensei body possesses virtually unlimited chakra—utterly terrifying!
At this moment, all seven wooden clones of Madara were covered in Susanoo armor!
Seconds later, one blue giant after another appeared behind him.
"Although they're not in the full-body form of Susanoo, this many should be enough to deal with you."
Madara spoke confidently to the Four Kage.
"Betting on the title of Kage, we'll seal you here and now!"
The Raikage roared, lightning chakra surging around him as he charged first toward Uchiha Madara.
To that, Madara only replied flatly, "Foolish."
He was now an Edo Tensei body—wounds healed infinitely, his chakra was inexhaustible, and his existence nearly immortal.
Forget the Four Kage—even forty of them wouldn't faze him! ୧⍢⃝୨
...
Land of Rain Forests.
Kakashi's Third Division was still locked in a fierce battle against Edo Tensei shinobi.
"Didn't expect Kabuto to even revive the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Kakashi gasped for breath as he hefted Zabuza's Executioner's Blade over his shoulder.
Not far away, Might Guy moved with sharp, lightning-fast taijutsu, repeatedly repelling the approaching Edo Tensei shinobi.
"Ah-da!!~"
After kicking the hulking Hōzuki Mangetsu flying, Guy struck a pose with his nunchaku and flashed his trademark confident smile.
"Yo, Kakashi! Let's see who seals more Edo Tensei shinobi, yeah? ❛‿˂̵✧"
As the division commander, Kakashi clearly had no time for games.
"Busy right now."
"The Edo Tensei shinobi never tire, and their numbers are huge. Our Netherworld Seal scrolls are limited... This is troublesome."
Kakashi rubbed his temples in frustration.
A Nara clan shinobi behind him spoke up,
"Captain, don't worry. Headquarters said the Fourth Division is already on their way to support us..."
Kakashi shook his head. "It's not that simple. I heard the First Division was ambushed too. The Fourth might not make it here in time…"
"Besides, according to the reports, the White Zetsu army is about a hundred thousand strong, yet we've only seen about fifty thousand so far... The rest are hiding somewhere."
"This war is getting harder by the minute."
"When will we ever live in real peace... (||๐_๐)"
Kakashi's voice sounded weary.
...
Coastal Battlefield.
After the masked man controlled the Gedo Statue and took the Amber Purification Jar, he didn't press the attack—he simply vanished.
But the devastation left behind by the Gedo Statue dealt another massive blow to the already battered First Division.
The battlefield was covered in blood and broken limbs.
Cries of pain echoed one after another.
Ino and a group of medical-nin rushed between the fallen shinobi, performing treatment after treatment.
Ino bit her finger, pressed her palm to the ground, and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
"Fwoosh!!"
A gigantic slug appeared!
It was Katsuyu, Tsunade's summoning beast from Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Lands, and the split body of the Slug Sage.
After becoming Tsunade's disciple, Ino too had signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest, gaining the ability to summon Katsuyu.
"Katsuyu, please—send your divisions to find all the wounded shinobi on the battlefield. I'll heal them through you."
The massive slug nodded gently and began to act.
"Whoosh!!"
Katsuyu's enormous body split into countless smaller slugs in an instant.
They slowly crawled toward the gravely injured shinobi scattered across the field.
Through Katsuyu's bodies, Ino could heal many at once.
However, the technique consumed enormous amounts of chakra.
Soon, Ino's face turned pale as snow.
Sakura quickly rushed over to steady her, worry filling her voice.
"Ino, everyone's already getting better. You need to stop—you'll collapse if you keep this up!"
Ino shook her head.
"No... not enough yet. Some of them are still hanging between life and death. As a medic, I can't just let lives slip away in my hands..."
While she stubbornly continued healing, no one noticed that behind her, a severely wounded Iwagakure shinobi slowly rose, hunching forward as he reached toward her back.
As the distance closed, the shinobi suddenly pulled out a kunai—ready to strike.
From within a sealing barrier nearby, Kato Dan noticed something was off and shouted, "Watch out!!"
But it was too late.
The kunai flashed forward.
"Pshhk!!"
A spray of blood burst into the air!
The blade pierced straight into Ino's back.
Sakura reacted in an instant—grabbing the attacker's arm before he could strike again and flipping him hard over her shoulder!
The other shinobi surrounded the assailant at once.
As they closed in, his features warped and changed—revealing the white, grotesque face of a White Zetsu clone.
Everyone froze in shock.
"The enemy was hiding among us?!"
"How could White Zetsu disguise himself so perfectly—even mimicking chakra signatures?!"
"If one's here... does that mean there are more among us?! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
"Stay away from me! What if you're one of them too?!（｀Δ´）!"
A short distance away, Sakura cradled Ino in her arms, desperately using the Strength of a Hundred healing technique on her wound.
Ino clutched her chest, gasping for air.
"It's... useless," she said weakly, her voice trembling in pain.
"My heart was pierced... If your chakra were at full strength, and treatment started immediately, maybe... maybe there'd be hope."
"But your chakra's almost gone after days of nonstop healing..."
Sakura's tears burst forth uncontrollably.
"Ino…"
Death on the battlefield was nothing new to a medical-nin—she had seen it countless times.
But this time... it was her friend dying in her arms.
Ino didn't waste words. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai marked with a special seal.
She stared at the Flying Thunder God-marked blade with trembling hands, whispering,
"What a shame... I couldn't see the Shinju... before I died."
A single tear slid down her cheek.
"Didn't even get to say... I love you..."
...
Allied Shinobi Forces Headquarters.
Nara Shikaku was overwhelmed with tension.
"Have we located Kabuto yet?!"
"The Edo Tensei shinobi are too strong—just one Madara has trapped all four Kage! We have to end this jutsu as soon as possible! ╰_╯"
Yamanaka Inoichi replied, "The ambush unit is already moving toward Akatsuki's base. Hopefully, they can find Yakushi Kabuto there..."
Shikaku nodded, concern flickering in his eyes as he glanced at his old friend.
"Inoichi, you've been maintaining communication nonstop for two days straight. You should rest a bit."
Inoichi nodded and took off the special headgear device.
"Yeah... I could use some sleep."
Just then, a young communication ninja called out,
"Message from the First Division... Medical-nin Yamanaka Ino has fallen in battle."