What would a battlefield with over thirty thousand shinobi look like?
At the very beginning, the battle was relatively uneventful. Both sides relied on long-range Ninjutsu, testing each other's strength through repeated exchanges.
Under these probing attacks, the two sides were surprisingly evenly matched.
The White Zetsu army possessed an overwhelming advantage in numbers, but without Yamato's enhancement from the original timeline, their overall combat strength had fallen by nearly an entire level.
Meanwhile, the Shinobi Allied Forces consisted of elite shinobi from multiple villages who had spent countless hours coordinating with one another. The Uchiha and Sarutobi Clans excelled in Fire Release, while the Kirigakure shinobi specialized in Water Release. Their combined experience and cooperation allowed them to withstand the White Zetsu army's numerical superiority.
Even with their massive numbers, the White Zetsu forces could not gain an advantage.
This kind of long-range battle was destined to cause limited damage, especially with the Preta Path of Pain present, capable of absorbing Ninjutsu.
Therefore, both sides quickly abandoned their probing attacks and simultaneously chose close-range combat.
The moment the battle entered close quarters, the numerical advantage of the White Zetsu army became obvious.
Furthermore, Fugaku had issued a simple and absolute command: attack without hesitation and ignore casualties.
Because of this order, whenever the battlefield became divided due to communication problems or local disadvantages, the White Zetsu soldiers continued charging forward without fear. They were willing to exchange three of their own lives for one enemy.
Fugaku only had one requirement.
The White Zetsu had to die.
Under this brutal and unreasonable offensive, only half an hour after the battle began, Inoichi received information from the Sensor Ninja Corps that more than seven hundred shinobi had already been killed in action.
Faced with such losses, the Shinobi Allied Forces Headquarters had no choice but to adjust their strategy.
They began reducing the battlefield's width and depth while abandoning the previous plan of allowing the Surprise Attack Unit to continue operating deep behind enemy lines.
Instead, the Surprise Attack Unit was ordered to join the main battlefield directly.
Following this, the Third Division and Fourth Division advanced together.
What should have been a simple probing battle between the two sides had unexpectedly transformed into an all-out decisive confrontation from the very beginning.
As time passed, both armies continued sending reinforcements into the battlefield.
The total number of shinobi fighting on both sides had already exceeded forty thousand.
Behind the Heavenly Path of Pain stood a battlefield covered in blood, with countless corpses scattered across the ground.
Yet Yahiko's expression remained completely calm.
Not far away, a massive Senju statue stood proudly on the battlefield. A White Zetsu with an Uzumaki-like appearance controlled this enormous Ninjutsu, using it alone to hold back the Third Hokage.
In front of the Six Paths of Pain stood Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
The Six Paths of Pain versus Konoha's Three Sannin.
A battle of this level was rarely witnessed, yet it had appeared directly on the battlefield.
Shinobi Allied Forces Headquarters.
Hayashi stood outside the headquarters, quietly observing the distant battlefield.
After an unknown amount of time passed, he raised his head and saw Ōnoki, Rasa, A, and Hōzuki Senjin approaching together.
Their expressions were extremely serious.
Ōnoki's voice was hoarse as he spoke in a low tone.
"We just received new information. Another White Zetsu army, twenty thousand strong, is attacking from the flank."
Hayashi nodded calmly.
"It seems the twenty thousand White Zetsu we were fighting earlier were only a diversion."
Rasa's expression changed slightly, and his voice became tense.
"Twenty thousand as a diversion, and forty thousand attacking from the flank. That means there are sixty thousand enemies in total."
A was about to speak, but Ōnoki grabbed the Fourth Raikage's sleeve and signaled him with his eyes to wait.
As the Commander-in-Chief, Hayashi slowly raised his head.
"What are our casualties?"
Rasa forced himself to calm down before answering.
"On the main battlefield, Sakumo did not send all his forces forward at once. Even after suffering more than two thousand casualties, he has not withdrawn. Minato has already led the Fifth Division to defend the right flank, while Nawaki is holding the left flank. The exact casualty numbers have not been calculated yet."
Hayashi fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"We cannot wait any longer."
A looked at him.
"What do you suggest?"
Hayashi looked at the four Kage in front of him.
"Since the enemy has committed this many troops, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki Killer Bee and the four of you should also enter the battlefield."
At certain moments, the influence a Kage could have was comparable to an entire division.
Ōnoki frowned.
"What if the enemy still has another trump card?"
They had remained here all this time precisely because they were guarding against the enemy's strongest weapon.
The seven Tailed Beasts.
However, Hayashi knew that the enemy's true trump card was not those seven Tailed Beasts.
It could only be Madara.
Even though Madara's body had been taken away by Hayashi, and even though Edo Tensei Madara did not exist in this timeline, Hayashi believed that Black Zetsu would still find a way to resurrect Madara.
He was waiting for Madara to appear on the battlefield.
If Madara truly returned, the four Kage standing before him would not be his opponents.
This had already been proven in the original timeline.
Instead of sending them to their deaths, it was better to have them reinforce the battlefield now.
Seeing the hesitation in their eyes, Hayashi smiled.
"Do not worry. No matter what other trump cards the enemy has, I will handle them. Your responsibility is to stop the White Zetsu army."
After the four Kage and Killer Bee rushed toward the battlefield, the situation of the war began shifting back toward Konoha's favor.
However, this war was destined to become a long and brutal struggle.
It would not end so easily.
At this moment, far away from the battlefield, inside a cave located a hundred meters underground, Nagato sat on a device resembling a transmitter.
Through this device and the black rods connected to his body, he was able to control the Six Paths of Pain from an extremely long distance.
Countless black rods remained embedded in his back.
A long time ago, Nagato had suffered severe injuries. From that moment onward, he had lost the ability to move freely on his own.
Compared with the original timeline, Nagato's legs had not been damaged by exploding tags in this world.
However, he had still forcibly summoned the Gedo Statue, the empty shell of the Ten-Tails.
If that had been the only thing he did, his condition would not have become so severe.
But in order to eliminate his enemies as quickly as possible, he had forcefully transferred his own chakra into the Gedo Statue and used it to perform an immensely powerful Forbidden Jutsu.
The price was establishing a connection between himself and the Gedo Statue.
The black rods from the statue pierced directly into Nagato's body.
From then on, his back was covered with black rods.
These injuries could not be healed, causing Nagato's body to completely lose the ability to move normally.
That was why he created Pain, using six corpse Puppets to fight in his place.
But compared with his physical suffering, Nagato's true pain came from somewhere else.
It came from his disappointment with the world.
Soon, the era of the Five Great Nations would come to an end.
Nagato focused his mind and continued controlling the Six Paths of Pain as they fought against Konoha's Three Sannin.
The title of Konoha's Three Sannin was well deserved.
Their coordination was exceptional, and combined with Jiraiya's Sage Mode, they were able to fight evenly against the Six Paths of Pain.
Just as Nagato prepared to release Chibaku Tensei at any cost, a black shadow suddenly emerged from beneath the ground.
The shadow attached itself to Nagato without warning.
Nagato's expression changed instantly.
He realized that his body had become completely immobile.
Black Zetsu's voice sounded beside him.
"Nagato, do not struggle. I am already inside you."
Nagato's eyes widened.
"Black Zetsu, what are you doing? Get out! Ah!"
He gasped heavily, his body trembling.
"Get out? Hehe. Do not be afraid. This is my first time entering your body. It will be over soon."
A strange smile appeared on Black Zetsu's face.