"Itachi, destroy us, quickly!" Fugaku's eyes turned crimson as he spoke, the words strained. Yet, the power in his movements did not diminish as he continued his relentless assault.
One of his Mangekyo abilities allowed him to see into the future, enabling him to dodge Itachi's attacks just before they landed.
"Father… Mother…" Itachi watched his parents descend into madness, his eyes filled with anguish.
Years ago, he had killed the parents he loved with his own hands.
Now, years later, he had to kill them again.
The pain was unbearable.
"Orochimaru!" He glared at Orochimaru, his eyes burning with an uncontrollable rage.
In his mind, Orochimaru was now firmly on his kill list.
"Instead of wasting your anger, perhaps you should focus on solving the predicament before you."
"Hollowfication enhances abilities across the board. The longer you drag this out, the worse it will be for you."
"You can either watch your parents become mindless Hollows, or you can use all your strength to finish them, which will leave you short on chakra and potentially contribute to your side's defeat in this war."
"Besides, this isn't the first time you've killed your parents. You should be an old hand at it by now. I really don't understand what you're hesitating for."
"To be honest, I have no interest in the you of this moment."
Orochimaru gave Itachi a smiling glance, and his figure gradually faded into the sandstorm.
He had already obtained the cell tissue he wanted; there was no need to continue the fight.
Researchers weren't interested in combat.
Although Itachi's Sharingan was a bit lackluster compared to a Zanpakuto, it was still a decent research subject.
If his research went well, perhaps his proxies could be made even stronger.
Orochimaru hadn't even used his trump cards. In his view, there was no need to fight Itachi to the death.
Besides, with their powers boosted by Hollowfication, Fugaku and Mikoto were strong enough that Itachi couldn't deal with them quickly.
He would have to unleash all his chakra and fight without holding back.
This would lead to a massive drain on his chakra.
In the grand scheme of the war, simply stalling for time was enough.
Orochimaru moved through the battlefield and quickly rescued the near-dead Rock Lee.
He smiled at Lee and Guy, injecting a recovery serum into Lee's neck. "A master and student trying to kill each other. How pathetic. You almost died, you know. You owe me your life. You'll have to let me study you for a full day."
"Thank you," Lee said gratefully, catching his breath. He then held out his hand.
"Give me another one."
Orochimaru stared at Lee in surprise but handed him another vial. "You want to save him? He's your enemy, you know. And from what I understand, Might Guy's Eight Gates is incredibly powerful. Killing him is the best choice."
"I'll take responsibility for the consequences." Lee emotionlessly injected the serum into Might Guy's body, then followed Orochimaru and disappeared into the yellow sand.
Guy-sensei, you are too merciful.
Youth is about passion, about emotion.
But it is also about fighting for one's beliefs.
I hope that the next time we meet, you will no longer be so naive.
And I will be stronger.
"It seems a lot has happened between you two," Orochimaru said with a light chuckle, glancing at Lee.
"Yes, a lot," Lee acknowledged with a nod.
"Good. Be a good little test subject for me. I imagine you want to become stronger, don't you?" Orochimaru said, his words hinting at a deeper meaning.
"I will cooperate fully," Lee nodded.
"Don't worry. If all goes well, you'll be able to master Hollowfication," Orochimaru's voice was magnetic. He then dissolved into countless streams of white liquid that mixed with the sand and flowed toward the distant ninja.
His main body remained with Lee, wandering the battlefield.
"This first clash is about to end. I believe the allied forces will be a little more restrained after this," Orochimaru said faintly.
The Seireitei's goal in this battle was simply to repel the enemy.
"Our plan is proceeding smoothly. If we can delay for a little longer, the entire shinobi world won't be able to stop us."
Lee remained silent.
The number of Shinigami and Hollows in the Pure Land was constantly growing.
Even the next stage of Adjuchas evolution, the Vasto Lorde, would soon appear.
The closest one to achieving it was Zabuza.
As one of the first Adjuchas, his obsession with slaughter had brought him infinitely close to the Vasto Lorde state.
That was why, in terms of strength, he far surpassed Kisame.
In less than ten minutes, Kisame was already covered in his own blood.
Meanwhile.
Itachi was still tied up with Fugaku and Mikoto.
Since Mikoto's eyes were only three-tomoe Sharingan, Itachi had already destroyed her, tears streaming down his face.
Now, he only had to focus on his father.
At this point, Fugaku's consciousness had been almost completely consumed. His chakra was surging, and it was even beginning to transform into Reiatsu.
Itachi knew he couldn't delay any longer.
He had to endure that pain once more.
"Father! Aaaargh!" His eyes spun, and with a grief-stricken roar, the attacks of his Susanoo and Amaterasu rained down, burning Fugaku to ashes.
After it was done, he fell to his knees, utterly broken, weeping silently.
On the battlefield, the Seireitei's forces were beginning to show signs of fatigue.
They were at a huge disadvantage in terms of numbers.
"Tsunade, I never thought we'd meet on the battlefield one day," the White Fang said, looking at her with a sense of melancholy. "I once fought for Konoha, and now I have become its enemy. Fate is truly a fickle thing."
After gaining a deep understanding of the Seireitei's social structure, he had been deeply moved.
With the persuasion of Kakashi and Minato, he had finally decided to help the Seireitei's revolution.
But he had one condition: war was war, but the innocent must not be harmed.
They wanted to create a peaceful world.
War was unavoidable, but they could at least minimize the casualties.
This philosophy aligned perfectly with Minato's.
This time, the father and son duo of the White Fang and Kakashi had each other's backs.
Facing the Hokage Tsunade Senju, the Kazekage Gaara, and the Mizukage Mei Terumi, they showed no fear, instead speaking with confidence.
"I also never thought that Konoha's White Fang and the Copy Ninja would become enemies of the village," Tsunade said coldly, her face grim.
"From the looks of it, you Konoha folk have a lot of rogue ninja. They make up almost half of the Seireitei's top fighting force," Mei Terumi chimed in with a mocking tone.
Tsunade was displeased, but she felt a sense of helplessness.
When she thought about it, it was true.
Was there really some benefit to defecting from Konoha? Why was everyone leaving in droves?
"Tsunade… no, I should call you Lady Hokage now. You must be careful," the White Fang said with a slight smile as he slowly drew his Zanpakuto. "If you're not, you just might die."
Beside him, Kakashi silently drew his own Zanpakuto.
After re-mastering the White Fang's swordsmanship, his skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Their natural affinity for their Zanpakuto had elevated both the White Fang and Kakashi to the level of high-ranking officers in the Seireitei.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura, who was in the midst of the allied forces, looked at Kakashi with sorrow before angrily smashing a Shinigami into a pulp with a single punch. "You damn Shinigami bastards, all of you, die!"
Hinata Hyuga was also showing her prowess.
Though her eyes were covered, she seemed to be able to see her opponents perfectly, effortlessly dodging every attack while striking the attacking Shinigami with her palms.
After just a few hits, the Shinigami would collapse, their bodies breaking down.
From a strategic standpoint, the Seireitei's situation was not optimistic.
But victory would ultimately be decided by the high-level combatants.
Tsunade was the first to move, rushing toward Kakashi and the White Fang. She leaped high into the air and brought her fist down.
The two of them jumped aside simultaneously. The ground beneath them exploded, Tsunade's full-power strike hitting like a thousand-pound stone dropped from a hundred meters, creating a bottomless pit and sending sand flying in all directions.
The ground continued to collapse.
"What terrifying power. As expected of the Hokage," the White Fang and Kakashi said, their expressions relaxed.
Their casual attitude infuriated Tsunade.
The White Fang and Kakashi were both ninja who loved Konoha. How could they speak to her with such indifference? Did this war mean nothing to them? Was there no sadness in their hearts?
They had fallen.
"Are you really going to help the Seireitei? Can you really bear to watch the shinobi world be plunged into chaos?"
Tsunade launched a furious, continuous assault, kicking up a storm of sand.
"Chaos? Lady Tsunade, what do you take the Seireitei for?" Kakashi easily dodged, and with a single slash, the sword qi shot out, leaving a bloody gash on Tsunade's cheek as she scrambled to evade.
"You're the ones who are opposing the entire shinobi world and starting this war, aren't you?" A green light glowed from Tsunade's left hand, instantly healing the wound.
Able to both heal and fight, Tsunade was no less troublesome than Orochimaru.
"Because you follow them, the Seireitei has the power to stand against the shinobi world! Innocent people will be displaced, and the entire world will be thrown into turmoil!" Tsunade threw another punch, the force of it kicking up a massive sandstorm.
However, in the face of such a fierce attack, the White Fang and Kakashi easily dodged.
This was Tsunade's greatest weakness.
Her offensive options were too limited.
As long as you were faster than her, it was relatively easy to dodge her attacks.
"I think you've misunderstood something from the very beginning."
"It was Jiraiya and the Akatsuki who attacked the Seireitei first. You were even the ones to declare war. We in the Seireitei have only been passively enduring it all."
Kakashi's eyes turned cold. A Kido-infused Chidori formed in his hand, and he thrust it toward Tsunade.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" At the critical moment, Mei Terumi used a water jutsu to force Kakashi back.
Kakashi leaped back, his eyes filled with anger. "Then let me ask you, Lady Hokage, why did you start this war? Was it because you feared the Seireitei's growth and wanted to destroy it preemptively?"
"This all could have been resolved in a better way, but you forced it to escalate into a war."
"Is the Seireitei really a threat to the safety of the shinobi world? Or are you afraid of the Seireitei, afraid of losing the power you hold?"
Faced with this barrage of questions, Tsunade was at a loss for words.
Thinking back carefully…
It did seem that Konoha had provoked the Seireitei first.
"If we leave the Seireitei unchecked, the entire shinobi world will suffer sooner or later. You know Naruto's personality. He will destroy everything," Tsunade said coldly.
Hearing this, Kakashi looked helpless.
It was safe to say that Naruto, who had once been the spark of Konoha, had now ignited the flames of anger in the hearts of all its ninja.
Tsunade was biased against him.
"In the eyes of Konoha, Naruto is already a world-destroying villain."
Seeing that they couldn't get through to her, Kakashi and the White Fang exchanged a look and decided to end the battle quickly.
"Cover me," Tsunade said to Mei Terumi and Gaara.
At this point, Mei also realized the strength of her opponents and nodded grimly.
"Then, the pleasantries are over." The White Fang moved in an instant, slashing horizontally at Mei.
"Water Style: Water Formation Pillar!"
Mei gathered chakra in her throat and spat out a water sphere that looked like a falling meteor.
The White Fang sidestepped, easily dodging it. However, upon hitting the ground, the water sphere exploded outwards, engulfing him.
Schlick. A white light emerged from within the water sphere and spread, slicing it in two.
A blade of light flashed, cutting through Mei's water clone.
"That was scary. I almost died," Mei said, her face pale. A tear had appeared on her top.
If she had been a second slower, she would have been cut in half.
Compared to Shinigami, ninja were far too fragile.
One hit could mean death.
On the other side, Tsunade's fist struck Kakashi's chest.
To her surprise, she didn't feel the expected impact. It was as if a part of Kakashi's chest had vanished, allowing her fist to pass right through his body.
"Could this be…" Tsunade's eyes widened.
"That's right. This is the power of Obito's eye," Kakashi said with a slight smile. He passed through Tsunade's body, appearing behind her. His Zanpakuto, which had become solid again in an instant, left a gash on her back that was deep enough to see bone.
He then kicked her away.
"My Zanpakuto can copy any Kekkei Genkai I see," Kakashi explained helpfully.
Tsunade and Mei were immediately at a huge disadvantage.
Kakashi and the White Fang's blades were incredibly sharp. One wrong move and they could be cut in half.
And their own attacks were almost completely ineffective against them.
Under the constant barrage of flashing blades, they were in a sorry state.
"Gaara, stop watching the show!" Tsunade cursed.
But Gaara just smiled strangely and held out his right hand.
"Sand Drizzle."
The next moment, a hail of sand bullets shot toward Mei Terumi like a machine gun.
Caught off guard, Mei immediately used a water clone to escape, but she didn't realize that her escape route had already been anticipated.
"Sand Coffin." Quicksand enveloped Mei's real body.
"What are you doing, Gaara?!" both Mei and Tsunade exclaimed, their faces changing color.
"Sand Waterfall Funeral," Gaara said emotionlessly, controlling the sand.
The sand contracted. With a dull, bone-cracking sound, the sand dispersed, revealing only a piece of wood.
"As expected of the Mizukage. Not so easy to kill." Gaara looked coldly at the escaped Mei and stood beside the White Fang and the others, his gaze arrogant and disdainful.
"The Sand Village has always been on the side of the Seireitei!"
"Begin." His voice echoed across the battlefield. The next moment, all the sand ninja turned on their allies.
Shukaku let out a roar, and the massive phantom of the Tailed Beast appeared behind him. With a wave of its hand, the sand swirled, engulfing all the nearby ninja.