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Everyone present knew what White Zetsu's appearance here meant. Clearly, Konoha had become the enemy's next target.
With this realization, the four of them felt a heavy weight settle in their hearts.
White Zetsu's concealment abilities were formidable. Even the Byakugan couldn't detect them instantly. Among the four, Ishigami Goju managed to notice the disturbance first because he, too, had mastered the technique developed by Ishigami Hara.
But even then, he hadn't fully seen through White Zetsu's camouflage; he simply sensed something amiss. After some careful observation, he was able to confirm it.
In this regard, Ishigami Asuka, with her advantage in Byakugan purity, had an even better perception, as Ishigami Hara had given her special enhancements, making her insight surpass Ishigami Goju's.
The distance between the two sides quickly decreased. After only a few minutes, a rustling sound came from the dense forest, and a group of strange figures with pale bodies and bizarre faces emerged, numbering over twenty.
"Be careful; there are still a few underground," Ishigami Asuka said as she charged forward.
At that moment, she activated her Byakugan and Sharingan simultaneously.
With the blood inheritance of the dual pupil techniques, her perception was unmatched within the team.
In an instant, she was like a tiger among sheep.
Swish!
The short blade pierced through a White Zetsu's heart. It wailed, but in the next moment, it grinned and took the opportunity to grab the blade, while its nearby companions moved in to support it.
The other White Zetsu surged toward Ishigami Asuka without hesitation.
"Be careful!" Ishigami Goju rushed forward, slapping away a White Zetsu in his path, attempting to assist Ishigami Asuka.
But Ishigami Asuka was no weakling.
With a cold snort, she leaped into the air, twisting mid-air.
The force of her movement drove the blade, twisting it within the White Zetsu's chest, while her hands formed a seal.
As she landed, the short blade had already been pulled from the White Zetsu's chest.
In terms of combat experience, although Ishigami Asuka wasn't as seasoned as the other three, she was naturally undaunted by White Zetsu.
Bang!
With a kick, the White Zetsu in front of her was sent flying backward, hitting a tree trunk and falling to the ground, struggling briefly before going still.
"Be careful; these guys are resilient."
White Zetsu are peculiar. They can be defeated and brought down, but this state isn't true death. They exist in a state between life and death. Even the White Zetsu captured by Ishigami Hara displayed this strange vitality.
It's accurate to consider White Zetsu as living beings because they possess life force, yet they also seem like the dead, with their vitality tainted by death.
Only Ishigami Hara understands this as a profound transformation by the God tree—a group of the dead imbued with the faint aura of the living.
Ishigami Asuka was aware of this, so instead of aiming to kill, she focused on disabling them, making them lose their combat effectiveness.
White Zetsu emerged from the ground and attacked the two Uchiha, causing the team to split up momentarily.
Fortunately, there were no weak links in the team; each was a strong Jōnin, and Ishigami Asuka was by far the strongest.
Time passed swiftly, and more than a dozen White Zetsu fell to the ground, unmoving, like fish stranded on land, lying still.
After finishing up, Ishigami Asuka quickly moved to support the others, and it took some time before they finally eliminated the White Zetsu.
"Seal them all and take them back. We need to head to the next location immediately!"
Ishigami Asuka didn't allow much time for rest, knowing it was urgent. The presence of White Zetsu here meant there would be more ahead, and they needed to clear as many as possible while relaying the information back.
The two Uchiha had already sent a message when the battle began, fully aware of the situation's gravity. Without wasting any time, they quickly set to work.
Next, the four used their sealing scrolls to capture the White Zetsu before promptly moving to the next location.
As it turned out, Ishigami Asuka's suspicion was correct. Before they even reached the next site, they encountered another White Zetsu squad along the way—again, thirty White Zetsu charging at them with no fear.
"Damn it! These things are infiltrating the Land of Fire in waves. There must be areas that other teams missed; we can't cover everything!" Ishigami Goju muttered angrily.
"I know, Uncle Goju, don't dwell on it." Ishigami Asuka reassured him, her hands moving with precision and speed.
They faced similar skirmishes five times. Finally, by evening, they arrived at their destination, only to find it had already been attacked.
This was a stronghold on the border, usually guarded by two teams, but now there was complete silence.
Seeing this, the four of them looked grim.
"Relay this information to the village. Uncle Goju, check for the next stronghold's location," Ishigami Asuka ordered.
Ishigami Goju nodded, quickly pulling out a map and soon locating their next destination.
"Forty kilometers to the east."
Ishigami Asuka took a deep breath and said firmly, "Let's go immediately."
"Yes!"
This stronghold had clearly been assaulted earlier, with both stationed teams nowhere to be found, indicating probable casualties. Thus, other locations were likely in danger as well.
Without delay, the four headed to the next spot, reaching their destination about an hour later with no interference.
Just as they approached the base, Ishigami Asuka suddenly formed seals with both hands and released a powerful gust.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Chi, chi, chi!
Suddenly, kunai and shuriken shot out from within the base, aimed directly at them.
The barrage of shuriken came without warning. The others had no time to react, but Ishigami Asuka's swift response dispersed the attacks, weakening their impact and buying time for the others.
"There are eight in total, likely White Zetsu disguises. Be cautious!"
As she spoke, blood-red chakra began to surge around her. She formed a muscular arm with her Susanoo, smashing it into the base.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the base collapsed, but no further movement emerged.
"Step back!"
Ishigami Asuka summoned a half-body Susanos around her. The Susanoo reached out and flipped the rubble, exposing the eight figures lying beneath.
Just as expected, these figures had reverted to their White Zetsu form.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Ishigami Asuka could only grit her teeth.