White Zetsu Army

The White Zetsu Army consists of 100,000 copies of the white half of Zetsu, which is used as Akatsuki's main military strength during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Background
According to Sakura's and Shizune's research, the White Zetsu Army soldiers are copies of the First Hokage. More precisely, they are moving clone plants, created by cultivating the First Hokage's cells and using certain plants as a medium.

Personality
Zetsu Army soldiers seem to have personality of the original White Zetsu or similar; although they were seemingly fighting mindlessly against allied shinobi during the daytime, the clone who had transformed into Neji Hyūga using his Substitute Technique, was noticeably scared by Sakura Haruno when she threatened to beat him and showed shock when she deduced how his technique worked as well as the tactics of the Zetsu army's night assault.

Creation
The Zetsu army was created using the chakra of the first seven tailed beasts. Madara Uchiha also used a clone of Hashirama Senju to connect the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path - which the tailed beasts were sealed within - to a cavern beneath Mountains' Graveyard where the army was made and stored. After Kabuto Yakushi captured Yamato, he used his studies of Hashirama's DNA and Yamato to improve the army's strength.

Appearance
Unlike the original white side, which is only half of a Zetsu; they have complete faces with properly defined right arms and legs. After Kabuto uses Yamato to further enhance their abilities, the Zetsu gain small spikes that protrude from their shoulders and back. These Zetsu however, lack the Venus fly trap-like extensions, that the original had, and have what seems to be cracks or all over their bodies. They also have a zig-zag pattern running from their diaphragms down to their groin, and also down each leg reminiscent of the originals' fly trap-like extensions. These serrations are later shown to be able to open in a similar manner. When the Zetsu are first depicted in coloured manga illustrations, they appear not white, but light-green. In later depictions they appear even more greenish.

Abilities
As the main force of Madara's army, the White Zetsu are presumably adept for combat. With Kabuto's offer of increasing their strength, they might be even stronger than before. Like the original Zetsu, they are able to use Mayfly to travel underground. They are also extremely durable, and seem to have limited regenerative abilities. They can open their bodies in a Venus flytrap-like manner to trap their opponent and absorb their chakra. Like the original White Zetsu they are also able to use the Substitute Technique.

Their capacity to absorb chakra serves a more sinister purpose: to allow any active Zetsu Army soldier to take on the appearance of the person they latched on. With this ability, they can deceive anyone into gaining the trust of the copied person's acquaintances, deceiving even the best sensors. Such an ability is perfect for espionage and covert assassination. These Zetsu are also able to merge with each other to form a mutated version of themselves that resemble fly-traps even more. By merging, it apparently makes them somewhat more resilient. Also due to the fact that they was created through Madara's cultivation of Hashirama Senju's cells, Sakura states that they can also use Wood Release, albeit on a weaker scale.

Shinobi World War Arc
Once Madara finished his preparations for the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had the Zetsu army mobilize to fight the Allied Shinobi Forces' 80,000-person strong army. Because of the size of their forces, Madara has the Zetsu travel below ground, to be led from above by himself to hide their numbers. This was discovered by Muta Aburame and is reported to the various commanders. The Second Division, led by Kitsuchi, as well as elements from the Fifth Division, unearth and attack a detachment of 20,000 White Zetsus travelling directly underneath them. While fighting the Allied Shinobi forces, they began to overwhelm them. Several thousand White Zetsus passed through the Allied Forces in the underground.

Then, off the coast of the Land of Lightning, several thousand White Zetsu appeared along with Kakuzu, Hizashi Hyūga, Asuma Sarutobi, Dan, Kinkaku and Ginkaku to attack Darui's First Division, forcing the Allied Shinobi Forces to change their strategy to meet this threat. By the end of first day of battles, the army had already lost 50,000 out of its 100,000 Zetsu, leaving Madara's army at half strength.

During the night, Zetsu Army soldiers used the Substitute Technique to sneak behind enemy lines disguised as allied shinobi, and kill various members of the Allied Shinobi Forces. After Sakura Haruno discovered and stopped one of them, who had transformed into Neji Hyūga, the technique was deduced and it was reported to HQ.

When Naruto and B confronted several of these clones, due to Naruto's Yang chakra and the nature of the Zetsu, when he attacked them they all turned into trees. This was due to the fact that because they were made from the First Hokage's cells they resonated with the life force energy of Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in a similar manner to Yamato's Wood Release did in the Tailed Beast Temple.