Medic Ninja in Danger

is episode 278 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.

Summary
During the night, both sides had regrouped in order to recuperate. While on guard duty, Kiba and Akamaru watched Neji faint due to overuse of his Byakugan. Kiba reminded his comrade that he could also detect the enemy using his nose. Kiba advised that Neji seek attention from the Medical Corps. Elsewhere, Nagato and Itachi- who were now travelling together- conversed about Akatsuki, their own fates, and their summoner's intentions with them. They both wielded powerful dōjutsu which led Itachi to conclude that with his Mangekyō Sharingan and Nagato's Rinnegan they could accomplish any feat.

Neji appeared at the entrance to a very hectic medical compound. All the medical-nins were busy attending to wounded shinobi. Neji was halted at the gate by two Akimichi and was informed that he could not enter until his identity was confirmed by headquarter's Sensor Division. Eventually he made his way to Sakura's tent, the two had a brief conversation and Sakura treated Neji's injury. Elsewhere on the compound it was reported that Toyosa, Takemaru and Hino- three jōnin-level medical-nin- had been assassinated causing great panic. As the medics discussed the situation, Neji declared that he would find the culprit with his own eyes; at the same time a mysterious Iwa-nin watched on from the shadows.

As panic spread through the ranks, comrades began asking each other questions to verify their identities. As two Kumogakure medics were doing just this, Neji arrived and asked where Sakura was. The two ninja reluctantly answered after Neji claimed to have lost a suspect that he was tailing. Elsewhere, the mysterious Iwa-nin approached Sakura. However, This suspicious ninja, turned out to be infatuated with Sakura and expressed his feelings for her through a letter, she however turned him down, claiming that she was already in love. As the two Kumogakure medical-nin asked Neji to describe what the person he was tailing looked like, Neji hesitated but then smiled deviously and said it was him as he quickly killed both of the men. As Nagato and Itachi were stationed at a shrine of sorts, Nagato questioned why the summoner was keeping them from the battle, to which Itachi responded that it was "stalemate" because of the night and they would be used in the morning to break the lull in the war. Meanwhile as the real Neji — who had not gone to the medical compound out of stubbornness — recuperated (and comically mistook Akamaru as Kiba), Hinata assumed Neji's duties until the latter was fit. When Shino told her not to overdo it as well, she noted that the war was to protect Naruto and as such, she would give it her all.

Back at the compound, the impostor Neji arrived in Sakura's tent and calmly asked of Shizune's whereabouts. Like the Kumogakure medics she seemed reluctant to begin with but likewise agrees after hearing "Neji's" story. Sakura said Shizune was tending to Tonton's leg to which "Neji" replied unwittingly that "at least it wasn't his arms." As Neji approached Sakura after asking her to look at his injury once more, Sakura swiftly hit him to the ground before he was able to strike her. Pinning him to the ground, she delivered another devastating blow which undid the transformation and he was revealed to be a Zetsu Clone. Demanding that the intruder tell her how it was able to mimic Neji's chakra in that manner, she began to piece together the clone's abilities. Other impostor clones started attacking various Allied camps and reports began to flow in to headquarters that comrades were killing each other. With much of headquarters assuming that someone was controlling the shinobi with genjutsu, Ao noted that even for someone of Itachi's prowess, it would be difficult to pull off such a feat across such a large scale. Inoichi then relayed the information he received from the medical division and with this, Shikaku began to put together a strategy to counter the White Zetsu Army clones.