Chapter 68: The Other Player (Patreon)

While Hanzō interrogated the White Zetsu in shock and anger...

Among the stunned Amegakure ninja standing frozen behind him, several figures suddenly turned and fled simultaneously. Even Hanzō didn't react in time, but Hyūga Kumokawa wasn't surprised at all.

“Since you've come, do you really think you can leave?”

Hyūga Kumokawa slightly raised his gaze. Several shadowy tendrils extended from his body, stabbing out.

Squelch! Squelch!

The shadowy spears pierced the chests of the fleeing figures with precision, eliciting pained, shrill screams.

Seeing this, the Amegakure ninja snapped out of their stupor, their expressions changing. Someone angrily demanded, “What are you doing?!”

“Shut up, fools!”

Before the speaker could finish, and before others could react rashly, Hanzō’s icy voice cut in. “Open your eyes wide. Do they look like ‘comrades’?”

Hearing this, the angry Amegakure ninja paused, instinctively looking more closely. They then noticed the liquid splattered on the ground wasn't crimson blood, but a white substance. And those pierced through the chest by the shadowy spikes... their bodies were gradually being eroded and covered by the shadows, forced to reveal white forms amidst their screams.

These people... were all White Zetsu impostors.

“How is this possible?” Shinda, standing beside Hanzō, trembled. “Hikaru... Akihiro... Toshiya...”

Hyūga Kumokawa ignored the Amegakure ninja's fear, shifting his gaze back to the White Zetsu in Hanzō’s hand. These were excellent sacrificial offerings for Edo Tensei. He couldn't let Hanzō kill them and waste the material.

Thinking this, the shadows rippled and spread like liquid, extending toward White Zetsu's body. Seeing this, Hanzō frowned and released his grip.

“No! No! Stay away! You monster!”

White Zetsu gurgled in its throat, like a frightened child, screaming in terror and flailing its arms wildly to drive the thing away. But it was futile. Until completely wrapped into a black "cocoon," it fell silent.

Gulp! Gulp!

Moonlight fell on the slightly pulsating surface of the "cocoon," stirring an uncomfortable feeling from the depths of one's soul.

Deep within a cavern in the Land of Rain, a giant pitcher plant quietly closed. Pain sat on a stone throne, eyes shut. Suddenly, the cave wall began to writhe. A White Zetsu emerged.

“Main body!”

As if sensing something unbelievable, it looked at the pitcher plant nearby, its expression shocked and suspicious. “The White Zetsu monitoring Amegakure have all simultaneously lost contact!”

Hearing this, the pitcher plant snapped open, revealing Zetsu's black-and-white face. “Impossible!”

But the next moment, it checked itself... and the connection was truly gone.

“What happened?”

Pain’s emotionless, deathly cold voice came.

Zetsu looked at Pain. “Something seems to have happened with Hanzō and Amegakure.”

Hearing this, Pain’s impassive face showed a slight frown.

“Could it be the Five Great Nations?” he asked coldly. “Didn't Zetsu report discovering many spies infiltrating the Land of Rain yesterday?”

“No.” Zetsu shook its head, confident. “They haven't discovered my abilities.”

Although the White Zetsu obtained by Madara from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path were mostly identical, some special individuals actually had their own areas of expertise. For instance, this half-body White Zetsu, possessed by Black Zetsu, was one of the two powerful White Zetsu created earliest by Madara Uchiha. The other was the spiral-patterned White Zetsu once worn by Obito—the real "Tobi."

The half-body White Zetsu was the most skilled among all White Zetsu in the Mayfly Technique and the Transformation Technique. Not only could it move at high speed anywhere by merging with the network of plant roots, underground water flows, and other organic matter underground—completely severing all presence during the process—it could also absorb another's chakra to mimic their appearance and chakra signature, undetectable even by their closest associates or sensory ninja.

"Tobi," on the other hand, was the special individual most adept at combat. Its body could "wrap around" a person, enabling it to use that person's abilities while enhancing their overall capabilities, and even employ powerful Wood Release techniques. The White Zetsu sent out to hide and gather intelligence were proliferated from this half-body White Zetsu as the base. Though not equal to the original, their disguise and concealment abilities were undoubtedly formidable.

How could Hanzō or those spies possibly detect them? But why now, of all times? Why now, just as they were preparing to move against Amegakure? And why now, when "Lord Madara" had gone to Konoha and wasn't here?

“...In that case.”

Pain fell silent for a long while, as if Nagato controlling him withdrew his consciousness momentarily. Then he stood up calmly. “We planned to kill Hanzō and retake control of Amegakure anyway. Might as well go now.”

Though his words carried a hint of inquiry, his tone and actions showed he clearly didn't care whether Zetsu agreed or not.

“What?”

Zetsu was also taken aback. The Black Zetsu half opened its eyes, but before it could speak, Pain cast a cold sidelong glance.

“Is there a problem?” he asked coldly.

“Well... shouldn't we wait for Lord Madara's return to plan further?” Zetsu suggested tentatively.

The "Lord Madara" it spoke of was, naturally, Obito Uchiha, who had inherited Madara's name.

Pain gave it a deep look, his tone calm as he stated a fact. “We... are still merely in a cooperative relationship.”

With that, without waiting for Zetsu to respond, his figure vanished from the cavern. Nagato and Konan behind Pain had never truly trusted Zetsu or the masked man who called himself "Madara Uchiha." For now, it was just a relationship of mutual use and wariness.

“What now?” the White Zetsu asked.

“...”

No expression could be seen on Black Zetsu's all-black face, but a sense of unease stirred within. This sudden development reminded it of that figure suspected to be a "Outsider." But it could also be excessive caution, seeing enemies in shadows. It was the feeling of a chessboard where one had been the sole player, suddenly finding another unfamiliar player seated across.

Black Zetsu hadn't previously urged Nagato and Obito, always maintaining a low-key, steady demeanor. But that stemmed from its grasp of the shinobi world's past and future. Even someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha was merely its pawn. Yet now, the appearance of that "anamoly" had completely shattered its composure and arrogance.

If these Rinnegan weren't what it had waited a millennium for, given Black Zetsu's nature, it would have likely stolen the eyes and gone into hiding by now, at least until the outsider's identity was confirmed. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. This was the best, and likely last, chance. It had to be extremely cautious, allowing no mishaps.

But as "Madara's" "appendage" now, it couldn't forcefully stop Nagato. After all, Nagato didn't fully trust them yet. Stopping him would only raise suspicion.

“Have Tobi follow Nagato.”

After a moment's thought, it spoke in a hoarse, low voice. “We'll go find Lord Madara. Only he can persuade Nagato now.”