Chapter 45: The Return of Zetsu

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Nawaki groggily awoke from his unconscious state, only to find himself entirely submerged in liquid. Panic surged through him as he instinctively tried to move, but his body was completely immobilized. His chest felt unbearably heavy. Looking down, he was horrified to see a gaping hole in his chest, covered by a thin, translucent membrane. Through it, he could clearly see a white heart beating within his chest cavity.

"Mmgh!" Terrified, Nawaki tried to scream, but a tube inserted into his mouth made any sound impossible. As he struggled, he heard a crisp tapping sound nearby. Turning his gaze, he saw a familiar figure outside the glass tank—it was his elder sister, Tsunade, holding up a piece of white paper with four large characters written on it: "Don't move."

Seeing his sister, Nawaki immediately felt a sense of relief. He managed to move his right hand slightly, attempting to greet her.

Outside the tank, Tsunade seemed visibly emotional. Covering her mouth with her hand, she fought back tears to avoid breaking down. She quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled something on another sheet of paper, pressing it against the glass for Nawaki to see.

"You've been seriously injured. I performed surgery on you, and now you need to recover in the nutrient solution. Don't worry, just relax."

After reading the message, Nawaki nodded weakly. Tsunade continued writing furiously.

"Rest assured, I will heal you completely."

Nawaki suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion. Even the small movements he had made earlier had drained all his energy. With great difficulty, he gestured an "OK" sign with his hand before falling into a deep sleep.

Tsunade watched as her brother drifted off, unable to hold back her tears. But this time, she felt a sense of certainty—she had snatched him back from the clutches of death.

An Uninvited Guest

"Well, isn't this fascinating? The fusion with my spore organ worked so seamlessly. This kid must be special."

"Who's there?!" Tsunade spun around, delivering a powerful punch infused with her monstrous strength, but her attack hit nothing but air. The intruder had moved with such speed and precision that they evaded her strike with a mere half-step.

A chill ran down Tsunade's spine. This laboratory was located in the basement of Sunagakure's hospital, a place she had personally designed to be nearly impenetrable. Without a proper access card, no one could enter. Moreover, there was only one passage leading to this area, guarded by four layers of security. For someone to infiltrate so silently and approach her unnoticed was a terrifying display of skill.

When she finally got a clear look at the intruder, her unease deepened. The figure resembled the White Zetsu clones she had encountered before, but this one had only half a head! The other half was a swirling, spiral-like structure. Its body was asymmetrical, half gray and half white, giving it an unsettling appearance. Could this be the original White Zetsu that Jinghang had mentioned?

"You're quite the savage woman, killing so many of my spore bodies and even daring to attack me! You deserve a good beating!" The White Zetsu waved its hand at Tsunade, and suddenly, white, fibrous substances sprouted from her body. These fibers grew rapidly, forming grotesque shapes with heads, limbs, and facial features identical to White Zetsu's. The sight was nauseating.

Enraged, Tsunade activated her monstrous strength and began tearing at the fibers on her body. However, the fibrous growths clung to her like unyielding glue. No matter how much force she used, she couldn't remove them. Instead, they grew stronger and larger, eventually covering her entire body. Tsunade quickly realized that her chakra was being absorbed by these fibers and ceased her attacks. Despite her efforts, the fibers continued to grow until they completely enveloped her.

White Zetsu ignored Tsunade, who was still entangled in the spore-like fibers. His eyes were fixated on the tank containing Nawaki, a look of fascination on his face.

"How intriguing! How extraordinary! There's no sign of rejection at all. Why didn't I think of this before? I must take him back to show Black Zetsu and the old man. They'll love him." As he spoke, White Zetsu reached out toward the tank.

"I suggest you take your hand back. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to cut it off."

A cold, menacing voice suddenly rang out. White Zetsu froze, looking around in alarm but seeing no one. Lowering his gaze, he was shocked to find that the voice had come from a weasel!

Leaning casually against the glass tank was a sleek, golden-furred weasel. It had a cocky demeanor, one eye covered by a black eyepatch, and a small Damascus steel dagger in its paw, which it was using to nonchalantly sharpen its claws. Despite its small size, the aura of killing intent it exuded was so overwhelming that White Zetsu involuntarily took two steps back.

At the same time, the fibrous growths enveloping Tsunade began to wither at a visible rate. With a sharp cry, Tsunade tore apart the now-shrunken fibers, revealing that she was holding a syringe.

"It seems mineral-based toxins are still effective against your spores. Thanks for the help, Lord Buck," Tsunade said coolly.

She casually tossed the syringe aside, cracked her knuckles, and prepared to engage White Zetsu in combat.

A Shadowy Encounter

"I must say, Black Zetsu, your ability to appear out of nowhere is impressive. Even my iron sand can't detect you. Care to teach me how you do it?" Jinghang asked as he turned to see Black Zetsu standing behind him.

"It's a spatial ninjutsu. You'd need a certain talent for it, and I doubt you could learn it," Black Zetsu replied thoughtfully.

"Where's White Zetsu? Why didn't he come with you?" Jinghang asked, scanning the area.

"He's off handling other matters. I came here to ask for your help."

Jinghang gestured for Black Zetsu to sit and poured him a cup of tea. "No need to rush. Tell me what you need."

Black Zetsu didn't stand on ceremony. Sitting cross-legged, he explained, "I just came from the Land of Earth. The war there was raging fiercely, but suddenly both sides declared a ceasefire. After some investigation, I learned that Hanzo of the Salamander was assassinated, and both the Hokage and Kazekage have gathered in the Land of Rain for his funeral. The Tsuchikage and Raikage, fearing a sneak attack, have pulled back their forces. What's going on? Are you planning to mediate the war?"

Jinghang took a slow sip of tea before replying, "That's the general idea."

"Hmm?" Black Zetsu seemed surprised by Jinghang's candidness.

"Without experiencing the pain of war, people won't truly cherish absolute peace."

"So, you're saying you want them to keep fighting?"

"Exactly."

"Is this Lord Madara's will?"

Black Zetsu's body visibly stiffened for a moment before he regained his composure. "You've figured it out?"

Jinghang sipped his tea calmly. "You've planted enough things on me; how could I not know? Black Zetsu, you're treating me like an outsider."

Black Zetsu stared at Jinghang for a long moment before finally saying, "Brother, don't take it personally. You're new to the organization, so it's only natural for me to be cautious."

Jinghang chuckled but said nothing.

"What do you want?" Black Zetsu asked, knowing Jinghang wouldn't help for free.

"Straight to the point! I can convince Hiruzen Sarutobi to hold off on intervening in the war between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. But in return, you must arrange for me to meet Lord Madara."

"This…" Black Zetsu hesitated.

Jinghang didn't press him, simply waiting in silence.

"Fine, I'll arrange it!" Black Zetsu finally agreed, as if making a monumental decision.

"Good. It's settled, then. How long do you plan to let those two old fools keep fighting?"

"Let's aim for two or three years."