Just as Hanzo was furiously questioning White Zetsu, several figures among the stunned Hidden Rain shinobi behind him suddenly turned and ran without a word.
This scene caught even Hanzo off guard, but it didn't surprise Hyuga Kawa in the slightest.
"Since you've come, do you really think you can leave?"
Hyuga Kawa's eyes barely lifted as several black shadows extended and pierced out from his body.
Pfft! Pfft!
The black shadows, like spears, accurately pierced into the chests of several individuals, causing them to let out agonizing, shrill screams.
Seeing this, the Hidden Rain shinobi immediately snapped back to reality, their faces changing. Some even angrily demanded, "What are you doing?!"
"Silence, fools!"
Before that person could finish speaking, and before others could make any drastic moves, Hanzo's icy voice cut them off. "Open your eyes wide. Are those your 'comrades'?"
Hearing this, the Hidden Rain shinobi, who had initially shown anger, paused. They instinctively looked closer, only then realizing that the liquid splattering on the ground wasn't crimson blood, but white fluid.
And those whose chests had been pierced by the black shadow spikes found their bodies gradually eroded and covered by the shadows. Amidst their screams, they were forced to reveal their white forms.
These people were all White Zetsu in disguise.
"How is this possible?" Shinda's voice trembled beside Hanzo. "Kohta, Akihiro, Toshiya..."
Hyuga Kawa paid no mind to the Hidden Rain shinobi's terror. He retracted his gaze and looked at the White Zetsu in Hanzo's hand.
These were excellent sacrifices for performing the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
He couldn't let Hanzo kill them and waste them.
With that thought, the black shadow rippled like liquid, spreading towards White Zetsu's body. Seeing this, Hanzo frowned and released his grip.
"No, no! Don't come over! You monster!"
White Zetsu gurgled in its throat, like a frightened child, screaming in terror and frantically waving its arms, trying to shake the thing off its body.
But it was useless. It lost all sound once it was completely wrapped into a black "cocoon."
Gulp! Gulp!
The moonlight struck the surface of the "cocoon," making it subtly wriggle, which made an unsettling feeling well up from the depths of one's heart.
In a deep cavern somewhere in the Land of Rain, a giant pitcher plant quietly closed. Deva Path Pain sat on a stone seat, his eyes closed.
Just then, the stone wall suddenly began to writhe, and a White Zetsu suddenly emerged from it.
"Main Body!"
As if sensing something incredible, it looked at the pitcher plant sitting beside it, its expression surprised and doubtful. "All the White Zetsu responsible for monitoring the Hidden Rain Village suddenly lost contact simultaneously!"
Hearing this, the pitcher plant abruptly opened, revealing Zetsu with its black and white face, who blurted out, "Impossible!"
But in the next moment, it checked itself and found that it really had lost contact.
"What's going on?"
Pain's emotionless, deathly cold voice came.
Zetsu looked at Deva Path Pain beside him and said, "Something might have changed with Hanzo and the Hidden Rain Village."
Hearing this, Pain's expressionless face subtly frowned.
"Could it be the Five Great Nations?" he asked coldly. "Didn't Zetsu say yesterday that many spies had infiltrated the Land of Rain?"
"No," Zetsu shook its head confidently. "They haven't discovered 'my' ability."
Although the White Zetsu that Madara obtained from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path were largely similar in ability, some special White Zetsu individuals actually had their own areas of expertise.
For instance, this half-bodied White Zetsu, possessed by Black Zetsu, was one of the two powerful White Zetsu created by Madara Uchiha early on. The other was the spiral White Zetsu that Obito once wore, the true "Tobi."
The half-bodied White Zetsu was the most skilled at Mayfly Jutsu and Impersonation Jutsu among all special individuals.
It could not only move at high speed to any location by intervening with plant roots in the ground and underground water flows, cutting off all traces during its activation.
It could also absorb others' chakra to simulate and transform into the same appearance and chakra, making it unidentifiable even by the most familiar people or sensory ninjas.
"Tobi" was the special individual most skilled in combat. Its body, when "wrapped" around someone, could use that person's abilities, while simultaneously enhancing that person's overall capabilities, and could also utilize extremely powerful Wood Style.
The White Zetsu sent out to stealthily gather intelligence were born from the division and proliferation of this half-bodied White Zetsu. Even if they couldn't compare to the main body, their disguise and concealment abilities were definitely terrifying.
How could Hanzo and those spies possibly discover them with their abilities?
But, why now of all times?
Why precisely when they were preparing to attack the Hidden Rain Village?
And why exactly when "Lord Madara" had gone to Konoha and wasn't here?
"...In that case."
Deva Path Pain was silent for a long time. It seemed that Nagato, who was controlling him from behind, had withdrawn his consciousness. A moment later, he stood up and said calmly, "We were already planning to kill Hanzo and reclaim control of the Hidden Rain Village. Why not go now?"
Although his words carried a hint of a question, from his tone and actions, he clearly didn't care whether Zetsu agreed or not.
"What?"
Zetsu was also stunned, and the other half, Black Zetsu, also opened its eyes. But before it could say anything, Pain glanced at it with a cold look.
"Is there a problem?" he said coldly.
"This... Perhaps it's better to wait until Lord Madara returns to make plans?" Zetsu cautiously suggested.
The "Lord Madara" it referred to was naturally Obito Uchiha, who had inherited the name of Madara.
Pain gave it a deep look, then stated the fact calmly, "We are, at present, only in a cooperative relationship."
With that, he no longer waited for Zetsu to say anything, and his figure disappeared into the cavern.
Nagato and Konan, behind Pain, fundamentally did not trust Zetsu and the masked man who called himself "Madara Uchiha."
Their current relationship was merely one of mutual utilization and mutual suspicion.
"What do we do now?" White Zetsu asked.
"..."
Black Zetsu's entirely black face showed no expression, but it felt an inexplicable unease in its heart.
The sudden turn of events reminded it of that guy, possibly an "outsider," but it could also be paranoia, a case of the bow being mistaken for a snake.
This was the feeling of another unfamiliar player suddenly appearing on a chessboard where only it had been moving the pieces.
Black Zetsu had not urged Nagato and Obito before, always maintaining a low-key and steady demeanor.
But that was because of its mastery over the past and future of the ninja world. Even someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha was just a pawn to it.
However, the appearance of the "outsider" had completely shattered its composure and arrogance.
If these Rinnegan weren't the ones it had waited a thousand years for, Black Zetsu's personality would likely have led it to steal the Rinnegan and hide by now, at least until the outsider's identity was confirmed.
Unfortunately, it couldn't. This was the best, and last, opportunity. It had to be extremely cautious; no accidents could occur.
But it now, as a "subordinate" of "Madara," could not forcibly stop Nagato. After all, Nagato did not fully trust them yet, and stopping him might instead make Nagato suspicious.
"Let Tobi follow Nagato."
After a moment of contemplation, it finally spoke in a hoarse, low voice. "We'll go find Lord Madara. Only he can persuade Nagato."
In a forest in the Land of Fire, the morning sun hung like fading blood.
The dust had been soaked through by sticky blood, making a chilling sound when stepped upon. Uchiha Itachi stood there, pupils trembling, several lifeless bodies sprawled behind him. They were his Third Squad's jonin sensei and comrades, and the merchant caravan they were supposed to protect on this mission.
There hadn't even been the clamor of battle or roars of anger. Simply, a silent figure had walked towards them, and lives had been swept away like withered leaves by a gentle breeze. Comrades, with whom bonds had finally been forged, had their lives so easily stolen.
"You..." Uchiha Itachi stared intently at the masked figure before him, his hand gripping a kunai, trembling either from fear or rage. He was too naive now, having only recently become a genin. Fear, like a cold viper, pierced his marrow and froze his limbs.
Then, his sole remaining genin teammate, standing in front of him, clutched his kunai and charged at the masked individual like a moth to a flame.
Thud!
The headless body swayed and fell, blood spilling out, its bloody scent staining Uchiha Itachi's eyes crimson.
"Hm?" Uchiha Obito's interest was piqued as he saw the two tomoe appearing in those eyes, and the strangely familiar sadness and anger. Did he awaken his Sharingan due to a comrade's death, and with two tomoe on his first awakening? This kid seems different.
With that thought, his intention to strike faded considerably. He put the valuables into a scroll, and the figure vanished from Uchiha Itachi's sight.
Reappearing, Uchiha Obito stood on a tree, frowning as a pitcher plant emerged from the ground beneath it. "What's wrong, Zetsu?" he asked, his voice hoarse and low. "Why are you here instead of watching Nagato in the Land of Rain?"
"Lord Madara, this is bad!" Zetsu looked up at Obito, shouting and yelling, "All the White Zetsu monitoring Hanzō have lost contact! Nagato suspects something has happened in Amegakure and has already gone to kill Hanzō!"
"We couldn't stop him. By now, he should be close to Amegakure!"
Hearing this, Obito's face beneath his mask slightly darkened, and a strong sense of unease immediately welled up in his heart.
Meanwhile, inside the high tower of Amegakure.
In the room that no one was ever allowed to enter, Hyuga Kawa and Hanzo sat facing each other, while Shinda and another Amegakure ninja named Heiji waited nearby.
"Kage, what exactly are these demonic things? And who put them on me..." Hanzo's eyes still held a mix of shock and anger as he looked at the several white humanoid creatures wrapped and restrained by shadows. Although he had calmed down now, such bizarre abilities and circumstances still stimulated his sensitive nerves.
He had never detected the presence of these things from beginning to end. He couldn't even imagine how long these demonic things had been inside him. The mere thought sent a chill crawling up his spine. He had initially believed the intelligence leak was due to an internal spy, but he hadn't expected the problem to be within himself from the very start. If these demonic things appeared again, would he still be unable to detect them?
"These things are called 'White Zetsu.' They are indeed troublesome, but since we've reached a cooperation, I will naturally help you eliminate these hidden dangers." Hyuga Kawa put away the White Zetsu, then looked at Hanzo again with a smile. "However, it might hurt a bit next. You'll have to endure it."
Hanzo heard this and had no choice but to suppress the unease and doubt in his heart. Frowning, he said, "Are you underestimating me too much?"
Hyuga Kawa nodded, offering no further explanation. He placed his hand on Hanzo's shoulder, and the black patterns on his hand once again spread. But this time, the black patterns began to carve into Hanzo's body. Like plum blossoms blooming in winter, they gradually began to be absorbed by his flesh and blood.
The next moment.
"Ah!!"
The instant the black patterns merged into his body, even though he had mentally prepared himself, the intense pain that felt as if he were being torn apart still made Hanzo let out a tortured scream. Although he had endured countless hardships before, this was pain originating from the depths of his cells, even his soul. No other suffering could compare! The soul-shattering agony made his slightly blue veins protrude, and his skin seemed to crawl with constantly wriggling blue worms. His exposed skin even cracked open in several bloody fissures.
"What's wrong, Lord Hanzō!"
Shinda and Heiji were startled as well, looking at Hanzo in a panic, subconsciously wanting to support him. Hyuga Kawa, however, reached out and stopped both of them, shaking his head and speaking calmly, "This is a gift from that esteemed individual, and it is also a price Hanzo must bear."
"Cough!"
Perhaps hearing Hyuga Kawa's words, Hanzo curled his body, clenching his teeth and no longer screaming. His pale, aged face twisted into a grimace. Pain, body-shattering pain, soul-touching pain.
Without Hanzo's knowledge, the Karma gradually forged spiritual shackles, the end of the chain held in Hyuga Kawa's hand. But it also allowed Hanzo's aged body to be reborn. Soon, Hanzo's heart began to pound and contract violently, its thumping even reverberating audibly outside his body.
Boom! Boom-boom!
The surging blood in his veins seemed to turn into scorching magma, now erupting with that violently contracting and expanding heart. Large amounts of skeletal muscle began to dissolve under the influence of the blood, then were torn and reshaped by an absolute force. Muscle fibers, like ropes, coiled and solidified beneath his skin, similar transformations occurring in every part of his body.
"Lord Hanzō! You, you..."
Shinda and Heiji stared dumbfounded at Hanzo's transformation, watching as Hanzo's withered, pale hair became bright gold again, as if withered wood had sprung back to life. Cells throughout his entire body began to breathe, and a surge of vitality flowed from his gradually emaciated body, gradually filling Hanzo's shriveled and thin frame.
"This feeling..." Hanzo felt his body, which had been dormant for more than a decade, thawing like ice and snow. Life-giving chakra was being transmitted to every part of his body, awakening his vitality. This was what he had always yearned for. Power, vitality! Power flowed like magma through his veins and bones, his body temperature rising to a scorching hot degree. He needed to unleash this power and the joy in his heart.
How to unleash it?
Just then, as if he heard something, Hyuga Kawa turned his head to look outside the tower. "Aren't you curious who planted those White Zetsu?" Hyuga Kawa's tone carried a smile as he said, "He's here."
Shinda and Heiji subconsciously turned to look out the window. In the distance, three figures, clad in black cloaks with red clouds, walked through the wind and rain. Their robes flapped wildly in the gale, and deep, dark purple ripples emanated from their eyes.
He had no need for stealth. He was Pain, he was "God," a "God" above humanity. He needed only to use absolute power to pull the decaying hero from his tattered throne.
"Go." Looking at Hanzo, whose body was now covered in black patterns, Hyuga Kawa said softly, "Let our arrogant 'God' witness the power beyond the peak of a 'hero'."
"Go tell him that the future may belong to him, but for now, at this very moment, it is still yours."
Hanzo's body trembled slightly, but this time not from the fear of death, but from the scorching blood within him. This hero of the Land of Rain, who once dared to defy the Five Great Nations alone, now repossessed the strength and magnanimity he had lost due to old age.
"Ha! You bastard!" He let out a laugh, nearly the most exuberant sound of his life. The next moment, he suddenly stood up and vanished from Hyuga Kawa's sight.
"No matter who the 'esteemed individual' you speak of is, thank him for me."
Hum.
As his voice fell, Hanzo appeared atop the high tower. He gazed at the three figures in the distance, a smile appearing on his full face. He raised his hand, bit his finger, and splattered blood.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With Hanzo's unrestrained roar echoing through the morning mist, the ground in the distance trembled, cracking in several places.
"Roar!!"
A massive purplish-black monster emerged, throwing its head back and letting out a terrifying roar that shook the heavens.