When Sasuke completely descended to the bottom of the lava cavern and saw the scene before him, he was stunned.
He had lived through the Fourth Shinobi World War and witnessed the Infinite Tsukuyomi unleashed by Uchiha Madara.
Within the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Uchiha Madara used the Divine Tree: Nativity of a World of Trees to spread Wood Release across the entire world, after which the massive tree's vines bound everyone trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi into human cocoons…
And now, right before Sasuke's eyes, at the base of the giant tree, there was a whole row of those human cocoons!
What's more, the entire space was filled with an overpowering stench of rot!
No matter how strong Sasuke's will was, smelling something like this almost made him puke…
"These human cocoons are all rotten…"
Sasuke slashed open one of the cocoons with his blade and saw the decayed white flesh inside, gagging as he spoke…
"Roar—!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a familiar roar came from behind him!!
Sasuke turned around, his expression freezing solid: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
At first, he'd wondered how White Zetsu could have wiped out a jōnin squad so quickly. Now he finally understood why…
There wasn't just one White Zetsu.
Right now, standing before Sasuke, there were over a hundred of them!!
Their eyes were blood-red, their expressions deranged. The moment they spotted Sasuke, a living intruder, they launched an all-out attack!!
Sasuke was no pushover either. In an instant, he summoned his complete-body Susanoo!
"Slash, slash, slash—!"
The gigantic purple war god swung its twin blades, cutting through the White Zetsu like chopping vegetables and finishing them all off!!
Of course, in the end Sasuke kept his guard up and deliberately left one survivor.
He planned to bring it back to the village and let Shinju study it properly!
After dealing with everything, Sasuke surveyed his surroundings, his face full of confusion.
"During the Fourth Shinobi World War, all the trees created by Madara's Divine Tree: Nativity of a World of Trees were condensed by Shinju into a wooden Buddha. How could there still be remnants left here…"
"This is way too strange. I need to report this to Shinju as soon as possible…"
As he finished speaking, Sasuke seemed to sense something. His Rinnegan trembled faintly…
...
Hokage Office.
Shinju was reviewing the documents in his hands.
"Oh~ I didn't expect Shino to be doing so well at the Ninja Academy."
Shikamaru nodded when he heard that.
"Shino is meticulous by nature. He might turn into a pretty good teacher in the future."
Hearing this, Shinju smiled and nodded. "
Hopefully. Who knows, maybe someday he'll even be your kid's homeroom teacher. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
Shikamaru's old face flushed red. "What kind of talk is that…"
Shinju opened his mouth, about to continue, when he suddenly noticed a mass of purple shadow appearing outside the window!!
"Sasuke's Susanoo—he got back pretty fast. (๑ت๑)"
Shikamaru: "Look, is Sasuke carrying something in his hand?! (≖╻≖;)"
Shinju: "Let's go up and meet him."
...
Outside the Hokage Office.
After flying above the office building, Sasuke dispersed his Susanoo armor and landed on the rooftop, hauling the White Zetsu with him.
At the same time, Shinju and Shikamaru walked up to the rooftop to greet him.
After confirming that Sasuke was completely unharmed, Shinju's gaze fell on the White Zetsu Sasuke was carrying.
"White Zetsu? Where did you get something like this?"
Sasuke replied, "This thing is the real culprit behind the mine disappearance case. Let me grab a drink first, then I'll explain everything in detail…"
A few minutes later, Sasuke finished recounting everything he'd seen and experienced along the way.
At this moment, across from him, Shinju rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
"I already reclaimed all the Wood Release chakra from the Fourth Shinobi World War… which means those human cocoons were created even earlier…"
Shikamaru speculated, "Maybe Obito made them. Didn't he cultivate an army of a hundred thousand White Zetsu back then? These could be leftovers?"
Beside him, Sasuke continued, "There's one more thing. My Rinnegan sensed an unusual spatial fluctuation there. That place seems to connect to some other dimension. I tried using my Rinnegan to establish contact, but I failed. Still, if you give me a bit more time—"
Shinju said, "Let's go take a look together. This is a serious matter…"
Sasuke nodded. "I'll lead the way…"
Shinju glanced at him. "You didn't leave one of my Flying Thunder God kunai there?"
Sasuke smacked his lips. "I was out on a mission—why would I be carrying your Flying Thunder God kunai around with me? ∑(✘Д✘๑)"
Shinju replied, "Fine. Next time you find an important location like this, remember to toss one down. Otherwise, traveling back and forth wastes too much time."
With that, Shinju placed his hands on Sasuke's and Shikamaru's shoulders!
"Whoosh!!"
A blood-red chakra cloak instantly wrapped around Sasuke's and Shikamaru's bodies!!
Shikamaru looked curious. "What are you planning to—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shinju beside him formed hand seals with a serious expression…
A few seconds later, the seals were complete!
Shinju let out a low shout: "Heavenly Transfer Technique!!!"
"Whoosh—!!"
The three of them instantly turned into streaks of light!!
...
Outside the mine.
Under the effect of the Heavenly Transfer Technique, the three arrived here in an instant, moving at light speed!
Shikamaru and Sasuke still hadn't recovered from the shock: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Sasuke said, "Isn't the Heavenly Transfer Technique only supposed to transport objects…?"
Shikamaru added, "It's incredible. Even though less than a second passed, it felt like my body was torn apart and then put back together during that time… 눈_눈"
Shinju replied, "You're right. Normally, a human body isn't strong enough and would be twisted into fragments by the Heavenly Transfer Technique. So I used my chakra to protect you, stimulating your cells to divide and letting any damage heal rapidly… It's a bit like Tsunade-sensei's Creation Rebirth. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
Shikamaru said, "Wait, the Fifth Hokage's Creation Rebirth… doesn't that shorten your lifespan?"
Shinju replied, "Don't worry about the details. It's over before you know it. (ꈍᴗꈍ)"
Shikamaru: "…"
After a brief exchange, not wanting to waste time, the three of them went deeper into the cave and soon reached the bottom of the lava cavern!
As Shinju sensed the chakra within the Wood Release and examined the White Zetsu inside the human cocoons, he finally reached a conclusion.
"These White Zetsu were created a very long time ago…"
"So long ago that the chakra sustaining the Wood Release dissipated. These human cocoons lost their nourishment and began to rot… The White Zetsu you killed, Sasuke, were the few survivors."
Hearing Shinju's words, a flash of inspiration struck Sasuke's mind, as if he'd realized something! ∑(°Д°)
Just as he was about to voice his conclusion, Shikamaru, standing to the side, looked at Shinju and asked,
"From the way you're talking, Shinju, does that mean you've already figured it out?"
Shinju nodded. "Kaguya also once used the Infinite Tsukuyomi. These White Zetsu were likely created by her!"
Sasuke instantly deflated.
His chance to look cool was gone!
Shikamaru said, "So this place is ruins left behind by Kaguya. Σ( ° △ °|||)︴"
Shinju replied, "Most likely."
With that, Shinju turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, where is the spatial fluctuation you mentioned?"
Sasuke jerked his chin toward a spot behind Shinju.
"Not far behind you. But the fluctuation is very faint…"
Hearing that, Shinju turned around, and his left eye instantly became as brilliant as a star-filled sky!