Just as Hanzo was furiously interrogating White Zetsu.
Among the stunned Rain shinobi behind him, several figures suddenly turned and ran at the same time.
Even Hanzo didn't react in time to this, but Arata wasn't surprised at all.
"You've already come this far, and you still think you can leave?"
Arata slightly raised his eyelids as several shadow tendrils shot out from his body.
Pfft! Pfft!
The shadows pierced through their chests like spears, drawing out miserable, shrill screams.
Seeing this, the Rain shinobi snapped back to their senses, their expressions changing. One of them angrily shouted:
"What are you doing?!"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Before he could finish, Hanzo's cold voice cut him off.
"Open your eyes and look carefully, are those really your 'comrades'?"
The Rain shinobi froze, then instinctively looked closer.
Only then did they realize, the liquid splattered on the ground wasn't red blood…
It was white and the bodies pierced by the shadow spikes were gradually being engulfed by darkness, their forms forced to reveal white bodies as they screamed.
They were all disguised White Zetsu.
"How is that possible…" Shenda's voice trembled. "Huita… Mingji… Shunya…"
Arata ignored their shock and turned his gaze back to the White Zetsu in Hanzo's grasp.
These were excellent sacrifices for casting the Reanimation Jutsu.
He couldn't let Hanzo kill them and waste them.
With that thought, the shadows rippled like liquid and spread toward White Zetsu's body. Hanzo frowned and released his grip.
"N-No! Don't come closer! You monster!"
White Zetsu whimpered, like a frightened child, screaming and flailing its arms in panic, trying to brush the shadows away.
But it was useless.
Soon, it was completely wrapped into a black "cocoon"… and fell silent.
Thump… thump…
Under the moonlight, the cocoon's surface wriggled faintly, stirring a deep sense of unease.
.....
Deep within a cavern somewhere in the Land of Rain, a massive pitcher-plant closed quietly.
The Deva Path of Pain sat on a stone seat, eyes shut.
At that moment, the rock wall suddenly began to writhe, and a White Zetsu emerged from within.
"The main body!"
As if sensing something unbelievable, it looked toward the plant and said in alarm:
"All the White Zetsu monitoring the Rain Village have suddenly lost contact at the same time!"
Hearing this, the plant snapped open, revealing the black-and-white-faced Zetsu.
"Impossible!"
But in the next moment, it checked itself, and truly had lost all connection.
"What happened?"
Pain's cold, emotionless voice, like that of a corpse, rang out.
Zetsu looked toward the Deva Path and said:
"Something may have gone wrong on Hanzo's side… and the Rain Village."
Pain's expressionless face showed a slight frown.
"Could it be the Five Great Nations?" he asked coldly. "Didn't you say yesterday that many spies had infiltrated the Land of Rain?"
"No." Zetsu shook its head confidently. "They couldn't have discovered 'my' abilities."
Though the White Zetsu created from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path were mostly similar, some special individuals had unique specialties.
For example, the half-body White Zetsu possessed by Black Zetsu, one of the first powerful Zetsu created by Uchiha Madara. The other was the spiral Zetsu that once wrapped around Obito, "Tobi."
This half-body Zetsu was the best among all White Zetsu in using the Mayfly Technique and impersonation.
It could merge with plant roots and underground water networks to travel at high speed while completely concealing its presence.
It could also absorb chakra and perfectly mimic appearance and chakra signatures, undetectable even to close acquaintances or sensory ninja.
"Tobi," on the other hand, specialized in combat, enhancing the abilities of whoever it enveloped and even granting powerful Wood Release.
The Zetsu sent out for intelligence gathering were all split from this half-body Zetsu. Even if weaker than the original, their stealth and disguise abilities were still terrifying.
'How could Hanzo or mere spies possibly detect them?'
'But why now?'
'Why at the exact moment we were preparing to act against the Rain Village?'
'And why when "Madara" wasn't here?'
"…In that case."
After a long silence, the Deva Path of Pain stood up, as if Nagato had refocused his consciousness.
"We were already planning to kill Hanzo and reclaim control of the Rain Village. We might as well go now."
Though phrased like a suggestion, his tone made it clear he didn't care for Zetsu's approval.
"What?"
Zetsu was taken aback. The black half of it opened its eyes as well, but before it could speak, Pain cast it a cold glance.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"Well… perhaps we should wait for Lord Madara to return and plan this carefully?" Zetsu suggested cautiously.
"Lord Madara," of course, referred to Uchiha Obito.
Pain looked at it deeply and stated calmly:
"We are still only in a cooperative relationship."
With that, he disappeared from the cavern without waiting for a reply.
Nagato and Konan had never fully trusted Zetsu or the masked man claiming to be Madara.
Their alliance was merely one of mutual use and guarded suspicion.
"What do we do now?" White Zetsu asked.
"…"
Black Zetsu's pitch-black face showed no expression, but inside, it felt an unfamiliar unease.
This sudden disruption reminded it of that suspected "outsider from beyond", though it might just be paranoia.
It felt like a chessboard it alone had controlled now had a second, unknown player.
Black Zetsu had always acted low-key and composed, confident in its understanding of the ninja world's past and future, even Uchiha Madara had been nothing more than a piece.
But now, the appearance of this "outsider" had shattered that confidence.
If not for the Rinnegan, something it had waited a thousand years for, it might have already taken them and hidden away.
But it couldn't.
This was the best, and final, opportunity. It had to proceed with utmost caution.
Yet as "Madara's subordinate," it couldn't forcibly stop Nagato. Doing so would only arouse suspicion.
"…Have Tobi follow Nagato."
After a moment of thought, it finally said in a low, hoarse voice:
"We'll go find Lord Madara. Only he can persuade Nagato."