After a long silence, Tendo Pain stood up. It was as if the consciousness controlling him, Nagato, had briefly withdrawn before returning. "We were already planning to kill Hanzo and reclaim control of Amegakure. We might as well go now."
Though his words sounded like a question, his tone and actions showed he did not care whether Zetsu agreed. He was already decided.
"What?" Zetsu froze for a moment. Even the black half of Zetsu opened its eye, but before it could speak, Tendo Pain cast a cold sideways glance at it.
"Is there a problem?" he asked flatly.
"Perhaps we should wait until Lord Madara returns before acting," Zetsu said carefully.
The "Lord Madara" it referred to was the man of the Uchiha who had inherited Madara's name. Tendo Pain looked at it for a long moment and stated calmly, "We are only partners for now."
With that, he vanished from the cavern without waiting for a reply. The Nagato behind Pain and Konan had never truly trusted Zetsu or the masked man who called himself Madara Uchiha. Their alliance was nothing more than mutual use and constant suspicion.
"What do we do now?" the White Zetsu asked.
Zetsu remained silent. Its black face showed no expression, but a vague sense of unease stirred inside.
The sudden change reminded it of that person suspected to be "from beyond the world." It might have been paranoia, but the feeling was like finding a new, unknown player stepping onto a chessboard meant for only one.
In the past, Zetsu never rushed Nagato or Obito and always acted calm and restrained. That confidence came from its grasp of the past and future of the Ninja World, where even someone as strong as Madara Uchiha was just a piece.
Now, the appearance of the "outsider" shattered that calm pride completely. If these Rinnegan were not something it had waited a thousand years to obtain, it would have already taken them and hidden away.
But it could not. This was the best, and last, chance, and no mistake could be allowed.
As an attachment to "Madara," it could not forcibly stop Nagato. Doing so would only deepen Nagato's suspicions before full trust was established.
"Send Tobi to follow Nagato."
After a moment of thought, it spoke in a hoarse, low voice. "We will go find Lord Madara. Only he can persuade Nagato."
Land of Fire, a forest, the bloody sunrise.
The dust had been soaked through with sticky blood, and stepping on it made a chilling sound. The air carried a heavy metallic smell that clung to the throat.
Itachi Uchiha stood there with trembling pupils, frozen in place. Several silent bodies lay behind him, their lives already gone.
They were the Third Squad jonin he belonged to, his companions, and the caravan they were supposed to protect on this mission. None of them had been spared.
There had been no noisy clash or shouted curses. A silent figure had simply walked toward them, and lives were taken as easily as dry leaves lifted by a light breeze.
The companions he had only just formed bonds with had their lives stolen so easily. The reality was too sudden for him to accept.
"You…"
Itachi Uchiha stared at the masked figure ahead, his hand gripping the Kunai shaking with fear or anger, even he could not tell. He had only become a Genin not long ago, and he was still far too inexperienced.
Fear drilled into his bones like cold venom and locked his limbs in place. His breathing turned shallow as his vision blurred.
Until the last remaining Genin teammate in front of him clenched a Kunai and rushed at the masked man like a moth to a flame. The reckless charge broke the stillness.
Thud.
The headless body swayed and collapsed, blood spilling out with a sharp stench. Itachi Uchiha's eyes were dyed red by the sight.
"Hm?"
Seeing the twin tomoe appear in those eyes, along with a strangely familiar grief and anger, Obito Uchiha felt a flicker of interest. His gaze lingered for a moment longer than before.
So the death of a companion had awakened the Sharingan, and the first awakening was already the two-tomoe Sharingan. This brat was a little different from the rest.
With that thought, his intent to kill faded somewhat. After putting the valuables into a Scroll, the figure vanished from Itachi Uchiha's sight.
When he appeared again, Obito Uchiha stood on a tree branch and frowned down at the Venus Flytrap poking its head out below. His posture stiffened slightly.
"What is going on, Zetsu?" he said in a low, hoarse voice. "You were supposed to be watching Nagato in the Land of Rain. Why did you come here?"
"Madara Uchiha, this is bad!"
Zetsu looked up at Obito and shouted noisily, "All the White Zetsu watching Hanzo have lost contact. Nagato suspects something happened in Amegakure and has already gone to kill Hanzo!"
"Even Root couldn't stop him at all. By now, he should be almost at Amegakure!"
Hearing this, Obito's expression darkened beneath the mask. A strong sense of unease rose in his chest.
At the same time, inside the High Tower of Amegakure.
In the room that once allowed no one to enter, Yunchuan Hyuga and Hanzo sat facing each other. Shenda and another Amegakure ninja named Heiji waited to the side.
"Shadow, what are these damn things?" Hanzo asked in a low voice. "And who put them inside my body?"
He stared at the white humanoid creatures bound and wrapped by black shadows, the shock and anger in his eyes not yet gone. Although he had calmed down, such a strange ability and situation still pressed on his nerves.
He had never noticed these things from beginning to end. He did not dare imagine how long they had been inside him, and just thinking about it sent a chill up his spine.
He had thought the intelligence leaks came from a traitor at his side, but the problem had been with himself all along. If these things appeared again, would he still fail to notice them?
"These things are called 'White Zetsu'," Yunchuan Hyuga said calmly. "They are troublesome, but since we have reached a cooperation, I will naturally help you remove hidden dangers."
He put away the captured White Zetsu and looked back at Hanzo with a faint smile. "However, what comes next may hurt. You will have to endure it."
Hanzo suppressed the unease in his heart and frowned. "Are you looking down on me that much?"
Yunchuan Hyuga nodded and offered no further explanation. He placed a hand on Hanzo's shoulder as the patterns on his hand spread once more.
This time, the black patterns carved their way into Hanzo's body. Like plum blossoms blooming in winter, they were gradually absorbed by flesh and blood.
The next instant.
"Ah!!"
When the black patterns fused into his body, even though he had prepared himself, the pain that felt like it was tearing him apart still forced a scream from Hanzo. It was pain that reached down to his cells and even his soul, beyond anything he had endured before.
The agony made the blood vessels on his temples bulge, and it felt as if countless writhing dark worms crawled beneath his skin. Several bloody cracks split open on his exposed flesh.
"What's happening, Lord Hanzo!"
Shenda and Heiji were startled, panic on their faces as they instinctively moved to support him. Their steps were hurried and unsteady.
Yunchuan Hyuga raised a hand to stop them both and shook his head calmly. "This is a gift from that person, and also the price Hanzo must pay."
"Cough!"