Deep underground, sticky mud squirmed.
A pale face slowly emerged from the ground, accompanied by soft gurgling sounds as White Zetsu cautiously poked his head out.
Shaking the dirt off his head, he sighed: "Ah, what a hassle."
Not far away, another White Zetsu slowly slid out from between the rock walls, wearing his characteristic stiff smile: "What? Your expression looks worse than mud today. What happened?"
"What else could it be?"
The first White Zetsu sat down listlessly on the ground, swinging his arms.
"Uchiha Madara just asked me where the previous White Zetsu went... How am I supposed to answer? I can't exactly say he's now called Red and running a Gym in the Land of Rain, can I?"
The other White Zetsu's eyes lit up, approaching with a smirk. "So you're worried about whether you should open a Gym too in the future?"
"Don't be ridiculous." White Zetsu rolled his eyes. "That kind of high-intensity Chakra consumption - that madman Red can drain as much energy as the World Tree in a single day. I don't have that kind of patience. If I have to transform into something, I'd rather become...!"
He thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned. "Becoming Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy would be much better!"
"Eh?"
The other White Zetsu froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "You're right! At least that way we wouldn't have to fight and kill, just take missions and talk to people every day - how comfortable!"
"Exactly." White Zetsu yawned. "Red's always emitting flames and has to act all serious, talking about Trainer spirit. I think his smile is so stiff, he's almost more tense than Uchiha Madara."
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the other White Zetsu's chest.
"Your Ditto fusion progress is that advanced already?"
The other White Zetsu looked down, showing a somewhat proud expression.
"This?"
As he spoke, he pulled open part of his chest tissue, revealing a semi-transparent Ninja Beast Egg embedded inside.
The eggshell had completely fused with White Zetsu's cells, its surface even emitting a faint glow.
"Why is your progress so fast!"
White Zetsu's voice rose half an octave.
"Of course." The other White Zetsu said matter-of-factly. "Because I started thinking earlier than you, learning, knowing what gender I should be when awakening."
"Gender? So you want to become a woman too?"
"Of course!"
The other White Zetsu's face showed a strange longing. "Becoming Nurse Joy, taking care of Ninja Beasts at the Pokémon Center, or becoming Officer Jenny, patrolling the village every day - how meaningful. Much more fun than poking our heads out of mud all day."
"Hmph." White Zetsu shook his head, smiling mockingly. "We're all the same, just thinking about getting nurse hats and police hats all day."
"After all, this way we'll know how to pee properly." The other White Zetsu pursed his lips.
"By the way!"
He lifted his head, looking toward the distant lake.
The lake surface shimmered with an eerie green light, reflecting several blurry shadows.
They were other White Zetsus, emerging dazedly from the water, staring vacantly into the void.
They had no goals, no thoughts, even their speech was mechanical and slow, as if they were merely puppets waiting for commands.
White Zetsu pulled out a scroll from his chest. "Let's not dwell on that, we have important matters to attend to."
He unrolled the scroll, revealing five neatly arranged Ninja Beast Eggs.
"We need to assimilate five more companions recently."
Another White Zetsu squinted at the group of idle comrades waiting in the distance. "Then let's pick from them. We have plenty of material anyway."
"True." White Zetsu nodded, extending his palm as cells spread into tendrils, gently selecting targets.
The other White Zetsu remained motionless. Once entangled by the tendrils, they fell into slumber, their Chakra slowly flowing through the vessels into the eggs, beginning the silent fusion process.
"Hey," he whispered, "do you think... I've become even more boring than the original White Zetsu?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Uchiha Madara asked me about it. It seems he remembers the previous White Zetsu, which is just absurd."
White Zetsu muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, the other White Zetsu dragged a freshly assimilated comrade aside.
"Focus on work! You idiot!"
Hidden Leaf Village, a secret training ground.
A faint crackle of electricity echoed as streaks of blue-white lightning traced patterns in the air.
Elekid poked its head out from behind the grass, cautiously peering around. Its round body shimmered with faint electrical sparks from excitement.
At the center of the field, Minato Namikaze stood with eyes closed, arms extended forward as Chakra continuously gathered in his palms.
Arcs of electricity flickered at his fingertips before he gave a slight flick!
Six kunai were tossed into the air but instead of falling, they hung suspended steadily, held aloft by electromagnetic force.
The hum of vibrating air intertwined with the crackle of electricity, creating an intricate rhythmic symphony.
Minato slowly opened his eyes, his blue pupils reflecting the dancing electrical sparks.
With a subtle movement of his fingers, the six kunai began orbiting around him with extreme precision, like metallic butterflies guided by invisible strings.
Each kunai maintained perfect synchronization with his Chakra waves, every minute angle adjustment remaining under complete control.
In the next instant, a Chakra barrier suddenly glowed beneath his feet!
A blue energy membrane spread across the ground like liquid glass.
Tapping his toes, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.
The air tore apart, creating powerful gusts in his wake.
Minato's figure flickered continuously through the air—not using the Body Flicker Technique, but stepping consecutively on barrier platforms forming beneath his feet.
With each step, an energy barrier materialized under his soles, providing the launching point for his next movement.
This was an aerial footwork technique that defied conventional logic.
He raced through the void as if running on solid ground, each step perfectly calculating angles and momentum, allowing him to strike from different directions like a swift wind.
The six kunai flashed simultaneously, constrained by the electromagnetic field to form a three-dimensional trajectory around him.
Minato raised his palm slightly, Chakra spiraling into a vortex in his hand where lightning and Wind Blades intertwined, creating a subtle swirling current.
The training ground became a storm of electrical sparks, vegetation flattened by the pressure waves.
Elekid excitedly slapped its arms nearby, electrical arcs dancing across its body as it clearly mimicked its master's movements.
Just then, a shadow shifted among the trees.
Hidden in the darkness, Jiraiya leaned against a tree trunk, a blade of grass between his teeth, watching the young man in the field with keen interest.
Sunlight illuminated his slightly unkempt white hair as the smile at the corner of his mouth grew increasingly pronounced.
"Hah... truly terrifying talent. To progress so rapidly in the application of these techniques."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the layers of energy barriers forming beneath Minato's feet.
Chakra control, spatial positioning, reaction speed...
One had to admit, even Jiraiya was deeply impressed by Minato Namikaze's creative ability and learning aptitude.
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