Just as Hanzo questioned White Zetsu in shock and anger, several figures among the stunned crowd from Amegakure suddenly turned around and ran. The movement was so abrupt that even Hanzo failed to react in time. It did not surprise Ryuji Hyuga at all.
"Since you are already here, do you think you can still leave?"
Ryuji Hyuga lifted his eyelids slightly, and several black shadows stretched out from his body and shot forward. They moved fast and straight, without any hesitation.
Wet, tearing sounds rang out as the shadows pierced through several chests with perfect accuracy. The victims let out sharp screams filled with pain as their bodies jerked in place.
Seeing this, the people of Amegakure snapped out of their daze and their expressions changed. Someone shouted in anger, "What are you doing?!"
"Shut up, idiots!"
Before the man could finish, and before anyone else could act, Hanzo cut them off with a cold voice. "Open your eyes wide and look carefully. Are those really your companions?"
The anger on the faces of the Amegakure crowd froze. When they looked again, they realized the liquid splashed on the ground was not red blood, but a white fluid.
The people pierced through the chest were slowly covered by black shadows. As they screamed, their bodies were forced to reveal white forms beneath the disguise. Every one of them was a White Zetsu in disguise.
"How is this possible?" Shenda said in a trembling voice beside Hanzo. "Huita, Minghong, Junya…"
Ryuji Hyuga ignored the fear spreading through the Amegakure crowd and shifted his gaze back to the White Zetsu in Hanzo's hand. These were perfect sacrifices for using Edo Tensei. They could not be wasted by being killed outright.
With that thought, the black shadows rippled like liquid and spread toward the White Zetsu's body. Hanzo frowned and released his grip.
"No, no! Do not come closer! You monster!"
The White Zetsu gurgled from its throat like a frightened child. It screamed in panic and flailed its arms wildly, trying to brush the shadows away.
It was useless. Once it was fully wrapped into a black cocoon, all sound stopped.
The surface of the cocoon squirmed slightly under the moonlight. The sight stirred a deep sense of discomfort in anyone who watched it.
Deep within an underground cavern in the Land of Rain, a massive Venus Flytrap rested with its petals closed. Tendo Pain sat on a stone seat with his eyes shut, unmoving and silent.
At that moment, the stone wall began to writhe. A White Zetsu suddenly emerged from it and dropped to the ground.
"Main body!"
As if sensing something unbelievable, it turned toward the nearby Venus Flytrap with a startled expression. "All the White Zetsu assigned to monitor Amegakure lost contact at the exact same time!"
The Venus Flytrap snapped open, revealing Zetsu with a half black and half white face. "Impossible!" it blurted out.
In the next instant, it checked for itself. The connections were truly gone.
"What happened?"
The voice that spoke was flat and lifeless, as cold as a corpse. It came from Tendo Pain.
Zetsu looked toward Tendo Pain and said, "Something may have gone wrong with Hanzo and the situation in Amegakure."
Tendo Pain's expression did not change, but his brows drew together slightly. "Could it be the Five Great Nations?" he asked in a detached tone. "Did you not say yesterday that many spies had infiltrated the Land of Rain?"
"No," Zetsu replied, shaking its head with confidence. "They have not discovered my abilities."
Although the White Zetsu created from the Outer Path Statue were mostly the same, some special individuals excelled in certain areas. The half-body White Zetsu possessed by Zetsu was one of the two strongest White Zetsu originally created by Madara Uchiha. The other was the spiral-patterned White Zetsu once worn by Obito, the one known as the true "Tobi."
This half-body White Zetsu was the best among all White Zetsu at underground movement and impersonation. By linking with organic networks such as plant roots and underground water, it could move anywhere at high speed while completely cutting off Zetsu's presence. It could also absorb another person's Chakra and perfectly imitate their appearance and Chakra, fooling even close companions and sensory ninja.
"Tobi," on the other hand, was the one best suited for combat. By wrapping its body around a host, it could use that person's abilities, enhance their overall power, and unleash extremely strong Wood Release.
The White Zetsu sent out to gather intelligence in secret were produced through Lie division from the half-body White Zetsu. Even if they were weaker than the main body, their disguise and concealment abilities were still terrifying.
With Hanzo's strength and the spies' skill, how could they possibly have been discovered? And yet, it happened at this exact moment.
Why now, when they were preparing to move against Amegakure? Why now, when "Lord Madara" was away in Konoha?
"…If that is the case."
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."