"Will they die?"
"They won't die completely, but they'll lose their plasticity."
Kabuto pushed the microscope aside and picked up another set of records. "Two days ago, they could still remain viable for at least forty-eight hours. Now it's less than twenty-four-unless..." His voice trailed off.
Jūgo asked, "Unless what?"
"Unless there's some higher-level link between these individual White Zetsu."
"You mean they affect one another?"
"Not one another."
Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "It's more like they're all regulated by a common source."
Jūgo looked utterly confused. "You suspect Black Zetsu is controlling them?"
"Black Zetsu might not be capable of anything this precise." Kabuto tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "But if the White Zetsu cultivation system itself has a parent organism, or some kind of central node, that would explain it."
Kimimaro sat nearby, slowly flexing his wrist. He looked up at that. "If something like that really exists, would Black Zetsu have it?"
"Most likely."
Kabuto smiled. "Or rather, even if Black Zetsu doesn't have it, it's bound to be somewhere he knows about."
Jūgo frowned. "You're not planning to steal it again, are you?"
"Steal it?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "That's far too crude. I prefer to understand things before making my move."
Jūgo stared at him. "But you've already sent out three waves of snakes these past few days."
Kabuto's expression didn't change. "That's just routine intelligence gathering."
"Are you trying to fool yourself, too?"
"Hmm?"
"You've clearly already set your sights on Black Zetsu."
Kabuto looked at him, and his smile suddenly deepened.
"Is it that obvious?"
Jūgo remained expressionless. "Extremely."
Kimimaro listened quietly from the side. After a long while, he suddenly spoke. "If you go to see Black Zetsu, I'll go with you."
Kabuto shook his head. "You've only just had