The Birth of White Zetsu-Man

In the Naruto World, deep within a jungle hidden beneath a dense canopy in the center of the continent.

A young ninja was stumbling forward, moving deeper into the desolate, trackless wilderness.

He appeared to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in tattered rags stained with fresh red blood on both his chest and back. His footsteps were unsteady, each movement heavy with a sense of sluggishness, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The one stroke of luck in his misfortune was that he had temporarily shaken off his pursuers.

His name was Hagane Zhen, hailing from a small ninja clan known as the "Hagane Clan," and he held the position of the former Clan Leader's nephew. A month ago, the old Clan Leader died in battle; a week ago, the new Clan Leader—his own cousin—also fell in combat, leaving him as the newest Clan Leader.

Three days ago, during a battle, Hagane Zhen had volunteered to act as bait to protect his clansmen and ensure their safe retreat. After luring the enemy away and barely managing to shake them off, he was now making his way toward the designated rendezvous point.

That was his basic situation. Oh, and one more thing of vital importance: beyond the description above, he was also a transmigrator.

A year ago, for reasons unknown, his soul had transmigrated into this youth named "Hagane Zhen," replacing the original consciousness.

Upon arriving in the Naruto World, he initially thought he would follow the "System Genre" path and become a figure who would stir the world, but he soon discovered he had no system at all.

Next, he felt that with his knowledge of the Naruto World's history and iconic events, he might sail smoothly through the "Prodigy Genre." As it turned out, his strength had stalled at the level of a Chunin, with no hope in sight for his future.

In the end, he realized he might be destined for the long-outdated "Underdog Genre."

Yet even that was an illusion. In truth, it was only at this very moment that he became certain he had been walking the "Cannon Fodder Genre" all along; born into an ordinary background, he was destined to be a glorious piece of cannon fodder. His transmigration career had only just begun, and it seemed it was about to end.

Although he couldn't determine the exact time, Hagane Zhen was fairly certain he was in the era of warring ninja clans, long before the establishment of the ninja village system. This era was like oil poured on a fire—primitive and bloody—where almost all minor, insignificant ninja clans would lose any space to survive.

As he walked, Hagane Zhen suddenly felt his foot catch on something, and he pitched forward, face-planting into the dirt.

He had gone three days and three nights without sleep or rest; hunger and exhaustion made every step an agony.

Regardless, he needed to eat something to replenish his energy, but he had long since run out of supplies.

But heaven never closes all doors. Hagane Zhen struggled to lift his head, forcing his eyes open, and saw something growing on the ground not far ahead.

"A mushroom..."

Mushrooms were better than tree bark. At this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else. He scrambled forward on all fours, reached out with lightning speed to pluck the "King Oyster Mushroom"-like growth, shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it down.

Only after he had consumed it did he realize that the place where this "mushroom" grew seemed somewhat unusual.

This cluster of "mushrooms" was growing on a "tree stump" half-buried in the soil. The stump was surrounded by pale Pitcher Plants, and atop it grew emerald-green leaves that looked like they had been painted with lacquer—aloe vera. Thinking back, the "mushroom" he had just eaten seemed unusually rich in oil...

"..."

Hagane Zhen's eyes turned dull. For some reason, he suddenly experienced a sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen something familiar.

He scrutinized the stump, only to realize that a twisted human face was clearly visible upon it.

"Hm... Hmm? HMM!"

Since arriving in the Naruto World, Hagane Zhen had often complained in his heart that his social standing was too low, that he had never seen familiar characters or encountered important events. Now, he had finally gotten his wish: he had met an important character from the original work—a White Zetsu, and a dead one at that.

The "mushroom" from before had grown directly out of the White Zetsu's eye socket.

Hagane Zhen instantly felt terrible. Theoretically, he had just eaten the most unclean, unhygienic thing in the entire ninja world.

No, it wasn't just a matter of hygiene; this thing had side effects. It might even kill him.

Without warning, Hagane Zhen's entire body began to ache violently. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, and he felt as if his whole body were being twisted into a rope. Even though he bit his teeth together, muffled groans escaped his throat uncontrollably... This unbearable agony caused his consciousness to begin to slip away, bit by bit.

I should have at least blanched it before eating...

That was the final thought in his mind before he completely lost consciousness.

After about ten minutes, the unconscious Hagane Zhen finally stopped twitching.

The forest returned to silence. He was curled into a ball, and at some point, his skin had become covered in a deathly pale color.

Clearly, he was undergoing some kind of transformation.

Three hours later, the pale color faded away bit by bit, and he returned to his original appearance.

A heavy, suffocating sensation caused Hagane Zhen to wake with a start. He snapped his eyes open, sprang up, and knelt on the ground, supporting his body with his arms as he coughed violently.

With the relentless coughing, a pale, sap-like liquid was vomited out. By the time the coughing ceased and his breathing returned to normal, the "tree sap" he had coughed up covered the ground before him.

"Haa..."

After a long exhale, Hagane Zhen leaned against a nearby tree and slowly stood up. His face wore an indescribable gravity and an unconcealable bewilderment.

Although he still didn't know exactly what had happened to him, he felt that his physical condition was exceptionally good after waking up. His body felt light, his mind was clear, and not only had his wounds healed, but he even felt that his combat power had risen by a notch—it felt like a "+10 to Constitution" and "+10 to Chakra" boost.

Previously, he was just an ordinary Chunin, a ninja as common as dust in this world. Now, he had the illusion that he could reach the "Karmen Line" if he just stood on his tiptoes—the "Ka" for Kakashi.

Hagane Zhen's mind also held some extra information, or more accurately, a new instinct. This instinct couldn't be described in detail, but it let him know he had gained some new abilities.

He raised his left arm, and with a thought, the entire limb turned a deathly pale white, the texture of the skin resembling a peeled tree trunk. As his thoughts shifted, this pale white color quickly covered his entire body—in a sense, he had become a White Zetsu.

"White Zetsu..."

Hagane Zhen found it hard to believe.

As everyone knows, a person bitten by a spider becomes Spider-Man, and after Hagane Zhen ate the "mushroom" that grew on a White Zetsu, his body underwent a transformation similar to a White Zetsu. This could probably be called "White Zetsu-Man."

"When it comes down to it, isn't it just the poor relying on mutation?"

Because of his reckless mushroom consumption, Hagane Zhen felt he might have undergone some kind of assimilation with the White Zetsu. This assimilation had not only granted him a significant degree of enhancement but also provided him with some of the abilities that belonged to the White Zetsu.

These changes in his body were worth studying, but now was not the right time to ponder them.

The sound of fabric brushing against branches reached Hagane Zhen's ears, causing him to instantly grow vigilant. Judging by the noise, a group of at least ten ninjas was moving in his direction.

He immediately concealed himself. About a quarter of an hour later, those ninjas happened to stop nearby. No, it wasn't by chance; after seeing their faces clearly, Hagane Zhen chose to reveal himself at once—these ninjas were his own clansmen.

It turned out that before losing consciousness, he had unknowingly arrived at the designated meeting point agreed upon with his clan.

"Clan Leader!"

Hagane Zhen's appearance caused the ninjas to tense up for a split second, but once they recognized him, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are there only a few of you left?" Hagane Zhen asked.

A total of sixteen ninjas had arrived, the vast majority of whom were young men. As for the others who couldn't make it, the outcome was all too easy to imagine.

"Clan Leader, we..." A ninja's face was filled with guilt.

Hagane Zhen raised a hand to stop him. His expression was calm, and his voice carried no ripples: "It is not your fault. It seems my attempt to lure the enemy was not successful."

"Clan Leader, the enemy's forces far outnumber ours; we... were powerless." A deep sense of helplessness caused the ninja to lower his head.

Whether in terms of numbers or average combat strength, the enemy was overwhelming.

"What about the pursuers? Did you shake them off?" Hagane Zhen asked again.

"No, they will catch up in four or five hours at most... The enemy has Reconnaissance Ninjas; we cannot escape them."

Regardless of whether it is witnessed or not, the moment of life and death for a ninja clan always arrives at its own unhurried pace.

Having endured so much, returning to the starting point, gathering one's spirits, and setting off once more.