Infiltration

Prejudice is a mountain.

The common view often considers White Zetsu to be insidious, cunning, and evil creatures who will stop at nothing to achieve their nebulous goals. But what if one observed White Zetsu without prejudice?

Could they not become good people, devoted solely to Yuzhen, noble beings who selflessly contribute to him?

Although the White Zetsu of this era have been brainwashed into servants of the Divine Tree, their core essence is that of ancient ninjas. They experienced the Infinite Tsukuyomi, were hung to dry on the Divine Tree for a long time, and only then became what they are now… This is what Yuzhen believes to be the truth.

In a sense, while incomparable to the true "fruit," they are still something that grows on the Divine Tree.

The Divine Tree is a tree, and anything that grows on a tree, when squeezed for juice, might yield a nutrient-rich liquid.

Because he stood to gain something, Yuzhen set his sights on White Zetsu, despite the severe stomach discomfort he had previously experienced.

He saw in White Zetsu a hope that could allow ordinary ninjas to transcend the limitations of their bloodlines.

It is regrettable and sorrowful; there is no other way.

As everyone knows, ninjas and ninjas with Otsutsuki bloodlines are two different kinds of beings.

Without resorting to extremes and undergoing radical self-modification, the ceiling for ordinary ninjas is both within reach and insurmountable.

White Zetsu "Experience Packs"—if Yuzhen's hypothesis proves true, he will possess the possibility of breaking through that ceiling… White Zetsu may not have been born great, but they can die gloriously.

To verify his conjecture, Yuzhen's first step was to capture another White Zetsu.

However, White Zetsu are elusive, and capturing one alive is extremely difficult.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu have been hidden for millennia, secretly manipulating the direction of the Ninja World.

Under their instigation, the Ninja World has never known true peace. Yet, despite all the evil they have done and the years they have spent as behind-the-scenes manipulators, they have never been discovered. This just goes to show how skilled they are at hiding.

Fortunately, Yuzhen is different. Because he is now "White Zetsu-Man," he is, to a certain extent, one of them.

In fact, he does possess the ability to sense his "kind." As long as other White Zetsu appear within a certain range of him, they can detect each other immediately.

The prerequisite is that Yuzhen's body must maintain a partial White Zetsu Transformation when they encounter each other.

"White Zetsu, oh White Zetsu, where can I find you?"

Yuzhen was eager to verify his conjecture. On his envisioned path to becoming stronger, there was a clear division of labor…

White Zetsu would sacrifice their lives, and he would level up. It was a win-win, a win within a win.

It was just a pity that White Zetsu were not to be found in these deep mountains and old forests; they were busy monitoring the entire Ninja World.

Just as Yuzhen was anxiously wondering how to get his hands on a fresh White Zetsu, good fortune found him once again.

On the fifth day of settling into this camp, Yuzhen was practicing the Mayfly Technique when his partially White Zetsu-transformed body seemed to receive some kind of information.

He quickly "whitened" his mind, and the message was interpreted… It was a gathering signal, requesting White Zetsu within a certain range to assemble at a specific location as soon as possible.

Talk about wishful thinking. The Experience Packs… cough, the White Zetsu were about to appear, and likely in large numbers.

This was an opportunity not to be missed. Yuzhen, with almost no hesitation, immediately decided to attend this gathering.

Even if he blended in with the White Zetsu, the possibility of him being exposed was very low.

Considering the risks involved compared to the potential rewards, he had no reason to hesitate.

Yuzhen immediately summoned his two deputies.

Hagane Kenshin had since changed his name to Morinaga Kenshin, and Hagane Ryunosuke was now Hayasaka Ryunosuke.

"The camp has been settled, but that doesn't mean we can waste too much time. Next, I plan to thoroughly scout the surroundings and, ideally, figure out the Tsugawa Clan's movements…

Furthermore, we need supplies. If possible, I'll bring back some grain. We can't rely solely on fishing and hunting for food."

This was a normal, conventional, and correct course of action. Kenshin and Ryunosuke had no reason to object.

"Captain, how is your injury?" Ryunosuke asked.

"It's completely fine now."

"I understand. We'll handle things here at the camp. Please ensure your own safety."

"Alright, I'm counting on you both here… I can't determine the exact time for this operation, but I will definitely return as soon as possible."

Yuzhen quickly packed his ninja tools and then swiftly departed from the camp.

"The Clan Leader has truly changed," Kenshin couldn't help but sigh as he watched Yuzhen's retreating figure.

"It's Captain…" Ryunosuke immediately corrected him, then also sighed, "Responsibility makes people grow."

Yuzhen had started as an ordinary ninja with mediocre strength, but now he had become the spiritual pillar for everyone here.

The information conveyed by White Zetsu to Yuzhen through some instinct or secret technique was difficult to put into words, language, or logical interpretation. Yuzhen simply knew that he should go to the gathering.

This message could not provide specific coordinates for a location; it only served as a directional guide, indicating the direction of the destination. It didn't tell him whether he was currently close to or far from it, higher or lower.

He would now follow this instruction, making his way to the gathering point in a somewhat clumsy manner.

Yuzhen's figure rushed out of the morning mist. The morning sun cast cool light spots through the clouds, and the forest stream meandered along the rocky riverbed. Everything was vibrant with greenery.

The scenery was like this, and so was his mood.

At this moment, Yuzhen felt a stirring of excitement within him.

About two days later, following the guide, he arrived at the assembly point.

Before getting any closer, he underwent a "White Zetsu Transformation" all over his body.

After carefully identifying his surroundings, he quickly found a cave hidden among the bushes.

Yuzhen didn't enter through the cave entrance. He used the "Mayfly Technique," and his body passed through the rock layer silently.

His face soon appeared from the inner cave wall. After observing for a while without any disguise, he then passed through the rock wall and entered the cave.

More than ten White Zetsu had already gathered in the cave, looking like a meeting of radishes.

Aside from his full White Zetsu Transformation, Yuzhen hadn't even changed his appearance, but he didn't think there was any problem with that, confident he wouldn't arouse suspicion because of it.

"Why are you like this?"

As expected, after discovering his appearance, a White Zetsu next to him asked him.

The White Zetsu's voice held only curiosity, not suspicion. What did they have to be suspicious of? Yuzhen currently looked exactly like a White Zetsu.

"Bad luck. I was caught in a ninja's area-of-effect ninjutsu and almost fell into a near-death state. Fortunately, I managed to parasitize this ninja in time and barely saved my life using his chakra," Yuzhen said.

"That's truly unfortunate."

The White Zetsu's tone was casual. They didn't feel fortunate that their "comrade" survived, nor did they feel regretful that their "comrade" died. White Zetsu were not humans, after all; one couldn't expect them to truly possess human empathy.

Caring about comrades? That wasn't in the White Zetsu's thought process. They only blindly served Mother, caused disasters, monitored the world, and cared about the Rinnegan and vegetables.