Feedback

To be honest, Yuzhen didn't have much prejudice against White Zetsu.

In truth, Yuzhen didn't care much about the future of the ninja world. As far as he currently understood things, even if he lived out his natural lifespan, he would have been dead by the time the "Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan" was activated.

Even if the future was flooded by disaster, what did that have to do with a dead man like him?

Taking it a step further, if the disasters of the future needed to be resolved through the wisdom of those who came after, then one had to remember that this world had a savior.

The schemes of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu would have to be resolved by that savior. Yuzhen's small frame couldn't bear such a huge responsibility. In fact, he had enough self-awareness to have never imagined that he could participate in such a high-level battle.

It could only be said that Yuzhen was still bound by his ingrained way of thinking. He had never considered the possibility of "variables," believing that this world would march unwaveringly toward the future he remembered.

But one thing was one thing, and another was another. He could ignore the future, but he couldn't ignore the present. Therefore, he attacked White Zetsu without the slightest psychological burden.

A cancer of the ninja world—everyone had the right to kill it.

There was no helping it. Yuzhen wanted an Experience Pack far too badly.

"You... aren't one of us..."

White Zetsu felt its chakra rapidly draining away. The person beside it who had suddenly launched a sneak attack without regard for martial ethics was definitely not one of its "kind."

"Why... can you... disguise..."

But why could he disguise himself so perfectly? This was beyond White Zetsu's imagination.

"Why? Actually, I don't know either."

Why else? Because Yuzhen hadn't been disguising himself at all. In a certain sense, he could indeed be considered a White Zetsu.

It was just that for thousands of years, White Zetsu had always been the one disguising itself as others. No one had ever been able to disguise themselves as White Zetsu.

This White Zetsu, already on the verge of death, had no time to ponder how Yuzhen had flawlessly disguised himself as one of its kind. Its thoughts instantly shifted in another direction...

Just what kind of severe internal damage would a ninja who could disguise himself as one of its kind without being detected inflict upon the White Zetsu race and its grand undertaking?

It might even be fatal damage.

Unfortunately, even though it had realized the threat, it could do nothing by this point.

Yuzhen swiftly absorbed this White Zetsu's chakra. Before long, the trace of unease between his brows vanished. The boost brought by White Zetsu's chakra was astonishingly immediate, and Yuzhen could feel his overall abilities steadily increasing.

It was true. White Zetsu really was an Experience Pack!

When Yuzhen used the Spore Technique to absorb the chakra of other ninjas, his strength would also temporarily increase because of the chakra boost. However, that chakra was merely water without a source. Once it was used up, it was gone.

In other words, the chakra of ordinary ninjas was equivalent to a "Fuel Pack" for him.

But White Zetsu was completely different. Yuzhen had confirmed his guess: only when absorbing White Zetsu's chakra did his basic attributes receive tangible reinforcement. This was a genuine "Experience Pack."

This had to count as a labor of love. White Zetsu was truly too great; its sacrifice was practically an act of selfless righteousness.

For a moment, Yuzhen even wanted to become a believer of the Rabbit Goddess and become sworn brothers with White Zetsu despite having different parents.

Once the chakra in this White Zetsu had been drained completely, it finally breathed its last.

Yuzhen carefully sensed the changes in his body. His physical constitution, as well as the quantity and strength of his chakra, had all received significant positive enhancements.

The extent of the enhancement was even exaggerated. Making a rough estimate, Yuzhen felt that he had become two or three tenths stronger overall.

One White Zetsu had brought a twenty-to-thirty-percent increase. What about 1,157 of them?

Yuzhen first became incredibly excited and began fantasizing about the possibility of piloting a giant robot in the ninja world, but he soon came to his senses... It was impossible for every "Experience Pack" to provide such a huge boost.

The reason he had been able to achieve such an exaggerated increase in strength was that his "basic panel" was simply too poor.

It was like an RPG. Naturally, one leveled up quickly at a low level, but once one's level was high, rapid improvement became impossible.

But no matter what, since the "Experience Pack" theory held true, Yuzhen had truly found a smooth path forward... He had to continue searching for isolated White Zetsu.

He wondered when White Zetsu would hold its next meeting. He could hardly wait.

The next matter could wait until next time. For now, Yuzhen needed to leave immediately. He ended his White Zetsu Transformation and cast a Fire Release technique at White Zetsu's corpse.

The scorching flames surrounded White Zetsu's corpse. As abundant chakra continued to spill out, the orange-red flames gradually turned white-hot.

The intense heat made the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees curl, dry, and carbonize. After just a few minutes, this White Zetsu had completely vanished into the flames.

The strength of Yuzhen's chakra had clearly increased. Although it was the same ninjutsu, its destructive effect was now far greater than before.

He didn't hesitate any longer and quickly turned to leave.

After running a considerable distance, Yuzhen emerged from the earth. He slowed his movement, and another matter began occupying his thoughts...

Just now, while using ninjutsu, he had noticed another change in himself.

He reached out and plucked a leaf, spreading it flat across his palm. Then he allowed his chakra to naturally disperse from his hand.

With his original chakra affinity, the leaf should have withered and burned directly. Yet what he actually saw was that the leaf first became extremely moist before beginning to burn.

"Water Release..."

More importantly, this wasn't the kind of Water Release chakra change that could only be detected by an extremely chakra-sensitive test strip after one had just learned it. This was Water Release chakra with the practical strength of a highly accomplished Water Release ninja.

After absorbing that White Zetsu's chakra, Yuzhen had mastered the Water Release change in chakra nature.

"This..."

According to what he knew, White Zetsu basically didn't use elemental ninjutsu. There was no reason for it to be proficient in chakra nature transformation. So what was going on?

Yuzhen suddenly thought of a possibility. Perhaps chakra nature transformation was a "latent trait" of White Zetsu. It had nothing to do with White Zetsu itself, but with the essence it had already forgotten.

"Before becoming White Zetsu, White Zetsu had been a ninja from ancient times. That White Zetsu just now might have been a ninja who was proficient in Water Release chakra transformation."

This might have been an ability buried deep within White Zetsu's body, one that it itself had forgotten.

"No, that doesn't make sense."

The guess was quite reasonable, but Yuzhen quickly rejected it.

That was because the White Zetsu currently active in the ninja world had all been born during the First Infinite Tsukuyomi. At that time, the Sage of Six Paths had not yet founded the Ninja Sect. The very concept of ninjutsu didn't exist, let alone the development of chakra nature transformation and elemental ninjutsu.

Therefore, before becoming White Zetsu, those unfortunate ninjas didn't understand ninjutsu. After becoming White Zetsu, they simply had no need for ninjutsu...

Yuzhen was somewhat confused.

"Perhaps ancient ninjas understood nature transformation but not elemental ninjutsu? Like someone with superb archery skills being born in an era before firearms were invented?"

For the time being, he could only assume that was the case.

His understanding was actually flawed here, because the original work's descriptions of the ancient era were incomplete. In fact, the first White Zetsu born through the Infinite Tsukuyomi had not been ninjas before becoming White Zetsu, but humans.

Kaguya Otsutsuki had swallowed the Chakra Fruit and activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi in order to destroy hostile human nations, not to deal with her two filial sons.

Yuzhen had always believed that White Zetsu had been born from the war between Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Hamura Otsutsuki, and Kaguya Otsutsuki. In reality, White Zetsu had been born before that battle.

Afterward, the two divine brothers sealed the Ten-Tails and sent their mother into the sky. Then they dispelled the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Hagoromo founded the Ninja Sect and spread chakra, and the era of ninjas began. He also became the legendary creator god, the Sage of Six Paths.

In short, Yuzhen had always believed that the idea that "White Zetsu was formed after ninjas were hung on the Divine Tree" was inconsistent with reality. White Zetsu's previous lives had actually been ordinary people.

Therefore, after analyzing things back and forth, he had really just analyzed nothing at all.

He thought he had guessed why White Zetsu concealed the ability to transform chakra nature, but he had actually missed the mark by a hair and ended up a thousand miles off.

Regardless, Yuzhen had now obtained Water Release chakra. Since he had learned it, he naturally wanted to test the power of Water Release.

Yuzhen clasped his hands together excitedly, but after holding them that way for a while without making any move, he lowered them again.

Understanding nature transformation didn't mean understanding ninjutsu. Yuzhen hadn't mastered the hand seals for Water Release at all.

Want to try it?

He couldn't try it even a little.