"Konan, let's go. We can handle this ourselves."
"Black Zetsu, keep an eye out for any news about the rings. When the time comes, make sure Hidan uses his technique."
Shirozumi saw that the argument wasn't going to end anytime soon, so he decided to leave them to it.
After giving Black Zetsu his instructions, he left the cave with Konan.
"Understood."
Black Zetsu acknowledged him, then used the underground root system to bring out a scroll.
It didn't contain stored blood, but a catalog.
To make the threat effective, they had to accurately identify which bottle of blood belonged to which shinobi. Otherwise, the so-called threat would be a joke.
And to identify them accurately, every bottle had to be recorded.
The task had been given to the other White Zetsu, and they had now finished it.
Just as Madara Uchiha believed Black Zetsu was the embodiment of his will, Uchiha Obito believed the hundred thousand White Zetsu had truly been created by him using Hashirama Cells.
In truth, there was only one way to create White Zetsu: by transforming people who had been caught in Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The hundred thousand White Zetsu were those created through transformation in ancient times, during the era of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
From beginning to end, these White Zetsu had obeyed only one person: Kaguya Otsutsuki.
With Kaguya sealed away, Black Zetsu held the next-highest authority.
All of Madara and Obito's authority had essentially been a deliberate pretense by Black Zetsu, allowing the White Zetsu to obey their orders.
Shirozumi thought it might be necessary to give Black Zetsu a hint before long.
As fighters, the hundred thousand White Zetsu were honestly pretty useless. Their one advantage was their ability to infiltrate.
But as a hundred thousand tireless workers who didn't need food, drink, or a salary, working day and night without a break...
Wouldn't that be amazing?
"Maybe Pain and I should go instead. You can't fly..."
After leaving the cave, Konan spoke with an awkward expression.
Deidara was actually one of the hardest Akatsuki members to capture, because he had air superiority.
He couldn't fly on his own, but the giant birds and dragons made of clay could carry him through the air.
But as luck would have it, Tsuchikage Ōnoki could fly too.
So, to rescue Deidara, it would be best to have someone who could fly or attack airborne targets.
Konan and Pain could both fly.
As for Shirozumi...
He really couldn't.
That was exactly what Konan was worried about. They might rescue Deidara, only to leave someone even more important—Shirozumi—behind in Iwagakure.
"Can't you just take me with you, Konan? You could wrap me in paper."
Shirozumi grinned.
"That's something I use against enemies. It would interfere with your Chakra."
"Perfect. I don't use Chakra."
"...Why don't you just say you want me to carry you?"
"Would you?"
"..."
"Never mind. Since you won't budge, take me to see the leader. I want to run an experiment."
Seeing that Konan still wouldn't give in, Shirozumi grew serious and made his request.
"An experiment?"
Konan was curious.
So she carried Shirozumi to the tower in Amegakure, where they met Nagato again.
"What is it?"
Nagato asked.
"Uh, Nagato, why not bring a Jinchuriki here and use the Preta Path to absorb some Tailed Beast Chakra? You look like you could keel over at any moment."
Looking at Nagato's painfully gaunt frame, Shirozumi thought that if he didn't know better, he'd assume Nagato used some kind of launch-yourself-into-the-air method to fall asleep every night.
"Thanks for your concern, but I know my body well. I'm nowhere near dying, so don't worry."
Nagato smiled.
But paired with his sunken cheeks and sickly look, the smile was a little unsettling.
"Nagato, the Strategist told me he wanted to see you. He needs your help with an experiment."
Konan cut in, steering the conversation back on track.
"Oh? What kind of experiment?"
Nagato asked.
"Konan, when I said 'the leader,' I actually meant Pain."
Shirozumi gave her a helpless smile.
"It's the same thing. How do you need Pain to help you?"
Nagato controlled Deva Path Pain, who entered from outside.
"That's true. What I need is for him to attack me with Shinra Tensei."
"What?!"
Nagato was stunned.
Attack him?
He couldn't figure out what Shirozumi was trying to do.
Was he a masochist?
Testing how durable his body was?
Or did he have a Kekkei Genkai that awakened after he got hurt?
"My current ability awakened while I was traveling through space and time in Karasuki, which belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan.
"I suspect that coming into contact with other things connected to the Otsutsuki Clan might awaken a new power."
As Shirozumi spoke, he suddenly appeared at the other end of the room.
Even now, Nagato and Konan still couldn't figure out what this strange ability of Shirozumi's actually was.
"Things connected to the Otsutsuki Clan?"
"That's right. Actually, when I went on a mission with Itachi, I wanted to use him for an experiment.
"The Rinnegan and Sharingan are both closely connected to the Otsutsuki Clan.
"But nearly all the Natural Energy in my body had already been used to strengthen my existing ability, so I gave up on the idea.
"I've absorbed a little more Natural Energy over the past few days on the way back from the Land of Waves. This seems like a good chance to try it out."
Shirozumi explained seriously.
"Understood. Then let's move somewhere else."
Nagato wheeled himself outside Amegakure, to a wide open area, with Shirozumi and Konan.
Nagato raised a hand and looked at Shirozumi. "Tell me when you're ready."
"Go ahead."
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force erupted from Nagato himself, sending Shirozumi flying.
"Shirozumi! Are you okay?"
Konan fluttered her papers like a pair of wings, catching Shirozumi as she asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. Natural Energy has strengthened my body, and Nagato held back. An attack of this level isn't enough to hurt me."
Shirozumi steadied himself and stepped out of Konan's white paper.
"Did it work?"
Nagato asked.
"No."
Shirozumi shook his head.
"Was your theory wrong, or was that not enough?"
Nagato pressed.
Watching them, Konan felt as if their team had come together again, training their ninjutsu for the sake of their shared dream...
"The theory should be right. There might be some minor differences, at most. When I gained my current ability, I could feel how the power in my body had been activated and awakened.
"As for whether it wasn't enough... Probably, but it wasn't a matter of the attack being too weak."
Shirozumi answered Nagato carefully.
"It wasn't a matter of the attack being too weak..."
Nagato had initially thought his holding back was why the experiment had failed, but apparently that wasn't the case.
"Never mind. Let's leave it at that."
Shirozumi smiled, then turned to Konan. "The attempt to awaken an ability failed. Konan, can you take me flying now?"
"Fine. Then you... Nagato, what are you doing?!"
Konan stared in shock at Nagato behind Shirozumi.
Nagato pressed his palms together, and a trembling black sphere appeared between them.
The sphere gave off an eerie glow.
"Konan, move aside."
"Shirozumi, I believe in you, just as I believed in Yahiko."
"You'll definitely succeed!"
"Chibaku Tensei—"
Nagato thrust the black sphere forward. It struck Shirozumi and slowly carried him up into the sky.
A terrifying gravitational field appeared.
The soil and trees on the ground began to tremble, gradually drawn toward the black sphere.
The gravitational pull kept growing stronger.
Konan was frantic.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to worry more about Nagato, who was using Chibaku Tensei at the cost of his lifespan, or Shirozumi, who had been hit by it.
But then...
Thud.
Clatter.
The cracked earth that had been pulled upward returned to its original state, and everything in the sky that had been drawn in fell back to the ground.
Shirozumi included.
The black sphere of gravitational force that had appeared against his abdomen had now vanished without a trace.
Before you continue