Uchiha's Wraith-Uchiha Madara

After a long silence, Tsunade said, "Jiraiya, once we get back to the village, I'm planning to resign and travel the world."

Jiraiya stared at her in surprise. "Tsunade, why?"

Looking at Ryobu's gravestone, Tsunade said, "Back when I was at the Ninja Academy, my clan told me to stay away from the Uchiha. Later, when I learned that Ryobu was different from the rest of the Uchiha, I finally let my guard down."

"But when I tried to get close to him, he stood me up. Only now do I understand that our teacher and my clan had interfered."

Jiraiya understood. Tsunade was such a proud person, and the Leaf's Princess was recognized throughout the Ninja World. How could she let others interfere in her affairs?

"Tsunade, our teacher was only afraid of the Uchiha..."

Tsunade nodded. "Ryobu himself admitted that the Uchiha had put him up to it. But at that Jonin Council meeting, Ryobu was the only one who burst in to support me. You and Orochimaru both stayed silent."

Jiraiya fell silent.

What Tsunade was talking about had happened after Nawaki's death. At the Jonin Council meeting, she had proposed Medical Reform: every mission team should have a medical ninja.

Tsunade's proposal hadn't been entirely practical at the time.

It was during the Second Shinobi War. The village treasured every medical ninja. The standards were high, and there were very few of them. How could every ninja team possibly have its own medical ninja?

Everyone had rejected Tsunade's proposal, including her fellow students. But Ryobu had dragged his Kidney Deficiency-afflicted body into the meeting and stood up for her.

Jiraiya continued, "Tsunade, the war isn't over yet. If you leave now, when you're the Medical Saint—"

Tsunade cut him off. "No. Right now, the village is only at war with the Mist Village. The Sand Village, Cloud Village, and Iwagakure are mostly on the defensive."

"And judging by the Mist Village's situation, they won't be able to hold out much longer. Otherwise, the Sannin and Minato wouldn't be here."

Jiraiya and Minato had nothing to say. If the fighting were truly that intense, they wouldn't have so much free time.

When all was said and done, every village was exhausted by the war.

Tsunade continued, "The village will probably elect the Fourth Hokage before long. And the Fourth Hokage..."

She looked at Minato.

Minato was taken aback. He answered modestly, "Lord Tsunade, you're giving me too much credit. Your achievements, our teacher's, and Senior Orochimaru's are all greater than mine. You'd be more suited to become Hokage."

Tsunade shook her head. "No, Minato. You're the star of this war."

If anyone had been born to become Hokage, it was Minato. The Third Shinobi World War was his stage.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. "Knowing Jiraiya's personality, he'll probably wander the world once the war ends. I doubt he's interested in the Hokage Position!"

"Tsunade, you really know me!"

Jiraiya scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. Then he teased her, "How about this? When the time comes, we can travel together—"

Tsunade cut him off. She really did cut him off: a punch charged with Monstrous Strength nearly broke Jiraiya's bones.

Jiraiya hurriedly called out, "Tsunade, don't do anything rash! You'll smash Ryobu's grave!"

Tsunade stopped.

Minato asked in confusion, "But what about Senior Orochimaru? Why do you say I'll become Hokage, Senior Tsunade?"

Tsunade sneered. "Orochimaru? The old man called Jiraiya and me back from the front lines to keep an eye on him."

"You all saw it earlier. Look how agitated Orochimaru got when he saw Ryobu's Forbidden Technique!"

"Actually, he's still fishing around for Ryobu's Forbidden Technique, isn't he? Even though it was blown to pieces!"

At the mention of Orochimaru, Jiraiya grew uncharacteristically serious. He and Tsunade gazed at the cliff beneath Kannabi Bridge. "Orochimaru... He's become harder and harder to read."

Tsunade said, "Jiraiya, once we're back in the village, investigate Orochimaru thoroughly. I think Ryobu was right. That guy Orochimaru may be secretly researching some kind of Human Body Forbidden Technique!"

Jiraiya nodded.

"All right, I'm leaving. If you two want to wait for Orochimaru, go ahead!"

As Tsunade spoke, her body blurred and disappeared.

Jiraiya watched her go and sighed. He hadn't been joking when he said he wanted to travel the world with Tsunade. She had rejected him once again.

Jiraiya patted Minato on the shoulder. "Minato, actually... If Tsunade wanted to become the Fourth Hokage, you wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Minato nodded. He, too, had to admit Tsunade had an absolute advantage.

The Young Lady of the Senju Clan, granddaughter of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, one of the Sannin, the Slug Princess, the Medical Saint...

Minato had no idea how much harder the village's fight would have been without Tsunade in this Ninja World War. There was already heated discussion in the village about her becoming Hokage.

"But you don't need to feel inferior. Tsunade was right: you're the star of this war."

Jiraiya changed tack and encouraged Minato. "Besides, the old man entrusted you with the secret mission of disposing of Ryobu. That proves he's already made his choice. You should know he's keeping an eye on Orochimaru."

"Minato, once you're back, have Kushina secretly sew a Hokage Robe and hide it at home. You'll need it when the time comes!"

"Sensei, don't joke around!"

"Hahaha..."

Minato watched Jiraiya laugh, tears glimmering in his eyes. Was his teacher laughing or crying?

His teacher was grieving too, but he still had to calm down and comfort them.

Jiraiya might not have been the strongest, but he was the ninja who gave people the least to worry about.

Anyone who had worked alongside him was willing to trust him with their back.

Ryobu was another matter. He had a way of hurting people. Hiruko was a case in point.

Below Kannabi Bridge, Orochimaru emerged from the rushing water and leaped onto the bank. In his hand was a white fragment that looked like wood.

Orochimaru stared at the fragment. It looked like wood, yet he thought it might be the keratin of some kind of creature. He couldn't make heads or tails of it. "What is this? How could Ryobu's body have something like this? Could it be because of the Forbidden Technique?"

They thought they knew Ryobu well, but they still knew far too little about him. Everyone knew he had studied the Immortality Forbidden Technique.

But Orochimaru had only heard about the principles behind the Chimera Technique and Creation Rebirth, both derived from that forbidden technique.

If the news about Ryobu's research into forbidden techniques hadn't somehow come out, Orochimaru wouldn't have known that his former classmate was just like him.

Playing with life!

But there was one thing Orochimaru could be sure of: Ryobu was much like him. They were both willing to do whatever it took for eternal life and power.

"Ryobu, don't think that just because there's nothing left of you, you can't do anything to me. Your vision is no better than Hiruko's. You're both second-rate."

"I haven't completely mastered the Second Hokage's Forbidden Technique, but I'll have to take a risk if I want eternal life. Just wait, Ryobu. I'll bring you back to life."

Orochimaru vanished from the bank with a Body Flicker.

After he left, a Pitcher Plant emerged from the spot where he'd just been.

"I didn't expect Orochimaru to chase after him so relentlessly. I have to report this to Lord Madara as soon as possible. He found my Spore Fragment."

The Underground Base not far from Kannabi Bridge.

An old man with snow-white hair sat motionless on a wooden seat, eyes closed and a cane in his hand.

Behind him stood a towering Senra Statue. Several Wooden Conduits stretched from his back and connected directly to the statue. Clearly, his life depended entirely on the statue constantly supplying him with nourishment.

Lying in front of the old man was... Ryobu!

Ryobu hadn't exploded into pieces, and he wasn't dead. He was just in rough shape: his hair and beard had turned white, and he looked like he was on the verge of death. He could have been the old man's brother, given how alike they looked with their eyes closed.

White Zetsu Tobi poked Ryobu's body as he lay on the ground, apparently trying to see how this newcomer compared to Obito.

The old man slowly opened one eye. "Get up. Stop pretending. You've been asleep for nearly a day."

At the old man's signal, Tobi picked up a stick and poked Ryobu.

Ryobu kept pretending to sleep. Tobi poked him right in the backside.

Ryobu hurriedly rolled over to protect himself, then shakily got to his feet.

That was the worst thing about being old: you'd fall asleep at the slightest touch, and the moment someone helped you up, you'd try to shake them down.

Minato's kunai had indeed pierced Ryobu's heart, and at the time he had been close to death.

The only mistake was that Minato hadn't stabbed him in the head!

The moment his heart was pierced, Ryobu used the Chimera Technique to suppress the injury. As for the explosion afterward, he hadn't set it off himself.

Just as Orochimaru had guessed, Ryobu had made his own Explosive Tags. What he swallowed had been nothing but a wad of paper.

A White Zetsu spore had attached itself to Ryobu. When he jumped down, that White Zetsu Clone had taken his place and blown itself up. White Zetsu then rescued Ryobu and transported him to Madara Uchiha's base.

And the reason he looked like this now?

Minato really had pierced his heart, so Ryobu had used Creation Rebirth to devote all his active cells to repairing it, keeping himself alive.

Creation Rebirth worked by using Chakra to stimulate cell division and regenerate organs.

The technique needed to be used together with the Yin Seal. Ryobu hadn't mastered the Yin Seal, so he'd had to deplete his own cells to produce Chakra.

It was as if he'd used the cells throughout his entire body to regenerate his heart. His cells had been depleted, and his youthful appearance had naturally turned old.

Ryobu secretly glanced at the old man before him. His hair was as white as frost, his face deeply lined, and he looked as if he might die at any moment.

If nothing unexpected happened, this man was the wraith of the Uchiha, Ryobu's ancestor—Madara Uchiha!

Judging by the situation, if Ryobu waited until Madara was a little older and then killed him, he'd be able to absorb a hundred-year Soul Ring.

Ryobu noticed the tubes behind Madara. They were Madara's oxygen supply. Without them, Madara would kick the bucket.

Ryobu coughed twice, wondering how to play his part.

Madara had already left the Leaf Village by the time Ryobu was born.

To the Uchiha, Madara was both a source of pride and a taboo.

He was probably the first rogue ninja in the Leaf Village! But his status was so high that the village's officials hadn't dared to treat him as one.

The Uchiha couldn't exactly hold Madara up as a heroic spirit, either. The younger generation had only heard of him; they had never seen him.

Before Ryobu could think of what to do, a loud commotion broke out.

"Old man, that's Madara Uchiha. He's an evil man. Don't let him lead you astray!"

Ryobu turned to look.

A humanoid creature lay on a bed. Bandages were wrapped around his head, one half of his body was intact, and the other half had been stitched together with some kind of grayish-white substance. He gave Ryobu a look of concern for the old man.

Ryobu stared. "Obito?"

Obito stared back. "Old man, you know me?"

Ryobu laughed. "Obito, you brat, you're not dead! When you died, your uncle cried so hard. That night, he only ate one bowl of rice."

"I was going to arrange your funeral and collect Gift Money, but Fugaku and his goons came straight in and smashed the place up."

"Uncle?"

The Underground Base was so dark that Obito couldn't make out Ryobu's face at first. Even after he saw him clearly, Ryobu was so old that Obito didn't recognize him.

"Who are you? Why do you sound so much like that guy Ryobu?"

Ryobu snapped, "You little punk, Obito! How dare you call Ryobu by his name? I'm your Uncle Ryobu!"

"Ryobu, it really is you!"

Obito jumped off the bed and bounced over to Ryobu. "Ryobu, why are you so old?"

"Does that mean I've been stuck in this godforsaken place for decades?"

Obito clutched his head, unable to believe it. He figured that Kakashi had probably married Rin by now and had kids, too.

Ryobu looked around, snatched the cane from Madara's hand, and smacked Obito on the head with it. "Obito, haven't I always treated you well? I even gave you two big red envelopes when you were born. Is this how you talk about your uncle behind his back?"

Obito clutched his head. "Uncle, stop hitting me! My grandma told me the envelopes you gave me were Explosive Tags. You nearly blew me to pieces!"

Ryobu chased after Obito, swinging the cane. "You ungrateful brat! What else would a ninja put in a red envelope but an Explosive Tag? Do you know how much one costs?"

Madara: (☉д⊙).

Did these two think they were old hometown friends reuniting?

"Enough! Obito, go play somewhere else!"

Madara's Sharingan lit up. Obito immediately lost control of his body and was forced to lie rigidly on a wooden bed nearby.

With Ryobu around, Obito was basically useless. Madara didn't even have to pretend to be friendly with him anymore.

Seeing how easily Obito had been immobilized, Ryobu swallowed and turned to Madara, who looked rather imposing. He put on an act and asked, "Old man, where is this place? Who are you?"

Madara snorted. "Stop pretending. You're not as naive as Obito. How many people who research Human Body Forbidden Techniques are good?"

Obito was only being restrained, so he was still conscious.

Hearing that Ryobu had studied Human Body Forbidden Techniques, he was shocked. "Uncle, you really studied Human Body Forbidden Techniques? Is that true? You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Wait, Uncle, the Forehead Protector on your head... You defected!"

Ryobu adjusted the Rogue Ninja Forehead Protector on his head, which looked rather badass, and dropped the act in front of Obito. "That's right, Obito. I'm a rogue Uchiha now. My bounty is already a hundred million ryo."

Obito was stunned. "Uncle, what on earth did you do?"

Ryobu sneered. "What did I do? I went to an orphanage to hand out milk to the kids, but their parents had to sign for it before they could get any."

That was truly evil!

Obito had never imagined Ryobu could be so cruel.

(╬☉д⊙).

Madara had been holding his breath the whole time. He was very old and usually spent his days asleep. If the tubes in his back were pulled out, he'd kick the bucket. After all the commotion Ryobu had caused, Madara felt as if he were about to die.

He hurriedly gave Tobi a look. Tobi immediately covered Obito's mouth, and the whole world fell silent.

"Mm-mm—"

Ryobu didn't dare make any more trouble. He hurriedly prostrated himself before Madara to show his submission. "Your junior, Uchiha Ryobu, pays his respects to the clan ancestor!"

Madara was from Ryobu's grandfather's generation, but with his strength and prestige, he was worthy of being called an ancestor of the clan.

Still, given the atrocities Madara had committed, Ryobu thought Madara Old Demon suited him better.

"Ancestor?"

Madara slowly calmed down, feeling a little wistful at the title. In the blink of an eye, he'd become an ancestor to the younger generation!

Hashirama... So many years had passed in the blink of an eye!

Memories of the old days, down by Niaohe Bank...

Ryobu abruptly changed his tune, went over, and clung to Madara's leg, wailing, "Ancestor! Do you know how much prejudice your descendants have suffered in the Leaf Village?"

"Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō—they're all terrible people! They're trying to drive the Uchiha to ruin!"

Madara sneered to himself. Serves them right!

When Madara had left the Leaf Village, he had considered taking his clan with him. But the Uchiha had grown enamored with the peace of the Leaf Village, and one after another they had refused to follow him. They had betrayed him.

Madara's final years had been lonely...

"And what about me? All I did was kill a few people and study a couple of forbidden techniques!"

"That old scoundrel Danzo and that old viper Orochimaru have committed too many crimes to count. If I killed them, I'd be a saint."

"Ancestor, tell me—am I right?"

Liao Wu spoke as he slowly reached behind Madara and felt for his oxygen tube.

Madara looked at him calmly. "Kid, go ahead and pull it out!"

"..."

Liao Wu gave an awkward smile, lowered his hand, and backed away.

Even though Uchiha Madara was so old he could barely walk, he wasn't someone Liao Wu could scheme against.

Besides, even if Liao Wu pulled out Madara's oxygen tube, could he escape with so many White Zetsu here?

And more importantly, how could Liao Wu tell whether he was under an Illusion Technique?

From the beginning until now, Liao Wu hadn't once met Madara's gaze. But in front of someone like Madara, the Number One Under Six Paths, he could be controlled without eye contact.

Madara tossed Liao Wu a scroll. Liao Wu caught it and immediately widened his eyes. It was the scroll containing Liao Wu's Forbidden Technique.

Researching Forbidden Techniques required written records. Nobody had a memory that good, so Liao Wu had written everything down in a scroll.

He'd wondered who stole it. So it was Madara. That meant Madara had also been the one to expose his secrets.

Fine, you old undying bastard! Just you wait—I'll pull out your oxygen tube!

There was no need for Madara to put on an act around someone as calculating as Liao Wu.

Madara snatched the cane from Liao Wu's hand and tapped him on the head. "What kind of nonsense is this? Who was your language teacher? Bring him to me!"

Liao Wu bowed his head and let Madara tap him with the cane, secretly delighted.

Liao Wu usually recorded everything in Han Language. Although Japanese had evolved from Han Language, the two weren't interchangeable in many respects.

Madara had probably had a White Zetsu steal the scroll, only to find he couldn't understand it. So he'd set things up to force Liao Wu to defect.

"Enough, Liao Wu. I'll get straight to the point. I arranged for you to escape. I need your Forbidden Technique to restore my prime."

The moment he heard about Liao Wu's Forbidden Technique, Madara changed all his plans.

Originally, he'd planned to wait for Nagato to grow up, have him use the Rinnegan to perform the Reanimation Technique and revive Madara, and then complete the Moon Eye Plan himself.

Madara had also considered what might go wrong. If Nagato didn't revive him, who would take charge of the Moon Eye Plan?

Madara had set his sights on the naive Obito.

He'd manipulated Obito, making him despair of the world and place all his hopes in the World of Illusion.

After Madara's death, Obito would take over the Moon Eye Plan and be ready to revive him whenever the opportunity arose.

But that plan could also go wrong. After all, there was nothing more reassuring than doing things yourself.

Now, if Madara could just get his hands on Liao Wu's Forbidden Technique, he could restore his youth and return to his peak.

Who in the Ninja World, without Hashirama, could stop him now?

And the Five Great Shinobi Villages had just finished a Ninja World War. They were all exhausted.

He had the right time, the right place, and the right people. What was Uchiha Madara waiting for?

Madara had even abandoned his plan to turn Obito Blackened, devoting all the White Zetsu to obtaining Liao Wu's Forbidden Technique.

There was no way someone as weak as Liao Wu could escape the pursuit of the Uchiha Police Force, the Anbu, and Root Member. That was nothing but a pipe dream.

Even Orochimaru's attack had been part of Madara's help.

When Orochimaru had nearly caught Liao Wu, Madara had used the Transfiguration Technique to transfer himself into a White Zetsu, then used an Illusion Technique to help Liao Wu escape.

What Madara hadn't expected was that the Third Hokage would send Minato Namikaze after Liao Wu.

The moment they met, Minato had gone straight for the kill.

Madara had thought his ambitions were about to crumble, but somehow, Liao Wu Kid had survived.

Back to the point: one of Madara's Sharingan fixed on Liao Wu, radiating immense pressure.

You couldn't deal with someone like Liao Wu the way you did with Obito—not by carefully laying the groundwork and slowly driving him to despair until he believed in the Moon Eye Plan.

Would someone who could live forever really want to spend his life dreaming? People like that were usually just ordinary, selfish types who didn't care what happened to the world.

As long as they were enjoying themselves, that was enough.

Uchiha Madara looked down on such people, considering them slaves to greed and desire.

But they were also the easiest to deal with. All it took was a mix of threats and promises.

Liao Wu hurriedly lowered his head and replied, "Ancestor, I've always admired you. It's just that my Forbidden Technique is too complicated. It involves Quantum Mechanics, calculus, General Relativity..."

"Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to learn it."

Quantum Mechanics? Calculus? What was all that?

Madara recognized them as a blind spot in his knowledge. He felt a little behind the times. It was time to have the White Zetsu gather textbooks from the Ninja Academy so he could catch up.

He wasn't about to let the times leave him behind.

Madara tapped his cane, pressuring Liao Wu. "Then tell me, Liao Wu. How can you restore my youth?"

"Ancestor, my Forbidden Technique can be used on other people, not just myself. How about you find me a life first? I'll demonstrate it for you."

Liao Wu looked around and spotted Obito pinned down by Tobi. He immediately pointed at him. "Him! He's alive."

Liao Wu, I'll—*&%&*&

If Tobi hadn't been holding him back, Obito would've leaped up and gone after Liao Wu.

Madara ignored Liao Wu's choice and tapped his cane. A white humanoid figure poked its head out of the ground, then slowly emerged. It was a White Zetsu Clone.

Madara's White Zetsu came in two kinds. One kind had been inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Those were the original White Zetsu, the first of their kind, created as Puppet Weapons from people controlled by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to fight the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

The other kind had been cultivated by Madara using Hashirama Cells.

The original White Zetsu included Main Body White Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi. They had been infused with Hashirama Cells and possessed Wood Style Power.

The rest were White Zetsu Clones, cultivated by Madara using Hashirama Cells and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's energy.

Madara pointed at the White Zetsu Clone. "This is a White Zetsu Clone, an Artificial Human I cultivated with Hashirama Cells. It has much greater vitality than an ordinary person."

"Use it for your demonstration!"

Liao Wu nodded and slowly walked over to the White Zetsu Clone. He looked at its vacant eyes and dull expression.

To be honest, Uchiha Madara wasn't the kind of person who cared for his juniors. He was an old demon.

He'd even put a Curse Mark on Obito, a fool, just to feel at ease. Someone as devious as Liao Wu had probably been covered in Curse Marks already.

If Liao Wu restored Madara's youth, wouldn't Madara have no more use for him?

And anyone who was no longer useful would be disposed of.

But if he didn't help Madara regain his youth, Liao Wu would still be disposed of—probably even sooner.

There was one more important thing: Liao Wu had lied to Uchiha Madara. His technique didn't have an option for using it on someone else.

Liao Wu's technique stole other people's life force to extend his own. To extend Madara's life, he'd have to give Madara his own life.

Why would Liao Wu develop a technique that was so selfless?

He didn't have the time for it, and he wasn't that kindhearted.

But for the sake of his own life, Liao Wu needed to have some value in Madara's eyes right now.

But what would happen if Madara found out later? Liao Wu was a little troubled.

Still, Madara wasn't invincible at the moment. In fact, he was at his weakest. Old Madara's Rinnegan was with Nagato.

There was only one Sharingan in his eye socket, and it was transplanted.

In the manga, Madara fell asleep after having White Zetsu bring Obito to him. That proved he couldn't remain conscious for long in his current state.

If Liao Wu could raise his strength a little more, he might be able to get away.

But he couldn't improve his strength all at once. He had to take things step by step.

Given enough time, Liao Wu could reach the level of the Sannin.

Unfortunately, he was already aboard Uchiha Madara's ship, and there was no getting off.

He'd resolved his physical problems and broken free of Leaf Village's shackles. Now Madara had become another shackle around his neck.

How could he raise his strength quickly?

Liao Wu thought of the Bloodline Plunder of the Chimera Technique.

When talking about the Chimera Technique, he had to mention Hiruko.

Liao Wu had once been confident he could solve his Kekkei-genkai Illness through his own efforts. But as the Sannin gradually pulled ahead of him, he'd lost hope.

One person's power had its limits.

Besides, Liao Wu wasn't a genius. His Medical Ninjutsu came from his past life's experience as a traditional doctor, and he knew how to train in the Rasengan because he'd read the manga.

Liao Wu didn't dare approach Orochimaru, afraid that the venomous snake would devour him without leaving a trace. So he'd sought out Hiruko instead.

In the Original Work, Hiruko had been a contemporary of the Sannin. His talent had been mediocre, so he'd secretly researched the Chimera Technique to make up for his shortcomings.

The Third Hokage discovered him and drove him out.

By the time of Shippuden, Hiruko had used the Chimera Technique to gain power that rivaled or even surpassed the Sannin. The technique's ability to perfectly steal other people's Kekkei Genkai had been impressive.

Liao Wu had approached Hiruko, who needed Liao Wu's expertise in Medical Ninjutsu.

They'd hit it off immediately, a pair of rogues working together.

The moment the technique succeeded, Hiruko had been ecstatic—then Liao Wu had stabbed him in the back.

The technique had worked, but it was only an early version. It could steal just one Kekkei Genkai, and it couldn't exceed the body's limits.

There was no helping it. Even in the Original Work, Hiruko had needed more than a decade to refine the Chimera Technique after inventing it.

At present, how many Kekkei Genkai were there to steal in Uchiha Madara's base?

The first was Uchiha Madara, but his Rinnegan was with Nagato, and the Sharingan in his eye was transplanted.

On top of that, he'd transplanted Hashirama Cells and had Wood Style in his body.

He was undoubtedly the best target for Bloodline Plunder, but Liao Wu had never dared to set his sights on him.

The second was Obito. He had a Two Tomoe Sharingan.

If it had been Mangekyo Kamui, that would've been one thing. But it was only a Two Tomoe Sharingan. Liao Wu hadn't awakened his own eyes, but he still had an inexplicable confidence that made him look down on it.

The last remaining Kekkei Genkai belonged to the White Zetsu Cells.

Did White Zetsu Cells count as a Kekkei Genkai?

They did! White Zetsu weren't strong in battle, but they were excellent at gathering information, infiltration, and support.

They had the Spore Technique, which let them attach themselves to people. Even powerful figures like the Five Kage couldn't sense them.

The spores could keep an eye on their target and absorb Chakra.

White Zetsu could also transform perfectly. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, White Zetsu could not only imitate someone's appearance, but also copy their Chakra and voice.

Even the Byakugan couldn't see through them.

The Ninja Alliance had suffered badly at their hands. Only Golden Body Naruto could sense disguised White Zetsu through Malice Perception.

There was also the Mayfly Technique, which let them move underground, and a simple form of Wood Style Power.

Simply put, White Zetsu Cells were a variant of Hashirama Cells, with special abilities even more useful in some ways.

They were Hashirama Cells that had mutated toward stealth, reconnaissance, and infiltration.

At his current level, Liao Wu's body couldn't absorb complete Hashirama Cells. And if he wanted to get them now, he'd have to ask Madara, which would naturally make Madara suspicious.

So he'd first steal White Zetsu Power, obtain White Zetsu Cells for support, and leave the complete Hashirama Cells for later.