Misaka Sisters 0002

Walking through the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Fucheng truly grasped the essence of that legendary critique.

"The Uchiha clan is full of prickly pears; only Itachi uses conditioner."

Uchiha Fucheng touched the tips of his hair.

Is it just a matter of hair quality?

Including Fucheng himself, nearly eighty percent of Uchiha clan ninjas sported hedgehog styles, afros, or Saiyan-like spiked hair.

Among the active-duty ninjas, the hedgehog-haired Uchiha were particularly numerous.

Before Uchiha Itachi was born, Uchiha Fugaku was the "conditioner boy" with the softest, sleekest hair.

As for Fucheng's current hairstyle, it actually resembled the future Second Pillar more.

"Eh, whatever. Being handsome is enough."

Fucheng preferred his own spiked hair, just as he preferred his face, which lacked deep tear troughs or nasolabial folds.

Looking at it this way, the resemblance between Fucheng and Fugaku really did carry a hint of the dynamic between Sasuke and Itachi.

Watching the Uchiha clansmen becoming increasingly motivated within the compound, Fucheng himself felt a surge of high spirits.

"Keep grinding. Only then will the Uchiha have a future. Otherwise, if I'm the only one doing all the work, I'll be worked to death even if I obtain the Eternal Mangekyō."

As soon as Fucheng entered the house, he saw Mikoto and the trio sitting on their knees in the main room, studying ninjutsu scrolls with intense focus.

Ever since returning to Konoha, Uchiha Hezi, Hatake Jiangyi, and Yakushi Nonō had been as happy as if it were a festival.

Beyond the extra ninjutsu scrolls he had rewarded them with, Uchiha Fucheng had also granted them access to study certain D-rank and C-rank ninjutsu.

Following the reforms within the Uchiha clan, thanks to their ability to copy techniques, the Uchiha were likely the clan with the widest variety of ninjutsu in the entire ninja world.

Immersed in the ocean of ninjutsu knowledge, the group hadn't stepped outside for several days.

When hungry, they would simply eat some dry rations or a Military Ration Pill.

Once they learned a technique, they would head to the backyard training ground to put it into practice.

After exhausting their chakra, they would return to the room to rest, recovering their energy while continuing to study the scrolls.

The cycle repeated endlessly.

In less than a week, aside from Mikoto, the three youngsters under Uchiha Fucheng's watchful eye had each mastered over five C-rank ninjutsu.

For the three who had just experienced the brutal battlefield, this effectively filled the critical gaps in their elemental ninjutsu repertoire.

Mikoto, however, didn't need to be too obsessed with ninjutsu.

She possessed the new talent of an Electro Master LV5; what she needed was to familiarize herself with various types of ninjutsu so that if she encountered them on the battlefield, she could target their weaknesses and counterattack.

She was currently focusing her training on the "electricity, magnetism, and wave" fundamentals Fucheng had arranged for her, as well as the coordinated application of her Electro Master ability.

In the intervals between intensive training, Mikoto also had to complete another important task with Fucheng.

That was to search the perimeter of Konoha for the next hidden White Zetsu scout.

Having grown familiar with Misaka Sister 0001, Mikoto had also grown fond of this mutant clone that possessed fragments of her own memories and a unique personality.

It wasn't just their similar appearance; Misaka Sister 0001 had also inherited the resilient side of Mikoto's character.

This gave Mikoto a unique sense of kinship when looking at the "White Zetsu-converted" Misaka clone.

Mikoto stood up, settled Hezi and the others to continue their training, and beckoned to the masked Misaka Sister 0001 standing guard nearby.

"Let's go. We'll find another one; it'll be perfect to convert it and give Sister 0001 some company."

Mikoto was full of drive, looking high-spirited and energetic.

The two of them and the Zetsu left the Uchiha compound, though this time they didn't head away from Konoha through the main gate.

Instead, they wandered around the interior of the village, circling the outer walls of Konoha.

This time, Mikoto was carrying a special backpack equipped with a fishbone antenna.

Every so often, she would use her electromagnetic ability to control the antenna on her back, releasing electromagnetic waves centered on herself for reconnaissance.

The surface of the fishbone antenna shimmered with sparks of electricity invisible to the naked eye, occasionally emitting a low, buzzing vibration.

During this process, Misaka Sister 0001 could act as a small-scale "wave reconnaissance" base station, expanding the range of Mikoto's detection in her direction.

The two and the Zetsu walked and scanned simultaneously.

When they reached an abandoned training ground, Mikoto suddenly made a rabbit-ear gesture.

Fucheng's eyes lit up.

His pupils instantly shifted into the shape of the Mangekyō.

This was the signal they had agreed upon; the rabbit-ear gesture meant something was emerging from underground.

In a village like Konoha, where Earth Style wasn't exactly a mainstream technique, something emerging from the ground was nine times out of ten a White Zetsu.

Fucheng used silent lip-reading to warn Mikoto.

He signaled for Mikoto and the Misaka Sister to hold their position while he moved in alone toward the location she had indicated.

After all, they were inside Konoha; while Mikoto's railgun was powerful, the sonic boom it created was far too loud.

Having Mikoto hold the line actually made it more convenient for him to operate.

Advancing less than fifty meters, Uchiha Fucheng had just rounded a small, tree-covered mound when he spotted a creature suspected to be a White Zetsu.

"Pure white, half its body exposed from the ground—it's you!" Fucheng looked toward the target location, confirming the White Zetsu's identity with pleasant surprise.

Just as he prepared to strike, he pulled back into the shadows of the trees.

"Something's not right. This White Zetsu seems to be monitoring a tree hollow further away?"

With his Sharingan activated, his vision was sharp enough to perceive the smallest details.

He instantly judged that this White Zetsu was keeping watch over a tree hollow in the distance.

In front of the meter-wide tree hollow, weeds grew in abundance, covered by tangled vines.

If not for the White Zetsu staring fixedly at that spot, Fucheng would never have noticed it.

Since he had spotted the hollow, Fucheng immediately deduced from the subtle traces of broken vegetation that this was a special entrance to a secret underground facility.

Underground, an entrance, and monitored by a White Zetsu?

"Could it be Root?" As soon as the thought crossed Fucheng's mind, the image of the Pot Kage Danzo, with one eye covered by a bandage, appeared in his head.

The vines at the mouth of the tree hollow suddenly began to sway.

A small ninja wearing a Root floral mask cautiously crawled out from the hollow, carrying an exquisite box inlaid with copper rivets.

The White Zetsu moved!

It dove directly into the ground, carefully using Earth Style ninjutsu to approach the Root ninja.

The Root ninja carefully tidied up the entrance to the hollow, scanned the surroundings to ensure there was nothing unusual, and then walked toward the edge of the forest with peace of mind.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Before he could finish his stride, two vine branches erupted from beneath the Root ninja's feet; one coiled around his legs, while the other sprouted numerous thorns and spikes, thrusting directly into the Root ninja's mouth.

The hidden White Zetsu emerged from the ground with the speed of a blur, its entire right arm transforming into a sharp, wooden spear that pierced straight through the Root ninja's heart.

Puff!

As the White Zetsu succeeded, the Root ninja didn't even bleed much; he only had time to let out a muffled grunt through his nose before collapsing to the ground, blood flowing from his mouth and nostrils.

This White Zetsu seemed to have an abnormal temperament.

It was unusually manic and bloodthirsty; seeing that its target was no longer moving, it repeatedly whipped the corpse with its wooden-spear arm.

By this time, Uchiha Fucheng had already arrived silently behind the White Zetsu.

Swish, swish. Two slashes.

The newly mastered Hatake Kenjutsu left the White Zetsu with no time to react, and it was directly dismembered of its arms and legs by Fucheng from behind.

Grabbing the White Zetsu by the neck with his right hand, Fucheng twisted the now limbless creature to face him.

Sharingan: Genjutsu!

A triple-layered Mangekyo-level illusion.

He stared directly into the White Zetsu's eyes until its gaze lost all focus.

Clearly, this manic White Zetsu could not withstand the Mangekyo and was instantly reduced to a captive of the illusion.

Mikoto, who had been following behind Fucheng, watched happily as he held the White Zetsu. She reached out to touch the creature's forehead, beginning to construct the Misaka Network.

Assimilating the White Zetsu clone!

Misaka Network established.

The White Zetsu underwent a series of changes; [Misaka Sister 0002] was born!