Deception, More Deception

Uchiha Fucheng and his group followed the Rain ninjas in pursuit, immediately alerting Black Zetsu, who was hiding deeper within the shadows.

Black Zetsu was astonished to discover:

Among these newly arrived Uchiha ninjas was the current clan head he had been wanting to make contact with.

The legendary "Uchiha Fucheng," who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Could it be that after a streak of bad luck, one's fortune takes a turn for the better?

Black Zetsu thought to himself, feeling even a hint of joy.

Considering the formidable observational capabilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Black Zetsu dared not act rashly.

He merely followed from a distance, observing cautiously with a specialized sensory technique.

Salamander Doshin of the Land of Rain had run a great distance after fleeing the town.

Before a slippery, sheer cliff face, the group of Rain ninjas came to a halt.

Ordinary ninjas might have thought they could finally relax, but the powerful Salamander Doshin's expression only grew more despondent.

"Prepare yourselves, we are surrounded!"

Salamander Doshin warned the others with resentment.

"Use whatever means you have left; this is likely our final battle."

One, two, three...

Nine, ten, eleven, twelve...

"Twelve? How did the number increase so much?"

The White Zetsu who had come to gather the others looked like a computer that had crashed.

He was completely bewildered.

"Didn't I only summon ten White Zetsu? How did the count suddenly go up?"

The White Zetsu scratched the back of his head; his logical processing seemed unable to grasp why there were two extra White Zetsu.

Because the Misaka Sisters were themselves transformed from White Zetsu, as long as they used the Foreign Object Transformation, they could even simulate the scent of a White Zetsu.

Except for lacking the Spore Technique, they could deceive ordinary White Zetsu in every other aspect.

Of course, Black Zetsu, accustomed to hiding behind the scenes and being quite cunning, certainly could not be fooled.

The Misaka Sisters were not simply imitating White Zetsu to blend in; they possessed far superior logical thinking and fully autonomous communication skills compared to the White Zetsu.

Now, the two Misaka Sisters who had infiltrated the group began their masterclass in deception.

Misaka 0011 spoke up first, "I suspect there is an enemy among us! Some of these White Zetsu are definitely moles."

Misaka 0009 immediately stood alongside 0011.

0009 scanned the other White Zetsu with a stern expression, not even sparing the one who had summoned them.

"You all need to prove that you are not moles who have infiltrated our ranks."

The group of White Zetsu, whose brain circuits were far from normal, immediately erupted into chaos.

Some were shouting that they were veterans among the White Zetsu, pure-blooded, authentic White Zetsu.

Others were explaining that they had been busy monitoring a target and were summoned here for no reason; they hadn't wanted to come at all.

Still others were laughing foolishly, pointing at themselves and muttering, "You know, now that you mention it, I am a White Zetsu too, so I might be the enemy."

With this commotion, including the one who had summoned them, a total of thirteen white humanoid creatures were in complete disarray in the underground space.

This was the moment where the importance of having a straight man and a funny man became apparent.

Misaka 0009 and 0011 began to play off each other perfectly.

They first used a trumped-up charge to declare that the one taller than the rest was a mole, binding him with rope first.

Then, they tied up the White Zetsu who had been laughing and pointing at himself, wrapping him up tightly like a rice dumpling.

With those two excluded, the White Zetsu who had summoned them suddenly felt "at ease."

"Thanks to you two!"

In his brain circuits, having 12 become 10 felt like the correct number.

But Misaka 0009 and 0011 wouldn't let him have his way.

The two worked together and pinned the summoning White Zetsu to the ground as well.

The other eight, who had just been helping the Misaka Sisters tie up the others, seemed to have developed "muscle memory"; seeing the Misaka Sisters continue to capture people, they simply continued to help tie them up.

After all this fuss.

They had managed to bind thirteen White Zetsu into nine large white dumplings.

Things had gone so smoothly that 0009 and 0011 could barely hold back their laughter.

Finally, they were left with the two most gullible White Zetsu, and only then did 0009 and 0011 stop.

The White Zetsu bound on the ground were either foolishly looking around or muttering to themselves, one after another.

"You guys are just grabbing at random; you definitely didn't catch the right ones."

That chaotic cacophony of voices sounded just like being dropped into a pile of Minions.

It wasn't until four masked figures appeared in the underground space once more that these White Zetsu finally stopped their bickering.

The only two White Zetsu who remained free wore expressions of vigilance, staring blankly at the four masked ninjas.

They looked at each other with some concern, cautiously edging closer to 0009 and 0011.

"Come here, you!"

0009 and 0011 struck in an instant.

Only then did the two White Zetsu realize:

They had been tightly restrained by the very White Zetsu who had been the most enthusiastic about tying up the others.

"You? Him? Me? Us?"

The brains of these two White Zetsu were clearly not quite up to the task; for a moment, their language systems fell into complete disarray.

They could not understand.

Why the two White Zetsu who were on their side would turn around and capture them, the two "enthusiastic binders."

Mikoto and the Misaka Sisters successfully closed their net, leaving Black Zetsu, who was lurking underground, completely bewildered.

According to the timeline, the White Zetsu sent out just moments ago should have already brought people back.

Yet, as Uchiha Fucheng was about to launch an attack on the remnants of the Rain ninjas, there was still no sign of the supporting White Zetsu.

Water Style: Dam Who Repairs It!

Salamander Doshin of the Land of Rain was the first to strike.

In an environment already plagued by rain, the effect of Water Style was exceptionally potent.

Like a torrential flood tornado, a massive wave of murky water poured out from the side of the Rain ninjas.

Earth Style: Earth Wall

At the very center, a wall of earth bearing the image of a ninja cat was released by Uchiha Fucheng.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart

This was a collaborative jutsu that extended over a dozen meters along the center line.

Two Uchiha jonin provided the necessary support for the technique.

The murky, giant wave slammed into the rock wall, curling back and flowing right into the midst of the Rain ninjas.

Standing atop the rock wall, the Uchiha ninjas unleashed their second fire-wind combo jutsu, executing it with zero-frame startup speed toward the enemy.

Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon + Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

The fire borrowed the momentum of the wind, and the wind bolstered the power of the fire!

Driven by the wind jutsu, the massive fire dragon expanded into a giant flame head over a dozen meters wide, crashing into the crowd of Rain ninjas like a meteorite.

Fucheng had no intention of ending the battle quickly.

His primary focus remained on the three White Zetsu underground.

These remnants of the Rain ninjas were perfect for giving his Uchiha subordinates some training.

Precisely because Fucheng had not gone all out, Salamander Doshin on the opposite side began to harbor a glimmer of hope.

He felt that although the Uchiha ninjas' offensive was sharp, it lacked the suffocating pressure of a death trap.

He simply adopted a "go for broke" stance, intending to unleash a wave of extreme output.

Three Military Ration Pills and two bitter, potent Stimulant Pills were swallowed in one gulp by Salamander Doshin.

The Rain ninjas beside him also pulled out their own special concoctions, swallowing them whole, skin and shell alike.

This wild, desperate posture from the enemy made the young Uchiha, who were accustomed to fighting one-sided battles, subconsciously grow tense...