Nawaki groggily woke from his stupor and suddenly realized that his entire body seemed to be submerged in water. Panic immediately gripped him. Just as he tried to struggle, he discovered that he could not move at all, and his chest felt unbearably heavy and painful.
Looking down, he saw a huge hole in his chest! It was covered by some sort of transparent membrane, through which he could clearly see a white heart beating inside his chest!
"Mm!" The terrified Nawaki tried to cry out, only to discover that a breathing tube had been inserted into his mouth, making it impossible for him to make a sound! Just as he tried to struggle, he heard a crisp tapping sound from beside him.
Focusing his eyes, he saw a familiar figure outside the transparent glass tank. It was his older sister, Tsunade. She held up a sheet of white paper with four large words written on it—Do not move around.
The moment Nawaki saw his sister, he immediately calmed down. He laboriously moved his right hand, wanting to greet her.
Tsunade outside the tank seemed extremely agitated. She covered her mouth with one hand, holding back her emotions so she would not cry, then immediately picked up a pen and seemed to write something on another sheet of paper. After a while, she pressed it against the tank for Nawaki to read.
You were badly injured. Your sister operated on you, and now you need to recover in nutrient fluid. Do not panic. Relax.
After reading it, Nawaki gave Tsunade a slight nod. Tsunade continued writing furiously.
Rest without worry. Your sister will definitely heal you.
Nawaki suddenly felt sleepy. That tiny movement just now had actually drained every last bit of his strength. He could only laboriously make an OK gesture before falling into a deep sleep.
Watching Nawaki slowly drift off, Tsunade could not stop her tears from falling again. However, she could now be certain that she had snatched her little brother back from the Shinigami.
"Oh, how fascinating. It actually fused so well with my spore organs. It seems this child is rather unusual."
"Who is it?!" Tsunade spun around and threw a Monster Strength Fist, but struck nothing. The intruder's movements were swift and precise. With merely a half-step to the side, he perfectly avoided the force of her punch.
A chill ran down Tsunade's spine. This laboratory was located in the basement of Sunagakure Hospital. As its designer, she knew perfectly well how hidden it was and how strict its security was.
According to the rules she had established, no one could enter without an access card. Moreover, there was only one passage leading here from the hospital, with four security checkpoints along the way. Yet this person had infiltrated this place without making a sound, coming right up beside her without her noticing. Such infiltration ability was utterly terrifying.
Once Tsunade got a clear look at the intruder, she felt even more uneasy. He looked identical to the White Zetsu she had chopped to pieces before, but he only had half a head! The other half was piled atop his head in a spiral, while his body was half gray and half white, looking utterly mismatched no matter how one looked at it. This was likely White Zetsu's Original Body that Keiko had mentioned!
"You woman, how can you be so brutal? You killed so many of my spore bodies, and you even dare attack me! You deserve a beating!"
White Zetsu waved a hand at Tsunade. Countless white, fibrous growths suddenly emerged from her body. They grew more and more numerous, larger and larger, and gradually sprouted heads, facial features, and limbs. They looked just like White Zetsu, utterly disgusting.
Tsunade flew into a rage and activated her Monster Strength, tearing at the growths on her body. Yet they clung like chewing gum; no matter how hard she pulled, she could not tear them off. Instead, they grew stronger and stronger, nearly covering Tsunade's entire body.
Tsunade could clearly feel her chakra being absorbed by those fibrous growths, so she hurriedly stopped using her Monster Strength. The white fibers still did not stop growing, until they eventually wrapped Tsunade up completely.
Ignoring Tsunade, who was still struggling with the spores, White Zetsu stared obsessively at Nawaki inside the tank.
"How interesting, how marvelous. There was actually no rejection reaction. Why did I never think I could play with it this way? I need to take him back for Black Zetsu and the old master to see. They will definitely like him." As he spoke, he reached toward Nawaki inside the tank.
"I suggest you take your hand away. Otherwise, I would not mind chopping it off!"
A cold voice suddenly rang out. White Zetsu looked around in horror, but there was no one in sight. Lowering his gaze, he realized that the voice had come from a weasel!
A sleek, glossy-furred yellow weasel leaned casually against the glass tank, looking like a thug. One of his eyes was blind, covered by an imposing black eyepatch. He held a miniature Damascus Steel dagger in his paw and leisurely sharpened his claws. Though small, the killing intent and pressure he radiated forced White Zetsu to take two steps back.
At the same time, the white spores that had wrapped around Tsunade suddenly withered at a visible rate. With a sharp cry, Tsunade tore apart the shriveled spores, a syringe conspicuously held in her hand.
"Looks like mineral toxins are still effective against your spores. Thank you, Lord Buck."
Tsunade casually tossed the syringe aside, rolled her wrists, and prepared to step forward to fight White Zetsu.
"I say, Brother Black, how do you do it? Every time you show up, you do so without a sound. Even my Iron Sand cannot detect you. Could you teach me?" Keiko had just seen Danzo off when he turned around and spotted Black Zetsu's half face.
"It is a space-time ninjutsu. You need talent for it. You might not necessarily be able to learn it." After thinking it over, Black Zetsu answered very seriously.
"Where is Brother White? Why did he not come?" Keiko looked around.
"He went off to do something else. I came to ask you for a favor this time."
Keiko unhurriedly raised a hand, gesturing for Black Zetsu to sit, then personally poured him a cup of tea.
"Do not be in such a hurry, Brother Black. Tell me about it."
Black Zetsu did not stand on ceremony. He sat cross-legged and said,
"I just came from Earth Country. The fighting there had been intense, but for some reason both sides suddenly ceased fire. After asking around, I learned that Hanzo of the Salamander had been assassinated. The Hokage and Kazekage had gathered in the Land of Rain to mourn him. The Tsuchikage and Raikage were afraid of being stabbed in the back, so they pulled back their forces. What are you planning? Are you going to mediate the war?"
Keiko unhurriedly poured himself a cup of tea as well.
"That is indeed the intention."
"Hm?" Black Zetsu clearly had not expected Keiko to be so frank.
"Without experiencing the suffering of war, people will never cherish absolute peace."
"So you mean to let them keep fighting?"
"Yes."
"Is this the old master Madara's intention?"
Black Zetsu's body visibly stiffened before immediately returning to normal.
"You already knew?"
Keiko remained unhurried as he lifted his tea and took a soft sip.
"You placed so many things on me. How could I not know? Brother Black, you have not treated me as a member of the organization."
Black Zetsu stared blankly at Keiko for a long while before speaking.
"Little brother, do not take it to heart. You only just joined the organization, did you not? Your big brother had to keep something in reserve."
"Heh." Keiko merely smiled and said nothing.
"Tell me. What do you want?" Black Zetsu knew that the man before him would not act without profit.
"Straightforward! I can help you persuade Hiruzen Sarutobi not to interfere in the Iwa-Kumo War for the time being, but you must promise me one thing—arrange a meeting between me and old master Madara."
"This..." Black Zetsu found himself in a difficult position.
Keiko did not urge him. He merely waited quietly.
"Fine, I will arrange it!" Black Zetsu seemed to have made a tremendous decision.
"Good, then it is settled. So, how long are you planning to have those two old men fight?"
"Let them fight for two or three years first."
Before you continue