The Return of Shadowless

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 thrash about, he found that he could not move at all, and his chest felt so heavy it hurt.

Looking down, he saw that there was actually a huge hole in his chest! It was covered by some sort of transparent membrane, and he could clearly see a white heart beating inside his chest!

"Mm!" Terrified, Nawaki tried to cry out, only to find a breathing tube inserted in his mouth. He could not make a sound at all! As he was about to struggle, he heard a crisp tapping sound 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 calmed down. With difficulty, he moved his right hand, wanting to greet her.

Outside the tank, Tsunade seemed extremely emotional. She covered her mouth with one hand, holding back her tears, 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 seriously injured. Your sister performed surgery on you, and now you need to recover in nutrient fluid. Don't be nervous. Relax.

After reading it, Nawaki gave Tsunade a slight nod. Tsunade continued writing rapidly.

Rest peacefully. Your sister will definitely heal you.

Nawaki suddenly felt sleepy. That tiny movement just now had actually exhausted all the energy in his body. He could only make an OK gesture with difficulty before falling into a deep sleep.

Watching Nawaki slowly drift off, Tsunade could not stop her tears from falling again. But now, she was certain that she had snatched her younger brother back from the hands of the Grim Reaper.

"Oh, how fascinating. It fused so well with my spore organs. Looks like this child is rather unusual."

"Who's there!?" Tsunade spun around and threw a Monster Strength Fist, but struck nothing. The intruder moved swiftly and precisely, shifting only half a step sideways to narrowly evade the force of her punch.

For a moment, a chill ran down Tsunade's spine. This laboratory was located in the basement of Sunagakure Hospital. As its designer, she naturally knew exactly how hidden it was and how tight its security was.

According to the rules she had set, no one could enter without an access card. There was only one passage from the hospital to this place, with four security checkpoints along the way. Yet this person had infiltrated without a sound, coming right beside her without her noticing. Such infiltration ability was utterly terrifying.

When she got a clear look at the intruder, Tsunade became even more uneasy. This person looked exactly like the White Zetsu she had chopped to pieces earlier, except he had only half a head! The other half was a spiral-shaped mass piled atop it, and his body was half gray and half white, looking utterly mismatched. This was likely the White Zetsu's Original Body Jing Hang had mentioned!

"You woman, why are you so vicious? You killed so many of my spore bodies, and you still dared attack me! You truly deserve a beating!"

White Zetsu waved a hand at Tsunade. Countless white, fluffy growths suddenly emerged from her body, growing more numerous and larger by the second. Slowly, they even sprouted heads, facial features, and limbs. They looked just like White Zetsu, revolting beyond words.

Tsunade flew into a rage and activated her Monster Strength, tearing at the growths covering her body. But they clung to her like sticky candy. No matter how hard she pulled, she could not tear them off. Instead, they grew ever larger, nearly covering her entire body.

Tsunade could clearly feel her chakra being absorbed by the fluffy growths, and quickly stopped using Monster Strength. Yet the white growths did not stop expanding. In the end, they completely wrapped Tsunade up.

White Zetsu ignored Tsunade, who was still struggling with the spores, and stared at Nawaki in the tank with infatuated eyes.

"This is too interesting, too miraculous. There was actually no rejection reaction. Why didn't I think of playing with it this way? I'll take him back for Black Zetsu and the old master to see. They'll definitely like him." As he spoke, he reached for Nawaki inside the tank.

"I advise you to take your hand away. Otherwise, I won't mind chopping it off!"

A cold voice suddenly rang out. White Zetsu looked around in terror but saw no one. Looking down, he realized that the voice had come from a weasel!

A glossy, plump yellow weasel leaned against the glass tank with a roguish air. One of his eyes was blind and covered by a domineering black eyepatch. Holding a miniature Damascus Steel dagger, he leisurely sharpened his claws. Though small, the killing intent and imposing aura radiating from him forced White Zetsu to take two steps back.

At the same time, the white spores that had already enveloped Tsunade suddenly withered at a visible rate. With a sharp cry, Tsunade tore apart the shriveled spores, a syringe conspicuously clutched 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.

"Say, Brother Black, how do you do it? Every time you show up, there's no sound at all. Even my Iron Sand can't detect you. Can you teach me?" Jing Hang had just sent Danzo away when he turned around and saw Black Zetsu's half-face.

"It's a space ninjutsu. It requires talent. You might not be able to learn it." Black Zetsu thought about it and answered seriously.

"Where's Brother White? Why didn't he come?" Jing Hang asked, looking around.

"He went to do something else. I came to ask you for a favor."

Unhurriedly, Jing Hang raised a hand, motioning for Black Zetsu to sit down and talk. He even personally poured him a cup of tea.

"Don't be anxious, 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 in full swing, but for some reason, both sides suddenly called a ceasefire. After asking around, I learned that Hanzo of the Salamander had been assassinated. The Hokage and Kazekage gathered in the Land of Rain to mourn him. Afraid of being stabbed in the back, the Tsuchikage and Raikage pulled back their forces. What are you planning? Are you going to mediate the war?"

Jing Hang unhurriedly poured himself a cup of tea as well.

"That is indeed the idea."

"Hm?" Black Zetsu clearly had not expected Jing Hang to be so frank.

"Without experiencing the suffering of war, people cannot truly cherish absolute peace."

"So you mean to let them keep fighting?"

"Yes."

"Is this old master Madara's intention?"

Black Zetsu's body visibly stiffened before immediately returning to normal.

"You already knew?"

Jing Hang remained unhurried as he picked up his tea and took a light sip.

"You planted so many things on me. How could I not know? Brother Black, you haven't treated me as a member of the organization."

Black Zetsu stared blankly at Jing Hang for a long while before speaking.

"Little brother, don't take it to heart. You only just joined the organization. Your big brother had to keep something in reserve, didn't he?"

"Heh." Jing Hang 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 now, but you must agree to one thing—arrange for me to meet old master Madara."

"This..." Black Zetsu found himself in a difficult position.

Jing Hang did not rush him, merely waiting quietly.

"Fine, I'll arrange it!" Black Zetsu seemed to have made a difficult decision.

"Good, then it's settled. So, how long are you planning to let those two old men fight?"

"Let them fight for two or three years first."