Zou Hyuga had been busy lately, spending most of his time at the secret base.
He worked on everything from fusing white Zetsu cells with Uchiha cells to producing materials for laying out the chakra network.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss brought back from Kusagakure had been installed at the Leyline Base, where the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu kept it securely contained.
Through his research into the Box of Ultimate Bliss and the earth veins, Zou Hyuga had made quite a few discoveries. He had all but overlooked these things before, or perhaps they had simply been impossible to detect.
For instance, the earth veins rooted deep beneath the planet's surface were not a natural phenomenon.
Much like the Box of Ultimate Bliss, they were very likely a legacy left behind by the God Tree. Even after its fruit had been eaten and the Ten-Tails had been stripped away and split into the nine tailed beasts-
The God Tree had still left a profound, lasting impact on this land, giving rise to the Sacred Grounds and all manner of demons.
Zou Hyuga held out his hand and looked at the diamond-shaped mark on his palm. It was no longer purely black; faint traces of white had begun to appear.
He strongly suspected that it had something to do with his earlier escape from the Box of Ultimate Bliss's control.
Seeing the Cursed Seal on Kimimaro had also brought about a subtle shift in his mindset. Whatever entity lay behind the black markings, he had to prepare a way to counter it.
Just then, footsteps sounded nearby, and Oto Uchiha appeared before Zou Hyuga.
"Still worrying about your research?"
"I've made some headway with the white Zetsu cells, but there are still plenty of problems to solve in other areas..." After