Chapter 22: Black Zetsu: Is He Hagoromo's Child, or Hamura's Child?
Awooo~
Watching the wolf pack regroup, and the alpha wolf lowering its head, wagging its tail,
Menma couldn't help but chuckle.
In a way, beasts perceive things more sensitively than humans.
Long before the battle began, this pack of jackals had already hidden in a cave.
Only after the fighting ended did they dare to venture out.
"Go on, have a feast."
Menma dropped these words, then turned and walked towards Konoha.
The pack of jackals lowered their heads, clearing a path for him.
Only after Menma walked out of the wolf pack and left the forest did the alpha wolf raise its head.
"Wo-awooo!"
The alpha wolf howled, and the other jackals no longer restrained themselves, rushing towards the 'food' they had coveted for so long.
Treading through pools of blood, they tore at the ninja corpses with sharp claws and teeth.
One jackal, however, broke away from the pack, following a scent deeper into the woods, stopping only when it saw a corpse.
Just as the jackal was about to bite down,
A pitcher-plant-like thing suddenly emerged from a tree and swallowed it whole.
"Awoowoo..."
Accompanied by the quickly fading cry, came the sound of chewing. Crunch~ Crunch~
Gulp!
"How terrifying. Good thing I didn't rush out just now, only observed from afar."
After swallowing the jackal, the pitcher plant actually spoke human words, its tone filled with human-like fear.
Simultaneously revealing a bizarre half-black, half-white yin-yang face.
White Zetsu, and Black Zetsu possessing White Zetsu's body.
"Is this Hagoromo's bloodline, or Hamura's bloodline?"
Watching Menma's departing figure, Black Zetsu's half-face was full of seriousness.
Even hiding far away in a tree using the Mayfly Technique (Kagerō no Jutsu), he could estimate the terror of that last strike.
That condensed sphere of super-high-quality chakra, despite having such violent energy fluctuations, was as stable as a Tailed Beast Bomb, yet its power surpassed the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Bomb.
Even this White Zetsu body with its extremely strong life force would be instantly obliterated if it got too close.
And that summoning technique he'd never seen before...
"When did such a powerhouse appear in the ninja world?"
Black Zetsu pondered deeply but couldn't find any character that matched.
Apart from that unique summoning technique, the guy showed no identifying marks.
"This matter must be reported to Madara as soon as possible."
As his voice fell, Zetsu once again merged himself with the earth and plants.
And traveled freely through the network of underground plant roots and groundwater streams.
The Mayfly Technique allows high-speed movement to any location, completely concealing one's presence during activation.
It was by relying on this powerful technique that he became an official member of the Akatsuki Organization.
A short while later.
"What happened here just now..."
A hundred Cloud ninja appeared on the battlefield, trembling as they stared at the scene before them, frozen in place, unsure what to do.
The battle was over. Only the devastated environment remained, silently testifying to the unspeakable brutality.
Just then, a Cloud Jōnin stepped forward, shouting loudly: "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and find Lord A and the others!"
The others snapped back to reality, immediately scattering in all directions, searching through the wreckage for useful information and survivors.
But all they found, searching high and low, were fragmented corpses.
And without exception, all were corpses of Cloud ninja.
"Didn't find Lord A or Lord Bee?!" The Cloud Jōnin started to panic.
Could it be, Lord A and the others...
But just as panic set in,
"Here..."
A weak cry was heard. The Cloud ninja immediately rushed towards the sound.
They saw the Fourth Raikage leaning against a tree, while Killer Bee had already collapsed beside him, completely unconscious.
"Lord A! Lord A, hold on! We'll take you back to camp for treatment right now!"
The Cloud Jōnin helped the Fourth Raikage up, only to hear him say weakly: "Retreat..."
"What..."
The Cloud Jōnin wanted to ask more, but the Fourth Raikage had already fainted completely.
...
At this time, in Konoha's meeting room, dozens of Jōnin were gathered.
Seated at the head were Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and...
The leader of Root, Shimura Danzō.
"Two hours ago, we received news that several hundred ninja stationed in the Valley of the Moon were killed by the Cloud's Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
Danzō spoke first, breaking the silence in the meeting room. The assembled Jōnin were stunned at first, then various strange expressions appeared on their faces.
"How dare the Cloud?!"
An Inuzuka clan Jōnin with a fiery temper looked furious, almost slamming the table and standing up.
Hyūga Hiashi's eyes flickered, his expression complex, unsure whether to be happy or sad for a moment.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku nearby frowned deeply, eyes fixed intently on Danzō.
But Danzō spoke again: "Regarding the results of the last meeting's vote, I suggest we invalidate it and hold a new vote to decide again whether to go to war with the Cloud."
When he proposed this, the previously noisy meeting room instantly fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen in the head seat.
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched; he felt utterly speechless.
Besides agreeing, what else could he do?
Clearly, things with the Hyūga clan had been settled. As long as Hyūga Hizashi was handed over as the scapegoat, the Byakugan wouldn't fall into outside hands, and war could be avoided.
But now...
Sarutobi glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Danzō, sighing inwardly.
No wonder you didn't go to the Hyūga meeting. Danzō, was this your countermeasure?
But, if you really did this, then this time you've gone too far.
A hundred Konoha ninja – even if they were mid-to-low rank – was something he absolutely could not accept.
Although there was no concrete evidence, Danzō's shadow was most likely behind this incident.
The final Jōnin vote result came as no surprise to Sarutobi.
"Very good."
Even Danzō's stiff, death-like face showed a smile now: "Then continue dispatching two thousand more ninja to the Valley of the Moon front line. Simultaneously, continue to escalate the public opinion storm, pressuring the Cloud completely on both military and public sentiment fronts..."
Just as Danzō stood up, elated, intending to leave,
Bang!
An ANBU suddenly pushed the door open, came to Sarutobi's side, and handed him a scroll.
"Lord Hokage, intelligence from the front lines."
Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed it was news of the Cloud dispatching more troops and opened the scroll with a frown.
The scroll's contents weren't long, only four characters.
But these four characters made Sarutobi's face show surprise.
"Cloud retreats!"
The other Jōnin were also stunned upon hearing this.
"How is that possible?!"
Danzō, however, snatched the scroll in disbelief, scrutinizing it carefully up and down.
But no matter how he looked, it was just four characters.
Cloud retreats!
Creak~
Danzō crushed the scroll in his hand, his expression gradually twisting.
"That masked bastard!! How dare he play me?!"
(End of Chapter)