"These guys don't seem to be human." Kazuki said as he held up a White Zetsu clone, examining it.
"Compared to humans, they're more like plants. They don't even have internal organs."
Tsunade nodded with a solemn expression. She ultimately didn't tell Kazuki and the others that this might be a product of Konoha's Wood Release experiments.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Kazuki, but rather that he was too young and shouldn't be exposed to such dirty matters. It was hard to guarantee that his mindset wouldn't change.
Tsunade decided to protect these children's innocence and prevent them from knowing the village's dark side before they turned fifteen.
And the truly dark part of the village was actually her grand-uncle, Tobirama.
Moreover, there were outsiders here, nobles and samurai, so it was inconvenient to let them know these things.
She pulled out a storage scroll and collected all of the White Zetsu bodies.
Although she suspected these might be products of Wood Release research, and that these White Zetsu might not have come to harm them, but rather to protect—no, to be precise, to monitor them.
Didn't Kushina say that these guys harbored ill will towards them?
This certainly couldn't be Hiruzen's doing. The only person Tsunade could think of was Danzo.
Sure enough, that dog Danzo had ill intentions. It was correct that her grand-uncle hadn't let him become Hokage back then.
"Let's put these things away first and take them out after we return to the village." Tsunade explained softly.
She decided that once they returned, she would definitely make her teacher properly rein in Danzo.
A stealth ability that even the Byakugan couldn't detect.
If Danzo had such a team, wouldn't everyone have no privacy in the future?
"So, are we still doing this mission? I have a feeling something will go wrong with this mission."
Kazuki didn't know how Tsunade made her guesses, but he strongly suspected Madara was up to something.
If Madara truly made a move, their entire team would be wiped out.
"The mission has progressed this far, we can't refuse it now."
Tsunade looked meaningfully towards the noble carriage nearby, then said indifferently, "Besides, since Kushina can sense their presence, it's not a big problem."
"What's more, aren't the seniors still here?"
"As long as the opponent isn't an exceptionally powerful entity, there won't be any problems. And how could those ninja casually make a move?"
Kazuki naturally couldn't reveal anything about Madara. Moreover, he was actually still excited about the upcoming battle.
"Black, the Kumo ninjas have already learned about Kushina and Rinka. They are heading towards Tsunade's team." A White Zetsu reported to Black Zetsu.
When Madara was absent, Black Zetsu was the representative of Madara's will.
Of course, even when Madara was present, only White Zetsu and Black Zetsu themselves knew whether White Zetsu listened to Madara or Black Zetsu.
"Hmm, it seems a Great Ninja war is about to begin." Black Zetsu revealed a slight smile.
The Rinnegan had awakened, and it wouldn't be long before he could rescue his mother.
However, before that, he still needed to weaken the Ninja World's strength as much as possible.
Also, to test whether his two older brothers had any contingencies in the Ninja World, the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clan all needed to be tested. Oh, right, the Hyuga too.
And who knows what happened to those Ōtsutsuki on the moon?
The Uzumaki clan is now almost extinct, so the Senju and Uchiha have become the primary targets.
So the key is still to target Konoha!
Suddenly, Black Zetsu's expression changed.
He said in a hoarse voice, "The White Zetsu near Kushina have been discovered. It seems to be related to the Nine-Tails."
"That woman Mito hasn't died yet. It seems she gave some of the Nine-Tails's Chakra to Kushina."
"This woman's talent is truly outstanding!"
Even Black Zetsu had to admit Kushina's excellence, as not just anyone could withstand the Nine-Tails's Chakra.
Even if this Nine-Tails's Chakra had been purified by Mito.
If Kushina was allowed to continue growing, she would probably become another Mito in the future, and then they would still be unable to get White Zetsu into Konoha.
They still needed Kumogakure to abduct Kushina, which could also trigger a Great Ninja War.
If Kumogakure killed the Uchiha's greatest genius, abducted the backup Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, stole the Byakugan, and severely wounded Hashirama's granddaughter, and Konoha still had no reaction, then he, Black Zetsu, would call Hiruzen the Ninja World's most patient person and call him a Ninja Hero.
"Once both sides start fighting, have White Zetsu help the Kumogakure side and block those Anbu."
As if he thought of something, Black Zetsu instructed the White Zetsu beside him.
Kazuki didn't know that Black Zetsu was once again targeting them, or rather, had always been targeting them, practically relentlessly. Kushina had actually become a hot commodity.
This was also a huge test for Kazuki. On the way to escort the nobles to the Daimyo's Mansion, they were usually inside the carriage. This also gave Kazuki more time to rest and train.
After all, a noble's journey, even if it was as fast as a ninja's, from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Fire's Daimyo's Mansion, if it didn't take a month, the Land of Fire would feel embarrassed.
Wouldn't that make the Land of Fire's territory seem small?
Finally, the monthly refresh opportunity for the combat arena arrived.
Fourth Great Ninja War—Hyuga Hinata!
Five Kage Summit—Mifune!
Young Senju Tobirama!
Seeing the four names that appeared in the combat arena this time, Kazuki's eyes immediately lit up.
Mifune was not someone Kazuki could defeat. Mifune during the Fourth Great Ninja War was definitely a Kage-level expert, probably even stronger than the current Sakumo.
Kazuki had fought Sakumo before, and honestly, he at this stage was far from Sakumo's match.
As for White Zetsu, Kazuki was confident in dealing with them, as long as it wasn't that special White Zetsu. Otherwise, he was confident in facing them.
Hinata during the Fourth Great Ninja War...
Kazuki forgot if she was a Jonin or Chunin, it should be more likely Chunin.
Hinata was a classic example of someone with talent who just hadn't fully displayed it.
40 Advanced Chapters on