White Zetsu can actually merge together?
Ryoma was stunned and immediately stood up.
He had always been fascinated by creations born from Hashirama's cells, though he vaguely recalled that later in the story, Kishimoto changed the lore—White Zetsu was revealed to be people trapped in Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi long ago.
But right now, none of that mattered. Ryoma's curiosity burned brightly.
"You three, step back. Leave this one to me!"
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin quickly moved aside, their gazes locked on Ryoma.
All along the journey, they had been curious about his true strength. Now, as they watched him step forward, their hearts pounded. They wanted to see what he could really do—but at the same time, they feared that strange white creature might kill him.
"Sensei, you can do it!" Rin gathered her courage and called out.
Ryoma chuckled softly and ruffled her hair, earning simultaneous groans of disbelief from Kakashi and Obito.
By now, White Zetsu had already lunged forward, jagged spikes sprouting across his body in a grotesque display.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ryoma poured chakra into his shuriken and hurled it. In the air, the weapon multiplied into countless shadows, filling the sky with flashing steel before raining down upon White Zetsu.
Team Minato could only stare, jaws dropping.
"Whoa!"
"Awesome!"
"I want to learn ninjutsu like that too!"
Shurikens whistled through the air—swish, swish, swish—before embedding themselves into White Zetsu's body. But the creature simply stood there, unaffected.
"As expected, physical attacks don't work well… his durability is too high." Ryoma narrowed his eyes. "And if he's capable of using Wood Release too, will my own Mokuton even be effective?"
If not, this could turn into a drawn-out fight—and he would have to prioritize getting the kids to safety.
White Zetsu lunged again, but in a flash, Ryoma had grabbed all three genin and carried them away.
"Sensei, does that mean… we can't beat him?" Rin asked, nearly in tears—not only from fear of defeat, but because the white creature was simply too hideous.
Ryoma shook his head. "No. I just don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."
The next moment, the three realized they had been transported across the massive bridge in the blink of an eye.
A kilometer vanished in an instant.
This… was their teacher's true speed?!
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin stared, utterly shocked.
And before they could even process it, Ryoma was already back in front of White Zetsu.
"Lotus—First Step!"
Appearing beneath White Zetsu, Ryoma delivered a crushing upward kick to his chin, sending him flying. He immediately canceled the follow-up—the rest of the Lotus involved grappling and restraints, not suited for this opponent.
"The teacher is incredible!" Rin's eyes sparkled.
Kakashi frowned slightly. So this is the level of a jōnin…
Obito clenched his fists. "Just watch! Someday I'll be even stronger than Sensei!"
"Mokuton: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
Ryoma formed hand seals. From the ground, a massive wooden dragon erupted and coiled around White Zetsu, binding him tightly.
The instant the Wood Dragon took hold, Ryoma felt it—not only was it draining chakra, it was also pulling something deeper from within White Zetsu.
Life force.
Hashirama's cells.
So it was true—White Zetsu really was created from the First Hokage's cells!
Within seconds, the Wood Dragon had drained him dry, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of clear liquid on the ground.
From a distance, Team Minato trembled. Their teacher… had sucked the life out of that strange white monster in moments.
Ryoma checked his internal fusion rate.
57.9%.
Absorbing this White Zetsu had raised it by 0.3%.
If he absorbed a thousand of them, he could reach 100% instantly.
Ryoma sighed, glancing at the lifeless water stains on the ground. "What a waste… there was still more I could have studied."
When he turned back, he noticed the looks in his students' eyes.
They were… afraid of him.
The sight of White Zetsu's drained body had clearly shaken them.
Ryoma gave a wry smile. "Come on. Let's move."
But his mind was already turning. If White Zetsu was showing up here…
Could that mean Madara would appear as well?
Unlikely. Not yet.
Because Madara Uchiha had been forced into hiding during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, he dared not reveal himself before Minato Namikaze.
By the time he eventually saved Obito, he was already so old and frail that he was clinging to life by a thread.
It was clear then—his remaining strength was not much.
This stage now should still be around the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge would take place in perhaps three to five years, certainly no more than ten.
That meant the current Madara was already at the very end of his life.
Ryoma thought even deeper: perhaps after faking his death against Hashirama, Madara had been living on borrowed time ever since.
Otherwise, why had he not appeared openly during the First Great Ninja War? Or the Second?
Even when Tobirama Senju fell and Konoha's leadership shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi—when the village was in turmoil—Madara did not return to wreak havoc.
Instead, he acted from the shadows, sowing discord and cultivating successors like Nagato and Obito.
Ryoma reasoned that the legendary Uchiha must not have had enough confidence in his own strength to step forward directly.
At most, he sent White Zetsu and Black Zetsu to test the waters.
For Ryoma, who now possessed more than fifty percent fusion with Hashirama's cells, directly confronting Madara in that weakened state would hardly be worth the effort.
In a cavern hidden deep underground, the air was heavy and damp. At its center, an old man sat slumped on a stone throne. His body was frail, withered like a dying flame in the wind. From his back extended thick black tubes that connected to the colossal Demonic Statue of the Outer Path looming behind him.
This old man was Uchiha Madara.
From the cavern wall, White Zetsu emerged.
"Madara-sama, that man named Ryoma is very strong."
"You mean the one Uzumaki Mito acknowledged as the final bloodline of the Senju clan?" Madara's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Yes… His strength is overwhelming. He even has the ability to absorb us. Three White Zetsu were completely drained in less than ten seconds."
Madara's dim eyes suddenly lit with sharp clarity. "He's heading toward Kirigakure, then?"
"Yes."
Madara leaned back slightly, a cold glint flashing across his gaze.
"If he can absorb three of you so easily… what about one thousand? Ten thousand?"
As his words fell, the shadows beneath the Demonic Statue stirred.
In the darkness, tens of thousands of White Zetsu slowly opened their eyes in unison.
...
TN:
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