All Hokage in The Chat Group

Chapter 233: Chapter 233 A New Forest in the Desert



In the vast desert where the former Kingdom of Wind once stood, White Zetsu's pale form emerged cautiously from the ground. His yellow eyes scanned the endless expanse of sand, ensuring there were no ninjas or other threats in sight that might interfere with his mission.

Satisfied after a few seconds of vigilant observation, he fully surfaced, his white, featureless body contrasting starkly against the golden dunes.

"One-Tail Shukaku…" he muttered to himself. "Where could that guy be hiding?"

According to the information he had, Shukaku was somewhere in this desert. However, despite the tailed beast's massive size, the desert was infinitely larger. Searching for such a creature in a place as vast as this was no simple task, especially for someone as inexperienced as White Zetsu who had just created.

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, White Zetsu donned a dark robe that concealed his unnatural, pale skin and monstrous features. Without it, encountering a human would almost certainly expose his presence.

Unbeknownst to him, not far away, Hashirama and Tobirama were watching his every move. Hidden among the dunes, they observed White Zetsu with keen interest.

"So that's the one hunting-tailed beasts?" Hashirama said, his tone curious but unimpressed. "He doesn't look very strong."

Tobirama glanced at his brother and sighed, shaking his head. "Brother, you only think that because you're ridiculously strong," he replied dryly. "For ordinary shinobi, capturing a tailed beast is no easy mission."

Still, Tobirama admitted, "This guy isn't as powerful as I expected either. It's strange. I can't shake the feeling that there's more at play here. He doesn't seem capable of carrying out something as big as hunting tailed beasts on his own."

His sharp eyes followed White Zetsu's movements, his mind racing with possibilities. "I suspect there's someone—or something—behind him, guiding this guy because look at this guy he seems lost and dumb," Tobirama added, his voice thoughtful and serious.

Hashirama nodded but kept his gaze fixed on their target, waiting to see what White Zetsu would do next.

Whether in terms of strength or intelligence, White Zetsu fell far short of what was required to orchestrate such a mission alone. It was obvious that someone else was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

"Brother, don't catch him yet," Tobirama said, his voice calm but firm. "Let's follow this guy and see where he leads us. If we're lucky, we can trace him back to his base."

However, as he turned to confirm the plan, Tobirama realized with exasperation that Hashirama was already rushing toward White Zetsu.

"Hey, kid! Don't run!" Hashirama bellowed, his voice echoing across the desert as he prepared to unleash a powerful ninjutsu.

Tobirama slapped his forehead in frustration. "Oh, come on! Why can't my brother listen to me for once?" he muttered under his breath. "We could have tracked him back to their base! Now the plan's ruined!"

As Tobirama stewed in his irritation, the battle between Hashirama and White Zetsu erupted. Realizing he'd been discovered, White Zetsu immediately retaliated, summoning his own Wood Style ninjutsu to defend himself.

Hashirama's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, this is interesting!" he exclaimed. "I don't know how you managed to use Wood Style, but this makes you a much more fun opponent!"

Without hesitation, Hashirama clasped his hands together and called out, "Wood Style: Birth of the World of Trees!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive forest erupted from the desert sands, defying the terrain as if the very earth obeyed Hashirama's will. The sheer force of his chakra overwhelmed White Zetsu's defenses. Within moments, the battle was over.

White Zetsu lay motionless among the towering trees, defeated by Hashirama's overwhelming power. The desert, once barren and lifeless, now stood transformed into a lush, verdant forest—a testament to the might of the First Hokage.

Tobirama, still watching from afar, sighed deeply. "Great," he muttered. "Now we'll never know where their base is. Nice work, brother."

Hashirama stepped forward to inspect the aftermath, a sheepish look on his face. The situation was, admittedly, a bit awkward.

Tobirama approached, his expression stern. "Brother! Why did you kill him outright?" he exclaimed. "Even if we couldn't trace his base, we could have extracted information from his mind! You were too reckless!"

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Hashirama offered a clumsy defense. "Well... he was using Wood Style too, and I got a little excited," he admitted. "I thought he'd put up more of a fight. Honestly, who would have guessed he'd be this weak?"

Tobirama crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Weak or not, this was a wasted opportunity," he said firmly.

Hashirama nodded reluctantly and continued, "I didn't even use any high-level jutsu—just Birth of the World of Trees. He couldn't even handle that! Honestly, I don't know how this guy even thought about capturing a tailed beast."

Tobirama let out an exasperated sigh. His irritation was growing, but something about the situation nagged at him. "Still, even though your jutsu is powerful, it shouldn't have been enough to outright kill him," he remarked thoughtfully.

He began to piece things together, his sharp mind analyzing the details. "I know you, Brother. You might act recklessly at times, but when it comes to capturing someone, you know how to hold back. After all, you've been through countless battles. If this guy is dead... it's not entirely your fault. There's something off about him."

Frowning, Tobirama knelt beside White Zetsu's lifeless body, carefully sealing it inside a scroll for further study. "We'll figure this out later," he said, standing up.

With nothing else to gain from the scene, the two brothers left the transformed desert behind and returned to Konoha Village, their minds already turning to the next steps.

After half a day of meticulous research, Tobirama finally concluded.

"Brother, this guy isn't human," Tobirama declared, turning to Hashirama with a serious expression.

Hashirama's eyes widened in surprise, his nerves immediately on edge. "Not human? Could it be… an alien?" he asked, his voice tinged with caution.

His mind raced back to the stories Ryan had shared about alien visitors—powerful beings from the moon. Those aliens were formidable, and if one of them had arrived to cause trouble, the situation could escalate quickly.

Tobirama shook his head, dismissing the idea. "No, it's not that. This thing appears to be some kind of biological human, likely created by someone. While it looks human on the outside, it doesn't have normal internal organs or anything like that," he explained. "And as for its Wood Style... it was transplanted using your cells. He isn't human or animal I think he is more like a plant."

Hashirama frowned deeply at this revelation. As he processed Tobirama's analysis, a name suddenly flashed through his mind: Uchiha Madara.

"Is this your doing, Madara?" Hashirama thought silently, his heart sinking.

The idea seemed plausible. Madara, in his relentless pursuit of power, could very well have created a world of his own, operating from the shadows. Perhaps, instead of acting directly, he had sent this White Zetsu to do his bidding, capturing tailed beasts and executing his schemes.

Regret gnawed at Hashirama. He clenched his fists. "If only I hadn't gone so hard on him," he muttered to himself. "If I had spared White Zetsu's life, we could've traced him back to Madara's location and kidnapped Madara to join Konoha once again."

His frustration was palpable, but the opportunity was lost. Now, the brothers had to prepare for whatever Madara—or whoever was behind this—had in store.

"No choice but to stay vigilant now that this lead is dead," Hashirama said to Tobirama, his voice steady but filled with resolve.

Tobirama nodded in agreement. "We'll need to remain alert. I'll dispatch some elite ninjas to focus on this matter specifically."

With that, Tobirama moved to make the necessary arrangements.

Meanwhile, deep underground…

"White Zetsu's chakra has disappeared!" Black Zetsu felt the loss the instant White Zetsu died. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned to Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Madara, his face etched with concern, frowned deeply. "That was fast. Did someone notice White Zetsu the moment he was sent out?" he muttered, his voice dark with frustration. "I'm fortunate I didn't go myself this time. It seems the one who made a move was Hashirama... He's been especially vigilante lately."

Madara paused, his mind racing. "It looks like we'll have to keep a low profile for now. Too many risks."

Black Zetsu, ever the strategist, sighed in resignation. "Looks like it's going to be a difficult few years…"

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