To be honest, Hane Genma didn't hold much prejudice against White Zetsu.
In truth, Genma didn't care about the future of the shinobi world. Based on his current understanding, even if he lived long enough to die of old age, he'd be long gone by the time the "Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan" was set in motion. What did it matter to a dead man like him if the future brought a flood to drown the world?
Taking it a step further, the disasters of tomorrow were for future generations to solve with their own wisdom. After all, this world had its saviors. The schemes of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were for those destined heroes to handle. A burden that heavy wasn't something Genma's frail shoulders could bear. He was self-aware enough to know he'd never dreamed of meddling in such high-stakes battles.
That said, Genma was still shackled by his old ways of thinking. He hadn't yet considered the concept of "variables." He believed this world would march unswervingly toward the future he remembered.
But one thing at a time. He could ignore the future, but not the present. So, without any psychological burden, he struck at White Zetsu.
A blight on the shinobi world—anyone had the right to take it down.
No helping it. Genma wanted that experience boost badly.
"You… you're not one of us…"
White Zetsu could feel its chakra draining rapidly. This guy, who'd launched a sneak attack without a shred of honor, was definitely not one of its kind. But how could he disguise himself so perfectly? It defied White Zetsu's imagination.
"Why? Honestly, I don't know myself."
Why? Because Genma hadn't disguised himself at all. In a certain sense, he could indeed be considered a White Zetsu. For thousands of years, it had always been White Zetsu impersonating others—never the other way around.
This dying White Zetsu had no time to ponder how Genma had flawlessly mimicked its kind. Its thoughts shifted to something else entirely. A shinobi capable of blending in with White Zetsu without detection—how much internal havoc could someone like that wreak on their species and their grand plans? It could even be fatal.
Unfortunately, even if it recognized the threat, it was too late to act.
Genma swiftly absorbed the White Zetsu's chakra. The faint unease in his expression vanished as the influx took effect almost instantly. He could feel his overall abilities climbing step by step.
Seriously, White Zetsu was an experience boost!
When Genma used the Spore Technique to absorb chakra from other shinobi, his strength would temporarily spike due to the influx. But that chakra was like water without a source—once used, it was gone. In other words, regular shinobi chakra was like a "fuel pack" to him.
White Zetsu was different. Genma had confirmed his theory: only by absorbing White Zetsu's chakra did his base attributes permanently improve. This was a true "experience boost." It was practically a gift of love—White Zetsu's sacrifice was so noble it could almost be called "dying for a righteous cause."
For a fleeting moment, Genma almost wanted to become a devotee of the Rabbit Goddess and call White Zetsu his long-lost brother.
Once the White Zetsu's chakra was completely drained, it finally expired.
Genma carefully assessed the changes in his body. His physical condition, chakra reserves, and chakra potency had all noticeably improved. The enhancement was staggering—by rough estimate, he felt his overall capabilities had risen by twenty to thirty percent.
One White Zetsu brought a twenty-to-thirty-percent boost. What about 1,157 of them?
Genma's excitement surged as he fantasized about piloting a metaphorical giant mech across the shinobi world. But then he snapped back to reality. Not every "experience boost" could yield such dramatic results.
The reason for this massive leap was simple: his "base stats" were just too low. Like an RPG, leveling up was quick at the start, but it slowed down as you climbed higher.
Still, the "experience boost" theory held water. Genma had found a clear path forward—he needed to keep hunting lone White Zetsus.
When would they hold their next meeting? He could hardly wait.
That was for later. For now, Genma needed to leave. He ended his "White Zetsu transformation" and unleashed a Fire Release on the corpse.
Scorching flames enveloped the body. As chakra surged, the orange-red fire shifted toward searing white. The intense heat curled and carbonized the leaves on nearby trees. Within minutes, the White Zetsu was reduced to nothing.
Genma's chakra potency had clearly grown. The same technique now produced far greater destructive power than before.
Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.
After covering a considerable distance, Genma emerged from the ground, slowing his pace. His mind turned to another matter.
When he'd used his ninjutsu earlier, he'd noticed another change in himself.
He plucked a leaf from a tree, laying it flat in his palm, and let chakra flow naturally from his hand. Given his original chakra nature, the leaf should've withered and burned instantly. Instead, it grew damp before catching fire.
Water nature.
And not the faint kind detectable only by chakra-sensitive test paper. This was the mature, practical water-natured chakra of a seasoned Water Release shinobi.
After absorbing that White Zetsu's chakra, Genma had gained mastery over water-natured chakra.
"This…"
By his understanding, White Zetsu rarely used nature-based ninjutsu and had no reason to excel at chakra nature transformations. So what was going on?
A possibility struck him. Perhaps chakra nature transformation was a "latent trait" in White Zetsu, tied not to them directly but to their forgotten origins.
"Before becoming White Zetsu, they were ancient shinobi. Maybe that one was skilled in water-natured chakra."
It could be an ability buried deep within, forgotten even by White Zetsu itself.
"No, that doesn't add up."
The guess seemed plausible, but Genma quickly dismissed it.
The White Zetsus active in the shinobi world today were born during the first Infinite Tsukuyomi. Back then, the Sage of the Six Paths hadn't yet founded the ninja creed. The concept of ninjutsu didn't even exist, let alone chakra nature transformations or nature-based techniques.
So, before becoming White Zetsu, those unfortunate souls knew no ninjutsu. And after becoming White Zetsu, they had no need for it.
Genma was stumped.
"Maybe ancient shinobi understood nature transformations but not nature-based ninjutsu? Like an archer born before firearms were invented?"
It was the best he could come up with for now.
His reasoning was flawed here. The original story didn't fully detail the ancient era. The first White Zetsus, born from the initial Infinite Tsukuyomi, weren't shinobi before their transformation—they were ordinary humans.
Kaguya Otsutsuki consumed the chakra fruit and cast Infinite Tsukuyomi to crush hostile human nations, not to fight her two dutiful sons.
Genma had always assumed White Zetsus were created during the war between Hagoromo, Hamura, and Kaguya. In reality, they predated it. Afterward, the divine brothers sealed the Ten-Tails, sent their mother to the heavens, and undid the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Hagoromo founded the ninja creed, spread chakra, and ushered in the era of shinobi, becoming the legendary Sage of the Six Paths.
In short, Genma's belief that "White Zetsus were made by hanging shinobi on the God Tree" was wrong. In their past lives, they were just people.
So, all his analysis led him nowhere.
He thought he'd cracked the secret of White Zetsu's hidden chakra nature abilities, but he was miles off the mark.
Regardless, Genma now wielded water-natured chakra. Since he had it, he naturally wanted to test its power.
Excited, he clasped his hands together. But after a moment, he lowered them without acting. He didn't know the hand signs for Water Release.
Want to try it?
Not a chance.
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