Several decades had passed since Madara Uchiha first concealed himself within the shadows of the world.
During those long years, the White Zetsu network had rarely suffered any losses.
The only notable incident had occurred in the Land of Rain, when they were testing Uchiha Mikoto. Even then, the loss had been minor—insignificant in the grand scheme of their operations.
But this time… things were different.
Ah Fei had disappeared without a trace.
To most, losing a single White Zetsu might seem trivial.
To Madara, it was anything but.
Hidden within the darkness, Black Zetsu shared the same concern.
White Zetsu was the foundation of their intelligence network. Through them, they could observe movements across the entire ninja world, gathering information that no ordinary organization could hope to match.
If someone had gained the ability to detect—or worse, eliminate—White Zetsu…
That person had to be dealt with immediately.
And yet—
Black Zetsu felt uneasy.
This was not just a simple loss.
It felt… wrong.
An instinct born from over a thousand years of lurking in the shadows whispered to it that something far more dangerous was at play.
"…Could it be that man?"
The thought alone made Black Zetsu's form tremble slightly.
Yu Yi.
The one existence it feared above all else.
For centuries, Black Zetsu had operated in secrecy precisely to avoid being discovered by that individual. If Yu Yi had truly reappeared…
Then everything could unravel.
Without hesitation, Black Zetsu issued an order.
Investigate immediately.
The Search for the Truth
Before long, several White Zetsu scattered across the ninja world gathered near Konoha.
They moved cautiously, blending into the environment, their presence almost impossible to detect.
Their first destination—
The place where Ah Fei had "died."
"If I remember correctly… the one responsible was Orochimaru, right?"
"Yes. Only Orochimaru can emerge from a snake's body like that."
Unlike the Slug Sage, White Zetsu could not share information perfectly in real time. However, their method of transmitting information through underground plant networks was still far more efficient than conventional ninja communication.
Before his death, Ah Fei had managed to send out fragmented information.
According to that data—
Orochimaru was the killer.
But what he didn't know…
Was that Orochimaru himself was already dead.
The one who had truly acted was Qing Shui.
"Why would Orochimaru attack one of us?"
"That doesn't make sense…"
The White Zetsu began to speculate.
"Could it be related to the White Zetsu corpse Konoha once obtained?"
"Or perhaps it was an accident? Orochimaru defected from Konoha—maybe he returned secretly and happened to encounter Ah Fei."
With insufficient intelligence, they could only guess.
"In any case, we'll split up."
"One group will monitor Danzo."
"The others will search for Orochimaru."
And so, they dispersed.
Qing Shui's Confidence
Unbeknownst to them, Qing Shui remained completely unconcerned.
Even if he knew—
It wouldn't change anything.
When he was weak, fearing Madara Uchiha was understandable.
But now?
If he still lived in fear after gaining strength, then what was the point of that strength?
Even if Madara himself appeared before him—
Qing Shui couldn't guarantee victory.
After all, relying solely on memories from his previous life was dangerous. Reality could always differ.
But one thing was certain—
He could ensure his own survival.
No matter how powerful Madara was, stopping him from leaving would be impossible.
A New Plan Begins
At that moment, Qing Shui had already taken action.
He left behind a shadow clone in Konoha to maintain appearances, while his true body moved to a hidden base.
With him—
White Zetsu Tobi.
And Pain Orochimaru.
His plan was simple… yet terrifying.
He would turn White Zetsu Tobi into his fourth Pain.
Then, using White Zetsu's unique disguise technique, he would impersonate Danzo.
The goal?
To create chaos within Konoha—
And force Danzo into becoming a rogue ninja.
White Zetsu's transformation technique was no ordinary disguise. It could perfectly replicate not only appearance but also chakra.
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to detect.
The only exception—
Was the ability to sense malicious intent.
And in the current world, only Qing Shui possessed such a refined perception.
Kushina might one day reach that level.
But even if she did—
She would never betray him.
That meant Danzo would have no way to prove his innocence.
Given his dark reputation, no one would believe him.
This method…
Was far crueler than killing him outright.
Danzo had always coveted the position of Hokage.
To strip that dream away—and turn him into a hunted rogue—
That was true punishment.
Qing Shui smiled faintly.
He could already imagine the look on Danzo's face.
And perhaps…
This would also deepen the darkness within Danzo, strengthening the Zero-Tails even further.
Perfecting the Zero-Tails
With this in mind, Qing Shui issued new orders.
Pain Hiruko.
Pain Orochimaru.
Both were instructed to halt all other work and focus entirely on perfecting the Zero-Tails technique.
Time passed quickly.
Before long—
Pain White Zetsu was complete.
Under Qing Shui's control, the transformed White Zetsu absorbed his chakra and took on his exact appearance.
Perfect.
Even Qing Shui himself would have struggled to distinguish the difference—if not for the control he maintained.
More importantly—
Since this White Zetsu was now dead, it no longer harbored malicious intent.
That meant even malicious intent detection was useless against it.
In other words—
This was the most flawless disguise in the entire ninja world.
No one could expose it.
Except Qing Shui.
And the Zetsu themselves.
After testing the transformation, Pain White Zetsu reverted to its original form.
Qing Shui extracted a portion of its cells for further study.
Unlike ordinary White Zetsu, Tobi's body contained a higher concentration of Hashirama cells.
If properly researched—
It might be possible to create a reagent capable of awakening Wood Release.
Qing Shui hadn't forgotten his earlier promise.
He still intended to help Tsunade awaken Wood Release.
In the original timeline, Yamato had achieved this through experimentation.
But now—
Yamato no longer existed.
Which meant—
He would have to create the possibility himself.
Time Passes
Days slipped by.
Then weeks.
More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally—
The Zero-Tails technique was complete.
Under Qing Shui's requirements, this version was far superior to the original.
At full maturity—
It would be at least five times stronger.
Of course, such power came at a cost.
Time.
Qing Shui estimated that full development would take at least two years.
Perhaps less—
If Danzo proved useful.
"One or two years…"
Qing Shui muttered softly.
Then he smiled.
"Danzo… cherish the time you have left."
The Infiltration
Without hesitation, Qing Shui handed the completed Zero-Tails technique to Pain White Zetsu.
Its mission—
To implant it into Danzo.
Silently.
Without detection.
Pain White Zetsu sank into the ground.
Moments later—
It emerged within Konoha Prison.
Its form shifted.
Now—
It was a Root ninja.
Over the past two weeks, Qing Shui had already replaced one of Danzo's subordinates.
The infiltration was flawless.
The disguise perfect.
No one noticed.
No one suspected.
To the rest of Root—
Their comrade was still the same person.
But in reality—
He was already something else entirely.
A puppet.
A weapon.
A shadow waiting for the right moment to strike.
And when that moment came—
Danzo Shimura would fall.
Not by force—
But by his own reputation.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)