If what happened tonight were ever fortunate enough to be recorded in the history of the ninja world, there would undoubtedly be an apt title for it...
Something like "A Speech on the Dissolution of the Hanemiya Clan and the Founding of the Ashes Organization."
Afterward, the last sixteen surviving Hanemiya ninja burned their forehead protectors together. From that moment on, the Hanemiya clan ceased to exist in the ninja world.
But as Yujin had said—would anyone even care whether such a small clan existed?
The clansmen obeyed Yujin's order, even though that order meant erasing their family name.
That doesn't mean they had no objections or that they supported it wholeheartedly. They just didn't express any strong opposition.
Or rather, perhaps they couldn't express it. But that was enough.
Some of the ninja even interpreted Yujin's decision in a relatively positive light. The clan leader—well, he wouldn't be a "clan leader" anymore—would now simply be their "captain."
Going from "clan leader" to "captain" might seem like a demotion, but the title "captain" could also carry other implications. That, however, was a matter for the future.
Can it really work? Who knows? Even if it's just a beautiful dream, so be it.
The ninja still felt a deep attachment to the Hanemiya name, to their former village, and to the fallen clansmen.
No one can completely abandon their past—but for now, they had to put it aside and do their best to look forward.
Look ahead. That was all they could do. At least their former leader was pointing in a direction. Whether that direction was right or wrong, it was still better than standing still—or worse, being trapped in the past.
Yujin prioritized survival as their first objective. That didn't mean he had given up on revenge against the Tsugawa ninja who had destroyed the Hanemiya clan.
But revenge required prerequisites. They had to focus on preserving themselves, gradually building their strength—only then could they strike back when the time was right.
In short, once Yujin clarified the direction they would take and unified everyone's thoughts, the sense of hesitation that had weighed on them disappeared. The group settled down—for now—in the temporary camp.
The next day, Yujin returned alone to the battlefield where they had fought the Tsugawa ninja.
As expected, someone had already cleaned up the three battlegrounds. Clearly, the Tsugawa ninja had returned to the site.
Ideally, he would have erased the traces himself, but he had no choice. Back then, Yujin had to prioritize getting his people to safety, leaving the opportunity for the enemy to collect battlefield intel.
Now, all Yujin could do was go to the spot where he had "accidentally swallowed a fungus" and burn the body of the White Zetsu until nothing remained.
Once he had cleaned up this final loose end, he exhaled deeply. When he returned to camp, he finally had the chance to examine the changes that had occurred in his body.
Why was Yujin able to use White Zetsu's techniques—and even partially transform himself into a White Zetsu?
He strongly suspected he had been parasitized. That White Zetsu might not have been completely dead—just mostly. Its vitality had become so faint as to be nearly gone, and it may have released its spores as a last-ditch attempt at rebirth.
Yet in trying to be reborn, it ended up being eaten alive. Instinctively, the White Zetsu tried to parasitize him, but it was too weak. The attempt failed, and instead, it was assimilated—backwards—into Yujin's body.
So, the question was: why was Yujin's body able to "assimilate" White Zetsu?
He couldn't come up with a reasonable theory. Could it have something to do with the fact that his spirit was originally a foreign presence possessing this body? That he was, in essence, a squatter?
Still, that didn't really explain it.
White Zetsu's physical abilities weren't particularly outstanding. So how had absorbing its powers enhanced Yujin's body and chakra?
He couldn't grasp the principles behind it, nor understand the mechanism, so instead, Yujin focused on application.
Besides being able to use White Zetsu's Chakra TransferTechnique, Spore Technique, and Imitation Technique, Yujin had also noticed other changes in his body.
When he partially "White-Zetsu-ified" his body, it was, to some extent, a transformation into fibrous, plant-like tissue.
This change didn't increase his physical defense, but it did significantly dull his sense of pain. Also, if he kept an area in this "White Zetsu state" after it was injured, it would heal much faster.
For example, the wound on his shoulder had become fully functional in just three days and completely healed without a scar in seven.
This unique, plant-like regenerative ability reminded him of freshly harvested chives—or rapidly sprouting bamboo shoots.
Of course, this kind of healing couldn't compare to those monstrous ninja who could recover from fatal wounds in battle. Still, it was enough to delight Yujin.
In addition, when maintaining his "White Zetsu form," he noticed—perhaps it was just a hallucination—that as long as he was in a place with ample sunlight, his whole body felt energized and refreshed.
It was as if he could absorb a portion of the sun's energy directly. Yujin suspected that, having become a "plant-man," he had started to master photosynthesis.
And finally, there was one more crucial thing.
When Yujin fully transformed into a White Zetsu, he seemed to be able to faintly receive some kind of signal in his mind—he suspected it came from either the original White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, or a collective White Zetsu consciousness.
Though he couldn't decipher the content of the message, nor use the channel for long-range two-way communication, there was no doubt it carried a sense of presence.
This "presence" radiated a strange calmness, joy, and warmth.
At first, Yujin couldn't figure out what it meant, but then, as if struck by sudden inspiration...
This was basically White Zetsu's equivalent of an endless mental broadcast channel playing "Nobody Loves You Like Mom Does."
Only relentless brainwashing like that could drive millions of White Zetsus to toil for over a thousand years toward some vague, delusional goal.
Realizing this, Yujin immediately cut off the full-body White Zetsu transformation. He decided he should avoid transforming his head unless absolutely necessary.
If he ended up getting brainwashed and joining the "Tsukiyomi the Planet, Save Mother" plan, that would be anything but fun.
After roughly figuring out the changes in his body, Yujin began to think further—especially in directions that might benefit him.
A single White Zetsu had made his body stronger, more agile, and capable of releasing six jutsu in one go without effort. So what if he had more White Zetsus?
There were so many ways to prepare them—sashimi, steaming, braising, stir-frying, deep-frying—the culinary possibilities were endless.
So... could it be possible that...
White Zetsu might become Yujin's very own "experience pack"?