"Damn it!"
Inside the Water Prison, White Zetsu, disguised as Yagura, tried to use the *Mayfly Technique*, but failed. Every drop of water in the Water Prison contained Yagura's chakra—no, it was Yagura's chakra transformed into water, cutting off White Zetsu's connection to the earth and plants.
In this bizarre environment, suspended between heaven and earth, White Zetsu realized that escaping unnoticed was no longer an option.
Yagura was rapidly approaching.
The Fourth Mizukage moved through the water with agility, swimming like a fish.
"You can't escape!"
Though they couldn't speak underwater, the intense killing intent in Yagura's purple eyes conveyed his emotions. After being controlled by Uchiha Obito for so long, his fury and desire for revenge were unimaginable. If possible, he would tear Obito apart.
But he couldn't.
Even if he found Obito, Yagura wasn't confident he could win. If he fell under someone's control again, he'd rather die. Fortunately, this imposter was not Obito.
This gave Yagura hope for a fight. If luck was on his side, he might even capture the imposter and extract some valuable information.
*Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!*
While pondering the possibility of capturing the enemy, Yagura attacked with no hesitation. In this environment, his B-rank Water Style technique carried the power of an A-rank Great Waterfall Jutsu and had superior penetrating force.
After releasing the attack, Yagura focused on the imposter, eager to see what tricks this enemy had up his sleeve.
"Boom!"
To Yagura's disbelief, the towering wooden figure raised its hand, extinguishing the Water Fang Bullet and effortlessly breaking the Water Prison. Out of nowhere, it began to rain over the entire island, as if the sky had cracked open.
Yagura floated in the air, staring at the massive wooden figure before him, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him. "What kind of monster is this?" he thought. The one-eyed Uchiha was already overwhelming, and now someone who mastered the supposedly lost Wood Style appeared.
How was he supposed to fight this?
If he could tap into the power of the Three-Tails, maybe he could stand a chance.
The size difference was too vast. Yagura wasn't sure how to combat something so colossal. His secret techniques, designed to subdue tailed beasts, might be ineffective against this giant wooden figure.
"Thankfully, I'm not alone," Yagura muttered under his breath.
In the next moment, a deep crimson light illuminated the sky.
Susano'o, clad in demonic armor, swung its sword, decapitating the wooden figure with a single stroke. The head soared into the air, the clean cut silently testifying to the sword's sharpness.
This was a calculated strike, long in preparation by Uchiha Sougen. An ambush.
White Zetsu had been too focused on escaping the Water Prison, his will to fight weak. Though aware of Sougen's presence, White Zetsu never expected Susano'o to be unleashed so suddenly.
Normally, battles didn't unfold like this. Even Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju would exchange taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu before summoning their respective ultimate techniques.
No one starts with their strongest move.
Caught off guard by Sougen's strike, White Zetsu missed his chance to flee and was sent flying into the sky alongside the wooden figure's head.
Then—
Sougen dismissed Susano'o and soared into the clouds atop his dark hawk, chasing after the airborne White Zetsu.
*Wood Style: Piercing Technique!*
Surrendering wasn't in White Zetsu's nature. His arm sprouted sharp wooden spikes, launching them at Sougen like bullets.
"Pointless."
Sougen, standing on the hawk's back, removed the fan from his back.
With a powerful swing, a storm erupted, scattering the wooden spikes. The Uchiha Flame Fan, carved from the branches of the God Tree, absorbed chakra and converted it into wind. This allowed Sougen to deflect enemy attacks and return them with increased force—a technique known as *Uchiha Reflection*.
White Zetsu cycled through techniques—Wood Style, Wind Style, Lightning Style, Water Style, Fire Style, even Earth Style—but none could stop Sougen. At best, they momentarily slowed his approach.
This couldn't go on. White Zetsu was out of options. His momentum had faded, but he needed a little more time to reach the ground and use the *Mayfly Technique* to escape. He was cornered.
Realizing this, White Zetsu's expression turned odd. Though his face resembled Yagura's, fear flickered in his eyes as his right hand pulled out a stack of explosive tags from his pouch.
But instead of throwing them at Sougen, he stuck them to his own body.
No matter how humanlike they seemed, White Zetsu was not human. In their minds, the orders of their superior—Black Zetsu—were above all else, even life itself.
White Zetsu had received orders: if captured and escape became impossible, they must self-destruct to leave nothing behind.
Since the integration of Hashirama's cells, White Zetsu's value had skyrocketed. His cells could regenerate limbs and restore the Mangekyo Sharingan. After Obito's defeat at Sougen's hands, Black Zetsu emphasized this command even more.
"Trying to self-destruct?"
Sougen sneered. "You can die if you want, but your body belongs to me!" Deep crimson Susano'o reappeared, though only its ribcage and skeletal arms manifested.
Susano'o's hand reached out, grabbing White Zetsu. Black seals coiled around Susano'o's fingers, binding White Zetsu as soon as they made contact. The binding seals rendered White Zetsu immobile.
This was the *Curse of Self-Imprisonment*, a sealing technique Sougen had learned from Danzo's mind.
But this seal wasn't enough to fully trap White Zetsu. White Zetsu's innate resistance to seals allowed him to regain control of his body.
However, just as he prepared to detonate the explosive tags—
Why wasn't there an explosion?
White Zetsu's thoughts were interrupted as his world spun. He saw his headless body clutched in Susano'o's hand and realized he had been decapitated.
"You can die, but you won't damage my prize," Sougen declared, catching White Zetsu's head.
Though White Zetsu's disguise had dissipated, his pale head remained heavy in Sougen's hand.
Ignoring the unsettling sensation, Sougen gently placed White Zetsu's body onto the back of the dark hawk, using a fan to blow away the explosive tags, which detonated harmlessly in the air.
With a precise swing of the fan, Sougen demonstrated his mastery over it.
After sealing White Zetsu's body into a scroll, Sougen smirked. This precious research material could be key to the Uchiha clan's future prosperity.
"An abundance of Mangekyo Sharingan... Now that's something to look forward to!"