I'll be leaving Konoha tomorrow morning, and who knows when I'll be back. Before I go… why not sweep the village for White Zetsu one last time?
It doesn't make sense that Obito hasn't planted more of them here after all this time. Two soul-harvesters are nowhere near enough, the more, the better.
Once the thought crossed his mind, Gen didn't hesitate. He quickly formed hand seals, activated the Spirit Transformation Technique, and half of his soul slipped free from his body, rising from the crown of his head.
His perception immediately expanded, spreading across Konoha like a radar.
Countless souls appeared in his consciousness, flickering lights that dotted his awareness. Most were ordinary villagers or shinobi, which he filtered out.
What he searched for were irregularities, souls that didn't quite feel… human.
It didn't take long. Two stood out. One loitered near the main gate of the Uchiha compound, the other by the back gate.
Unlike normal human souls, which had clear outlines and features, these two only had blurred humanoid shapes, faceless and hairless, like half-formed beings. Their aura was weak, incomplete.
Found you.
With a thought, Gen split his spirit again. Two soul fragments dove underground, racing like lightning toward the targets.
At the front gate, a White Zetsu was nestled inside a tree, dozing. It didn't even sense death approaching before Gen's soul slipped inside and seized control of its body.
The same happened at the back gate.
Within moments, Gen had two more Zetsu under his command.
Using their Mayfly Technique, he had them emerge into his bedroom. As his soul returned to his body, his Sharingan spun open. A glance was all it took both Zetsu sank into genjutsu.
"Tell me," Gen asked casually, reclining at the edge of his bed, "how many of you are in Konoha?"
"In total… ten," they answered in eerie unison.
Gen frowned. Only ten? That's it? At least give me a hundred, Obito.
"The mission?"
"Gather intelligence. Focus on the Jinchūriki. And monitor… anyone with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan leaving the village."
Gen's eyes narrowed. "Why only three tomoe? Why not one or two?"
"They're ignored."
Strange… why so specific?
Then it clicked. A fully matured Sharingan could be used as a sacrifice for Izanagi. If Obito had burned a three-tomoe eye during the Nine-Tails attack, it would explain why even Minato, despite knowing his tricks, hadn't been able to pin him down.
Kamui for offense, Izanagi for survival… No wonder Obito slipped through everything.
A worse thought struck him.
"Have you already reported that I'm leaving Konoha?"
"Yes. Information was sent back."
Gen froze. "…Great."
That meant Obito himself would come. He wouldn't entrust this hunt to mere Zetsu.
Being marked by that slippery bastard… not a good feeling.
Still, Obito was alone. Akatsuki hadn't formed yet; at best he had Black Zetsu and some White Zetsu under his thumb. Unless Obito acted personally, there wasn't much bite behind the bark.
Besides, Obito's combat power spiked only when fusing White Zetsu with Hashirama cells. Without Yamato's existence, there weren't many strong vessels around.
Gen smirked. And honestly… the guy was Konoha's bottom of the class. Imagine how sweet it must feel for him to hunt the Uchiha clan's rising genius. The loser beating the prodigy that's the kind of petty satisfaction no one is immune to.
But that cut both ways. If Obito underestimated him… he might be the one to fall.
Fine. Let him come. With Homies watching my back, a sneak attack won't succeed. He'll probably try during a mission, pinning the blame on Kirigakure. Two birds, one stone.
Decision made, Gen refocused on the two Zetsu. His Sharingan spun and the illusion world collapsed onto them.
They found themselves bound to a massive sacred tree, bark coiling around them like ropes, suspending them through endless seasons of rain, snow, and wind. An eternity later, the bark peeled back, revealing them as pale, twisted humanoids.
The faceless creatures shrieked, overcome with a primal terror. Their fragile minds shattered, and their souls tore free from their bodies.
Gen blinked in surprise. Huh… didn't expect it to be that effective.
Without wasting the chance, he harvested their souls and lifespans, leaving their bodies collapsed on the floor, mouths twisted in fear.
He wasn't done. Casting Spirit Transformation again, he hunted down the other eight Zetsu and dragged them into his room.
Originally, he intended to repeat the illusion. But then another idea sparked. Why harvest through fear when I could just… persuade?
His eyes glowed with hypnotic light.
"Give me your souls, and I'll free you from endless suffering. Are you willing?"
"…Willing," they all droned.
Eight streams of light poured into Gen's body, souls and lifespans surrendered without resistance.
A grin tugged at his lips. Perfect. Much cleaner. I'll use this method from now on.
He split ten strands of his soul core, embedding them into each White Zetsu's body. Instantly, they knelt before him.
"Greetings, Master."
Satisfied, Gen issued orders, sending them to rendezvous with Shiroichi and Shiroji, the two Zetsu already under his service.
Their combat strength was mediocre, but their infiltration skills were unmatched. With proper training from his 'instructors,' they'd become far more useful.
Work complete, Gen finally lay back, pulled the quilt over himself, and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would be war.
And somewhere in the dark, Obito already knew he was leaving Konoha.