Chapter 166: Diverting Disaster Eastward
Reaching a distant location, Black and White Zetsu quietly consulted and set their sights on that little girl the elder had mentioned.
"Should be the Hyuga Hanabi that Yasushi mentioned. Who'd have thought the key would fall on a little girl."
"Who cares! Since the enemy values her, we absolutely can't let the enemy have their way."
"This is enemy territory. Fighting them here puts us at too great a disadvantage. Better to pull the battlefield back to the shinobi world."
"Right. Then let's rescue this Hyuga Hanabi!"
They first planned an escape route, then circled the great hall once, carefully investigating all guard positions clearly.
Then they struck decisively!
Black Zetsu's own combat power was weak, but the White Zetsu he possessed had different levels of combat capability depending on quality.
All White Zetsu's common trait was—they all knew Wood Release.
"Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique!"
Catching them by surprise, almost simultaneously, all the puppet guards were struck down.
Before the puppets hit the ground, Black Zetsu's figure had already rushed into the great hall.
His gaze swept and saw a blind middle-aged man bound with chakra chains, restrained to a pillar. Beside him, a Byakugan-bearing little girl held bowls and chopsticks, feeding him.
Black Zetsu knew time was precious. Without wasting words, he rushed behind the little girl without a second thought, knocked her unconscious with a palm strike, slung her on his back, and turned to run.
Clatter!
The bowls and chopsticks in the little girl's hands fell to the ground, shattering.
"Hanabi!"
Hyuga Hiashi was immediately shocked, but quickly realized what was happening and immediately called out rapidly:
"Are you reinforcements from Konoha?"
"Don't worry about me anymore—take Hanabi away immediately!"
"The enemy is extremely powerful. Don't fight them head-on."
"Tell the clan members they must protect the main family's eyes!"
Black Zetsu didn't listen to what he was saying at all. Leaving the great hall, he immediately fled along the predetermined route like the wind.
But before escaping far, he heard an angry roar from behind.
"Damned thief!"
"Return our eyes!"
The entire palace complex seemed to suddenly come alive. The originally silent moon palace suddenly boiled. Groups of eyeless puppets rushed out from all directions like a well-trained army, surrounding him in orderly formation.
Charging at the forefront was Otsutsuki Yukio, who possessed the Tenseigan.
At this moment, green chakra surged throughout his body, as if wearing a chakra cloak on his body surface. At a glance, one could see the fury in his heart.
"You go first. I'll cover the rear." White Zetsu hurriedly separated his body, slapping both hands on the ground.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!"
The earth rumbled loudly. Dozens of thick tree roots burst up from underground, weaving into a dense forest, tightly guarding behind them.
No matter how many puppets charged this forest, none could cross the threshold even one step. Upon contact, they were instantly swept up and torn apart by violent branches, or beaten into fragments.
Otsutsuki Yukio roared, raising his hand to his chest. Chakra surged in his eyes. A golden light manifested at his palm edge, condensing into a substantial light blade.
After briefly gathering power, he swung outward, slashing horizontally.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
The light blade instantly extended into a hundreds-of-meters-long golden light band. A flash of golden light passed—like a heavenly blade descending, nothing could withstand it.
Amid deafening sonic booms, the massive wooden forest was immediately severed at the waist, tree stump cross-sections smooth as mirrors.
The severed tree bodies shot skyward, then crashed down heavily, smashing the earth to pieces.
However, under White Zetsu's chakra infusion, more trees burst from underground, forming even thicker, denser defenses.
"Hmph!" Otsutsuki Yukio snorted coldly, raising his right arm. Multiple black spheres released from his palm—things resembling Truth-Seeking Balls.
He spun both hands, making these black spheres rotate at high speed, dragging long light trails that quickly connected into a silver light wheel.
Immediately, a massive tornado erupted wildly from this light wheel.
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
The fierce winds were like blades, cutting the Wood Release forest to pieces like slicing vegetables, reopening the path forward for the puppet army.
If White Zetsu hadn't burrowed underground in time, he'd probably have been finely shredded long ago.
Black Zetsu didn't dare linger, accelerating his pace, fleeing even more decisively.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Otsutsuki Yukio shouted loudly, his body leaping forward, instantly reaching Black Zetsu's back, reaching toward Hyuga Hanabi on Black Zetsu's back.
Just as he was about to succeed, who knew Hanabi would suddenly reach back, pressing against Otsutsuki Yukio's extended hand.
"Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique!"
A wooden spike suddenly shot from Hanabi's palm, stabbing into Otsutsuki Yukio's arm, rapidly exploding inside his body, sprouting massive amounts of wood outward, blowing his left arm to shreds.
Otsutsuki Yukio screamed, his body leaping backward, raising his arm to sever the left arm, stopping the wooden spike's upward spread.
Looking up again, he saw Hanabi raise her head, revealing a pale mask covering her features completely, leaving only a whirlpool-shaped hole where eyes were clearly tightly closed.
White Zetsu camouflage clothing—whoever uses it says it's good!
White Zetsu's body slowly emerged from underground again, clapping both hands together, summoning a new Wood Release forest to appear, winding toward Otsutsuki Yukio's direction.
"How treacherous, these shinobi world people!"
Otsutsuki Yukio pressed his hand against the wound on his severed arm, his body retreating repeatedly, roaring in angry frustration.
He was merely a frog in a well on the moon. His most extensive combat experience was internal family feuds among his clan. How could he match the rich combat methods of shinobi.
Not being killed by dirty tricks purely because his strength was too strong, his reaction speed too fast.
Watching Black Zetsu carry Hyuga Hanabi farther and farther away, about to reach the earth-moon teleportation array, Otsutsuki Yukio couldn't help growing anxious.
He gritted his teeth, turning toward the great hall at the palace center.
Instantly, he used his Tenseigan to activate that massive Tenseigan in the great hall.
Immediately, chakra like a raging tide rose from the great hall, like the sky collapsing and seas roaring, sweeping toward Zetsu's direction.
Under this enormous chakra power, White Zetsu and the Wood Release forest before him only resisted slightly longer before being completely destroyed and obliterated.
The violent energy swept up White Zetsu's remains, surging wildly toward Black Zetsu's direction.
But Black Zetsu remained calm, removing Hyuga Hanabi from his back and blocking her against the incoming storm.
If someone had to die, certainly Hyuga Hanabi would die first.
As for whether Black Zetsu would die afterward—most likely Black Zetsu had life-saving measures.
Anyway, his goal was just preventing the enemy from obtaining these eyes. Whether he took them away or destroyed them here, Black Zetsu didn't care.
"Damn it!"
Otsutsuki Yukio coughed up blood in frustration, but ultimately didn't dare risk Hanabi's eyes. He could only withdraw his chakra, watching Black Zetsu carry Hyuga Hanabi and leap into the earth-moon teleportation array.
Before teleportation began, Black Zetsu smiled sinisterly at Otsutsuki Yukio, calling out provocatively:
"Want this girl?"
"Then come to the Land of Rain!"
"I'll be waiting for you there!"
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