White Zetsu spoke to Black Zetsu. He had only been discovered at the moment the spore was released—but fortunately, he had successfully planted a spore on Saitama.
"Madara has been keeping an eye on that one’s clan for a while now. Let’s observe him further... it’s time we understood everything about him," said Black Zetsu, his eyes following the direction Saitama had gone.
"Huh?" Just as the pitcher plant was about to retreat into the tree branches, White Zetsu let out a surprised noise.
"What is it?" Black Zetsu asked, slightly puzzled.
Elsewhere, Saitama was already far from the site, increasing his speed as he left. He was aware someone had been watching him.
Once he was at a safe distance, Saitama’s body suddenly sparked with intense electric currents. The electricity surged across his skin, dancing along the surface without damaging his clothing. In the blink of an eye, the current swept over his entire body.
"Tch. Better be cautious," Saitama muttered. He was certain that the one spying on him had been White Zetsu—and he knew of Zetsu’s ability to plant parasitic spores, useful for surveillance and even mind control. After putting some distance between them, he activated his Lightning Release chakra to electrocute anything foreign on his skin—effectively neutralizing any spores.
In Zetsu’s hiding place, White Zetsu’s eyes widened, the half of his face contorted in disbelief.
"My spores are... gone! I’ve completely lost perception of him!"
"Damn it... this Saitama guy isn’t easy to handle," he muttered. "No wonder Madara told us to be cautious."
Black Zetsu said nothing. His pitch-black eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts.
Without another word, the Zetsu entity sank back into the tree, leaving no trace behind.
---
"Should be clean now," Saitama muttered, frowning as he looked at the scorched edges of his clothes. He had pushed the Lightning Release a bit harder than necessary, just to be sure.
"No point dwelling on it. I’ll stay on guard from now on."
With that, he dismissed the thought and continued toward the Konoha camp at a steady pace. He would deal with the Zetsu problem later, in his own way.
---
By the time Saitama returned to the Konoha camp, it was already late in the afternoon. Smoke curled lazily from campfires, and the air was thick with the scent of food and damp earth.
The entire camp was heavily guarded. The perimeter extended nearly five miles, constantly monitored by Hyūga Byakugan users and Aburame clan insects. Their 24/7 surveillance ensured no enemies could slip through unnoticed.
"Saitama, you’re back!" a few Uchiha clan members greeted him as he passed through their area of the camp. They looked at him with respect—Saitama had quickly become a rising star within the Uchiha clan, a role model for many younger shinobi.
"Yeah, I’m back," Saitama replied, giving them a polite nod before walking off.
"Look at Saitama—just finished a mission, and he’s still that sharp and serious. And look at you lot! No motivation whatsoever!" a squad leader scolded some younger Chūnin as he passed behind Saitama.
Hearing that, Saitama’s eyes showed a flash of amusement, though his expression remained calm.
"Another dull day," he muttered, spotting the Uchiha Huo brothers already standing in front of his tent. An odd feeling of boredom crept in.
---
"Captain, what happened to you?" one of the Huo brothers asked, noticing the singed parts of Saitama’s clothing.
"Huh?" Saitama blinked, quickly crafting an excuse in his head.
"Oh, that? I was testing out a new ninjutsu on the way back. Went a bit overboard. You know how it is—I’m hitting a plateau with my current techniques, trying to develop something new."
He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Ohh, that’s impressive!" the brothers said with admiration.
"By the way, Captain," Uchiha Yan interrupted. "Sen-sama came looking for you earlier. Since you weren’t back yet, he told me to let you know: once you’re back, go find him."
"Got it. Thanks," Saitama said, nodding. He turned toward his tent, thinking, No way I’m showing up to Mori like this—he’d make fun of me for weeks. Uchiha Mori might be serious most of the time, but he wasn’t above teasing when the chance came.
Saitama figured it wasn’t urgent. He might as well wash up and change first.
"Okay, Captain!" the two brothers said, walking off.
---
Saitama entered his tent, lifted the flap, and stepped inside. He pulled out a clean set of clothes from the corner—an Uchiha-style high-collared shirt and standard dark ninja pants. As he prepared to change, he noticed something odd.
"...Huh. Who cleaned my bed?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow. The blanket was neatly folded, everything in place.
He smirked. I’d know who did this with my eyes closed. But is Silent really this idle lately?
Shaking his head, he sat down, stripped off the charred clothes, and put on his fresh gear.
---
"What’s up?" Saitama entered Uchiha Mori’s tent, where the latter was seated at a desk, reading over documents while eating onigiri.
As Uchiha Tenmei’s assistant, Mori often handled logistics and paperwork related to the Uchiha forces.
"Oh, you’re here?" Mori said without looking up.
Saitama didn’t bother with formalities. He walked over, grabbed a rice ball from the plate, and took a bite.
"The war with Suna—is it over?" Saitama asked between mouthfuls.
"Eh? Who told you that?" Mori raised an eyebrow, finally looking up.
"No one. I just guessed." Saitama picked up another onigiri.
He had rushed over right after changing, stomach rumbling from the mission. There was no way he’d ignore food now.
"Pretty good guess. Tsunade-sama summoned us today to discuss the outcome. Nothing secret—I was going to brief you on it anyway."
"Figured it’d be about time. That front’s been dragging on long enough," Saitama replied, leaning on the table. He vaguely recalled that Konoha and Sunagakure’s war front wrapped up around Year 46 of the Konoha calendar—but the exact date escaped him.
"Leave some for me, will you?" Mori snapped, slapping Saitama’s hand away as he reached for another rice ball. "I’ve got too much to do to babysit you."
"All right, all right. I’ll go find something else to eat," Saitama said with a grin. He turned and left the tent, still famished.
---
A gust of wind blew across the land.
Word of Konoha’s victory over Sunagakure spread rapidly. However, on the Kirigakure front, things were far from over. Mist Shinobi forces remained strong, determined to see their conflict with the Leaf to the bitter end.
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