The Root ninja put away his blade."You have permission to request any corpse you need within the Fire Country—so long as the target is deceased, and not a ninja of Konoha."
This was a rare, unprecedented privilege.
Kazama Shi, however, narrowed his eyes slightly.This promise seemed too generous. Not something a paranoid schemer like Danzo would usually offer so freely.
There must be conditions.
"If I need to head to the frontlines myself, I'll have to submit a mission request to the Hokage's Office first."Kazama Shi tested the waters.
"That won't be necessary." The Root ninja shook his head."If you require it, we can disguise it as an A-rank mission and issue it to you directly. But that must remain between us."
Kazama Shi was no fool.Though they phrased it nicely, this was essentially telling him: You're ours now.Accept the mission, take the resources—and you're already entangled with Root.
Danzo wouldn't let a talent like him go easily.
"Understood."He bowed slightly, choosing neither to accept nor reject outright.He knew Danzo wouldn't be so careless as to give him free rein.This was both a test and a lure.
Once the Root ninja left, Kazama Shi exhaled slowly.
"Looks like I'm going to be walking a tightrope for a while..."
Back inside the disposal division, he immediately began planning.
"The Explosion Release zombie is ready. But its combat level isn't high enough to act as a trump card."
He wanted something on the level of a true elite jōnin—or at least a powerful ninja with a unique kekkei genkai.
And he needed more of them.
"If I can collect more corpses with bloodline limits or special combat talents, I can increase both my security and my value to the village."
He already had data on the Sand shinobi with Magnet Release, and now this one with Explosion Release. That was two major experimental zombies.
But it wasn't enough.
"My secret jutsu is too consuming. Each powerful corpse takes time and resources to convert, and my chakra capacity is still limited."
But at least now, with Root's support, he could start requesting higher-value targets.
More specimens. More field tests.
More zombies meant he could gather data on chakra pathways, energy consumption, degeneration rates, and movement patterns.
He took out a scroll and listed several kekkei genkai and specialties he'd like to acquire:
Lava Release
Boil Release
Storm Release
Ice Release
Byakugan (potentially impossible, but worth considering)
Sage Physiology (extremely unlikely)
His mind buzzed with ideas.
"With enough data, I might even find a way to upgrade zombies beyond their living potential…"
But right now, he was still far from that goal.The zombies were strong, yes, but they were also fundamentally dead.Stiffness, chakra instability, inability to refine nature energy—it all held them back.
He needed to find a way to break that limitation.
To give his zombies not just obedience, but instinct and adaptability.
Maybe not true sentience, but something closer to battle awareness.
For now, he placed the Explosion Release zombie into a sealed compartment and began dissecting another common shinobi corpse.
"So much data… so many variables… But I have time. As long as I'm alive, I'll figure it out."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
It was a young Konoha chunin, carrying a tightly sealed scroll.
"Mission request. From the Hokage's office."
Kazama Shi's eyes narrowed as he took the scroll.
"A mission already? So soon?"
He unrolled it—and his brows lifted slightly.
Target: Recovery of a corpse from the borderlands near Iwagakure.Classification: A-rankObjective: Retrieve the remains of a suspected Lava Release user for study.Requestor: [Classified]Approval: [Signed: Mitokado Homura]
"Lava Release, huh…"
Kazama Shi smiled slowly.
This was only the beginning.
(To Be Continued)