"Two units of enemies encountered near the northeast riverbank. Five-man team, two injured. One corpse lost."
Less than half an hour later, a masked corpse ninja returned and knelt on one knee before Kaede Kanshi, delivering a concise report.
Kaede nodded slightly.
Not bad.
Even if the quality of the corpse army wasn't on par with elite Konoha shinobi, in terms of sheer numbers and endurance, they could act as high-efficiency scouts, frontline pressure units, or even long-term combatants.
And the most important part was—
They were disposable.
Once deployed, even if they were wiped out, Kaede didn't feel any pain or sense of loss.
These weren't shadow clones that would transmit information back upon dispersal. Instead, they were loyal to Kaede even in death, thanks to the control of his chakra and corpse manipulation technique.
"The riverbank northeast of us..." Komatsufuji muttered. "If it's a five-man team, probably rogue ninjas from Amegakure(Village Hidden by Rain). Lord Kaede Kanshi, should we go?"
"Of course." Kaede waved his hand and ordered the three Root ninjas to follow.
He didn't need to gather his corpse army.
Each one had been issued a semi-autonomous directive: scout, engage only if the threat level is low, retreat otherwise.
This meant he could keep pushing forward without slowing down.
The more the Root ninja saw of this tactic, the more they were in awe.
With such combat flexibility and independence... this corpse army was practically a self-sufficient squad.
Especially when twenty of them were sent out for recon, and twenty more remained in reserve, ready for support or reinforcement.
And none of them showed any signs of chakra depletion or fatigue.
Komatsufuji realized this was something even Danzō had never accomplished before—Kaede Kanshi had built his own perfect disposable force.
Kaede and the Root ninja rushed to the northeast riverbank. The rain hadn't stopped all day, and the water level had risen to their ankles.
They spotted the remnants of battle.
Two severely wounded rogue ninjas lay on the ground—one was missing an arm, and the other had deep bite marks on his neck. The corpse ninja's mouths had obviously been weaponized.
Kaede stepped over them without interest and looked into the forest.
His lone returning corpse ninja was leaning against a tree trunk, legs shattered, but still motionless and standing upright thanks to the corpse technique's string control. A grotesque sight.
"You did well."
Kaede gently touched the corpse ninja's head and retrieved the core chakra thread inside.
The zombie finally collapsed completely, no longer of use.
Just then—
Rustle.
Movement from ahead.
Another group approached quickly. Their chakra signatures were unfamiliar, but the sensing corpse ninjas hiding in the dark had already relayed this information to Kaede with pre-established signals.
"They're coming this way," Kaede said. "Five people, spread formation. One of them... has very unusual chakra."
"Could it be one of Hanzo's hidden elites?" Komatsufuji frowned. "Or... the rumored Rain Trio?"
"The Rain Trio?"
"Yes. Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, is said to have trained three disciples in the Land of Rain: Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato."
"Oh..." Kaede squinted slightly, clearly interested.
He hadn't expected to meet Nagato so soon.
Not bad.
He gestured slightly, and from the surrounding shadows, four masked corpse ninjas emerged soundlessly.
Each took up a position behind a tree, ready to ambush.
The incoming group hadn't noticed yet—they were approaching too confidently.
Meanwhile, not far away—
Jiraiya led the three young ninjas—Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko—through the forest. All of them had grown since their training began. Even Konan was able to control her Paper Release skill with remarkable precision, forming paper wings behind her as she scouted ahead.
"There's chakra in the distance... but it's strange. I can't tell if they're alive," Nagato said.
"I sense it too," Jiraiya murmured. "It's faint, almost like... dead chakra?"
"Dead chakra?" Yahiko was startled. "What does that mean?"
But Konan said coldly, "Wait. There's something watching us."
Boom!
Before she finished, a black figure darted out from the bushes on the right—its hands clawed like beasts, leaping straight toward her!
Konan flapped her wings and dodged midair, countering with a sharp blade of paper—slash!—which cut a long gash into the figure's chest.
But no blood spilled.
"What the—!?" she exclaimed.
Nagato's eyes narrowed. With a seal, he raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
A ripple of repulsive force exploded outward, sending the attacker crashing into a tree, cracking the trunk with its spine.
But even then—it stood up again, joints clicking, face expressionless behind its mask.
"A puppet?" Yahiko blurted.
"No. Not a puppet..." Jiraiya's expression turned grave. "This is something else entirely."
He stepped forward.
A kunai whizzed past his ear—but not from the enemy.
It came from another hidden figure behind him, leaping out at the same time.
Multiple attackers?
And each had the same blank mask.
"Konan! Yahiko! Don't hold back!" Jiraiya barked. "Kill them on sight!"
Nagato stared into the trees. His Rinnegan was glowing.
"This chakra... is being controlled from afar. It's not autonomous. Someone's pulling the strings."
Behind the trees—
Kaede Kanshi smirked slightly.
He wasn't hiding anymore.
From the top of a tree branch, he stepped out into view, rain dripping from his cloak, hair partially plastered to his forehead.
"Found you."
Jiraiya froze when he saw Kaede.
"You... who are you?"
"You'll know soon enough," Kaede said softly. He raised one hand.
The remaining forty corpse ninjas burst into action.