Kaede Tsukasa first glanced around at the surroundings, taking in the numerous skeletons and the overturned test tubes, and understood the situation.
"This guy was very skilled with Lightning Release in life, so I arranged for him to perform one last Lightning Release technique to greet you. I hope you'll enjoy it… though I didn't expect Lord Ryōma to be here as well."
Kaede Tsukasa first nodded toward Orochimaru, then turned his gaze to Ryoma.
Both Orochimaru and Ryoma wore grim expressions, already prepared for battle.
Buzz!
A swarm of insects flew out, but Orochimaru's speed was even faster!
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A venomous snake shot along his arm, firmly restraining Kaede Tsukasa's body.
"Heh heh heh, Kaede-kun, this isn't a place you can just stroll into. If you barge in without notice, you'll really end up dead…"
Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly, his gaze burning. It was his first time seeing Kaede Tsukasa, and if possible, he hoped it would be the last.
But he knew that was impossible.
Sure enough, Kaede Tsukasa stood motionless. The zombie who had previously used Lightning Release slammed its hand against the ground. A summoning jutsu appeared on the floor, and multiple coffins immediately rose from the ground.
Kaede Tsukasa casually swapped places with one of the zombies, breaking free from the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Then he kicked the coffin lid away and stepped out from inside.
"Good thing I prepared these coffins carefully…"
"Oh? Kaede-kun, you had already made preparations for Space-Time Transfer in advance? You're thorough as expected."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, it's a good thing I put incense in these coffins beforehand. Otherwise, after being closed up so long, the corpses would already smell." Kaede Tsukasa explained.
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, then grinned wickedly. "Quite the picky one. According to the intelligence I have, there's never any record of you being a neat freak."
"It's not neatness, just a small hobby. Zombies stored in coffins for later use should be different from those sealed in summoning scrolls. Take this one, for example."
Kaede Tsukasa raised a hand and pointed. From another coffin, sand poured through the gaps, and Araki emerged from the dusty coffin.
As this elite Jonin appeared, Orochimaru's eyes showed a trace of caution, along with admiration, constantly sizing up Araki.
"You preserved him surprisingly well. It seems my research was correct: zombies can restore their physical state by feeding, which is likely an instinctive way to replenish life force. But Araki is truly dead, and his condition is far beyond my expectations. So, what did you feed him? Did you perhaps use the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu on him?"
Orochimaru's fascination grew, wishing he could swallow Kaede Tsukasa whole and devour him.
"Oh my, asking about someone's secret techniques on first meeting is terribly rude. Come to think of it, each of you Sannin, due to your personalities, have all been impolite in different ways. But none more so than you, Lord Orochimaru."
Kaede Tsukasa smiled, appearing completely relaxed. He even walked around with interest, inspecting various devices, sometimes opening scrolls and examining the data recorded within.
"Lord Ryōma, if I were you, I'd give up on using Insect Secret Techniques. You can't stop me, and your actions cannot escape my perception."
Kaede Tsukasa casually pointed, and the numerous insects that had previously devoured the zombies immediately began dying in large numbers. "The brains of these insects are too simple, and their body structures are the same. Using Zombie Release to control them would mean competing with you for control—and I'm not guaranteed to win. It's better to just deal with them directly. If leaving them here was your way of testing me, then congratulations, you succeeded."
The two types of chakra and the zombie virus were competing inside the insects, which these parasitic insects could not possibly endure. The parasitic insects were famous for their reproduction speed and for consuming chakra, but they were far from invincible.
As long as Ryoma did not relinquish control over the insects, any attempt by Kaede Tsukasa to infect them with the virus would fail, because Ryōma would kill the insects before the infection could succeed.
"Compared to insects, I still prefer dealing with people. Too bad we meet under these circumstances—you all secretly studied my secret techniques behind my back, which is a bit overstepping."
Kaede Tsukasa looked over the wreckage, found a clear spot, and sat down. Immediately, a zombie dashed under him, acting as a chair.
This precise, powerful control—achieved without hand seals or words—made Orochimaru raise an eyebrow. "It was inevitable. With your talent, you will one day make a name for yourself in the ninja world. More people will study your secret techniques and try to find ways to counter them."
"Heh, but the village's comrades shouldn't be the ones doing this. Even Lady Tsunade never did such a thing. Considering it's you, though, I suppose it's not surprising."
Kaede Tsukasa spoke slowly. "I came to the front lines using Space-Time Ninjutsu without the Hokage's transfer orders. Strictly speaking, that's a violation. Lord Orochimaru, I assume you'll handle that."
"Of course. I simply wanted a proper conversation with you… Ryōma, your part here is over. Leave. Tell Danzo that what he wants, I'll prepare immediately after the war ends," Orochimaru said.
Ryōma didn't feel awkward; instead, he looked at Kaede Tsukasa. "You came here on your own without reporting to Lord Danzo, didn't you? And what's with your body? Intelligence shows that after assisting Kato in defeating the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, your body wasted away—but now it's recovered significantly."
"It seems Lord Danzo didn't tell you about me. You don't need to gather intelligence for him regarding my body; he knows everything perfectly," Kaede Tsukasa said calmly. "Now get out, or do you want to fight me here?"
Orochimaru's dark smile turned sardonic. "Ryōma, it seems Danzo hasn't completely trusted you. You don't even know about the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu."
Ryoma remained silent and left the camp.
Outside, the Root ninjas immediately advanced. The moment Ryōma gave the order, they would rush in. Whatever happened inside the camp, they were ready to clean it up.
"Lord Ryōma, it seems there was a battle inside. Should we intervene?" the lead Root ninja asked.
"No need. Kaede Tsukasa has arrived. The commotion is just from him."
"Kaede Tsukasa… came to the front-line camp from the village using Space-Time Ninjutsu? His chakra is already this abundant? That's unusual. Did Lord Danzo order him here?"
This time, Ryōma didn't answer. As Danzo's chief assistant, he knew not to raise matters he shouldn't.
Ryōma could suppress his personal emotions to the maximum. Humiliation or offense, even the slightest, would not affect his rationality.
Under the watchful eyes of many ninjas, Ryoma quickly departed with the Root ninjas, which only heightened everyone's curiosity.
Even a fool could tell that a fight had occurred. At first, the commotion might have been dismissed as an experiment, but the recent burst of Lightning Release chakra was undeniable.
However, if it wasn't an enemy invasion, then it must have been Ryoma fighting Orochimaru? Such a scenario was simply absurd.
"Hiashi, did you see clearly?" Fugaku asked, ignoring the other ninjas from both clans.
Hiashi Hyūga didn't even blink. "I didn't even look. This has nothing to do with my clan, nor with the war. I will wait for Lord Orochimaru's orders."
This calm, unflappable demeanor, this indifference to high-level conflicts, made Fugaku take a deep breath, unsure of what to say.
He really couldn't get along with the Hyūga clan's heir; he would rather interact more with members of the Senju clan.
Fugaku walked to a distance and closed his eyes.
Sharingan, activate!
The three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't match the Byakugan in long-range vision or X-ray sight, but it was still sufficient for remotely sensing chakra.
Fugaku immediately spotted a large amount of chakra. The one standing should be Orochimaru, while someone sat opposite him, and another person was seated below that one.
"I see… Although this is unusual, if I'm not mistaken, that should be Kaede Tsukasa. He's one of the only two in the village with Space-Time Ninjutsu. To arrive here instantly from a long distance, only Space-Time Ninjutsu could bypass all the defenses and appear in the center of the main camp."
Fugaku immediately concluded that Kaede Tsukasa had come for some unknown reason.
He didn't suspect Minato Namikaze, because Minato never did such irregular things—especially appearing unannounced in the core of the Konoha forces, let alone taking action.
Fugaku immediately deactivated his Sharingan. Remotely probing the central camp was a serious violation for a Konoha ninja.
…
At the same time, in the Iwagakure forces.
Ōnoki finally received good news: Roshi had awakened.
The bad news was that Roshi's report on the Land of Hot Water campaign was completely different from Ōnoki's expectations.
"So they really activated the underground volcano with Lava Release, severely damaging the Konoha forces? Dan Kato stayed behind to cover the retreat, giving the others time to withdraw?"
Up to this point, Ōnoki quietly nodded; everything seemed to make sense.
But reading further, his expression turned as if he had eaten something foul.
"What do you mean 'successfully killed Dan Kato'? That guy is still alive and well, a Konoha hero, yet Roshi claims he's dead?"
Ōnoki analyzed repeatedly, finally focusing his gaze on Tsunade and Kaede Tsukasa.
Kaede Tsukasa had taken over the fallen Dan Kato, stayed behind to block Roshi, and even used several bodies of Explosion Release bloodline users in suicide attacks?!
"…The Konoha bastards brought back all the bodies left by the demolition team, and Kaede Tsukasa turned them into war puppets!! Truly a naturally evil Zombie Release brat!"
At this point, Ōnoki was furious, but reading further, he was completely baffled. Roshi claimed to have blasted away half of Dan Kato's body with Scorching River Rock Technique, but according to Ōnoki, Dan Kato was perfectly fine and had returned to Konoha safely.
Could Tsunade achieve such a feat? And where did all the missing body tissue come from? Once obtained, how did Tsunade sew it back onto Dan Kato, reviving him to appear completely normal?
"Tsunade doesn't have that medical skill, and this isn't within the realm of medical ninjutsu. So it really must be Kaede Tsukasa."
A fierce light gleamed in Ōnoki's eyes.
Desecrating Iwagakure ninja corpses to attack Iwagakure's own ninjas, and possibly even using Zombie Release to restore Dan Kato… Regardless of whether Kaede Tsukasa is controlling the deceased Dan Kato to maintain morale, or if he truly possesses some miraculous resurrection technique, it all means that his threat is continuously growing.
Kaede Tsukasa's secret techniques are far too bizarre, the danger far too great, and the impact on morale immense! Look at him—he's only just risen, yet he can already command hundreds of corpses to besiege Roshi. What will he become in a few years? When the next Great Ninja War arrives, will Kaede Tsukasa be able to appear on the battlefield with hundreds or even thousands of zombies, single-handedly fielding an army?
Ōnoki could not tolerate it. If there was any opportunity, it would be best to find a way to kill Kaede Tsukasa.
"There will be a chance in the future. The great battle will end, but the smaller skirmishes will continue indefinitely. Pass my order: while the enemy has just finished the Land of Hot Water campaign, and Tsunade and the others have not yet reached the front lines, launch one final general attack immediately. Whether or not results are achieved, the village must withdraw. Continuing this war any further is meaningless."
Ōnoki issued the order.
At that moment, the captain of the demolition squad, Kari, arrived to report that a Konoha squad had once again launched a surprise attack. The first team of the demolition unit was already on alert and had engaged.
"Senju Momoka? Then kill her. Let this be the final flourish of this war," Ōnoki commanded.
All Iwagakure forces began their operations, layer upon layer. It appeared that the entire army had mobilized, but positions had already been prearranged. Each unit had assigned tasks—who would assault, who would support, who would defend. As long as progress was made, units could retreat in an orderly fashion at any time.
Konoha responded immediately, mobilizing all available forces. The guard units moved first, while defensive units remained vigilant for any flanking maneuvers by Iwagakure.
Ōnoki flew to the front lines, soaring into the sky. From there, he could see all the troop movements of Konoha at a glance. Even this alone gave him a huge advantage on the battlefield.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
A dozen Hyūga clan ninjas raised their hands and struck toward Ōnoki.
But Ōnoki nimbly flew farther away, easily dodging the attacks.
"Hyūga clan… Killing them wouldn't give me Byakugan, yet leaving them alive is as troublesome as flies. Truly a troublesome bloodline," Ōnoki sneered.
He spread his hands, preparing to unleash Dust Release to sweep across the Konoha positions. In an instant, he could clear a large vacuum zone.
"Dust Release: Detachment… Huh?"
As he formed a ball of light in his hands, he noticed dozens of strange figures in the distance, all wearing toy masks. Their exposed skin was completely decayed.
These figures were fully poised, ready to rush toward the Konoha ninjas the moment Ōnoki cast his jutsu.
"…I see. So Konoha actually sent a guy like this to the front lines again. The Zombie Release brat! Since you're here, you'll stay here forever."
Ōnoki's eyes lit up. He immediately ordered the demolition unit to ignore other hostile forces and advance toward his location as a priority.
"I refuse to believe your corpses are limitless. Once I clear all your bodies and exhaust your chakra, let's see what tricks you have left. No escape! Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A massive beam of light shot out. Although nearly fifty, Ōnoki, past his peak, relied on his vast combat experience and sharp judgment to unleash Dust Release with even greater destructive power.
Where the beam of light struck, all matter instantly began to dismember, vanishing silently. To onlookers, it seemed as if solid objects were simply dissolving.
The Dust Release beam moved at an incredible speed—ordinary ninjas had no time to react.
But Kaede Tsukasa could.
In an instant, the Dust Release beam always landed exactly where Kaede was. Kaede Tsukasa's figure flickered rapidly across the battlefield, creating the illusion of multiple Kaede Tsukasas appearing at once.
Each flicker meant that Kaede Tsukasa had transported a nearly doomed comrade to a safe position.
The price, however, was that a zombie would bear the brunt of the Dust Release attack, its body dismembered.
All of this happened within mere seconds. Many Konoha ninjas hadn't even reacted before the scene before their eyes shifted; after being touched by the corpses rushed in front of them, they were suddenly transported to a different location.
"Huh, this is…"
"I… I was just saved? This must be the legendary Space-Time Technique… that Kaede Tsukasa's Space-Time Ninjutsu."
"So Lord Kaede Tsukasa has already arrived at the front lines? I hadn't heard a word of this! Amazing!"
"Uh… thank you, though you're probably a zombie, so maybe you don't understand what I'm saying…"
Some Konoha ninjas who had been waiting for death were suddenly given a second chance. Weak and trembling, they gasped and expressed their thanks to the corpses beside them.
Kaede Tsukasa accepted all of their gratitude without question.
"Alright, the first group of thirty-eight saved, lost twenty-nine zombies…"
Kaede Tsukasa calculated the numbers.
The relatively low zombie loss was simply because some had their lower halves obliterated by the Dust Release, but their heads, shoulders, and arms remained intact. These could still serve as materials for Kaede Tsukasa's Space-Time Technique.
Many were witnessing the Space-Time Technique for the first time. Even high-level experts like Ōnoki and Orochimaru were seeing it in action for the first time and instinctively began analyzing the intelligence implications.
"Hehehe… Kaede-kun, you just said you snuck to the front lines and needed me to keep it secret. How is it that once the battle started, you came out in the open? Once Space-Time Ninjutsu is used, it can't be hidden. Aren't you afraid the village will hold you accountable?"
Orochimaru watched Kaede Tsukasa reappear nearby, licking his lips with excitement.
Kaede Tsukasa shrugged. "What can I do? I couldn't bear to watch so many comrades die under the Dust Release attacks. You, as the supreme commander here, aren't planning to intervene at all."
"Young people… such boldness, acting without hesitation. If you can use these lives to deplete Ōnoki's chakra, then it's entirely worth it. This is war—it's a cruel game of exchange."
There was one thing Orochimaru didn't say: the Third Hokage loved this kind of exchange-style combat.
Kaede Tsukasa immediately laughed. "Is that so? Then I suppose I'm well-suited for war. Both my personal temperament and my ninjutsu fit perfectly… That situation just now—was I using my own chakra to drain the enemy commander's chakra? That kind of exchange… did it give my side even a slight advantage?"
It was only during the Second Great Ninja War that Konoha dared to play like this.
By the time the Third Great Ninja War came years later, the entire ninja world erupted in madness, and Konoha had to employ all kinds of daring tactics to try and accumulate even a small edge.
"Exactly. That's why I have high expectations for Kaede-kun. I just don't know how long your chakra can hold out, or when you plan to use that jutsu to replenish it. There are plenty of corpses stored nearby, both ours and the enemy's."
Orochimaru was ecstatic. In his eyes, this war was insignificant; what mattered was the jutsu this person controlled.
"I don't use my comrades' corpses in combat. But enemy corpses… that's another matter."
Kaede Tsukasa looked up at the sky. His current chakra consumption was still manageable—whether rushing from the village to the front lines or saving this group all at once.
But that was temporary. Once the decisive battle began, having arrived at the front lines, there was no reason not to return openly. Much of the accumulated life force inside him would need to convert into chakra.
A massive number of corpses would appear in a battle of this scale, each one a valuable resource for Kaede Tsukasa.
And many bloodline ninjas would die in the fight!
Kaede Tsukasa clapped his hands: "Then, I'll start producing chakra. This will take a little time."
High above, Ōnoki was also observing Kaede Tsukasa's position from a distance.
"This is Space-Time Technique. Using corpses to assist the jutsu… it's indeed unusual. But it seems there's room for further development. It's not the same as the Flying Thunder God."
With just a glance, Ōnoki roughly understood the limitations of Space-Time Technique.
It couldn't transfer multiple objects simultaneously; each had to be moved individually.
That explained why so many flickering images of Kaede Tsukasa appeared on the battlefield—the frequent appearances and instant disappearances leaving visual afterimages.
Ōnoki's goal wasn't to kill these Konoha ninjas. A group of low-potential opponents wasn't worth the effort.
The real value was in depleting Kaede Tsukasa's chakra and his stored corpses. Otherwise, what if Kaede Tsukasa ran off in advance?
Space-Time ninjas were always troublesome. Too hard to kill—Minato was like this, and Kaede Tsukasa even more so.
On the other side of the battlefield, a young Minato Namikaze observed the earlier exchange from afar.
"That's another form of Space-Time Ninjutsu… I've never seen this before. Truly unique."
Minato's vision was sharper than ordinary, allowing him to gather more intelligence and naturally recognize the limitations of Space-Time Technique.
Yet that didn't diminish his respect and attention toward Kaede Tsukasa.
It was simple: the Flying Thunder God Technique he was practicing was originally developed by the Second Hokage. He had learned it and was now trying to further perfect it, developing complementary jutsu.
But Kaede Tsukasa's Space-Time Technique had no predecessor—everything had to be developed from scratch!
Moreover, Space-Time Technique was ultimately a complementary jutsu of Zombie Release; one had to master the secret Zombie Release technique first.
"Zombie Release… this new secret technique system feels extremely bizarre. There must be even more potential to develop."
Minato withdrew his gaze. He had already mastered the content left by the Second Hokage and would now work to develop Flying Thunder God Technique variations Two and Three according to his own style.
Iwagakure's main force had already charged forward.
In an instant, countless roars and explosions filled the battlefield. Shadows surged forward, unleashing their full strength against their opponents.
Among them were seasoned ninjas who had fought for years, as well as fresh recruits barely experienced in war. No one could guarantee survival—everyone's mind focused solely on eliminating the enemies before them.
"It's begun—the final battle."
Minato immediately drew a large number of kunai and began throwing them frantically. Anyone unaware might think he was a specialist in projectile ninjutsu.
When many Iwagakure ninjas clutched their necks and fell in pain and confusion, it took a moment for the others to react.
"Damn it! A Space-Time ninja from Konoha! Someone, kill him!"
"What the hell? Weren't elite squads assigned specifically to hunt geniuses like Minato Namikaze? Why isn't anyone doing anything?"
"Because the village's elites went after even more talented people."
"That's allowed? Then what about the one in front of us?"
"Wear him down! He's young, and his Space-Time technique isn't as tricky as the other guy's. If we coordinate, we can take him!"
Minato Namikaze was under attack. The other Konoha ninjas couldn't just stand by—their genius could not die before their eyes. They lunged even more frantically, screaming with all their might.
"I've been underestimated… but that's true. That person's jutsu isn't just Space-Time Technique."
Minato, proud as he was, had to admit that his combat methods were too simple and lacked powerful offensive jutsu; the damage he could inflict was limited.
Unknowingly, the young genius who once dominated was subtly being surpassed by someone rising rapidly, wielding a unique secret technique…
Even Minato realized that on the battlefield, Kaede Tsukasa was the bigger threat. Every corpse under his control could use the abilities they had in life, dealing far greater blows to enemy strength and morale than Minato could.
"But I won't just give up. I'm four years younger than him. I may not match him now, but in a few years, who knows?"
Relying on Flying Thunder God Technique alone wasn't enough!
No matter how fast he was, just slicing with kunai couldn't break a strong opponent's defenses; the results would always be limited. He needed to develop a high-power offensive jutsu.
Whoosh!
Once again, Minato used Flying Thunder God Technique to appear instantly beside an enemy. After cutting the opponent's neck, a terrifying explosion roared from afar.
Even without turning his head, he could feel the overwhelming pressure, as if the air itself was warped by this sudden power.
"Could it be… a Bijuu Dama? But it doesn't seem quite like it."
Minato saw an astonishing beam of chakra.
Immediately after, a Rashōmon was summoned, blocking the terrifying attack. The demon faces on the gate were deeply dented, showing how immense the force it had endured was.
"That's Orochimaru-sama's A-rank summoning jutsu—Rashōmon." Minato withdrew his gaze, returning his focus to hunting the enemy before him. With his current strength, he had no business involving himself in this sort of battle.
Orochimaru had indeed intervened, directly blocking the Five-Tails Jinchūriki in a half-transformed state.
He now stood atop the Rashōmon, facing the bitter wind, overlooking the humanoid monsters below.
"I see. Transforming to a half-Tailed Beast state, producing a chakra sphere, then consuming it, and finally firing it as a chakra cannon… This incomplete version of a Bijuu Dama is surprisingly useful, though its power is much weaker."
Without interference, such an attack could have slaughtered countless Konoha ninjas along its path.
However, Orochimaru had blocked it with just one Rashōmon. To counter a full Bijuu Dama, an S-rank summoning, Triple Rashōmon, would be necessary.
"Orochimaru-sama has intervened!"
"Truly fitting for Orochimaru-sama. Even when facing a Jinchūriki, he acts with such composure!"
Many of the rescued Konoha ninjas cheered, but Orochimaru remained indifferent. He wasn't saving these low-level shinobi—he was purely preventing the enemy from attacking Kaede Tsukasa behind the Rashōmon.
He eagerly anticipated what surprises Kaede Tsukasa might bring.
Now it was clear to everyone: the center of gravity of the Iwagakure forces was gradually tilting toward Kaede Tsukasa's position.
The Explosive Corps had been drawn in, launching their assault, even abandoning the opportunity to surround and kill Senju Momoka.
Onoki darted back and forth, continuously annihilating zombies on the battlefield.
"Hmph, as expected, you have to attack the head to truly kill them. In just a short while, over fifty corpses have been destroyed. I want to see just how many bodies you had prepared in advance!"
Although "killing corpses" sounded odd, it was exactly the situation. Onoki couldn't believe that Kaede Tsukasa could possibly stock hundreds or thousands of bodies.
Transforming corpses into zombies required a huge amount of time. It wasn't just about animating them—it involved making them use the jutsu they had in life, synchronized with the caster, Kaede Tsukasa. That was the terrifying aspect of the Zombie Release.
But the process of modifying corpses should require significant cost. There's no way a simple clap of the hands could generate as many as needed—it was impossible for any jutsu to work that way!
If all the corpses were destroyed and his chakra exhausted, Kaede Tsukasa wouldn't even be able to use Space-Time Technique to escape, making him vulnerable to death.
"Though his growth has been strange… during the fight with Sunagakure, he seemed to have little chakra and needed many to protect him, yet later he could command even more corpses to attack Onoki, the Jinchūriki…"
But as long as he was killed now, there wouldn't be too much risk left for the Third Great Ninja War.
Just as Onoki evaded ranged attacks from secret-tech shinobi like Ino-Shika-Cho, he noticed Kaede Tsukasa making a move.
"What's next? Summon more zombies? Or send that sand guy?" Onoki sneered—but then his eyes narrowed.
Kaede Tsukasa released his hands and clapped once again.
"Finally done? I've blocked quite a few attacks for you."
"Thank you very much, Orochimaru-sama. Generating chakra took me some time, but it's almost ready."
Zombie Release: Corpse Transformation Technique!
A violent surge of chakra erupted from Kaede Tsukasa, forming a visible blue airflow, veins bulging on his forehead.
"As you wish, I'll reveal just a fraction of the true power of my Zombie Release… You probably already suspected as much, otherwise all those experiments would have been wasted."
Kaede Tsukasa began consuming massive amounts of chakra. Wherever the currents swirled, combatants fell one by one, drenched in blood, unable to rise again.
This would normally be standard in war—but now, something had changed.
Whoosh!
A Bakuton ninja, pierced through the heart, pressed his hands onto a Senju clan member just before collapsing, instantly shattering the Senju's body.
Soon after, his eyes moved again, his body convulsing violently, producing snapping and cracking sounds, as if his bones were being dislocated by the strange, jerky movements.
"Tomoki? Great! You're still alive! I knew you wouldn't die so easily. I've got you covered—get up!"
His companion was overwhelmed with excitement. First, he used Earth Release to block the enemy's line of sight, then reached out, attempting to pull the Iwagakure ninja from the ground.
But as soon as he grabbed him, his expression changed. He saw that blood still flowed steadily from the hole in the man's chest.
The heart was shattered—he should have been dead—but why was this person not only alive, yet convulsing more violently than before?
"Tomoki, you—"
"Aaaahhh!!!"
The zombified Iwagakure ninja's eyes spun rapidly, eventually turning gray-white. His hands surged with overexerted strength, skin tearing, muscle fibers snapping—just to grab his companion in front of him, then open his mouth and bite down fiercely!
"It hurts! Why are you biting me? Are you crazy?!"
Similar scenes repeated several times in quick succession. The closer one got to Kaede Tsukasa's position, the more frequent it became. Fallen Iwagakure ninjas would rise again, driven by instinct to attack those around them.
In an instant, the battlefield that should have been orderly descended into chaos.
In terms of actual casualties, it wasn't devastating, but the suddenness dealt an enormous blow to morale and disrupted tactical execution.
Already on edge, many Iwagakure ninjas were pushed to the brink of madness.
"Get away! Stay back!"
"Damn it, why does it only attack me and not Konoha's ninjas? What's wrong with it?"
"What's going on? I cut off its arms and legs, so why does it still insist on crawling over to attack me?"
"Move aside! It's about to use jutsu!"
More and more Iwagakure ninjas spiraled into panic, their minds breaking.
Even when some realized this was the enemy's jutsu, the chaos at each point had already spread. While guarding against enemies, they also had to watch over their own companions who had fallen during battle. The pressure was immense.
Konoha ninjas seized the opportunity to launch a countercharge. As expected, they gained more kills, cutting down a batch of enemies on the spot.
"Just converted fewer than eighty bodies, but it's enough to create an opportunity for everyone. In those few seconds, roughly two hundred enemies around here were probably killed,"
Kaede Tsukasa maintained his hand seal pose, observing the battlefield. In his perception, more and more people were being infected with the virus, turning into his potential puppets.
Yet Kaede Tsukasa deliberately refrained from large-scale conversion. Chakra limitations were one reason; another was to ensure the zombie horde didn't spiral out of control. The size of the horde had to remain under his command.
Many already critically wounded Iwagakure ninjas, once scratched or bitten, had begun the process of zombification. Even with strong physical constitutions, and without Kaede Tsukasa deliberately accelerating the transformation, they would slowly turn into zombies over a few days.
However, Kaede Tsukasa forcibly halted the process using Zombie Release: Corpse Transformation Technique.
"Not just two hundred—soon, even more enemies will be killed. Kaede-kun, you've done a great deed."
Orochimaru was ecstatic. Already an expert in human research, witnessing the dead "resurrect" and kill the enemy firsthand brought him an overwhelming sense of exhilaration.
It felt exquisite; every cell in his body rejoiced. The scene before him was the pinnacle of life as an art form.
He knew full well: these corpses could not only hunt enemies and use jutsu they had mastered in life, but could also serve as sacrifices for the One's Own Life Reincarnation Juts, allowing someone to be resurrected or granted immortality.
"So beautiful, Kaede-kun. You must live well. As long as you're around, this dull and boring world will become vibrant… Once the war ends, I'll invite you to join my research project—you'll definitely enjoy it."
Orochimaru licked his lips once more and personally entered the battlefield, putting a pause to this war that had grown tiresome for him.
With all the top-tier fighters now on the field, the war had reached its most brutal stage.
Powerful jutsu erupted one after another; even a single strike could create a massive vacuum, killing countless weaker ninjas.
Originally, Iwagakure ninjas might not have questioned such devastation, but now things were different. Occasionally, fallen comrades would suddenly rise and attack them, severely overstimulating their sensitive nerves.
"Damn it! His casting speed is unbelievable! How is he controlling those corpses? Could I have been wrong all along? It's not a physical thing—it's essentially done through some mental jutsu?"
Using a forbidden jutsu of a dark-natured type to manipulate and deceive the dead's brain, making them think they're alive and reanimate?
Oonoki had no time to ponder the truth. He charged straight toward Kaede's position, abruptly landing on the ground, then unleashed a horizontal sweep of Dust Release.
In an instant, numerous Konoha ninjas and zombies were cut down—but Kaede Tsukasa had already used Kuukai no Jutsu to reposition himself at a distance.
"Give up, Lord Tsuchikage. The zombies you see are not all I control. How can you be sure that those lying on the ground aren't under my command?"
Kaede Tsukasa moved and stepped out from behind several Konoha ninjas, watching Oonoki from afar.
"This war… you've already lost. Your plan to kill me has failed. But I don't think this is the end. In the future, we will have another chance to face each other."
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