chapter 81 part 2
Jiraiya's lips curved into a smile, laughing heartily: "Perhaps in the future, you alone can form a troop of several hundred people! I heard you can also make enemy corpses use their Ninjutsu from when they were alive?"
"That's true, but doing so consumes a lot of extra Chakra, and I've already consumed a great deal rushing here from the Hidden Leaf Village."
Tsukasa Kaede said, "As for forming a troop by myself, if I had to say, I could barely manage it if I went all out, but it's hard to say how much strength such a troop could exert. For now, let's figure out how to deal with these people."
A large number of Zombies launched an attack first. To everyone's astonishment, these Zombies successively unleashed Ninjutsu.
Leading the charge was Araki of the Sand, whose body was intact and flesh full. Although his skin was slightly grayish, he was generally indistinguishable from a normal person—it seemed eating so many White Zetsu during this period had been somewhat effective, not only restoring him to his peak but also making him even stronger.
*Swish!* A large amount of earth was swept up by Araki of the Sand, transforming into a visible tornado that surged towards Danzo and his group.
Other Zombies also advanced in layers, various elemental release jutsu following close behind, attacking enemies in different directions.
Danzo and Hanzo's forces immediately retaliated. Honestly, the quality of these Zombies somewhat exceeded their expectations. Araki of the Sand, the strongest, was especially impressive, already skilled in area-of-effect attacks, making him most effective in this scale of battle.
The other Zombies were at least Chunin level, with several Jonin among them. Their Jutsu casting speed, Ninjutsu intensity, and Taijutsu combat judgment were all noticeably superior.
And they were not afraid of death. Severe injuries that would cripple normal ninja were nothing to these Zombies, who continued to maintain extremely high combat power.
Danzo's team was relatively fine, but Hanzo's side was somewhat chaotic, and more than ten people were quickly killed.
After finally dismembering a few Zombies, they suddenly saw the Zombies use their remaining legs and arms to forcefully jump into the crowd, biting and slashing.
This fighting style, choosing death to inflict even trivial damage, sent shivers down the spines of the Amegakure Ninja who had never seen Corpse Release.
"It hurts so much! What are these things? Why won't they die?!"
"Damn it, what's wrong with this guy? Did you see what he just did? He actually swung his own thigh to hit my head with his arm!"
"Wait, what did I just see? Why are our dead comrades standing up again?! How can they be alive with half their neck gone?"
"Aaaah, get away! Whether you're from Iwagakure or the Hidden Sand Village, or even our Amegakure comrades, get away from me!!"
The scene was pure chaos.
To truly assess the overall strength of these Zombies, it wasn't overwhelmingly powerful. Even the strongest Elite Jonin, Araki of the Sand, despite having improved from his living state, didn't possess the combat power to dominate the entire field.
The main issue was that the Zombies attacked from all directions, surrounding their enemies, and the numerous Amegakure Ninja had simply never encountered Corpse Release. Fighting rotting corpses already challenged their understanding, but then their recently deceased comrades stood up and joined the enemy's ranks, which was truly unbearable.
These hundred-plus Amegakure Ninja were not all elites, and they came from Small Ninja Villages, unlike the orthodox Konoha Ninja who received systematic training at the Ninja Academy. Facing a Jutsu that defied their understanding and had extreme visual impact, a momentary lapse into confusion was normal.
Even ninja from Great Ninja Villages would be stunned the first time they encountered such a situation.
"Don't panic! The weakness of these corpses is their heads. Destroying the head will completely kill them," Danzo sharply ordered, leading Root Ninja to kill several Zombies.
Terai actively sought out Araki of the Sand, his blade once again aimed. "We meet again. You look more like a living human now. Has your master's Corpse Release Secret Technique improved? But this time, I won't let you live. I'll cut off your head."
Last time, at the Corpse Disposal Kaedete, he had thrown his blade through Araki of the Sand's chest. This time, it would pierce his head.
Ordinary ninja were not qualified to intervene in a battle between two Elite Jonin.
Danzo and the others had no intention of participating either. They figured it was better to directly deal with Tsukasa Kaede, as they still had a numerical advantage.
"What an astonishing Jutsu, Danzo. It seems your position in the Hidden Leaf Village isn't good. Not only does Jiraiya not listen to you, but even such a special ninja stands against you. Have you lost the Hokage's support? Then I'll have to reconsider my dealings with you."
Hanzo didn't personally take action, merely observing. If he could sacrifice some subordinates' lives to understand the enemy's Secret Technique, it would be well worth it, far better than risking himself.
But the more he watched, the more astonished he became, especially seeing the fallen Amegakure Ninja stand up shortly after and attack other Amegakure Ninja without hesitation. Hanzo was silenced.
If he himself died here, would he also stand up and join Tsukasa Kaede's team, just like that Elite Jonin from the Hidden Sand Village? Danzo was furious: "Tsukasa Kaede was originally my subordinate! I never imagined he would betray me because of the Rinnegan! Jiraiya must have reached an agreement with Tsukasa Kaede long ago!"
Discovering the Rinnegan was certainly a pleasant surprise, but losing the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu for it would be too great a loss. Danzo's face was gloomy as he stared ferociously at Tsukasa Kaede, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly.
He truly didn't understand. Just a short while ago, Tsukasa Kaede had sworn to pledge allegiance to him, but how could he change his mind in the blink of an eye?
What leverage did that damnable Jiraiya use to attract Tsukasa Kaede? It couldn't be handing over the Rinnegan to Tsukasa Kaede; that was impossible.
Unless...
"Tsukasa Kaede, if you intend to take advantage of this to acquire more excellent corpses, I can help you, but you shouldn't stand against me!"
Danzo shouted: "Hanzo, join me! Remember, do not kill Tsukasa Kaede or Nagato. These two absolutely cannot be harmed."
"You want to have your cake and eat it too? I truly regret getting involved in your Hidden Leaf Village's internal strife. A Hokage's disciple and a Konoha genius fighting against Konoha's higher-ups... this kind of thing..."
Hanzo genuinely regretted it, but seeing Danzo's sinister expression, he felt he should at least put in some effort, as long as he was careful not to kill anyone.
Years ago, he crippled the Sannin, and though he could have killed them all, he let them go. Now, there was even less reason to deliver a killing blow.
"Then, I'll go defeat that Tsukasa Kaede. Many of my subordinates have died, so I need to make him pay a price."
Hanzo glanced at Jiraiya, deciding it was better to pick the "soft persimmon" and squeeze Tsukasa Kaede. He knew Jiraiya's strength must have continued to improve over the past three years, and who knew to what extent.
The only question was, how many rounds could Danzo last against Jiraiya? "That suits me perfectly! In that case, I will deal with Jiraiya here. Information about the Rinnegan cannot be leaked."
Danzo's words startled Hanzo. He had already rushed out but specifically turned his head to look at Danzo.