chapter 92 part 4
Looking at him now, aside from his ragged clothes, every inch of Troy's skin was unharmed, and he stood expressionlessly in place.
"I will prepare a fine Coffin for you, for you alone. If you become utterly useless in the future, I will destroy that Coffin."
Tsukasa Kaede maintained immense respect for the Elite Jonin under his command, making sure to maximize their emotional value and ensure the sense of ceremony was complete.
Thinking this, Tsukasa Kaede felt he truly was a good person.
"Well then, this battle is concluded."
Tsukasa Kaede looked around at the ravaged battlefield. Numerous unusable Corpses were piled upon each other, silently testifying to the ferocity of the War.
A little while later.
The Konoha people finally arrived.
"Is that Tsukasa Kaede? I detected a battle here and immediately rushed over. Did you kill all these enemies by yourself?"
"It seems they were Kumogakure enemies, but judging by the traces on the battlefield and the number of Corpses on the ground..."
Everyone watched the gruesome scene with faces full of horror. Even though Tsukasa Kaede had already recovered all the usable Zombies, the remaining severed limbs and broken bodies were a shocking sight.
Coupled with the intense commotion from earlier, it was definitely not something an ordinary battle could produce. One could only imagine what had just transpired.
"You've arrived, a bit slow, but it has nothing to do with you. Even I didn't expect to crush the enemy's invasion unit so quickly, making you come all this way for nothing."
Tsukasa Kaede saw Inuzuka Tsume and immediately knew this was a Konoha patrol squad.
Immediately after, more Konoha Ninja arrived, utterly shocked.
Tsukasa Kaede said calmly, "According to the plan, I was supposed to hold off the enemy and wait for your reinforcements, but I seem to have overdone it. Apart from that fellow from the Yotsuki Clan who escaped alone, all three hundred Kumogakure Ninja died here."
The number of Kumogakure Corpses present didn't reach three hundred, but no one there was a fool. They knew Tsukasa Kaede had recovered all the usable ones, so naturally, they wouldn't openly question it, their awe growing even deeper.
Just as Tsukasa Kaede had predicted, while the battle's impact didn't fundamentally alter the overall power balance between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, the annihilation of three hundred Ninja, the defeat of an Elite Jonin like Troy, and A's escape were enough to cause significant pain to the Hidden Cloud Village.
However, from Tsukasa Kaede's perspective alone, this battle had an incredibly intense impact on the world, because Tsukasa Kaede truly achieved it. It meant that with the strength of one man, he annihilated an Elite Force from the Hidden Cloud Village! At 17 years old, Tsukasa Kaede already possessed the ability to become an army unto himself, capable of fighting a medium-scale War single-handedly! The Shinobi World had never seen this type of Ninja before. His sudden appearance and undeniable military achievements were enough to cause a huge sensation and bring Tsukasa Kaede unprecedented prestige.
From then on, he would officially ascend, becoming "Lord" to the vast populace. People would subconsciously regard him as a powerful Hokage-level Ninja—although he hadn't reached that tier in terms of individual combat, considering the scale of the Corpse Horde he controlled, his impact in many areas was even greater than that of Kage-level powerhouses!
This was the terrifying aspect of one man becoming an army.
"Corpse Release... What is the upper limit of this Jutsu? The Village has essentially gained a fearless army out of thin air." Inuzuka Tsume was stunned, muttering to herself as she stared disbelievingly at Tsukasa Kaede, who was dusting off his clothes.
Just two years ago, Tsukasa Kaede was clearly a nobody, yet now he had become so brilliant. Every step of his progress was so clearly visible, and precisely because of that, it was even more shocking.
The people of Konoha felt they had personally witnessed a rapid ascent, seeing the rise of a genius who had already become a radiant figure in the Village.
"My apologies, I couldn't stop that guy."
Kato Dan also arrived with his people. He had led a team to ambush the enemy in the eastern part of the Land of Fire, planning to block their retreat route, specifically the northeastern outpost of the Land of Fire.
Kato Dan looked somewhat disheveled, and his clothes seemed to bear traces of explosions, indicating he had just used his Explosion Release Bloodline Limit.
Tsunade complained, "That guy's escape speed was too fast, completely unstoppable. Dan Kato even used the Spirit Transformation Secret Technique afterwards, but he still couldn't keep up with his speed!"
"There was nothing to be done. Initially, I intended to block him myself, but that Kumogakure Ninja was extremely powerful, and I suffered some losses," Kato Dan said with a wry smile.
Explosion Release was used, and it seemed to only injure that guy's right hand? But Tsukasa Kaede, who could make such a powerful individual flee in disarray, seemingly crippling his right hand, and then overturn three hundred Kumogakure Ninja, his strength truly was...
Tsukasa Kaede smiled, "Everyone worked very hard. Letting one enemy escape is insignificant. I must thank everyone for their efforts tonight, otherwise, we wouldn't have achieved such results."
Inuzuka Tsume and the other patrol members looked bewildered. They hadn't known about this beforehand; they were merely following the Village's orders to increase patrols and maintain high alert.
It was worth noting that there had also been a high alert situation recently, which was mysteriously canceled shortly after, leaving everyone confused about what had happened.
But who would have thought such a massive event would occur tonight? Tsukasa Kaede single-handedly annihilated a Kumogakure invasion unit—not a Squad, but a unit! Kato Dan exclaimed, "That's nothing, it's mainly you! I never expected you to end this War all by yourself... I thought your Mission was to fully hold off the enemy."
"Yes, that was indeed my original plan, but who knew the enemy's target was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? I got a bit angry when I actually started fighting. Thinking about serving the Village, I accidentally put too much effort in and almost wiped out all the enemies."
Tsukasa Kaede sighed, "But thankfully, no problems arose, and everything was completed perfectly."
As for the escaped A? Originally, no one paid much mind. Out of three hundred people, only one escaped. This was a complete and utter major victory. Even the most critical person wouldn't say anything negative about it; they were all too stunned to speak.
Minato Namikaze had also arrived at some unknown point, realizing everything was over. Countless people surrounded Tsukasa Kaede, excitedly shouting various things.
"Did I arrive late? Well, it makes sense; the Village must be particularly concerned about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... And my speed still isn't fast enough." Minato Namikaze smiled helplessly. He asked those present and quickly learned what had happened, greatly astonished.
"One person alone took care of three hundred Kumogakure Ninja? And there was even a powerhouse from the Yotsuki Clan among the enemies?"
Minato Namikaze was greatly shaken, feeling he still fell short and needed to undergo more diligent Cultivation. Calculating the time, Jiraiya should be returning soon, right? Some people voluntarily stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, nervously dealing with the broken walls and ruins.