chapter 95 part 3
"However, gaining an undying body through Jashin, then using Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu to transfer one's life force... that probably wouldn't work. Jashin wouldn't allow such a thing to happen."
Tsukasa Kaede thought about it, but had no interest in trying, as it had no practical use.
Time slowly passed. Jiraiya's return did cause some stir. Generally, people were pleased by the return of the Hokage's disciple, but hidden within this were also some resentment and indifference.
You disappeared during the most intense period of the Second Great Ninja War, and after so much time since the war ended, you suddenly reappear. Even if you were on a secret mission, what mission could keep someone away for three years?
Jiraiya wasn't a spy!
Tsukasa Kaede turned a deaf ear to the outside controversies and had no intention of contacting Jiraiya. The two of them had no prior connection, and due to the mess in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya was probably unwilling to have an in-depth conversation with Tsukasa Kaede anyway.
Tsukasa Kaede spent some time each day training Hidan. As Hidan's Taijutsu continuously improved, Tsukasa Kaede immediately went to find another Taijutsu expert.
"Another one? Who's this seemingly unreliable old man?" Hidan grinned. He felt that after so much cultivation, his strength was already sufficient. No matter who the enemy was, he was confident he could finish them off with Jashin Ritual: Death Controlling Possessed Blood as long as he got close enough to land a cut.
"Hello, I am Might Dai. It is an honor to spar with you! This is Tsukasa Kaede's acknowledgment of me, and I will give it my all so as not to disappoint Tsukasa Kaede!"
Might Dai was full of enthusiasm. As an unnoticed figure in the Village, only Sakumo Hatake and Tsukasa Kaede would seriously talk to him, without looking down on him for his poor talent, rigid training methods, and eccentric behavior.
"You seem to have gotten stronger. Has the Taijutsu you used in the Land of Hot Water battle improved further?" Tsukasa Kaede asked with a smile.
"Oh! I can now open the Kaedexth Gate! I feel that if I continue to work hard, I'll be able to open the Seventh Gate within three years! The essence of youth is never giving up, and I will definitely not slack off in my cultivation!"
Might Dai clenched his fists, his eyes burning with the flame of struggle.
He also had a child, Might Guy, and as a father, Might Dai felt he had to be a good role model. After all, besides the Eight Gates Released Formation, he really had nothing else to teach his son.
High-level Ninjutsu? He didn't have any; he couldn't even use Ninjutsu.
Flashy Secret Techniques? If the Eight Gates Released Formation counted as a Secret Technique, then that was it. But this Jutsu was not flashy at all; on the contrary, it was very "ugly," requiring daily arduous training and countless breakthroughs of one's physical limits to achieve mastery.
"Is that so... how spirited you are. Then I'll leave Hidan to you. Feel free to use the Eight Gates Released Formation against Hidan; don't worry about killing him. His life is tough, very tough."
"But, the Eight Gates Released Formation is a Jutsu to protect comrades—"
"Just consider him not a comrade. Ordinary Taijutsu attacks are useless against this guy."
Tsukasa Kaede dropped that remark and left directly. From now on, Hidan could largely be left to his own devices. He needed to shift his focus back to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru had already completed various preliminary research, accumulated enough experience, and with Tsukasa Kaede's help, he reached his current heights faster than in the original timeline.
"Oh, Tsukasa Kaede, it's rare for you to come here early. Aren't you teaching Hidan anymore? Actually, you could send him to me; perhaps I could figure out the principles of his body."
Orochimaru laughed hoarsely; he was indeed curious about Hidan.
"You don't need to. I've already figured out his principle. It doesn't hurt to tell you: it comes from the power of Jashin, a supernatural entity, probably equivalent to the Reaper in the Reaper Death Seal."
Tsukasa Kaede rummaged through the desk, picking up the latest few research documents from a pile of materials to read.
"Jashin, Reaper... so that's it. I thought Hidan was the result of Tsukasa Kaede's painstaking research." Orochimaru suddenly looked enlightened. It involved a God, not Corpse Release?
"Don't you know my level? I currently can't create beings of Hidan's caliber. The corpses I control aren't used that way, nor do they need to be."
Tsukasa Kaede glanced at the title of the document in his hand, "Analysis of DNA Differences between Bloodline Limit Cells and Non-Kekkei Genkai Cells," and casually opened it for a quick read.
He knew what Orochimaru meant: Tsukasa Kaede, if he wanted to, could always use other less valuable corpses to resurrect very valuable corpses and heal all their injuries.
When they died again, he could use ordinary corpses of little value to resurrect them again, endlessly. This would also be an "immortal Ninja."
If the resurrection process could be made more efficient, even undetectable by enemies, then it might be something like Hidan—but that was too troublesome. Tsukasa Kaede wouldn't do such a pointless thing. He could command corpses to fight; why deliberately resurrect them?
Orochimaru's thinking was indeed somewhat unconventional, but that was a common trait of research geniuses.
"Your old friend is back. Haven't you gone to see him?" Tsukasa Kaede asked casually.
"Hmph, I have nothing to say to that idiot. That guy messed up a lot of things. Although I'm not clear on exactly what happened, I can sense it somewhat. On the path to immortality, people like him are just roadside attractions. Tsukasa Kaede is different; I'll need to rely on Tsukasa Kaede in many areas."
"That's for the future; let's focus on the present first. Is Hokage still unwilling to budge?"
"Not at all. He's very hesitant, overly confident in the Hidden Leaf Village's current strength. The continuous invasions by Kumogakure squads aren't enough; he needs a bigger incident to provoke him."
Orochimaru lowered his voice, "How about it, Tsukasa Kaede, do you have any ideas? Which Tailed Beast do you plan to deal with this time?"
"We don't need to actively deal with them; the enemy won't be able to resist," Tsukasa Kaede said. "The frequency of Iwagakure's invasions seems to be steadily increasing. Many villagers naturally pay extremely high attention to Iwagakure, cursing them and hoping to hit Iwagakure hard again."
In the original timeline, Jiraiya would have taken Minato and two others to participate in the battle against Iwagakure.
"Now it just depends on how Hokage plans to handle this. The Tsuchikage of Iwagakure is an ambitious fellow who always looks for opportunities to do something. For him to endure this long since the end of the Second Great Ninja War before making a move is already quite remarkable."
Tsukasa Kaede felt that his act of annihilating three hundred Kumogakure Ninja might have indirectly slowed Onoki's pace, causing Iwagakure to have more reservations.
But reservations were reservations; the general trend remained unchanged. What was destined to come would still come. Konoha's inability to deploy its Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Iwagakure.