chapter 92 part 2
"Becoming famous and accumulating Military Merit has its advantages. I had the opportunity to learn Jutsu I hadn't learned before, especially in Medical Ninjutsu... The Soul Death Technique. If you've ever gathered Intel on me, you'd know this Jutsu can rapidly transform a Corpse's form, appearance, and even make its heart beat briefly."
Tsukasa Kaede said calmly, "I apologize, I just happened to retrieve one of your Comrades, modified him on the spot, and specifically used him as a temporary replacement for me. After I last used Spatial Rift Jutsu, the 'me' you saw was, in essence, your recently deceased Comrade. If you were to observe closely, you'd even see the stitching marks on the back of his neck... though you can't move right now."
A's face turned ashen.
All the surviving Kumogakure Ninja fell into a deathly silence, despairingly looking at the surrounding Zombies. They profoundly felt trapped in an inescapable cage, every Corpse opening its fangs, dripping with blood and gore, just waiting to charge and tear at them.
"We lost, Boss, we all lost. Perhaps we shouldn't have launched this operation in the first place."
Troy sighed, pushing away the hand of the Medical Ninja who was constantly trying to heal him. He lay helplessly on the ground, gazing at the deep night sky.
"Kaedelence, Troy! As a Kumogakure Ninja, even if it costs your life, you must complete the Village's Mission. Sacrifice is an honor!" A sternly said.
"You're right, you're absolutely right. I'm not frustrated because the Mission failed, but purely because we've been fighting for our lives against a horde of Corpses the entire time. Even if we killed all of them, there'd be nothing to be proud of. The real enemy is completely unharmed."
In his final moments, during the brief interval when his self-will still lingered, Troy's mindset had become peaceful.
There was nothing they could do, truly nothing. How were they supposed to face an enemy like Tsukasa Kaede? Even if they defeated Tsukasa Kaede, it would be difficult to kill this Space-Time Ninja. If he escaped, he could raise another unit in minutes and return. Their side had a limited number of Living Humans, becoming fewer with each battle, while the enemy, to some extent, could grow more numerous the longer they fought.
They had finally devised a tactic, and it seemed to be working, but Tsukasa Kaede's Main Body had hidden away again, arranging a substitute to act in his place. On this substitute, he had placed an unknown Forbidden Jutsu that restrained a powerful individual like A, whose body was invincible.
"He has Space-Time Ninjutsu, a Forbidden Jutsu that can directly restrain you, Boss, and he's shameless enough to use the Soul Death Technique as a substitute, with the material for the substitute being our recently deceased Comrades, temporarily modified..."
It was simply unsolvable. A three-in-one defense. At least in a melee involving hundreds of people, they were completely helpless against Tsukasa Kaede.
He was tired. Damn it, let it all be destroyed. Troy had never fought a war like this in his life! He'd never even heard of it throughout the history of Shinobi World wars!
But looking at it from another perspective, people in the future would live in dire straits; they would constantly face such wars... Although he wouldn't be able to see it, he could only 'see' through Corpses.
"You don't need to feel broken over this. Your bodies will become my most reliable teammates, fighting alongside me until the Shinobi World is destroyed. Of course, most of you will fall behind, either dying from a destroyed head or dissipating as Consumables to heal other Zombies."
Tsukasa Kaede jumped down and said slowly, "But, since you were all going to die anyway, I can let you see a more distant landscape. You should thank me."
"Bullshit! I will absolutely not become your Puppet, nor will I become a weapon for you to attack the Village!" A roared furiously.
At this moment, he didn't even realize it himself, but he was somewhat afraid. Not afraid of death; as a Ninja, and as the presumptive next Raikage, A had long ago made his resolve. But for his Corpse to fall into Tsukasa Kaede's hands and be repeatedly used... that was simply...
He wouldn't be able to rest in peace!
He would absolutely not allow this to happen! "You, from the Yotsuki Clan, if you become my Minion, I will sacrifice countless Corpses to you, ensuring you remain in the healthiest state. I believe it won't be long before your body 'evolves' due to carrying too much Life Force... Araki of the Sand, who fell into my hands earliest, has actually surpassed his living strength."
Tsukasa Kaede casually pointed at the motionless Araki of the Sand. This was his proudest creation to date: eternally healthy, eternally gazing into the distance.
Moreover, with long-term nurturing, his body's strength continuously increased, and perhaps one day he would break through his limits and ascend to Kage-level.
"Also, let me tell you one more thing: even if you weren't attacking the substitute I temporarily created with the Soul Death Technique, but my Main Body, this level of attack still wouldn't kill me."
Tsukasa Kaede looked at his Dead Soul substitute.
His chest was pierced? All the Zombies present were Consumables for the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. As long as enough Life Force was accumulated, an injury that couldn't kill him in one blow was nothing at all.
A finally crushed the neck of the Dead Soul substitute, but it was already futile.
He looked down and saw that a portion of his Soul had already been pulled out.
"Hmph, this level won't kill me..." A resisted with all his might.
"I didn't intend to kill you instantly either. Using this Jutsu with a Corpse has very limited effects, but it's enough to make you remember it for life. This is an absolute Forbidden Jutsu that even Hanzo wouldn't dare to resist."
Tsukasa Kaede formed Hand Kaedegns: "Sealing Technique!"
Swish! The Reaper impatiently took the blade from its mouth, raised it high, and mercilessly brought it down as A's eyes widened in fury.
There was no sound. A's body was clearly unharmed, yet he deeply felt that he had forever lost a part of himself, and a crucial one at that!
A's body could move again, but his right hand was incredibly heavy, suddenly dropping down. He dragged this right hand with his body.
He watched as eerie Runes, identical to those on the Spirit Hand, appeared on his right hand. But in the blink of an eye, they vanished. He knew this was absolutely not an illusion.
"Give me back my hand!!"
A punched through the abdomen of the Dead Soul substitute with his other fist, but it was already useless. The Corpse was merely a medium; his portion of the Soul had already entered the Reaper's Belly long ago.
He wanted to attack the Reaper, but even desperately unleashing his Lightning Style power, he couldn't harm the Reaper in the slightest, as if this massive Demon Spirit was an illusory shadow that didn't exist in reality.
"You Sealed my hand?" A gritted his teeth. "So what? Lightning Release Chakra Mode doesn't require Hand Kaedegns to perform Jutsu, and even normal attacks have terrifying destructive power. With one hand unusable, I can still unleash 80% of my strength!" "It's not over yet. I merely crippled one of your hands. I won't let you go so easily."
Tsukasa Kaede immediately changed the sequence of Hand Kaedegns and performed Zombification Jutsu, targeting A's hand specifically!
A hand that had lost its Soul could neither form Hand Kaedegns nor utilize Chakra. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode naturally couldn't properly cover this hand, making it a hindrance even as a mere appendage, utterly superfluous. But this was precisely the breakthrough Tsukasa Kaede used to aggressively invade with his Zombification Jutsu.