Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 103 I'm sorry, Lord Kaedeji, I, Nagato, will protect your noble dignity from your lifetime!

The fact that the Impure World Reincarnation technique has flaws is not a secret to Kaede Tsukasa, but it is completely unfamiliar information to Orochimaru.

Don't be fooled by his improved version of Edo Tensei, which he specifically used on Kaede Tsukasa.

"Successfully, I reversed the hand seals and broke free from Orochimaru's control."

For Kaede Tsukasa, another step has been completed: gaining freedom through the Impure World Reincarnation.

The current version of Edo Tensei, while still not as good as Orochi Kabuto's version, is more than enough for Kaede Tsukasa—he doesn't care how high the limit of this Edo Tensei body is, as long as it's an Edo Tensei body, that's enough.

"Next, I will proceed step by step, absorbing the Hashirama clone and a pair of Sharingan into my body, and then completely revive. At that time, I will be in my most perfect form, without needing to research other ways to change bodies."

Kaede looked down at his cracked hands, devoid of warmth and flesh, composed entirely of countless unknown fragments.

He only needed to add a little food to this body to make it more delicious, and he would be done. He had been waiting for a very long time to achieve this goal.

"Kaede-kun, did you just do something?"

Although Kaedeji's movements were very discreet, and he quickly formed several hand seals without releasing any chakra, Orochimaru, with his keen senses, still quickly looked up and saw Kaedeji forming the last hand seal.

Kaede Tsukasa said calmly, "It's not a big deal for me... Orochimaru, here's a piece of advice: forbidden techniques should not be used lightly. No matter how perfect a forbidden technique is, it still has its flaws."

"...Hehehe, Kaede-kun, among us, you are the one who has mastered and used the most forbidden techniques, right? Your words are completely unconvincing."

At this moment, Kaedejima felt unfamiliar to Orochimaru. Although he didn't know what Kaedejima had done, he instinctively felt something was wrong and pretended to be calm as he spoke.

He secretly formed hand seals and indeed sensed the Impure World Reincarnation technique from Kaedeji. However, when he tried to restrain Kaedeji's movements, he found that his technique had failed, and he was immediately horrified.

"Kaze-kun, you—"

"I told you, I want to thank you, Orochimaru. I'm very satisfied with this body, and this is why... I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time, possessing a true immortal body."

Kaede Tsukasa clenched his fist. For many years, he had struggled on the brink of life and death. He had finally regained his health and made a name for himself in the ninja world, but he still retained a deep sense of crisis in his heart.

He always felt that his margin for error was very low, at least compared to the likes of the Otsutsuki. He would not allow his future to fall short of the Six Paths level.

But things are different now. With the reincarnation of the Impure World, I can freely conduct all sorts of cruel experiments, and even if I fail many times, I can start over until I succeed completely.

Danzo had no idea what was going on; he didn't even have the absurd concept that "a dead person resurrected through Edo Tensei could go out of control."

Even though he noticed Kaedeji's actions, Danzo's first reaction was that Orochimaru was secretly using Kaedeji for something: "Orochimaru, you wouldn't be secretly using Corpse Release to search for the Rinnegan behind my back, would you? You alone have no ability to control that kind of eye. You should listen to me and hand over the Rinnegan to me to train! If it weren't for Jiraiya and Kaedeji stopping me, I would have already taken Nagato as my disciple."

Orochimaru chuckled dryly, "How could that be? We're partners, and we'll need your help in many areas in the future. Besides, we each have one Rinnegan."

Danzo's face was icy. He wouldn't believe a word that came out of the venomous snake's mouth. He said, "Then don't talk to a dead man. Quickly find out what really happened here! In such a huge forest, I don't believe that Kaedeji didn't see anything. He must be lying!"

Who used Wood Release? It certainly wasn't Mito Uzumaki, but an enemy. But besides the deceased Hashirama Senju, is there another ninja in the world who can use Wood Release on such a large scale?
"...I understand, Danzo. You seem to have become more impatient than before. Even if you have the power of the Senju and Uchiha, you should still maintain a sense of awe for the unknown."

The unknown that Orochimaru mentioned did not refer to this Wood Release forest, but rather to Kaede Tsukasa.

Something crucial must have happened in the Land of Rain, and Kaede Tsukasa was most likely involved, having access to the most closely guarded secrets of the ninja world. Furthermore, the fact that Kaede Tsukasa managed to escape his modified Impure World Reincarnation so quietly is simply too bizarre...

This is the Impure World Reincarnation! A forbidden technique among forbidden techniques, especially since he personally improved it, making it completely different from the Second Hokage's version, and even more perfect and powerful!

The Third Hokage wouldn't easily entrust the Impure World Reincarnation technique to a Corpse Release ninja like Kaedeji Tsukasa; that wouldn't be in line with the Third Hokage's style. So how did Kaedeji Tsukasa know how to break this technique? Even he, the one who cast it, didn't know!
Orochimaru's eyes showed a strong sense of apprehension. Seeing that Kaede Tsukasa did not seem to want to break off relations, he remained calm and quickly reviewed all his past interactions with Kaede Tsukasa in his mind.

He saved Kato Dan, which allowed him to obtain the secret technique of spiritualization, promote human experiments, cultivate test subjects, and then die mysteriously. His soul appeared before him, showing him the fact that he was already dead, allowing him to use the Impure World Reincarnation technique...

Now, Kaedeji has easily broken the Impure World Reincarnation technique and become an immortal with freedom. If this series of actions is true, it means that Kaedeji was planning this scheme many years ago.

But how is this possible?
Even the ruthless and rational Orochimaru was somewhat agitated at this moment, feeling that Kaedeji's schemes were too deep and the amount and breadth of information he possessed was too unbelievable.

Danzo frowned: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things? You still don't understand anything about what's going on. You should just listen to me and use Kaedeji as a puppet, just like he manipulates those corpses! Instead of being self-righteous and giving him the right to act freely."

Danzo always felt that Kaedeji was a bit strange. He still hadn't figured out the limits of the Corpse Escape technique. Fortunately, Kaedeji was already dead, so he could still serve him in his Impure World Reincarnation form.

The secret of corpse escape will soon belong to him.

"you are right."

For the first time, Orochimaru felt that Danzo's words made perfect sense. He really shouldn't have been so polite; being too honest really does lead to trouble.

"Kaze-kun, every now and then you always manage to give me extraordinary excitement. We can talk about the specifics later. Danzo is very curious about what happened here. Don't you have anything to say?"

Orochimaru pretended to form hand seals, as if he were controlling Kaedeji.

"I don't know. You can resurrect Mito Uzumaki using Edo Tensei and ask her yourself," Kaedeji Tsukasa said coldly.

"Hehe, I wouldn't dare. The Impure World Reincarnation technique involves a large number of complex techniques. In this regard, who dares to say that they know more than Lady Mito?"

Orochimaru chuckled in a low voice and readily admitted it.

To put it bluntly, he's confident he can control Hashirama Senju if he resurrects him, but if he resurrects Mito Uzumaki, things could be really bad. Mito Uzumaki has a whole bunch of strange and powerful sealing and barrier techniques; she could easily suppress his control over the Impure World Reincarnation with a single flick of her wrist.

Moreover, with the existence of Kaede Tsukasa, a special individual who easily broke the Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru dared not act rashly.

Danzo snorted coldly, looking suspiciously at Orochimaru and Kaede Tsukasa. He felt that the two had already completed their conspiracy, so he immediately leaped into the ruined forest to check it out for himself.

However, they couldn't find any valuable information, as the White Zetsu had already cleaned this place up many times.

"Forget it, we'll deal with this later. Mito Uzumaki and the mysterious enemy are already dead. Even if it was Hashirama Senju, he would still die if he was hit by the Reaper Death Seal. We should prioritize finding Nagato."

Danzo immediately moved towards the heart of the Land of Rain.

Orochimaru and Kaede followed Danzo, one in front and one behind.

"What, you've already found out Nagato's location?"

"Yes, I sent a large number of spies into the Land of Rain to gather intelligence from various sources, and I have managed to obtain some information," Danzo said. "You can also use Corpse Release to assist me in my operations."

Orochimaru glanced at Kaedeji Tsukasa.

"Danzo's choice is correct. Nagato is indeed here. They are working hard to recruit people, and now they have a small group of more than ten people. Perhaps in a few years, they will become a force to be reckoned with in the Land of Rain," Kaedeji replied casually.

Danzo frowned: "In a small country like the Land of Rain, no matter how hard he tries, it's useless. If he comes back to Konoha with me, the entire ninja world will be his stage. Damn Jiraiya, I really don't know what he's thinking."

No one hated Jiraiya more than Danzo. Of course, he was also furious with Kaedeji, but Kaedeji was dead and would serve him in his Edo Tensei form, so his anger dissipated.

If it weren't for those two stopping him, he and Hanzo could have easily killed Jiraiya and taken control of Nagato.

The only thing that Danzo was concerned about was the mysterious enemy who would soon lead to Mito Uzumaki's death... powerful, and seemingly possessing Wood Release, could he have any connection with Nagato?
"No matter what kind of enemy they are, they absolutely cannot do anything to me!" Danzo's voice conveyed strong confidence.

Kaede glanced at Orochimaru: "How many Sharingan did you stuff into this old man's body to make him so arrogant? Last time he used Izanagi to fight Jiraiya, apart from stabbing Jiraiya at the very beginning, he was almost beaten to a pulp by Jiraiya afterwards."

"Not many, only three. But Danzo must have spare eyes. After obtaining more chakra from Hashirama's cells, he might be able to replace his eyes and continue using Izanagi."

"You've used up all the Sharingan you've accumulated over the years, haven't you?"

"What does it matter? The Uchiha clan has been very prosperous in recent years. The population is growing steadily, and the number of Sharingan ninjas is constantly increasing. If we really lack Sharingan, we can just assassinate a batch of them regularly."

Orochimaru and Kaede Tsukasa talked as if no one else was around, showing no regard for Danzo or the Uchiha clan.

This stirred a murderous intent in Danzo's heart, but it was of no use. If possible, Danzo would definitely want to kill Orochimaru, who knew too many of his secrets, or at the very least, expel him from the village.

But he couldn't do that. Even in a fight, Orochimaru knew too much about him, which put him in a very disadvantageous position.

Before long, the three of them braved the torrential rain and arrived at a slope, where they could see several houses standing in the distance.

"It's right there. It's so rudimentary. Do people really actually join an organization like this? The situation in the Land of Rain hasn't improved; it's gotten worse... Hanzo has really had a tough time."

"Stop your feigned concern and get to work! I deliberately didn't bring any subordinates with me this time, so it's up to you now." Danzo looked at Orochimaru.

Since Kaede Tsukasa's death, Danzo no longer had Kaede Tsukasa in his eyes, and when he talked about Corpse Release, he would only do so with Orochimaru.

Kaede didn't care. Anyway, this old Bi Deng would either die here today, or he would play a greater role in another way.

As for Orochimaru... that guy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and he's definitely made all the preparations to escape now. We'll have to see how things go in a bit.

"Speaking of which, if I use the body reanimated by the Impure World Reincarnation to perform the Corpse Release: Corpse Demon Sealing Technique, is it possible to succeed...? It should be possible, since separating the will is not the same as separating the body."

As Kaede Tsukasa summoned a group of zombies, he silently pondered this point, which involved a blind spot in his intelligence network.

"Only these ordinary corpses? Orochimaru, what tricks are you playing? Where's Terai? Where's Araki? Where are the corpses from Kumogakure? And Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki is in your hands now too, isn't he?" Danzo said coldly.

Kaede Tsukasa replied dismissively, "Summoning and controlling such a powerful ninja would increase my burden and could potentially cause my Edo Tensei body to disintegrate. It's best to be cautious and take it one step at a time. Even I don't know where the limits of this body are."

The first wave of zombies rushed forward and surrounded the enemy.

The ninjas on guard immediately gave a warning, and then a group of people rushed out of those houses in a chaotic manner, standing in a tense huddle.

Just by looking at their actions, you can tell they are a mob.

"How could there be enemies? Could it be Amegakure?"

"Impossible. We deliberately avoided the ninjas of Amegakure and never had any contact with them in any of our operations. Why would they come to a place like this to attack us?"

"Hey, all of you, take a closer look. These enemies don't seem to be from Amegakure. They're wearing clothes from ninjas from other countries! And they're from more than one country!"

"They're not alive! They're corpses controlled by the Konoha Ghoul Master! Why is that guy here?!"

After seeing the dozens of zombies rushing towards them, the group of more than ten people immediately fell into chaos.

Looking across the entire ninja world, if you were to ask where the title "Kouha Ghoul" is most prominently proclaimed, it wouldn't be Konoha Village, Iwagakure Village, or Kumogakure Village, but rather the Land of Rain, which deliberately promotes this title!

These people never expected that they would be attacked by the Konoha Ghoul in this weather and in such a remote place. Recalling the various rumors about the Konoha Ghoul, their faces turned pale.

"I don't want to fight corpses. Killing them is pointless; I'll end up becoming a corpse myself!"

"Don't panic, we're here."

In the end, it was Yahiko who stepped forward and gave a stern shout, which managed to calm everyone down.

People looked at Yahiko, an incredibly young but charismatic leader, and their gazes unconsciously drifted to the quiet, red-haired boy standing beside him.

To put it bluntly, those who ended up following Yahiko's trio were all rogue ninjas with no real skills, struggling to make ends meet. They were already considered morally upright for not resorting to robbery to plunder civilians. As for taking on missions from employers and earning money? Forget about it, it was simply impossible.

Given the terrible weather conditions and war-torn environment of the Land of Rain, even if there were missions, they would be taken by the ninjas of Amegakure. These wandering ninjas who did not belong to Amegakure would have no chance at all.

However, whether they were just following Yahiko to make a living and getting by, or were genuinely moved by Yahiko and others' innocent but firm ideals and beliefs and decided to make some attempts, these people had all witnessed Nagato's Rinnegan to some extent.

Even if Nagato doesn't activate any of his eye powers, the sheer pressure emanating from the Rinnegan is enough to send chills down one's spine. Even those who know nothing about the Rinnegan can sense Nagato's uniqueness and power.

"Everyone, prepare for battle! No matter what, maintain perfect formation. If the enemy breaks through, we're finished. We won't even be able to escape; we'll be hunted down to death by these tireless zombies and become one of them! No one should have any illusions!"

Yahiko shouted loudly and took the lead, launching a ninjutsu attack on the zombies in one direction.

Others followed suit, but the quality of their ninjutsu was appalling. Most of them were only at the level of genin, and it was already quite remarkable that they could unleash two ninjutsu. Not to mention that they had basically not received rigorous education and could not learn any high-level ninjutsu at all.

We still need to rely on the Yahiko trio.

Zombies kept falling, and even if some zombies rushed in front of them, they would be quickly taken down by other ninjas using ninja tools.

Soon, twenty zombies died.

But three of them were killed. Yahiko even trembled as he personally pierced the heads of the three men, a act that tormented his soul.

"Thank goodness, it seems we've managed to hold them off. But why are there zombies here, and why are they attacking us! Is Kaede Tsukasa here? What is he up to?" Yahiko was furious. "Nagato, have you found anything?"

"There are three people watching us, one of whom is Kaede Tsukasa... but he's acting very strangely." Nagato nervously pointed in a direction.

As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Nagato did not want to stand against Kaedejima. Kaedejima had helped Jiraiya save them, but now the scene he least wanted to see had appeared.

Kaede Tsukasa stood with Danzo and launched an attack on them.

"Shimura Danzo, it's you again! You're still up to no good!" Konan's face turned red with anger as she looked at the group of people walking towards them.

"I'm saving you! What's the point of staying in this war-torn land? You're only hindering Nagato, you're killing him!"

Danzo leaped into the air and stood in front of these people, calmly unwrapping the bandages on his right forearm, peeling them off one by one, without looking in any hurry.

It was this composure that put immense pressure on Yahiko and the others.

"It really is the three of you. Although you've grown up quite a bit, I still recognized you at a glance. I should have killed you sooner, otherwise Jiraiya wouldn't have gotten away with it and done such a childish and naive thing."

Orochimaru carefully examined Yahiko and the other two, recalling what had happened in the Land of Rain.

Back then, those three brats mustered up the courage to ask them for food... Orochimaru suggested simply killing those three brats who were struggling to find food, so they could leave this painful and desperate world as soon as possible. If he hadn't just suggested it, but had actually taken action, Orochimaru felt he would have definitely noticed Nagato's eyes and obtained the Rinnegan much earlier.

I feel a little regretful, but it's not too late to act now.

"Shut up! You're Orochimaru, aren't you? You have no right to insult Jiraiya-sensei."

Yahiko took a deep breath, realizing that he was doomed today. The name of the Legendary Sannin was legendary, and that scene from back then was still fresh in his mind: "Jiraiya-sensei worked hard to teach us the skills of survival and let us pursue our ideals. You can't compare to that!"

"Oh? Ideal, that word sounds a bit unfamiliar to me. It seems to be mostly used by young people. Old guys like me who are gradually entering middle age haven't mentioned it for a long time."

Orochimaru sneered. How naive. He still harbors hope for this world and firmly believes that he can achieve something through hard work... But that's impossible.

"Nagato, you're just as timid and cowardly as you were back then. You're not even as brave as these two companions. If you had followed me, I would never have raised you to be like this," Orochimaru laughed.

Nagato paused for a moment, then looked at Kaedeji: "Why are you standing with those two? What's wrong with your body? What... can I do for you?"

“Thank you for your concern, Nagato, but there’s nothing you can do. You can probably tell, right? I’ve encountered some very interesting things. I’m dead and currently being controlled by Orochimaru. I seem unable to refuse his orders.” Kaede Tsukasa’s tone was light.

Konan covered her mouth in disbelief: "How could such a thing happen? Even such a powerful ninja is dead, and his corpse has been used to become our enemy."

Yahiko looked at the three enemies opposite him.

Danzo Shimura, Orochimaru, and Tsukasa Kaede—any one of them would require them to exert all their strength to deal with. Now, three of them have come at once… Although it's said to be three, who knows how many there are in reality!
"I'll hold them off for a moment. Nagato, Konan, you two take your companions and escape," Yahiko whispered.

"What? No way! Even if we die, we'll die together! We won't let you—"

"Shut up, stop being so reckless. Dying together is meaningless. If I can use my life to give others a chance to survive and to continue our ideals, it's worth it."

Yahiko forced a smile: "Nagato, you must lead everyone to survive. If it were you, you could definitely do it."

"Yahiko..."

Nagato gasped for breath, feeling suffocated and unable to breathe, his whole body trembling.

No matter how you look at it, this is a dead end, but... there is a way!
"Are you discussing escape tactics? None of you can escape. Orochimaru, use your Corpse Release to cooperate with me. This time, summon some valuable corpses. Don't waste my patience with inferior ones!"

Wind Escape·Vacuum Continuous Waves!

Danzo made the first move, spitting out a series of Vacuum Spheres that pierced towards Yahiko and his group.

Wind Release techniques already possess powerful cutting capabilities, but Danzo's Wind Release can further compress and amplify the piercing effect. Once hit by this Wind Release technique, it is quite normal to have a hole in your body.

"Scatter and run! Every single one of you who can escape!" Yahiko shouted, intending to create a wall of earth to block Danzo and the others' view.

shhhhhh!
The earthen wall was breached, and Yahiko hurriedly pulled two people down before they could, but he couldn't care less about his companions behind him. He watched helplessly as several vacuum waves pierced through the wall.

“There’s no way to escape. Kaede Tsukasa is on the other side. Even if we scatter and try to escape, he will catch up and kill us slowly. Unless we kill Kaede Tsukasa first… Shinra Tensei!” Nagato gasped for breath and opened his arms in front of him.

hum!
An invisible force erupted from Nagato, blasting everything in front of him away, whether it was earthen walls, vacuum waves, or even water droplets in the air, water flow on the ground, and soil, all of which were pulverized.

It was as if a brief but violent hurricane had suddenly erupted, violently destroying everything in sight.

This move not only stunned Yahiko and the others, but even Nagato himself looked at his own palm in disbelief.

"I'm alive!"

"Wind Release? I don't think I saw Nagato using hand seals. Could it be Wind Release without hand seals?"

Danzo suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared intently at Nagato.

At a glance, he knew that this was definitely not some kind of wind-style technique, but rather an unknown... eye technique!
"Is this the eye technique of the Rinnegan? It seems to be able to instantly repel all objects in front of it. I wonder if it is like the Mangekyou Sharingan, where each eye has its own unique eye technique."

Even Danzo was envious. The ability to activate without hand seals alone is a power that countless ninjas dream of. It saves a second or two of hand seal time and can be activated instantly, which can often be the key to victory or defeat in battle.

Moreover, its power is astonishing, repelling everything indiscriminately. Considering Nagato's age, this current power is definitely not the full strength of this mysterious eye technique, but rather just the tip of the iceberg!
"I want this eye technique! Since you are stubborn and insist on refusing my good intentions, I cannot let you run wild. The power of the Rinnegan should belong to Konoha Village."

Danzo suddenly accelerated, his hand already reaching for one of Nagato's eyes. Regardless of whether it was a dojutsu (eye technique) or not, he just wanted to gouge it out.

Konan immediately created a large number of paper shuriken, piercing Danzo's body and causing a large amount of blood to spurt out. However, Danzo's momentum did not diminish, and he was about to touch Nagato's eyes when Nagato launched Shinra Tensei once again.

The terrifying impact put immense pressure on Danzo's body, sending him flying backwards for over ten meters in an instant, his head burying itself in a pile of mud, where he remained motionless.

"Be careful, don't be careless. Judging from Jiraiya's battle last time, Danzo seems to possess a technique that can heal injuries," Yahiko warned, his voice filled with surprise and delight.

These ragtag people were greatly encouraged and looked at Nagato with burning eyes.

"Nagato has used this technique twice in a row, can he still hold on?" Konan looked at her partner with concern.

Nagato's breathing calmed down. After confirming repeatedly, he said, "On the contrary, I can feel that the Shinra Tensei technique hasn't put any burden on me..."

Although it consumes more energy than ordinary ninjutsu, the results are far superior to those of the five elemental ninjutsu.

With a swift movement, he raised his hand and unleashed his attack, indiscriminately blasting away everything in his path. His Shinra Tensei was simply unstoppable. The only thing that worried Nagato was that he noticed there was a time interval between each use of Shinra Tensei.

This is the power of the Rinnegan, and also the power of his comrades. Nagato is more confident in himself than ever before.

However, that's not enough. Stopping Danzo's attack doesn't solve the problem!
As expected, under Nagato's watchful gaze, Danzo's body slowly disappeared and reappeared beside Orochimaru and Kaede Tsukasa.

At this moment, the bandages on Danzo's arm completely fell off, and on his pale forearm, one of the three three-tomoe Sharingan eyes had closed together.

“If they keep probing like this, I feel Danzo will be beaten to death by Nagato. The power of the Rinnegan is definitely more than this,” Kaedeji said.

Orochimaru sarcastically asked, "What's wrong, Danzo? You've only been killed once already, can you still hold on?"

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. Testing the power of the Rinnegan is a necessary step. It's a pity we almost succeeded. The opponent seems to be able to use repulsion. Next, you need to create an opening so I can find an opportunity to take Nagato's eye."

Danzo glanced at the two remaining Sharingan on his forearm, unconcerned. He still had many more Sharingan in reserve, plus the one already in his eye socket; there were plenty of opportunities ahead.

"Kaze-kun, what do you mean?"

"I don't care, but no matter how far you end up, I have my own goals."

Kaede Tsukasa also wanted the Rinnegan, even though the Rinnegan was one of the hallmarks of future Six Paths level powerhouses—but there were exceptions like Six Paths Naruto, Toneri, and Kinshiki.

However, Naruto's situation is special. Toneri has the Tenseigan, and Kinshiki is just Momoshiki's servant and a sacrifice to be fed to the Ten-Tails. He seems to be a pure Otsutsuki who has never eaten the fruit of the God Tree and has not obtained the Rinnegan of the God Tree lineage. He only has the power of the Byakugan.

Even at its worst, Kinshiki is still a bottom-tier Six Paths level cultivator. His Byakugan possesses a dojutsu similar to "Kamui," allowing him to become intangible, traverse space, absorb objects into another dimension and transfer them to a designated coordinate point, and even create a katana powerful enough to sever a divine tree in one strike. Its destructive power is no less than, and may even be stronger than, the complete Susanoo.

Needless to say, the first form has one Byakugan eye and the other eye is unknown, making it impossible to confirm whether it belongs to the Otsutsuki Byakugan system or the Shinju Rinnegan system.

This is not a level that Kaedeji Tsukasa can reach for the time being.

Without the Rinnegan and Tenseigan, Kaede Tsukasa would be too embarrassed to go out and say he's a Six Paths level powerhouse.

"Let's do it."

Kaede Tsukasa formed hand seals and summoned a new batch of zombies, but he still didn't send out his four most capable fighters.

Orochimaru was also seriously forming hand seals, as if he was trying to control Kaede Tsukasa's hand seals.

This infuriated Danzo. He looked at these two seemingly hardworking guys and didn't know what to say. Even if they were just putting on an act, they should at least do it convincingly!
However, he didn't have a good way to deal with Orochimaru, so he simply blended into the horde of corpses and waited for an opportunity to attack Nagato.

"He seems very angry. Are you sure you don't want to go?" Kaede asked.

"I'll find an opportunity to make my move. Wouldn't it be great to let this blindly confident guy show his talent and gather intelligence for us? You're also curious about the power of the Rinnegan, aren't you? How about we each take one after it's done? We'll also share information about the eye techniques of the different eyes." Orochimaru laughed, subtly moving a little further away from Kaede Tsukasa.

"Whatever, if you can get the Rinnegan... Actually, I'm interested in something else."

Kaede Tsukasa calmly watched Danzo's performance. Although Nagato had not yet reached his peak, he was still not someone Danzo could easily fool. Moreover, Nagato had Madara standing behind him.

As expected, Kaede Tsukasa saw Nagato make his move once again. This time, it wasn't Shinra Tensei, nor Bansho Ten'in, but rather...

"Psychic art!"

Nagato slammed his hand down on the ground, and a massive spell instantly spread from his palm. Immediately afterward, a colossal creature emerged, letting out a shrill scream as it looked up at the sky.

"Everyone step back and leave this to me!" Nagato shouted, his hands forming hand seals, clearly struggling.

"Nagato, just how many surprises are you hiding?"

Even Yahiko and Konan, who knew Nagato best, were shocked and stared blankly at the massive creature beneath their feet.

Well, although it looks ugly and deformed, and it has a broken finger, as if it was chopped off by someone unknown?

However, bigger is better, bigger is stronger. All summoned beasts are subject to this law. As their size increases, their attack power and destructive power increase exponentially. Even a casual jump can create a small earthquake.

Moreover, the thing that Nagato summoned didn't seem to be an ordinary "summoning beast".

"This is it, the thing I sensed before..."

Nagato, panting heavily, looked at the massive creature behind him. In the instant of his summoning, he naturally learned its name from his Rinnegan—Gedo Mazo!
They also mastered the methods of using the Gedo Mazo.

This certainly includes the most powerful sealing technique that can only be activated through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path... the Nine Seals of the Illusionary Dragon!

This is a forbidden technique that can stuff tailed beasts into the Gedo Mazo, sealing both their chakra and soul forms!
At this moment, Nagato's confidence soared. Even if the cost of using the Gedo Mazo to activate this technique was too great, it was worth it as long as he could protect his comrades behind him.

"Everyone, please wait a moment, I will take care of all three of them in one go!" Nagato said.

Yahiko's expression was solemn, and Konan was extremely worried, but things had come to this point, and there was absolutely no way to back down, otherwise Nagato would have summoned this thing for nothing. They had no choice but to kill the enemy at all costs.

But... what is the price? Even if Nagato has the Rinnegan, the burden of controlling such a monster must be very heavy.

"Damn it! If I were stronger, I wouldn't have left Nagato to fight alone!!" Yahiko clenched his fists, hating his own incompetence.

Leadership? That kind of thing is completely useless in this situation; it's not as useful as Nagato raising his hand and using Shinra Tensei.

So... what should he do to improve his strength?
Jiraiya taught him for three years, but it was impossible for him to teach him forever. He had heard that Jiraiya had a true disciple named Minato Namikaze, who was also a super genius... Yahiko believed that he could not be like Minato Namikaze and receive Jiraiya's personal instruction for many years.

A warm hand rested on Yahiko's shoulder, and Konan's voice was gentle yet firm: "There will be a way. We will stand by Nagato's side and help him with everything we have. We will never let him go alone."

Rumble!
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path reached out, grabbed Nagato, and strode forward, stomping down on Danzo amidst a violent earthquake.

"It doesn't look like an ordinary summoning beast. It doesn't have its own reason. Could it also be a summoning-type eye technique of the Rinnegan? An eye technique of the other eye?"

Danzo calmly analyzed the situation, and he himself activated a summoning jutsu, summoning a giant tapir.

The tapir flicked its nose, shook off the Outer Path Demon Statue's foot, and then charged headfirst into it.

The struggle between the two behemoths was so captivating in this day and age, with continuous thunderous roars. But soon, the tapir was easily defeated by the demonic statue and completely suppressed.

No matter how weak or hungry the Gedo Mazo is, it is definitely not something a mere tapir can withstand.

"It's now!!"

Nagato stood on the palm of the Gedo Mazo, seeing everything, so close to Danzo and the others.

The usually gentle man's face turned fierce as black rods emerged from the demonic statue and pierced his back.

With each stab, Nagato let out a scream. His once robust and full-figured body began to visibly become thinner, which was an incomprehensible thing for a descendant of the Uzumaki who was known for his vitality.

Having received a large replenishment of life force and chakra, the Gedo Mazo became even more active and frenzied.

"Yahiko, Konan, take your companions and stand back. I'm going to take care of them here!"

Nagato roared, and despite the extreme weakness surging within him, his resolve remained unshaken. Rather than saying he wanted to kill Danzo and Orochimaru, it would be more accurate to say...

"I have no choice but to kill you and seal your soul forever. I'm sorry, Lord Kaedeji! Even though you saved our lives... Nine Seals of the Illusionary Dragon!"

Nagato's eyes were fixed on Kaedeji.

Kaede Tsukasa's strength may not be stronger than Orochimaru's, but he is definitely much more troublesome than Orochimaru!

Some of Nagato's men could escape from Orochimaru and Danzo, but when it came to Kaede Tsukasa, Nagato felt that none of them could escape and would all be swallowed up by the endless horde of corpses!
More importantly, Kaede Tsukasa is dead. Such a dangerous person cannot be used by the living again. Only by sealing him away can we eliminate future troubles forever!

Kaede Tsukasa saw the guilty look in Nagato's eyes.

"So that's how it is. You've always remembered my kindness, even though my original intention wasn't to save you..."

Kaede Tsukasa understood.

He knew that Nagato was going to use the forbidden technique, the Nine Seals of the Illusionary Dragon, to eliminate the three of them. Since that was the case, he had to take it a little more seriously.

"I don't care about Orochimaru and Danzo's lives or deaths. I just want to take my spoils. I'll need them in the future."

(End of this chapter)