Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 13 I only need a little scratch

During the journey, Kaede would occasionally summon zombies to carry him on their backs to conserve energy. This method of traveling had worn out several zombies.

Summoning "ninja tools" from a scroll doesn't actually consume much chakra, not to mention that the consumables he summons are just worthless genin.

As Morino Isuke watched Kaedeji reseal the destroyed zombie, he couldn't help but retort, "I never imagined the Soul Reaper Technique could be used like this. You actually managed to keep a corpse moving for so long. Controlling a corpse consumes a lot of chakra, doesn't it? Even if you use the saved stamina to create new chakra, can you really keep up with this level of consumption?"

Kaede carefully placed the sealing scroll at his waist and said calmly, "Lord Morino, you should know very well that I have improved the Soul Reaper Technique. It is perfectly reasonable for the effect of the technique to change slightly. As for the specifics, I cannot explain them to you."

He was very meticulous. If he accidentally left behind a wrecked zombie, and if it still had any remaining markings of Sunagakure or some other ninja village on it, it would be enough to make the Konoha patrol issue three contradictory investigation reports.

Morino Isuke was speechless, and the other colleagues also had some strange expressions.

This was indeed the first time they had seen Kaedeji Tsukasa use the "Dead Soul Technique" up close—it was bound to happen sooner or later, not to mention that Kazamatsuri Takuno had seen how special Kaedeji Tsukasa's technique was more than two months ago.

Kaede Tsukasa himself had long been aware that this battle would be completely different from the previous two battles against Amegakure and the battle against Ao of Kirigakure, and would inevitably be the most dangerous one.

This is a truly large-scale military operation, with the number of troops involved, the scale of unified operations, and the execution of tactics all increasing by an order of magnitude.

"The worst-case scenario is that I will die on the battlefield as an unknown soldier. If I am forced to that point, I will have no choice but to turn myself into a zombie. I just don't know if I can succeed, and if I do succeed, how much self-awareness I can retain."

Kaede Tsukasa quickly calculated the success rate in his mind, but the result was that it was impossible to calculate.

The zombies he controlled had no self-awareness. Even though they could use the ninjutsu they had used in life and could show instinctive reactions in battle, these were essentially achieved by following predetermined links formed by countless neurons and did not possess the self-awareness they had in life.

Kaede Tsukasa also wondered if a zombie could be carefully nurtured and maintained for a long enough period of time, and if a new, nascent consciousness could be born within its own body.
It might be possible, but further development of the Corpse Escape technique is needed.

"If I'm really forced into a corner, this is the only way I can go. If I'm lucky, maybe in a few years or decades, I will regain my self-awareness and truly awaken."

I just don't know if the "self" I felt back then was still the same...

The group of five remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts, and arrived at the front-line camp.

Upon entering the camp, everyone's expressions turned solemn; the tragedy was simply too horrific.

Everywhere there were traces of battle, and every now and then there were ninjas who had retreated from the front lines, wounded but not dead, lying on stretchers and emitting painful howls.

"...I see some wounded soldiers showing signs of poisoning, it seems the battle is going against us," Kaedeji thought to himself.

Dressed in medical ninja attire, they attracted some attention as soon as they entered the camp. Some people's eyes lit up at first, but they quickly sighed and shook their heads.

Ordinary toxins are easy to deal with; with the physical strength and chakra of a ninja, they can hold out until they reach the scene to prepare an antidote.

However, the deadly poison developed by Chiyo left people helpless.

That's why the bamboo dragonfly was abandoned.

The only saving grace is that ninjas have a high resistance to toxins and can often endure for more than ten hours or even several days. If they persevere, there is hope.

Everyone is waiting for Tsunade to return.

As for what kind of mission Tsunade was carrying out, no one knew. Until Tsunade returned, medical ninjas like Kaede Tsukasa, who were well-versed in human anatomy, were needed to keep the wounded alive as much as possible.

Other medical ninjas arrived one after another, and Kaede even saw some war orphans, sweating profusely as they used chakra to heal their wounds.

"Even the children from the orphanage have been sent over, so Yakushi Nonou should have taken action as well. I just don't know where she is. Maybe she has already infiltrated Sunagakure ahead of us."

Kaede Tsukasa withdrew his gaze and focused on his work.

Not long after, Kaede Tsukasa was sent to the front lines of the battlefield to accompany some ninjas.

Legion-style warfare is far superior to small-team infiltration warfare. A simple ninjutsu, if used by hundreds of people simultaneously, can alter the terrain and increase the uncertainty of the battlefield, meaning that warfare will become more complex and unpredictable.

If you're not careful, you could die a horrible death.

Kaedeji moved cautiously across the battlefield; it was good news that the medical ninjas weren't personally involved in the assaults.

The bad news is that the enemy is specifically targeting medical ninjas.

"Tsukasa, watch out behind you," Morino Isuke whispered.

Without even looking up, Kaede Tsukasa reached for the scroll at his waist and quickly pulled it open, the whole process taking less than a second.

boom!
The character "尸" on the scroll was activated, accompanied by a puff of white smoke, and a zombie appeared behind Kaede Tsukasa, taking his place in dealing with the attack.

Pfft!

The Sand Village ninja thrust his weapon into the zombie's chest, the kunai in his hand disappearing completely inside.

"Oh? What kind of summoning technique is this? No matter what it is, it will never survive in front of me, especially since my kunai is coated with poison. Even a slight scratch will be enough to kill you."

The Sand Village ninja's grin was exceptionally cruel, his heart filled with smug satisfaction.

Although the person in front of me was strange, with a pale face and abnormally colored flesh, that didn't matter.

He and his companions often used poison to eliminate Konoha ninjas, even if it was just a small scratch, it was an unbearable pain for the Konoha ninjas.

But his expression quickly froze as he saw his wrist being grabbed by the enemy.

But the Sand Village ninja did not panic. He immediately took out another kunai with his other hand and launched a second attack, stabbing it into the head from below, through the chin.

"It's over. It's your turn now."

The Sand Village ninja killed the enemy and immediately rushed towards Kaedeji. He wanted to take care of Kaedeji before the other Konoha ninjas came to support him—he really only needed a scratch.

"You're already dead. To deal with you, all I need is a scratch."

Kaedeji forms a hand seal with one hand: "Drink!"

(End of this chapter)