Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 32: Contact from Sasori of the Red Sand
"The enemy is charging in. I might not be able to focus all my attention on you from now on. Be careful."

Kato Dan raised his head, his expression grave.

The fighting should have already begun on other battlefields, and every battle is crucial and cannot be abandoned under any circumstances.

"With Lord Kato Dan's protection, the survival rate of us medical ninjas can be greatly improved."

When all the other soldiers were lined up, Kazamatsuri Takuno came to Kaedama Tsukasa's side and said something in a low voice, his voice filled with a hint of reverence.

Those who don't know the truth might think he's in awe of Kato Dan, but in reality, he's in awe of Kaede Tsukasa.

Kaede Tsukasa said he would take down Sandstorm Araki, and he actually did it. Although Kazamatsuri Takuno didn't understand many of the details, by taking the result and deducing the reasons, recalling Kaede Tsukasa's various actions, and combining the scene of Kato Dan and Kaede Tsukasa talking in hushed tones, he could roughly understand a little bit.

Unbeknownst to him, the weak genin of the past had grown rapidly, reaching a level where he could command the attention of the village's important figures, who would even devise special tactics and arrange for strong individuals to protect him.

Kaede Tsukasa nodded: "I know. I've exhausted my chakra. Not burdening my comrades is the greatest help I can give them. I'll keep that in mind."

To put it bluntly, it's all about hiding one's resources.

Everyone was worried that Kaedeji had become arrogant after participating in the hunt for Sandstorm Araki.

In reality, Kaede Tsukasa knew exactly what was going on with him. He ate a soldier's ration pill, further pushing his body to its limits, preparing to escape at any moment.

At the same time, he came to the body of the Sandstorm Araki and sealed it into his scroll.

People watched quietly, some even showing admiration, wondering if Kaede could transform the corpse into combat power on the spot.
But seeing Kaedeji's pale face, he didn't ask the question.

No one thought there was anything wrong with handing the body over to Kaedeji for disposal. Of the 1,300 people present, only Kaedeji possessed the ability to utilize the corpse.

Without Kaede Tsukasa as bait, they wouldn't even have been able to successfully eliminate such an entire elite squad.

"We can't worry about the other corpses for now. We can collect them after the war. There's no use in collecting them now," Kaede Tsukasa pondered silently.

Araki Sandstorm's body is riddled with his virus, and he was deeply affected by Tsukasa Kaede while he was alive. This means that Araki Sandstorm can retain his strength to the maximum extent possible, which is of great value to Tsukasa Kaede.

Once the battle begins, if things go wrong and Kaedeji is unable to escape even using the Sky Realm Technique, then we can release the Sandstorm Araki.

"But it's best not to do that unless absolutely necessary... If I release an enemy to fight for me right after they've died, the consequences would be far too great," Kaede Tsukasa thought to himself.

Shouts of battle were already ringing out from ahead.

"Hahaha, the idiots from Sunagakure are here! I can't wait any longer!"

"We were just warming up when we killed that guy over there named Sandstorm Araki!"

"What? Lord Sandstorm Araki is an elite Jonin, how could he be dead? He was leading the most elite team!"

"Who knows? He suddenly rushed over and was killed on the spot by our comrades."

At the start of the battle, the morale of the Sunagakure forces was severely damaged, and many people showed expressions of disbelief.

A few insiders knew the original plan: once Sandstorm Araki abducted an important figure, they could join the battle without restraint and use various ninjutsu to attack the Konoha troops who were in chaos.

If they rush into the fray and Araki Sandstorm joins in, important figures might die in the chaos, rendering everything meaningless. They can't just steal corpses, can they? Even the Yamanaka clan of Konoha wouldn't dare claim absolute certainty of obtaining complete ninjutsu information from corpses, let alone Sunagakure.

But now, the whole plan is ruined. Sandstorm Araki didn't even manage to escape, let alone complete the mission? How is that possible? Just now, they could observe the Konoha forces fighting from afar, and then it all ended?

Swish!
A white spirit wandered across the battlefield, rescuing Konoha ninja in distress wherever it passed, while terrified Sand Village ninja froze, collapsing to the ground.

There are even instances where Sand Village ninjas are possessed by Kato Dan and suddenly begin to frantically kill the Sand Village ninjas around them.

Some Sand Village ninjas attempted to attack Kato Dan, but it was difficult to inflict effective damage on the spirit.

Despite having a numerical advantage, they should have crushed this Konoha unit and quickly reinforced other battlefields, but instead, they ended up in this mess.

The Sand Village's offensive was thwarted, and they even began to show signs of retreat.

"It looks like it's done."

Kaede Tsukasa stayed at the rear of the main group, slacking off, at most throwing one or two shurikens as a token gesture.

No one blamed him; in fact, some Konoha ninjas would intentionally or unintentionally stand in front of Kaedeji to block the enemy's view and conceal his figure.

Increased fame, established achievements, and a unique skill that leaves people speechless all have their advantages; those around you will lend a helping hand when they have the means.

The only drawback is that Kaede Tsukasa is unsure how these people perceive him—it should be pretty good, though. Although he is a man who plays with corpses, it is wartime now, and in the face of life and death, playing with corpses is a minor matter.

Being able to help others defeat enemies and establish merit is what truly makes someone popular.

"It's hard to say what will happen after the war ends. Even a hero like Sakumo Hatake was forced to his death... Ordinary villagers who are used to peace will definitely keep their distance from me, and perhaps even more outrageous slander will emerge."

Kaede Tsukasa was already mentally prepared for this.

As the battle situation became increasingly favorable and the battle line slowly advanced, Sunagakure suffered repeated defeats, and it was only a matter of time before it was completely routed. The people of Konoha saw the dawn of victory.

Kaede Tsukasa also slowly advanced with the main force, occasionally looking up to see where Kato Dan was.

Finally, the Sand Village forces collapsed, and the remaining ninjas began to turn and flee. The Konoha ninjas began a large-scale pursuit, and the original formation was completely broken, forming one small team after another.

Kaede Tsukasa did not pursue them, but stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, waiting for more than a day.

Even so, he was extremely careful, always sending zombies to finish off the enemy.

Not only do they finish off living enemies, but they also stab dead enemies, just in case they're faking death convincingly?

"What a cautious fellow. He's developed the art of controlling corpses, yet he's still so cautious. Although it might allow him to live longer, it's meaningless as long as he's still using an ordinary flesh and blood body. He'll just rot away sooner or later anyway."

On the edge of the battlefield, an ordinary corpse that had been lying there for an unknown amount of time and at an unknown time suddenly moved, its joints making a creaking sound. It was clearly a modified puppet, and an electronic voice came from its mouth.

“Sasori of the Red Sand, right? I heard about you from Yakushi Nonou, but I didn’t expect you to be so bold, so impatient.” Kaedeji Tsukasa said slowly.

(End of this chapter)