Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 68 died, but not completely.
Rōshi was not actually a perfect Jinchūriki and could not perfectly control the power of the Four-Tails.

Injecting a large amount of Lava Release power into the underground volcano had already taken a huge toll on him, to the point that sweat was clearly visible running down his forehead.

"That Four-Tails is starting to get restless too. It sensed my weakness and tried to take control of my body."

Old Purple felt the restlessness emanating from within his body, and the pressure was immense. He had to stimulate the earth's veins while dealing with a powerful opponent like Kato Dan, and at the same time, he had to be wary of the Four-Tails' rampage.

The slightest misstep could lead to a complete collapse.

However, it seems that this risk is worthwhile. The destruction of an entire army of Konoha in the first battle will certainly deal a heavy blow to Konoha's manpower and morale.

It would have been even better if Kato Dan hadn't sacrificed himself to stop them; they might have been able to wipe out the two thousand Konoha ninja in the Land of Hot Springs.

shhhhhh!
As the Lava Release: Scorching River Rock Technique was used, one after another, flaming magma balls suddenly flew out, leaving scorching trails in the air, adding fuel to the already hot and humid environment.

Old Purple didn't use this move to attack Kato Dan's spirit, but to directly attack Kato Dan's body!

When the body dies, the spirit naturally dies too!

Kato Dan's spirit darted through the lava rain, his translucent body blurred and distorted by the scorching air currents.

He caught a glimpse of his own body beneath the trajectory of the lava projectile, then turned to see Old Zi's cold face.

"That concludes the battle. You are the most difficult opponent among Konoha's troops. Killing you will be the greatest gain from this operation."

Old Purple slammed his palms on the ground, and the Four-Tails' chakra erupted into the sky like a volcanic eruption, ready to deal with Kato Dan's spiritual invasion.

Kato Dan's spirit suddenly accelerated, arriving in front of Rōshi at an even faster speed before the magma ball exploded on his body.

"Come on!" Old Zi growled.

As the fist, covered in lava and carrying the tailed beast's cloak, crashed down, at the critical moment, Kato's spirit body transformed into a stream of light and rushed into Rōshi's forehead, initiating the most brutal battle of souls.

The Spirit Transformation Technique is like a higher-level ninjutsu than the Mind Transfer Technique.

The typical mind transfer technique involves shifting one's consciousness into the other person's body, suppressing their consciousness, and thus controlling their body.

The Spirit Transformation Technique allows the soul to leave the body, enabling the user to possess and control the enemy's actions, as well as destroy the enemy's consciousness.

When the two souls clashed within Old Purple's body, what they were fighting for was not just the amount of chakra, but also the confrontation of Yin Release spiritual power. In just a moment, countless thoughts clashed fiercely, and both sides experienced a brief moment of disorientation.

"Failed……"

Kato, within Old Purple's mental space, let out a deep sigh.

If he failed to severely injure or even kill Lao Zi's consciousness immediately, it would mean that he had failed, because his body would be destroyed by the Scorching River Rock Technique.

"However, even without considering the possibility of physical attacks, I probably have no chance of winning. I can't deal with two enemies at the same time."

Kato Dan sensed the Four-Tails' will. Although he could tell that the Four-Tails didn't like Rōshi and was even eyeing him covetously, hoping that Rōshi would suffer an even worse fate, it didn't mean that the Four-Tails would stand on Kato Dan's side.

When the Jinchuriki dies, the Tailed Beast within him also dies.

boom!
A magma ball blasted into Kato Dan's body, and the terrifying impact and high temperature instantly blasted away a part of Kato Dan's body.

The mangled body soared high like a kite with a broken string before plummeting to the ground. "Cough cough cough!"

Old Purple staggered to his knees, his lava armor fiercely battling against the Four-Tails' chakra in an attack originating from his soul.

A muffled rumble came from underground. The excessive injection of Lava Release chakra finally triggered a backlash from the earth's veins, and sulfurous poisonous mist spewed out from the cracks in the ground, dragging the battlefield into an even worse situation.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, lava, poisonous gases—it seems that all the most dangerous elements have converged here.

"It's over. Kato Dan of Konoha, I've won!"

Old Zi's head was throbbing with pain, and he let out a series of agonizing roars. His face was contorted as he said, "Your body is already dead, how much longer can your soul endure inside my body?!"

"It won't be long. The remaining oxygen in my body can probably give me a few dozen seconds, but that's enough! Turning you into a vegetable is also a victory!" Kato Dan became increasingly frantic—this was the first time the usually refined man had gone mad, and if nothing unexpected happened, it would be the last.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade, and my comrades, this is where I am going to end it all. But before I die, I can buy you some more time."

If we can cripple Lao Zi's spirit and force him to withdraw from the war, it would undoubtedly be a vital benefit to the village.

Kato Dan tried to use his last remaining strength to practice the Will of Fire, resisting the instinctive pressure on his soul—he had used the Spirit Transformation Technique too many times, and even if his body wasn't attacked, his spirit should have been forced to return to his physical form.

"Huh?" Suddenly, Kato Dan's spirit thought he had seen wrong.

A dense, numerous figure is rapidly approaching!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared beneath the mangled body that was about to fall into the lava, cushioning Kato Dan's remains.

In the blink of an eye, the zombie violently flung Kato Dan's body away, causing himself to plunge into the lava and melt away.

Another figure leaped forward and caught the object in mid-air, instantly completing a hand seal.

"Corpse Transformation: Void Realm Technique!"

With Kaede Tsukasa carrying Kato's mangled body, he exchanged time with a zombie in a safe area, and the swaying of his clothes stopped as his body stabilized.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Although the situation was urgent, Kaedeji had done his best and at least managed to recover the main body parts of Kato Dan.

As for those that are missing...

"It was truly horrific; most of his chest and back were gone."

Kaede looked down and sighed. Normally, this kind of injury would be fatal; medical ninjutsu couldn't save him.

"Lord Kato Dan, it's not time to give up yet. Your spirit needs to return to its original form." Kaede Tsukasa looked at Old Purple, who was struggling painfully on the giant lava rock.

He immediately assessed the situation; although he arrived a little late, it wasn't the worst of the situation yet.

"No, you shouldn't have come. I used my last strength to attack the enemy, maybe I could—" Kato Dan's spirit was on the verge of its limit, separating from Rōshi's body, and instinctively moved towards the body's location.

With each passing second, the already dim spirit became even darker, like a sponge rapidly drying up.

"Don't worry about the enemy. We're not so weak that you have to shoulder all the pressure alone."

Kaedeji lifted up his mangled body to receive the returning spirit of Kato Dan.

(End of this chapter)