Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 73 Otsutsuki, Hyuga, Tenseigan
"Huh? Lord Kaedejima can fight against Jinchuriki, so how come he's only a Special Jonin? He's more like an Elite Jonin!"

"Didn't Lady Tsunade say during the day that it was about restraint, not direct confrontation? But elite Jonin... anyway, I'll be a Jonin after I go back this time."

During wartime, there is no shortage of talented people who make rapid progress, but few can rise to the same level as Kaede Tsukasa in terms of promotion.

Only Minato Namikaze can compare to him.

Furthermore, Kaede Tsukasa's act of rescuing his comrades using the corpses of enemies, which earned him great merit, naturally attracted more fans and gained him a large following.

Immediately, people began a more heated discussion and speculation, constantly casting eager glances at Kaede Tsukasa, hoping that he would stand up and talk to everyone about something, but they were disappointed, as Kaede Tsukasa remained sitting quietly.

Everyone was curious about what technique Kaedejima used to restrain the Jinchuriki. It must have been by using more corpses and space-time ninjutsu, bombarding the enemy with various ninjutsu while Kaedejima flew around randomly... Everyone guessed that this was the tactic used to restrain the enemy.

“Iroha, you seem a little unsettled. What’s wrong? Ever since the retreat from the northern coast of the Land of Hot Water, you’ve seemed a bit off.”

Ibiki Morino walked over and asked casually, then pointed to Shiki Aburame in the distance: "He must have noticed that he seems taciturn, but is actually a very cautious and vigilant person."

"Lord Kaedeji said you have a very keen intelligence analysis ability, and it seems he was right." Iroha did not give a direct answer.

He was brainstorming, using silence to suppress his inner terror; it was already quite an achievement to be able to do this.

Morino Ibiki's eyes showed even greater doubt, suspecting that Iroha had discovered something—if he was frightened by this defeat, it would be too absurd, as Iroha was a very famous young man in the Hyuga branch family.

While he doesn't reach the level of a genius, he's not on the same level as Kaede Tsukasa or Minato Namikaze at all, and it's impossible for him to have achieved this for no reason.

Unable to glean any useful information, Morino Ibiki stopped asking questions and merely speculated that Hyuga Iroha had discovered something that others had not.

Rolling my eyes...

“These are eyes with farsightedness. Iroha probably saw something.” Kaedeji also noticed Iroha’s frequent glances and knew that Iroha was intentionally trying to get his attention.

As night deepened, Kaedeji dozed off for a while, then opened his eyes and slowly got up.

"I'll take some men to patrol the area."

“You should rest. I can handle this.” Kato Dan looked at Kaede Tsukasa with concern. “I can finish the patrol quickly using my spiritualization technique. Your physical condition…”

"Don't worry, I've just returned to my previous state. Others would definitely die if they used the Self-Reincarnation Technique, as it's a life-for-life exchange technique, but I'm different. My situation is somewhat special, which you've probably already guessed."

Kaedeji waved his hand: "My Corpse Escape Technique is also very suitable for patrolling and reconnaissance. I can just summon a bunch of corpses to attack everywhere... Besides, I need to talk to a junior."

From a distance, Kato Dan and Tsunade saw Kaede Tsukasa leading Iroha on a patrol, with Kaede Tsukasa stopping some people who tried to follow.

The two immediately realized that the patrol was a pretense; Kaedeji really had something to say to the Hyuga kid.

……

Iroha followed the seemingly weak Kaedeji, her face tense, and remained silent.

He knew that the man before him possessed an astonishing strength hidden within his frail body.

"It seems you've already noticed. They really have a pair of fine eyes; it's something to be envied," Kaedeji said slowly.

Iroha said in a low voice, "Yes, I did see some things. Although they were quite far away, at the edge of my field of vision, and I couldn't see many things clearly, even so, what I saw completely overturned my understanding..."

How could someone whose upper body was half destroyed actually come back to life?
The price Kaede Tsukasa paid was merely regaining his slender figure? Is that all?

The unknown forbidden technique to revive an elite Jonin, merely by consuming one's own flesh and blood? Iroha knew it couldn't be that simple, but he couldn't see through the many hidden secrets either.

The scene he witnessed was etched into his mind like a curse, destined to never be erased.

"It defies common sense... That's what the few people who know I use the Reincarnation Technique say," Kaedeji casually remarked. "Iroha, as a member of the Hyuga branch family, you seem to possess more acute senses than ordinary people. You probably thought of something interesting because of that."

Hyuga Iroha was startled, then relieved. She wanted to say something, but felt it was too unrealistic, even fanciful.

"Lord Kaedeji, as you said, I have indeed come up with some ideas..." Iroha stammered, looking hesitant.

"That's normal. Seeing me revive Senior Dan, and even taking organs and a spine from the corpse of a Explosion Release bloodline and transplanting them on the spot, any normal person would have some thoughts. Although the transplant surgery I performed was extremely crude, if it weren't for Lady Tsunade's assistance, I really don't know what kind of mess I would have made of Senior Dan's body in the end."

Kaede Tsukasa stopped and turned to look at Hyuga Iroha, whose gaze was darting away.

The fact that the Hyuga branch family was born already determined a lot of things.

Other ninjas can tie the Konoha headband wherever they want—on their shoulders, waist, thighs, or neck.

However, when members of the Hyuga branch family go out on missions, they all tie the mark on their foreheads to cover the Caged Bird Seal.

Whether this act of concealment is shameful or a sign of numbness, the members of the Hyuga branch family eventually had to accept it as a common and normal practice.

There is only one way to escape the stigma of being a caged bird: death.

Now, Iroha has witnessed firsthand a way to escape the caged bird!
"If you die and are resurrected, you can naturally escape the caged bird. That's what you think, right? There's nothing to be ashamed of. Since you've seen my technique, you must have this desire."

Kaede Tsukasa stretched out a hand towards the sky, as if trying to grasp the moon in his hand: "I have no intention of commenting on whether the Hyuga clan's main family and branch family system is correct or not, but since you have the idea of ​​breaking free and have actually taken action, then you should be prepared to pay the price."

"Lord Kaedeji, are you willing? But what is the price of performing this resurrection spell...?"

"That's not something you need to worry about. After you return to the Hyuga clan, think carefully about what I said, and then make a decision."

Kaede looked up and gazed deeply at the faintly visible moon.

Otsutsuki, Hyuga, Tenseigan...

In fact, the exact era in which the Caged Bird Seal originated is long gone, but at least one thing proves its necessity: the Hyuga clan continues to practice it.

Yes, it's that simple.

As descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki, a group of people went to the moon, fought a civil war, split up the main family, destroyed the Byakugan of all the Otsutsuki descendants, and pieced together a giant Tenseigan.

Those who took root in the ninja world became the Hyuga clan. They used the Caged Bird Seal to bind the vast majority of their clan members, ensuring that the Byakugan would never be leaked out, let alone be dug out and used by others.

If the Hyuga clan, like their counterparts on the moon, had no means of controlling the branch families, the outcome would be uncertain. Perhaps, over the past thousand years, some genius Hyuga clan member might have discovered that the Byakugan could be pieced together and fused, leading to the massacre of all clan members.

If the Uchiha clan could discover that the three-tomoe Sharingan could evolve into the Mangekyou Sharingan, and Madara even discovered that transplanting his younger brother's eyes could evolve into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, it's only natural that the Hyuga clan would make similar discoveries during their millennia of activity.

Kaede Tsukasa saw through Iroha's little scheme at a glance.

"Let me tell you something else. My Reincarnation Technique can activate all the dead cells in a dead person. You know what that means, right? Although I don't know much about the Caged Bird Seal," Kaedeji said calmly.

Iroha understood immediately.

This means that the Byakugan of the deceased Hyuga branch family members, who lost the function of their eyes due to the activation of the Caged Bird Seal, may be restored after being revived by Kaede Tsukasa.

River carp, it's too big for the river.

Given the extent of Kato Dan's injuries, with his jumbled and rotting organs, it's plausible that branch family members could also have their eyes revived when they are resurrected.

"However, don't have absolute hope. It's hard to say whether it will succeed. At the very least, I need to study the Caged Bird Seal," Kaedeji said.

Hyuga Iroha took a deep breath: "Understood, Lord Kaedeji. This matter is of great importance, and could even affect the fate of our clan. I need to think about it carefully."

"You'll agree. Even if you don't, there will always be some members of the branch family who are unwilling to accept their fate and will take the risk. It's only a matter of time before they join me."

Kaede Tsukasa smiled and patted Iroha on the shoulder. Today's events had been too much of a shock to this junior, and he could give him plenty of time to think it over.

Moreover, Iroha herself was never the one who could make the decisions.

"Lord Kaedeji, someone is approaching us," Iroha said in a deep voice.

Kaede Tsukasa nodded: "I know, showing up now is already quite cautious."

A group of Root ninjas appeared in front of Kaedeji, kneeling on one knee. Their performance was flawless, and Iroha naturally assumed that these "Anbu" were Kaedeji's subordinates—perhaps Kaedeji had already joined the Anbu?
This is quite normal; ANBU ninjas all live under assumed names, and their identities remain a mystery.

"Lord Kaedeji, should we deal with this member of the Hyuga clan?"

The Root ninja's first words left Iroha completely bewildered. Were the Anbu's methods really this extreme? They were already eliminating unrelated personnel, even ninjas from their own village?
"...There's no need for that. There's no need for such a low-level test. Step back."

The two returned to the main force without causing any ripples. Even though some people saw them, no one paid much attention. It was perfectly normal for Lord Kaedeji to patrol with his trusted subordinates, and to talk and give instructions along the way.

Tsunade and Dan Kato did not ask Kaede Tsukasa what he had said to Iroha.

As dawn broke, the group set out again and finally arrived at a border post.

"I take full responsibility for the defeat in this war and am willing to accept all the punishment from the village." Kato Dan wrote down the details of the battle, of course concealing the fact that he was resurrected by Kaedeji after his death.

Kaede Tsukasa comforted him, "There's no need to blame yourself too much. Maybe we even won a victory. If the Four-Tails goes berserk, it will definitely target the Iwagakure ninja first."

Kato Dan's face was full of bitterness. It was clearly a defeat, with six hundred comrades killed in action. If the result was an alternative "victory"... it would be too ironic. The village probably wouldn't accept such a victory.

Two days later, the village sent out ANBU ninjas to deliver instructions from the Hokage.

Just as Kaede Tsukasa had predicted, this was a victory, and a very significant one at that.

"What? The enemy's losses were even greater than ours? A force of a thousand men was completely destroyed, and the vast majority of them were killed in battle?" Kato Dan's expression was complicated.

The ANBU ninja calmly said, "Yes, the enemy suffered greater losses than us. According to the intelligence sent back by our spies, after the Four-Tails Jinchuriki went berserk, he destroyed the Iwagakure forces with several Tailed Beast Balls and eventually fell into a deep coma. We don't know when he will wake up. This corresponds to the record in your battle report."

It wasn't just a victory, it was an overwhelming one. Iwagakure suffered two to three hundred more casualties than Konoha. That alone was a victory. Konoha had more people and more money, so even a 1-1 draw was a victory, not to mention the enemy's losses were even greater.

Most importantly, Kato Dan managed to knock the Four-Tails Jinchuriki into a deep coma at the cost of himself being completely unharmed—the Four-Tails' rampage was also a major reason for Roshi's coma, but that's not important—this victory was far too crucial.

"If we calculate it that way, having the Four-Tails Jinchuriki withdraw from the war might directly affect the situation on the main battlefield." Tsunade also breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a relaxed expression.

A Jinchuriki can often play a much greater role on the battlefield than a Kage-level shinobi, precisely because of the terrifying destructive power a Jinchuriki can unleash when going berserk!
Several Tailed Beast Balls were unleashed, creating indiscriminate bombardment. The main force suffered heavy casualties. Who could withstand that?
Take the current Sannin for example. Although each of them can be considered a Hokage-level powerhouse, it's hard to say for sure if there's one who can absolutely defeat a Tailed Beast.

"It's a pity that the village's jinchūriki can't be mobilized, otherwise, there would be no need for such a fuss," Kaedeji remarked casually.

"Grandma is getting old and should be enjoying her retirement. If she has to go to the battlefield, it will be a disgrace to us younger generations."

Tsunade shook her head repeatedly. She would never let her grandmother go to the battlefield. Moreover, she knew that Mito Uzumaki's main focus was on training Kushina Uzumaki. If nothing unexpected happened, Kushina would be the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Actually, some people in the village also have designs on the Nine-Tails, wanting to transfer it into someone else's body after Mito Uzumaki dies. For example, why must the next Jinchuriki be a descendant of Uzumaki?

Why not the descendants of the Thousand Hands?
Nawaki is dead, but Tsunade, Momoka Senju, and others are still alive. As for the Senju clan's sealing techniques being inferior to the Uzumaki clan's... just learn them! They're sealing techniques, not bloodline limits.

Moreover, it's not necessarily limited to the Thousand Hands and the Uzumaki.

However, these objections were only discussed privately by some individuals, such as Danzo arguing with the Third Hokage, but they would never dare to bring them up with Mito Uzumaki.

Another half month passed, and after confirming that there would be no enemy invasion from Iwagakure in the Land of Hot Water, the troops began to return one after another.

Although they had won the battle in name, the people's expressions were incredibly complicated, showing no joy whatsoever.

Iroha was among the first ninjas to return to the village and immediately began his mission.

The villagers were basking in yet another victory and were now hoping that Orochimaru's main force would defeat Iwagakure as soon as possible.

They had no way of knowing the details of the war, and the village wouldn't publicize it in such detail. In short, they won. The enemy's Jinchuriki was crippled by the formidable Kato Dan, and Konoha once again weakened Iwagakure's fighting force.

"Lord Kato Dan seems to be an elite Jonin? He has already mastered the ability to deal with tailed beasts?"

"Hmm, it seems that Lord Kato Dan's secret technique isn't a secret. I heard it's called the Spirit Transformation Secret Technique, but I don't know its specific effects. Can this technique be used against Jinchuriki?"

"That's amazing! Another powerful ninja has emerged in the village! Konoha is now the strongest in the ninja world!"

"The Hokage has never personally taken action, yet he has already led us to victory in the Fourth Shinobi World War!"

Similar comments are everywhere, praising Dan Kato and the wise Third Hokage.

"It's so disgusting."

Danzo stood in the laboratory, looking at the numerous corpses and remains preserved in formalin, his face expressionless. He was disgusted by the Third Hokage's actions.

Listen to the villagers' naive opinions; they're getting more and more outrageous. Even Danzo wondered if, if they kept exaggerating like this for a few more years, they'd end up making the Third Hokage the strongest Hokage of all time.

Just like the Third Kazekage, who was hailed as the strongest Kazekage of all time?
However, the speed at which this local war ended was indeed beyond Danzo's expectations, and the process also surprised him.

"If the information that Yakushi Nonou sent back is correct, there are too many suspicious points in what Kato Dan reported. Hmph, I guess Hiruzen also has some doubts, but he won't deliberately press him for answers."

Danzo snorted coldly.

Do you think he doesn't know what kind of person Kato Dan is? Do you think the Third Hokage doesn't know? The Spirit Transformation Technique is powerful, but once it's used, the body has to stay still in one place, making the user a fixed target.

"If the inability to move the body is a disadvantage, it can be compensated for by Kaedeji's space-time ninjutsu... Using space-time ninjutsu to move the body's position is inherently a more drastic movement, rapidly changing the distance and orientation between the body and the spirit, which will inevitably have a significant impact."

Moreover, could a spiritual attack alone force the Four-Tails Jinchuriki into complete Tailed Beast transformation, ultimately causing him to fall into a coma? This could be explained by the fact that Old Shi altered the Land of Hot Springs' ley lines beforehand and overused chakra.

The fact that they always have to find additional possibilities to supplement the battle situation already indicates that there is a problem. Battles between ninjas inherently involve intelligence warfare, and the battle process can only be explained by accidents.
"That guy Kaedeji Tsukasa, could he have used the Reanimation Jutsu on Kato Dan? With Tsunade's help, the three of them working together might be able to severely injure the Four-Tails."

Danzo's face was grim. He didn't want more people to know about Kaedeji's forbidden technique, which made him feel even more uneasy—he had always hated things that were out of control.

This made him determined to end this pointless war as soon as possible and bring Orochimaru back!

The human experimentation project must be expedited. Kaede Tsukasa must seize the opportunity as soon as possible and cannot afford any further delays! If news of the Reanimation Jutsu reaches the Third Hokage's ears, Danzo will be furious.

"If I were the Hokage, why would I fight these meaningless defensive wars? I would rather invade the enemy's country, kill more ninjas, control more civilians, and train more ninjas from among them!"

Don't misunderstand, he didn't kidnap civilians from enemy countries to replenish the population of the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire doesn't lack these people. He simply wanted to use the enemy's civilians as expendable resources to harvest more ninjas, turn them all into corpses, and then hand them over to Kaedeji for his magic.

The more frequent the battles, the more enemies are killed, and the more corpses there are. This means that Kaedeji can extract and transfer more life force, making the Konoha ninjas stronger and their lifespans incredibly long!

All this can be achieved simply by constantly waging war, and only through wars of aggression!
"Even if Hiruzen obtains the Reincarnation Technique and the Corpse Escape Technique, he would never do such a thing." Danzo snorted coldly, removed the bandages from his head, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan, and continued to painstakingly study the forbidden technique Izanagi.

At the same time, the Third Tsuchikage, upon receiving the news, nearly died of anger.

"How could such an excellent plan of action turn out like this? It's one thing that we didn't kill a large number of Konoha ninja, but why did our losses end up being so great!"

Of the thousands of ninjas, only about a hundred survived; the rest were all killed by the Four-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball. Old Purple himself even fell into a coma. The Third Tsuchikage was truly impressed.

"Kato Dan? How could someone like him possibly push Old Purple into this situation? I can tell with my own eyes how those guys in Konoha will spread this story!"

The Third Tsuchikage was so angry that he flew around in mid-air.

Kato Dan? What is Kato Dan? He thinks he can take down a Jinchuriki with a supercharged Mind Transfer Jutsu? Bah, Kato Dan doesn't even deserve to be called one.

If we add Tsunade to the mix... I haven't heard of Tsunade possessing any powerful abilities. Even if the summoning slug were to appear, it shouldn't have driven Roshi into this situation.

Something special must have happened, but the Third Tsuchikage couldn't be sure. He could only wait patiently until Rōshi woke up to confirm, and then the truth would come out.

"Originally, we wanted to use Old Purple's abilities to break the deadlock from the Land of Hot Springs and weaken Konoha's strength, but it turned out the other way around... This war is probably..."

The Third Tsuchikage didn't want to admit his defeat. He had defeated Sunagakure and could now concentrate his forces on Konoha, but this was the result.

Orochimaru, the commander of the Konoha forces, is a guy who doesn't reveal any flaws at all. Occasionally, he will launch strange raids, which are specifically designed to hunt down explosive units. In the past few years, he has killed more than ten Explosion Release bloodline ninjas and stolen several corpses.

The Third Tsuchikage knew that Orochimaru was taking the opportunity to research the Explosion Release bloodline limit, which wasn't hard to accept, because the Third Tsuchikage was doing the same thing whenever he had the chance—he also wanted to bring back a few Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga members.

But it can't be done.

"Hold on a little longer, or we'll retreat. The Hidden Cloud Village is stirring up trouble, what a bunch of damned bastards!" the Third Tsuchikage cursed.

The Hidden Cloud Village focused its main efforts on the Hidden Stone Village, constantly sending out elite squads to carry out assassinations and sabotage, which greatly annoyed the Hidden Stone Village.

The Third Tsuchikage made up his mind that after this retreat, he would further exploit the Land of Earth's national strength to enhance its military power, and after a few years of recuperation, he would launch a full-scale attack on the Hidden Cloud Village!

Those guys must pay a heavy price.

(End of this chapter)