Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 92 The Frenzy Caused by One Person Forming an Army
We finally caught it.

Even if the opponent, Ye Yue, has not yet reached his peak, we must not be careless when facing him. If we are not careful, we could easily let him escape.

A colossal phantom of the Grim Reaper appeared behind Kaede Tsukasa, its spiritual hand extending from its abdomen merging into Yotsuki's body and tightly gripping Yotsuki's soul.

"What is this thing?!" Ye Yue stared wide-eyed at the suddenly appearing ferocious demon. She wanted to retreat immediately, but found that she couldn't move her body at all.

"Surprised? A good ninja always has to prepare a few trump cards for himself. I deliberately kept this one hidden so that I could catch you."

Kaede Tsukasa said calmly, "From now on, your soul will belong to me. No matter how strong your body is, how can you deal with an attack on your soul? Even if your Lightning Release Chakra Mode is invincible in offense and defense, it is useless in front of my technique."

This is the only weakness of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode: it cannot enhance the power at the soul level. However, there are very few techniques in the entire ninja world that directly target the soul.

Night Moon felt something inside her being pulled out little by little by a spirit hand covered in strange runes, as if she were being split into two parts.

Even though he had never practiced any techniques related to the soul, he immediately realized that this ghostly thing was pulling at his soul.

"So what? As long as I kill you, that's enough. You're dead, so how can you use this technique to kill me? With your internal organs destroyed by me, how much time do you have left to kill me?"

Night Moon roared, struggling to mobilize the muscles in her body. Every centimeter she moved felt like she was carrying a mountain on her back as she staggered forward. At the same time, she was desperately fighting against the power of the Spirit Hand, trying to buy as much time as possible.

To outsiders, the two remained frozen in place, their words uttering seemingly nonsensical.

"Strange, why isn't it moving... What is Lord Yotsuki doing?"

"Kill him! Cut off his head and end this terrible battle!"

"Oh no, it seems something has happened..."

Given Yotsuki's volatile temper, his inaction was already a major problem. Immediately, several Cloud Village ninjas rushed forward, intending to help Yotsuki kill Kaedeji.

Swish swish!
At this moment, the zombies that had been motionless suddenly launched another attack, instantly knocking the Cloud Ninja to the ground. Even more zombies eagerly crawled over and pounced on the enemy, tearing at him with their teeth.

The piercing screams went straight to the heart, and the splattered flesh and blood were like the crumbling willpower. The chewing and swallowing sounds were the cruelest elegy, plunging people from heaven into a deeper hell, causing their hearts to shatter.

"Why are these corpses moving again? Wasn't that guy dead?!"

"Don't panic. He has no internal organs, but there is still some oxygen in his blood supplying his brain, which can keep him alive for a few more seconds."

"Yes, that must be it... But is that really the case? Then why were these corpses able to suddenly and precisely attack our people?"

"...Could it be..."

Troy's fingers trembled, causing a small, square shuriken on the ground to fly out and pierce the head of Sandstorm Araki.

He knew that Kaedeji didn't care about the fate of ordinary zombies, but he would definitely pay attention to a powerful corpse like Sandstorm Araki.

hum!
A surge of quicksand erupted in front of Araki, knocking away the square shuriken.

"Damn it, it actually is... But why is this happening? It's definitely the real thing. A normal person would have died long ago after being attacked like this!" Troy lay on the ground, panting heavily, his face full of resentment.

The few survivors all felt a chill creeping into their bodies. Kaede Tsukasa's fighting style was beyond their comprehension. They suffered heavy casualties fighting against a group of already dead corpses, and were once driven to the brink of despair.

I finally managed to kill Kaedeji, but why isn't Kaedeji dead?
"There was no medical ninjutsu used, and no other corpses were used to perform that energy transfer technique on you. What's going on? Why didn't the boss just blow his head off and kill him completely?"

Troy felt a chill run through him. He instinctively looked at the expressionless Sandstorm Araki, meeting his greyish-white eyes. Even though Sandstorm Araki's eyes were unfocused, Troy knew very well that Sandstorm Araki was staring intently at him.

From this distance, Sandstorm Araki looks just like a normal human, except that its skin is a bit grayish, but that's not a problem. It means that Kaedeji has been carefully maintaining Sandstorm Araki by using the technique of transferring energy.

"Will I become like this in the future? My body carefully preserved, then sent out to kill my fellow villagers?" Troy sighed deeply.

The Cloud Village ninjas dared not move, their voices filled with fear and unease.

Yoru heard everything, but his body was incredibly stiff. He managed to touch Kaedeji's neck with his other hand, and was about to exert force little by little.

This will take some time.

"With these injuries, if you use this forbidden technique that attacks the soul again, your fate won't be any better. Are you trying to take me down with you? Hmph, you have some guts, but I won't let you have your way."

The veins on Yoru's forehead were bulging, and he was drenched in sweat. He was tense and uneasy, and with all his might, he slowly closed his palm, trying to pinch Kaedeji's head off.

If the head and body are separated, surely the person can still control the body to perform magic? Then this terrifying forbidden technique should naturally be broken.

He was the one who ultimately triumphed!
"Haven't you noticed yet? It seems you don't have the instincts of a beast, or perhaps you've noticed but are unwilling to admit it? But that's understandable, this body has only recently died and is still incredibly fresh."

Kaedeji spoke, but his voice came from another direction.

Another Kaede Tsukasa appeared in Yotsuki's field of vision. He sat casually on top of a coffin, one leg dangling down. His relaxed posture was as if he had just finished watching a wonderful stage play and was savoring it.

“You—” Yotsuki gritted her teeth and turned to look at Kaede Tsukasa in front of her.

"Having a greater reputation and more battle achievements does have its advantages. I have the opportunity to learn techniques that I hadn't learned before, especially in medical ninjutsu... The Dead Soul Technique. If you've gathered information about me, you'll know that this technique can modify the shape and appearance of a corpse in a very short time, and can even make the corpse's heart beat briefly."

Kaede Tsukasa said calmly, "I'm sorry, I just pulled one of your companions out of the water and made some impromptu modifications to temporarily replace me. When I used the Void Realm Technique for the last time, what you saw was actually your recently deceased companion. If you look closely, you can even see the stitches on the back of his neck... although you can't move now."

Ye Yue's face was ashen.

All the surviving Cloud Village ninjas fell into a deathly silence, looking desperately at the zombies around them, deeply feeling that they were trapped in a cage from which they could never escape. Every corpse bared its fangs, full of blood and flesh, waiting to rush up and tear them apart.

"We lost, boss. We all lost. Maybe we shouldn't have started this operation in the first place."

Troy sighed, reached out and brushed aside the hand of the medical ninja who was still trying to heal him, and lay helplessly on the ground, gazing at the deep night sky.

"Shut up, Troy! As a ninja of Kumogakure, you must complete the village's mission even at the cost of your life. Sacrifice is an honor!" Yotsuki shouted sternly.

“That’s right, you’re right. I’m not frustrated because the mission failed, but because we’ve been fighting a bunch of corpses from start to finish. Even if we’ve wiped them all out, there’s nothing to be proud of, while the real enemy is completely unharmed.”

In the final moments of his life, during the brief respite when his will still remained, Troy had already found peace of mind.

There's no way, really no way. How are they supposed to deal with an enemy like Kaede Tsukasa? Even if they defeat Kaede Tsukasa, it's still difficult to kill this space-time ninja. If he escapes, he can raise another army in no time and come back again. Meanwhile, the number of survivors on their side is limited, and the more they fight, the fewer there are, while the enemy seems to grow in number.

Just when they finally devised a tactic and it seemed to be working, Kaede Tsukasa's true form went into hiding again, and he arranged for a substitute to act in his place. He also placed an unknown forbidden technique on the substitute, which bound Yotsuki, a powerful individual with an invincible body.

"Sometimes they use space-time ninjutsu, forbidden techniques that can directly bind you, boss, and they're even shameless enough to use some kind of Dead Soul Technique as a substitute, and the substitute's material is a temporary modification of our recently deceased comrade..."

It's simply unsolvable. With its three-in-one defense, at least in a melee involving several hundred people, they have absolutely no way to deal with Kaede Tsukasa.

I'm exhausted. Let's just destroy it! Troy has never fought a war like this in its entire life! I've searched through the entire history of the Shinobi World Wars, and I've never even heard of one!

But from another perspective, people in the future will live in dire straits, they will always face such wars... although he can't see it, he can only see it through corpses.

"Don't be devastated by this. Your bodies will become my most reliable teammates, fighting alongside me until the ninja world is destroyed. Of course, most of you will fall behind, either dying with your heads destroyed or becoming expendable materials to heal other zombies."

Kaede jumped down and said slowly, "However, since you were all going to die anyway, I can let you see a more distant view. You should thank me."

"Bullshit! I will never become your puppet, much less your weapon to attack the village!" Night Moon roared madly.

At that moment, even he himself didn't realize that he was somewhat afraid. It wasn't fear of death; as a ninja, and as the designated next Raikage, Yotsuki was already prepared for it. But if his corpse fell into Kaedeji's hands and was repeatedly used, it was simply…

Don't rest your eyes!

He would never allow such a thing to happen!
"You fellow of the Night Moon Clan, if you become my servant, I will sacrifice countless corpses to keep you in the best health forever. I believe that before long, your body will 'evolve' because it carries too much life force... The first Sandstorm Wildwood to fall into my hands has actually surpassed his strength in his previous life."

Kaede Tsukasa casually pointed to the still sandstorm stunt tree, his most prized work to date, forever healthy, forever gazing into the distance.

Moreover, with long-term nurturing, his physical strength will continue to improve, and he may break through the limits and one day be promoted to the level of a Kage.

"Also, let me tell you something else. Even if you attacked my real body instead of the clone I temporarily created using the Death Soul Technique, you still couldn't kill me."

Kaede Tsukasa looked at his dead soul substitute.

A hole punched through his chest? All the zombies present were consumables for the Reincarnation Technique. As long as they accumulated enough life force, this kind of injury that couldn't kill him in one blow was nothing.

Night Moon finally crushed the neck of the Soul Reaper, but it was too late.

He looked down and saw that part of his soul had been pulled out.

"Hmph, this level of power can't kill me..." Yoruzuki resisted with all her might.

“I didn’t intend to kill you immediately. Using this technique on a corpse has very limited effect, but it’s enough to make you remember it for life. This is an absolutely forbidden technique that even Hanzo dared not resist.”

Kaedeji forms hand seals: "Seal!"

Swish!
Death, impatient, picked up the knife from his mouth, raised it high, and, amidst the rage of Ye Yue, slashed down fiercely!

Without a sound, even though Ye Yue's body was completely unharmed, she felt deeply that she had lost a part of herself forever, and a crucial part at that!

Night Moon's body could move again, but his right hand was incredibly heavy and suddenly fell down. He used his body to drag his right hand.

He watched as strange runes, just like those of a spirit hand, appeared on his right hand, but in the blink of an eye, they vanished. He knew this was definitely not an illusion.

"Give me back my hand!!"

Night Moon punched the Death Soul Stand in the abdomen with his other fist, but it was too late. The corpse was just a medium; his part of the soul had already entered the Grim Reaper's belly.

He tried to attack the Grim Reaper, but even with his lightning power unleashed, he couldn't harm the Grim Reaper in the slightest. It was as if the giant demon was a phantom that didn't exist in reality.

"You sealed my hand?" Yotsuki gritted his teeth. So what? Lightning Release Chakra Mode doesn't require hand seals to be used. Even his normal attacks have terrifying destructive power. Even though he can't use one hand, he can still unleash 80% of his power!
"It's not over yet. I've only crippled one of your hands. I won't let you go so easily."

Kaede immediately changed the order of the hand seals and used the Corpse Transformation Technique, specifically targeting Yotsuki's hand!

The hand that has lost its soul cannot form hand seals, nor can it use chakra. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode is naturally unable to cover the hand well, so the hand is a burden and a waste. But this is exactly the breakthrough point that Kaede Tsukasa used to invade with his Corpse Transformation Technique.

While the powerful Lightning Release Armor, combining offense and defense, is difficult to break through, things are different once one is hit by the Reaper Death Seal.

Ye Yue felt something was wrong with her right hand; something was rapidly spreading into her body through that hand.

"You bastard, do you want to turn me into your living corpse?"

The lightning on Yoru's body surged once again, but this obviously couldn't last. He had already consumed too much chakra, and the damage to his soul far exceeded the fatigue of his body, causing him to suffer excruciating pain that ordinary people could not endure at any time.

"Boss, let's run away! We can still fight. If you're determined to escape, he won't be able to catch you!" Troy suddenly shouted.

"Shut up! Do you want me to be seen as a coward who abandons his comrades and runs away alone?"

“Dying is easy, but what happens after you die? The enemy will use you to desperately attack the village. The village will pay a huge price to kill you, but it won’t harm Kaede Tsukasa in the slightest! It’s a risk-free business. You wouldn’t let the enemy do this kind of business, would you?” Troy sighed.

"Lord Troy is right, let's run!"

"Lord Night Moon, there is only hope as long as we live! You must avenge us!"

"That's right, the Corpse Escape Technique must have a flaw. When you return, you will surely be able to give us a proper burial!"

The surviving Cloud Village ninjas shouted and launched a desperate attack on the horde of corpses.

Troy concluded, "Go do it, boss. Someone has to tell the village about the Corpse Escape technique. Only you can do it, otherwise all of us will have sacrificed ourselves in vain!"

Night Moon felt as if her heart was being torn apart, tears streaming down her face: "You despicable people... I'm so sorry!"

Stab it!

Night Moon focused its attack on a specific direction, transforming into a dazzling bolt of lightning and vanishing in an instant.

Kaede didn't stop him; it's one thing if he couldn't stop him, but there's no need to stop him now.

"I guess the experiment was a success. On a whim, I developed a new technique..."

Kaedeji watched the receding light, lost in thought.

No matter how invincible an enemy may be, once they are hit by the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique, they will inevitably reveal a weakness, giving Kaede Tsukasa more opportunities to exploit.

If we go a step further, we could use the Corpse Transformation Technique simultaneously when performing the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique... It would be great if we could directly insert the Corpse Escape Technique into the enemy's body through the Grim Reaper's spiritual hand.

Kaedeji ignored the dying struggles of the Cloud Village ninjas, showing no interest even in listening to their cacophony of screams, and looked up at the Grim Reaper.

"..." Death swallowed a piece of soul, barely making the trip worthwhile. Completely ignoring Kaede Tsukasa's intentions, it swallowed Kaede Tsukasa's will, and the massive spirit slowly dissipated.

"Hmm, this guy isn't very bright and won't cooperate with me willingly." Kaede Tsukasa dismissed the idea, thinking that he still needed to think of a way himself. There must be some clue that could serve as a breakthrough for this new technique.

Before long, the last of these Cloud Village ninjas lay on the ground, some already turned into zombies, others still barely clinging to life.

"They really have the ability to endure. Every elite Jonin is a legendary figure in the ninja world, which makes me extremely happy."

Kaede Tsukasa approached Troy and lavished praise upon him.

Troy asked, "Are you the real you or a substitute for the Death Soul Technique?"

"Who knows? I do hope that one day all the corpses will become my substitutes. That will be the final stage of the Void Realm Technique, but there is still a long way to go."

Kaede sighed. To be honest, he was extremely envious of Madara's Limbo: Border Prison.

The lowest level of substitution jutsu is a common D-rank ninjutsu that uses a wooden stake as a substitute. Upgraded versions can use living creatures such as snow rabbits as substitutes.

The intermediate version of the Substitution Jutsu, also known as the Orochi Style Substitution Jutsu, is a physical Substitution Jutsu.

Above that is Limbo: Border Jail. Besides creating several shadows, it is essentially a copy of oneself, increasing combat power several times over out of thin air. It is also an unsolvable substitution technique, allowing the user to mindlessly switch places with the shadow the moment the main body is attacked, letting the shadow take the attack in place of the main body.

That's right, this effect is the same as Kaede Tsukasa's Sky Realm Technique, which has both the effect of time and space movement and the function of a substitute.

The only difference is that the number of shadows is limited, but the number of zombies is practically unlimited. As long as Kaede Tsukasa doesn't run out of chakra, he can use a large number of zombies to replace himself and continuously withstand the enemy's attacks.

Moreover, the shadow needs to return to the main body periodically, while Kaede Tsukasa's zombies do not. As long as Kaede Tsukasa has enough chakra, he can even swap positions across thousands of kilometers.

If, in the future, the art of the Void Realm is developed to its fullest potential, possessing both the advantages of Limbo and Border Prison while retaining the ability of zombies to exist independently... that would be the pinnacle of art, a work of art.

Unfortunately, it's unclear when that will be possible.

"What an ambitious fellow. I hope you don't succeed, or the world will be in big trouble." Troy wanted to seize another opportunity to assassinate Kaedeji, but Kaedeji didn't give him the chance.

Terai's blade pierced his heart, freezing his life at that moment; though his soul departed, his body would endure forever.

Before long, Troy stood up again, and Kaede Tsukasa thoughtfully summoned several Cloud Village zombies to take turns using the Reincarnation Technique to heal Troy's injuries.

Looking at it this way, Troy's clothes were tattered, but every inch of his skin was unharmed, and he stood there blankly.

"I will prepare a fine coffin for you, and you will live in it alone. If you become completely useless in the future, I will destroy this coffin."

Kaede Tsukasa held his elite Jonin subordinates in the highest esteem, making sure to maximize their emotional value and ensure the ceremony was appropriate.

Thinking about it this way, Kaedeji felt that he was a really good person.

"Then, let's leave it at that for this battle."

Kaede looked around at the devastated battlefield, where countless unusable corpses were piled on top of each other, silently testifying to the brutality of the war.

After a while.

The people from Konoha finally arrived.

"Is that Lord Kaedeji? I noticed a battle breaking out here, so I rushed over immediately. Did you kill all these enemies by yourself?"

"It seems to be enemies of Kumogakure, judging from the traces of the battlefield and the number of corpses on the ground..."

Everyone stared in horror at the horrific scene. Even though Kaede Tsukasa had retrieved all the usable zombies, the remaining limbs and severed bodies were still a shocking sight.

Combined with the violent commotion earlier, it was definitely not something that could be caused by an ordinary battle, so you can imagine what just happened.

"They've arrived? A bit late, but that's none of your business. Even I didn't expect to defeat the enemy's invading forces so quickly, making your trip a waste."

Kaede saw Inuzuka Tsuru and immediately knew that this was a Konoha patrol.

Immediately afterwards, more Konoha ninja arrived, leaving everyone in awe.

Kaedeji said calmly, "According to the plan, I was to hold off the enemy and wait for your reinforcements, but it seems I overdid it. Apart from the Yotsuki clan member who escaped alone, the other three hundred Kumogakure ninja all died here."

The number of Cloud Village corpses present did not reach three hundred, but no one present was a fool. They knew that Kaedeji had recycled everything that could be used, so naturally they would not ask openly, and their awe grew even stronger.

Just as Kaede Tsukasa had predicted, the impact of this battle, while not fundamentally altering the overall balance of power between Konoha and Kumogakure, was enough to cause Kumogakure pain due to the annihilation of three hundred ninjas, the defeat of elite Jonin like Troy, and Yotsuki's escape.

However, from the perspective of Kaedeji alone, the impact of this battle on the world was extremely intense, because Kaedeji really did it. It means that he used the power of one person to wipe out an elite force of Kumogakure in one fell swoop!
At 17 years old, Kaede Tsukasa already possesses the ability to form an army on his own, enough to fight a medium-sized war single-handedly!
This type of ninja has never appeared in the ninja world before. His appearance and his solid achievements are enough to cause a huge sensation and bring unprecedented prestige to Kaede Tsukasa.

From this point on, he will be officially promoted to "adult" in the eyes of the masses. People will subconsciously regard him as a powerful ninja of the Hokage level. Although he is not yet at that level in terms of individual combat, considering the scale of the zombie horde he controls, his role in many areas is even greater than that of a Kage-level powerhouse!

This is the terrifying aspect of one person forming an army.

"Corpse Escape... Just where is the limit of this technique? It's like the village suddenly has an extra, fearless army." Inuzuka Tsuru was stunned and couldn't help but murmur, looking at Kaede Tsukasa, who was brushing the dust off his clothes, in disbelief.

Kaede Tsukasa, this guy, was a weakling two years ago, but now he has become so dazzling. Every step he takes forward is so clearly visible, which is why it is even more awe-inspiring.

The people of Konoha felt as if they had witnessed a meteoric rise, the emergence of a genius who had become a shining light in the village.

"Sorry, I couldn't stop that guy."

Kato Danya arrived with his men, who ambushed the enemy in the eastern part of the Land of Fire, with the plan to block their retreat route, namely the northeastern outpost of the Land of Fire.

Kato Dan looked somewhat disheveled, and his clothes seemed to bear the marks of an explosion, indicating that he had just used the Explosion Release bloodline limit.

Tsunade complained, "That guy is running away too fast, we can't stop him at all. Even when we tried to catch up with him, we still couldn't keep up with his speed!"

"There was nothing I could do. At first, I was planning to stop him myself, but that Cloud Village ninja was extremely powerful, and I suffered some losses," Kato Dan said with a wry smile.

The Explosion Release technique only seemed to injure that guy's right hand? However, to force such a powerful opponent to flee in panic, seemingly crippling his right hand, and then effortlessly taking down three hundred Cloud Village's Kaedeji, just how strong is he...?

Kaede Tsukasa smiled and said, "Everyone has worked very hard. Letting one enemy go is insignificant. I want to thank everyone for their efforts tonight, otherwise we wouldn't have achieved this result."

The patrol members, including Inuzuka Tsurugi, were completely bewildered. They had no prior knowledge of the matter and were simply following the village's orders to increase patrols and maintain a high level of vigilance.

It's worth noting that a similar high-level martial law was imposed not long ago, although it was quickly and inexplicably lifted, leaving people wondering what exactly happened.

But who would have thought that such a big thing would happen tonight? Kaede Tsukasa single-handedly wiped out an invading force from Kumogakure! Not a squad, but an entire army!
Kato Dan exclaimed in surprise, "That's nothing, it's mainly you. I didn't expect you to end this war all by yourself... I thought your mission was to hold off the enemy."

"Yes, that was my original plan, but the enemy's target was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I got a bit angry when I actually made my move. The thought of serving the village made me go overboard and I almost killed all the enemies."

Kaede sighed, "Fortunately, nothing went wrong and everything was completed perfectly."

As for the escaped Night Moon? Originally, no one cared. Out of three hundred people, only one person escaped. This was a complete and overwhelming victory. No matter how picky someone was, they wouldn't say anything about it. They were all stunned into silence.

Minato Namikaze arrived at some unknown time, only to find that everything was over. Countless people surrounded Tsukasa Kaede, shouting excitedly.

"Late? But that makes sense, the village must be paying special attention to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... and I wasn't fast enough." Minato Namikaze smiled helplessly. He asked the people present and quickly found out what had happened, and was greatly surprised.

"One person took down three hundred Cloud Village ninjas? And there were even strong members of the Yotsuki clan among the enemies?"

Minato Namikaze was deeply shocked, realizing he was still lacking and needed to train even harder. Judging by the time, Jiraiya should be back soon, right?
Some people voluntarily stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, dealing with the broken walls and ruins with trepidation.

"It's terrifying. There isn't a single intact body, and the ground is riddled with craters."

"Of course! The complete remains have all become Lord Kaedeji's power. Heh, those guys from Kumogakure deserve it. Who told them to invade us? They got a real beating now!"

"Lord Kaedeji could hold off a line of defense all by himself, right? If there's another war, having a ninja like him around would relieve a lot of pressure on the village, while increasing the pressure on the enemy."

"After this battle, Lord Kaedeji's power may have become even stronger. Since Kumogakure dared to send these people to attack us, there must be many powerful individuals among them."

The Konoha ninjas, filled with awe, chatted excitedly, many remaining silent but listening intently.

When Kaede returned to Konoha, the Hokage Building was brightly lit.

"...That's how it is, Lord Hokage. I have fulfilled my mission." Kaede Tsukasa knelt on one knee and reported the entire process.

"Is that so, Tsukasa? Your performance has exceeded my expectations. After tonight, you will become a renowned and powerful ninja." The Third Hokage was also surprised, looking at the young man in front of him.

Has it really grown to this level so quietly? That's amazing potential!

Kaede Tsukasa respectfully said, "Thanks to the village's tireless cultivation, without the village, I would not have learned enough techniques, let alone come into contact with top-level forbidden techniques like the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique, and I would not have the strength I have now. It is my honor to be able to use the power I obtained from the village to help the village."

"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. Seeing you, I know that what I have done all these years has been right." The Third Hokage was increasingly satisfied.

Regardless of what Kaede Tsukasa's deeper desires might be, at least on the surface, everything he did was in accordance with the village's rules. The Third Hokage never hesitated to admire anyone who was willing to follow the rules.

He also knew that people like Danzo and Orochimaru had done some shady things in secret, but he never said anything. Someone had to step forward to bear the burden of the dark side and transform those dark things into strength to strengthen the village.

Now, it's just that there's one more Kaedeji, which the Third Hokage can completely tolerate given his personality.

"Kaede Tsukasa, in a few days, I will officially appoint you as an elite Jonin. From now on, you will be the pillar of the village."

"Huh? Isn't this a bit too fast? The Fourth Shinobi World War is already over, and you're already appointing me as an elite Jonin—"

"This is truly inspiring. Many people will take you as their role model. Remember your original aspirations. Even if you can't always stand among the flowers, remember not to let your heart sink into darkness." The Third Hokage's smile was very approachable.

Kaede Tsukasa readily agreed, since promises were worthless anyway.

"There's one more thing I've been thinking about, and now the time is right." The Third Hokage lit his pipe. "You're ready to lead a team of Jonin and train some outstanding juniors."

"A Jonin leading a team... I see. So it's time for me to be qualified to recruit subordinates," Kaedeji Tsukasa said with a smile.

He doesn't reject this, because it's a necessary stage.

Moreover, as the leader of the Jonin team, his relationship with the three juniors is essentially that of superior and subordinate. Just because the three subordinates call him "teacher" doesn't mean he will actually treat them as disciples—he may say that, but in reality, the relationship is still primarily one of superior and subordinate.

The true master-disciple relationship is like that between Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, or Might Guy and Rock Lee.

"Lord Hokage, have you decided who my subordinates will be?"

"It hasn't been decided yet. We need to see who the recent batches of graduates are and consider who might be a good fit for your style so they can learn more from you and grow faster," the Third Hokage comforted him. "Don't rush it; it's not necessarily going to be something you do anytime soon."

"I see. Then I'll follow the Hokage's orders. Actually, I'd really like to pass on my Corpse Release technique to a reliable person, but I don't know who is qualified. If I can't find someone today, I'll try next year or the year after. As the years go by, someone will eventually meet my requirements, right?" Kaede Tsukasa said with a smile.

Sure enough, the next day, the entire Hidden Leaf Village was abuzz with discussion.

One man formed an army and wiped out an invading force of hundreds from the Hidden Cloud Village; the young leader of the Night Moon Clan was forced to abandon his troops and flee alone... Any one of these events alone would be enough to set the village on the top of the trending topics.

The village was filled with people talking about it, their faces beaming with pride. It was wonderful that the village had gained such a special ninja. Konoha was indeed the number one village in the ninja world, producing one strong person after another!
The news spread immediately from Konoha to other towns in the Land of Fire, and continued to spread throughout the ninja world.

The Hidden Cloud Village became a backdrop nailed to the pillar of shame, and the Night Moon who escaped alone, those who knew him understood that he was enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, and that someone had to take on this arduous task. Those who did not know him subconsciously judged this Night Moon clansman as a cowardly fellow who abandoned hundreds of companions and ran away, a complete waste!
The entire ninja world is mocking Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village).

"Kumakuya Village? Hahaha, I heard this village is famous for its unity, and this is the result of their unity?"

"This is ridiculous. It's normal for there to be a difference between the publicity and the reality, but I didn't expect it to be this big! I will never ask Kumogakure to issue missions again. I'd rather go to Konoha and hire Konoha ninjas, even though it's a long way and the cost will skyrocket."

"The Yoruzuki clan... The Second Raikage was killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku. The Third Raikage was quite a force to be reckoned with after taking office, but who would have thought that the future Fourth Raikage would be so incompetent? He was beaten so badly by Kaedeji Tsukasa that he had to flee in panic!"

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the political structure of Kumogakure knows that the position of the village's leader is practically the private property of the Yotsuki clan, and it's obvious who the future Fourth Raikage will be.

"Kaede Tsukasa... I've heard this guy has a nickname called Ghoul? I don't know where it came from, but many merchants traveling in the ninja world are talking about it. They say he can single-handedly raise an undead army. Fighting an enemy like that must be a nightmare, right?"

"After a long and arduous battle, I discovered that I had only killed a group of people who were already dead. I wanted to kill Kaedeji, but I found out that Kaedeji was a space-time ninja. This is truly terrifying."

The name of Konoha Village once again shook the ninja world, and more and more people flocked to Konoha Village. Whether it was tourism, business, or hiring ninjas, it brought a steady stream of income to Konoha Village.

The economy is extremely prosperous, surpassing any previous period. The treasury is abundant, with a large amount of funds available to invest in education, technology, and equipping ninjas.

This is a virtuous cycle that makes other villages envious. No matter how jealous they are, they have to admit that Konoha Village seems to have entered a period of great prosperity.

But it certainly won't last long. There can't be a village that prospers forever. Konoha Village will inevitably rise to its peak and then decline. It's just unknown when that moment will come.

As a result, each ninja village quietly began to exert its strength and start a more aggressive arms race. All research that could improve combat power was launched, and all means that could increase the number of ninjas were used. Human, material and financial resources were frantically squeezed throughout the country to train as many ninjas as possible.

(End of this chapter)