Chiyo's face turned livid.
Not only did she fail to kill Tsukasa, she even lost one of her Chikamatsu puppets—one of her precious ten!
Even if the materials and craftsmanship weren't too rare, rebuilding it in the middle of a war was basically impossible.
And she had lost it to a nobody genin!
The more Chiyo thought about it, the angrier she became. Her fingers moved in a blur, controlling the remaining nine puppets to unleash another barrage of destruction.
But then, a silver flash streaked across the battlefield—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three of the Chikamatsu puppets were instantly cut down.
"White Fang!"
The enemy leader had arrived.
Now, Sakumo and Chiyo were locked in a fierce duel.
Meanwhile, Kazama Tsukasa had long since fallen back behind the front lines, treating wounded ninja while trying to recover some chakra.
He couldn't help but feel lucky. If he hadn't summoned those zombies in time, if they'd been even a second slower—he'd be dead.
The Chikamatsu puppets were terrifying. Even experienced jōnin couldn't hold out long against them, much less someone like him.
Although his summoned corpses were strong, they were still tools. The true source of strength was himself. If he didn't keep growing stronger, no matter how many zombies he had, he'd be buried eventually.
"I need better zombies."
What he needed weren't more corpses—but better-quality ones.
Random fodder was no longer enough. Only jōnin or elite ninja were worth turning into puppets.
And this war zone was the best source for them—abundant raw materials, delivered daily.
He was now deeply considering something he'd previously hesitated over:
"Should I start collecting human puppets?"
Unlike the Corpse Soul Technique, which preserved the bodies and allowed instinctual movement, puppets had to be heavily modified—organs removed, mechanisms added, and jutsu devices embedded.
But once created, they wouldn't rot, and didn't rely on chakra control. Even a puppet of a low-level ninja could be rigged with hidden weapons or traps—its value far exceeding its original strength.
The downside? The loss of intelligence and most original combat skills.
But if he made puppets from high-quality corpses—like former jōnin—they could be equipped with techniques or unique traits from their past life. That was power worth pursuing.
"Human puppets might be my next breakthrough…"
He quickly wrote it down on a scroll for later development.
Elsewhere – In the Hidden Sand's Command Tent
An urgent report was handed to Ebizō, who was standing next to the Third Kazekage's stand-in commander.
The content of the report shocked everyone present.
"Are you sure? Chiyo lost a Chikamatsu puppet... to a genin from Konoha?"
"And he summoned zombies to fight puppets head-on?"
They didn't want to believe it, but the battlefield witnesses confirmed everything.
One ninja said: "Yes, my lord. That boy used some kind of forbidden art. The corpses retained jutsu knowledge. They were fast, intelligent, and most importantly—immune to poison! Even Chiyo-sama's strongest techniques were ineffective!"
Someone else chimed in, "The way he connected his chakra threads and controlled the corpses… it was practically the same as our puppet techniques. But even more disturbing—they weren't just puppets. They fought on their own, like living warriors!"
Everyone went silent.
One advisor clenched his fist: "Corpse Soul Technique… If Konoha can mass-produce this… it's even more dangerous than the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
The stand-in commander of Sunagakure's forces asked grimly:
"Do we have intel on this boy's identity?"
A ninja replied, "Yes. His name is Kazama Tsukasa, a genin medical ninja. Apparently an orphan taken in by the Senju family. Rarely appears in high-level records. He had no prior fame—but after today, he'll definitely be on every watchlist."
Ebizō narrowed his eyes. "Mark him for immediate capture. Dead or alive. Preferably alive—we need to understand that technique. Put a bounty on him."
The others were stunned. "That's a declaration of full-scale assassination. The White Fang will protect him."
"If we don't act now," Ebizō said coldly, "we may never get another chance. A boy with that jutsu, once grown… would be Sasori-level or worse."
They all shuddered at the comparison.
Chiyo's grandson, Sasori, had already shown terrifying talent in puppet arts. But he had yet to develop a jutsu like this.
If Tsukasa survived, he could threaten entire armies.
The order was issued.
Back at Konoha's Field Camp
Sakumo had returned after repelling Chiyo. A temporary lull descended on the battlefield.
Inside the makeshift Konoha command post, Minato and a few other ninja were bandaging their wounds when Tsunade stormed in.
"Where is he?! Where's the genin using the Corpse Soul Technique?!"
Everyone turned to look at Tsukasa, who froze with a bloody bandage still in hand.
"…Hi?"
Tsunade grabbed his arm. "You! What the hell was that technique?!"
Sakumo walked in behind her, laughing lightly. "Tsunade, don't scold him. He probably saved dozens of lives today."
"You too, White Fang? That technique—do you realize how dangerous it is?!"
"I do. But I also saw what he did. That wasn't blind corpse-control. It was surgical. Calculated. And… honestly, very effective."
Minato added quietly, "It was… kind of cool."
Tsunade glared at all of them before letting go and sighing. "Kid, you're lucky you're on our side."
Tsukasa scratched his head awkwardly. "Thanks… I think."
She looked him over again, then added:
"Fine. You're mine now. Come with me. You're going to learn medical chakra control from me starting today. If you're going to play with corpses, at least learn how to fix a body first."
"…Huh?"
Before Tsukasa could react, she had dragged him out of the tent by the collar.
Minato blinked. "Did Tsukasa just get recruited… by Tsunade-sama?"
Sakumo smiled.
"…Seems the battlefield has a new rising star."
(To Be Continued)