"The village has made new arrangements for Morino Isuke. He's earned enough merits on the battlefield to warrant a reassignment."
Tsunade signed the transfer order with a flourish. Since she was handling the matter personally, there was no room for Aburame Ryoma to interfere.
"With both the Hokage's and my signature on it, no one can object."
"I see. I'll do my best to make the most of my talents."
Kazama Shi thought Konoha was truly a great place.
With the signatures of the top leaders backing him, he could act boldly and without fear.
In all of Konoha, there was no place more suited to him than the Corpse Disposal Division. Before heading to the battlefield, he'd already worked there for a while, collecting a few valuable corpses—zombies—that had significantly benefited his research.
Tsunade tossed a scroll at him—it contained the jutsu she had promised: a technique that used chakra to stimulate the body.
"You're quite familiar with Aburame Ryoma?" Tsunade asked suddenly while busying herself with paperwork.
"I was indeed summoned by Lord Ryoma before."
"Hmm. Keep your distance from that guy. As far as I know, Yakushi Nonoyu has been frequently active around Ryoma. It seems they wanted to transfer you to another department. I vetoed it."
Without even looking up, Tsunade said coldly, "Those people are all connected to Root. I don't know how much you know about Root, but it's best to stay away. They're definitely interested in your secret technique."
Kazama Shi had an epiphany.
So unbeknownst to him, a game of political chess had already started between Root and Tsunade?
He immediately recalled Yakushi Nonoyu's promise to find a way—through Root's human experiment programs—to regenerate his two missing fingers.
At the time, Kazama Shi hadn't taken it seriously. But now, it seemed she had meant every word.
"I understand, Lady Tsunade. But I'm just an ordinary chunin. Often, I don't have the luxury of choosing where I go. I'll follow the village's arrangements."
"Good. Just be cautious. I can't keep an eye on you forever. Also, don't use your secret technique within the village—especially not on your comrades. If you do, even I won't be able to protect you."
"Of course. My jutsu exists to protect the village and my comrades." Kazama Shi agreed wholeheartedly.
He wasn't mad enough to start a zombie crisis within Konoha. For now, the village truly was his safest haven.
In fact, Kazama Shi very much hoped to participate in the village's forbidden experiments. That was the only way to access core secrets—like Hashirama's cells.
Using the Self-Rebirth Technique to fix his shortcomings was only the first half of his body-replacement plan. The second half would be much more complex. The best route would be acquiring Hashirama's cells.
To do that, the best way was to join the village's human experimentation program and assist Orochimaru and Danzo. That would allow him to get what he needed—legitimately.
Of course, if he couldn't obtain the cells, he had backups. They just weren't as ideal.
But it looked like that opportunity was off the table for now. Tsunade was clearly wary of someone like him—someone with such a specialized, dangerous focus—getting involved with Root.
"Looks like I'll have to lie low for a while…"
Kazama Shi didn't return to his old place. That run-down house on the outskirts of the village? He no longer needed it.
Given his accomplishments, he could easily qualify for better housing—but he didn't care. Instead, he went straight to the Corpse Disposal Division.
Of the original members who had gone to the battlefield, only he and Morino Isuke had returned.
"It was a small department to begin with. Now it's just me. But that makes sense—only the war with Iwagakure is still ongoing. The number of corpses being shipped in will be at a low point."
Moreover, the village might not continue dumping every worthless body into the Corpse Disposal Division.
After all, Kazama Shi was working with corpses. During wartime, he'd hidden his secret jutsu under the guise of the Soul-Summoning Technique. In peacetime, however, his work would be viewed as delving into forbidden arts—he'd be closely monitored or, worse, forcibly recruited by Root.
"I can't rely on the village's good will. I need my own ways to fight for survival," he muttered.
This era's Konoha had a far looser moral compass than during the Naruto-Sasuke period. The higher-ups likely wouldn't kill someone like Kazama Shi outright—they'd want to leverage his talents in corpse-based forbidden techniques.
All that mattered was earning the village's trust and finding a way into their inner circle.
When a fresh batch of corpses arrived, Kazama Shi immediately got to work.
He handled the bodies with meticulous care. Those with no value were incinerated, while the valuable ones he kept for himself.
All of this was observed and reported to the higher-ups.
The Third Hokage was watching. So was Danzo.
"Is that so? He hasn't done anything extra?"
To Danzo, pocketing a few corpses wasn't even a crime. The Disposal Division was just a sub-department, and the corpses had little value anyway. Even if Kazama Shi took them all, it was fine.
Danzo was more interested in studying Kazama Shi's secret technique.
"Seventeen corpses in three days? He took them all? Bold. His jutsu might be more impressive than I thought."
Danzo nodded. He was trying to estimate Kazama Shi's processing speed. Handling that many corpses in such a short time—even including a jōnin-level body—meant Kazama Shi was highly capable. And perhaps, this wasn't even his limit.
Of course, Danzo also considered that this might be a bluff—a young man trying to exaggerate his talents to impress the village.
"Lord Danzo, should we request the Corpse Release technique from him?" Aburame Ryoma asked. "The Hokage is also keeping an eye on him."
"No need. Unless I give a direct order, continue surveillance. Don't fight with the ANBU—Hiruzen's son and daughter-in-law won't go easy on us."
Danzo snorted, then added, "Kazama Shi is a shinobi of this village. His jutsu is Konoha's jutsu. And Konoha's jutsu… is mine! What I really want to know is—can his modified corpses retain their kekkei genkai?"
The body of Sabaku Araki, a Magnet Release user, hadn't been seen since it was retrieved.
Ryoma immediately understood what Danzo meant—was it possible to convert an Uchiha corpse into a loyal, obedient zombie… and still use the Sharingan?
If so, even Danzo would be tempted.
His hatred for the Uchiha clan and obsession with the Sharingan were no secret to Ryoma.
"Orochimaru just had someone deliver the corpse of a Bakuton (Explosion Release) user," Ryoma added.
"That man again… Sticking his nose everywhere, even during the Iwa conflict."
Danzo grunted, then said, "Fine. Give the corpse to Kazama Shi. Let's see where the limits of this secret technique truly lie!"
"In such a hurry to see my limits, are you?"
Kazama Shi watched two Root operatives deliver a corpse in secret. He took the accompanying document and examined the information carefully.
"Masato Tsunegu. Explosion Release user... Was this Lord Danzo's idea, or Lord Ryoma's?" Kazama Shi asked, while waving toward a nearby ordinary corpse.
The corpse stood up and staggered toward him with a moan.
Right in front of the two Root agents, Kazama Shi shoved the document straight into the zombie's mouth.
"…An odd habit. I'll be sure to report that accurately."
"Whether it was Lord Danzo, Lord Ryoma, or another superior—you are far beneath them. Don't ask what you shouldn't."
The Root agents spoke rigidly, by the book.
Kazama Shi smiled. "There's no need to hide it. I learned a lot about Root from Lady Tsunade. And judging by your mask design and markings, it's obvious you're Root—not ANBU."
The two said nothing more, simply staring at him silently.
Kazama Shi didn't mind. He turned to examine the new kekkei genkai corpse—his second such specimen.
To him, this was a valuable weapon.
Smack!
He placed his hand on the body and injected it with the zombie virus, adding a bit of his chakra to speed the infection.
But he quickly stopped. From there, he allowed the virus to propagate on its own—his chakra was too precious to waste on this.
"Is it starting?" one agent asked.
"It's already done."
Kazama Shi replied, "Reworking a corpse isn't easy. Especially not a kekkei genkai user. Their bodies are more complex, and to preserve their abilities? That's even harder."
"So you can do it? How long will it take?"
"About 24 hours. Come back tomorrow night," Kazama Shi answered vaguely.
They pressed him about the other corpse—Sabaku Araki—but he dodged every question.
Which in itself was an answer.
Once the Root agents left, Kazama Shi shut the doors and got to work.
"Explosion Release—combining Earth and Lightning chakra. It's known for powerful detonations."
There were two primary types: those like Deidara, who made explosives and flung them; and those like Gari, who charged chakra into their hands to detonate on contact.
Most Explosion Release users were of the latter type.
"Iwa's demolition corps are famous—like Suna's puppet corps. If I ever face them, I'd use cheap zombies to drain their chakra reserves."
He didn't care much about this particular corpse—it had been dead for days. Its zombie version wouldn't come close to its original strength, unlike the more valuable Sabaku Araki.
"I really need to focus on the Self-Rebirth Technique."
Learning this jutsu was extraordinarily difficult. It required tearing one's own life force using chakra—hard enough on its own—then transferring it to another, which was even harder.
One mistake and he could lose life energy permanently. And even if perfectly executed, the efficiency was awful and the loss enormous.
The technique was clearly flawed.
But that was fine. Kazama Shi lacked time, not materials.
He ordered a dozen zombies to start ripping into their own meager life force. Some self-destructed, but Kazama Shi didn't even blink.
He didn't care. Not at all.
Each zombie had different traits and chakra paths—but their results were all recorded and analyzed.
Over the past three days, he'd devoted himself to training, only resting and eating when necessary. He had already written over 300,000 words of notes, with 413 key observations.
And that was just the beginning.
"At this rate, who knows how long it'll take to master this imperfect technique… The simplest solution is to use more zombies. Numbers are power."
He hadn't yet learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, let alone the Multi-Shadow Clone Forbidden Technique.
And even if he had, it wouldn't help much.
Shadow Clones divide chakra evenly. The more chakra you have, the more clones you can make, and the longer they last. More clones meant more training, more experience, more feedback.
Kazama Shi figured that, even if he learned it, three or four clones would be his limit—and only if he drastically shortened their duration.
"Without realizing it, I've gained a reputation thanks to my corpse techniques and summoning. But it's still not enough."
He knew he had to take action. Staying alive was most important.
Otherwise, he'd never have enough corpses to accelerate his training.
Naruto had thousands of clones learning the Rasenshuriken—each with chakra potent enough to research nature transformation?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. That was a cheat-level ability granted to the Child of Prophecy. Kazama Shi couldn't compare.
Creak—
He opened the door and looked out at the silent graveyard. Behind him, the Explosion Release zombie stood loyally. With a cloak and straw hat, it could pass for a normal shinobi.
"Conversion complete. From now on, Iwa's Explosion Release ninja will serve Konoha loyally. I believe my jutsu has some practical value, wouldn't you agree?"
Just then, a Root agent appeared before him.
The ninja scrutinized the zombie, then drew a blade and lunged. The zombie dodged with precision.
Smack!
The zombie raised a brownish hand. Its hemoglobin had long since broken down, and blotchy corpse marks spread across its skin, now fully decayed.
The zombie grabbed the blade, and chakra flared—followed by a blast. At point-blank range, the explosion's force slammed into the Root ninja.
He leapt back several meters silently.
"Slower than in life. Given its Explosion Release, I'd say it's equivalent to a Tokubetsu Jōnin. At the very least, stronger than an average chunin."
Kazama Shi said, "I believe I've proven my talent."
(To Be Continued)