Chapter 24: The Fallen Quasi-Genius?
Sometimes, in combat, it's best to avoid grand narratives. Instead, focus on accumulating a wealth of details to gradually shift the situation in one's favor.
This was precisely the case now. Two Root ninja had sacrificed themselves; even if each only secured a varying amount of time, from dozens of seconds to a few minutes, and even if they only created slight obstructions and delays for the pursuers, it was of immense use.
When Araki of the Sand killed Tora, watching helplessly as Tora ignited the Explosive Tags on his body and self-destructed with a bang, this sudden act sent his blood pressure soaring.
"The two dead ninja must be Konoha's Anbu. I remember Konoha's Anbu didn't have this kind of combat habit before. Why are they all grabbing Explosive Tags to self-destruct now?"
Araki of the Sand was furious. That explosion had cost them several more seconds! What good were two ordinary Anbu Jonin, even if they left complete corpses behind? At most, they would become research material for developing Human Puppets in Sunagakure; nothing else of value could be gained from them!
Yet they self-destructed with their last breath... Araki of the Sand suspected this was not only to prevent Sunagakure from obtaining their corpses, but also to prevent Tsukasa Kaede from obtaining them.
By the time Araki of the Sand caught up with the Konoha ninja again and easily completed the encirclement, he realized something was off.
"Be careful. Prevent these guys from having Explosive Tags placed inside them."
A puppeteer flicked out chakra threads, remotely manipulating these corpses. When they saw the stitched wounds on the corpses' necks, they realized they had been deceived.
"Changing a corpse to resemble a specific person's appearance before death and then manipulating it... this is the original effect of Konoha's Soul Death Technique."
"So, we were tricked again?"
"I think so. We're not sure how many batches of such corpses Tsukasa Kaede has modified. If there's a second or third batch, we'll have little chance. We're less than three kilometers from the Land of Fire; it's too late."
Araki of the Sand frowned. Neither retrieving the intel nor capturing Tsukasa Kaede—both objectives remained unfulfilled.
Just then, sizzling sounds came from the corpses, and under the "just as expected" gazes of the Sunagakure ninja, they exploded with a bang.
Large amounts of flesh fell like fine rain, creating a dense pattering sound as they landed on the Sunagakure ninja.
Some Sunagakure ninja showed disgusted expressions, impatiently swatting the scraps of flesh from their bodies.
Araki of the Sand was more cautious, noticing some individual pieces of flesh had landed on his wounds. He frowned immediately, flicked them away with his finger, and commanded, "Don't touch any of these remnants, lest the enemy has poisoned them beforehand. Everyone, continue the pursuit. Never give up until the last moment; this is what a Sunagakure ninja should do!"
The group resumed their chase, but were once again entangled by a batch of zombies with altered appearances. It was now impossible to stop the Konoha ninja, and they could only watch helplessly as Terai led his people into the Konoha forest.
If they continued to pursue, they would have a greater chance of being ambushed by Konoha ninja, incurring more casualties.
Tsukasa Kaede seemed to hear the howling of the sand, but he couldn't be bothered to look back, patiently waiting for Nonō Yakushi to heal the injuries on his hand.
"Losing two fingers will affect your hand signs," Nonō Yakushi wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her already scarce chakra was completely depleted, and her expression was complex.
For a young ninja who had just managed to rise to prominence, being unable to perform hand signs normally was undoubtedly a heavy blow. It meant his potential was capped, severing his connection with many ninjutsu.
As for using feet or eyeballs for hand signs... well, that was an ability only Kage-level experts could develop, and it was too obscure. No one thought Tsukasa Kaede could do it, so they didn't even consider it.
Terai and Morino Idate were both observing Tsukasa Kaede's expression.
Tsukasa Kaede's expression was as usual: "Trading two fingers for your life, Director, and the valuable intel you obtained, is absolutely worth it. If I could choose again, I'd rather lose all my fingers to provide greater assistance to the village."
These words were impeccable, especially given he had genuinely lost fingers and his potential had plummeted. There was no frustration, no loss of emotional control, but instead, a remarkably calm delivery of moving words.
At the very least, Nonō Yakushi believed him. Despite her Root background, she possessed abundant emotions, making her an anomaly.
Terai's voice also softened as he said, "When I submit the mission report, I will truthfully inform the village of your performance. Your contribution was the greatest for our successful mission completion."
"No, this is all thanks to Lord Terai and everyone..."
"Whether you're modest or arrogant makes no difference to me. I'm just doing what I need to do, not negotiating with you," Terai interrupted Tsukasa Kaede.
Tsukasa Kaede nodded, then raised his hand to cut open the belly of a zombie beside him and retrieve the intel. Anyway, this zombie had been severely damaged during the long-distance sprint; aside from acting as a decoy to ambush enemies, it was already useless.
This was the good thing about zombies: they could be overworked, briefly performing at a level comparable to, or even exceeding, their living state on a physical level, until they were rendered useless.
Terai took the intel, immediately performed hand signs, and departed using the Body Flicker Technique.
Morino Idate looked at Tsukasa Kaede: "If we all survive this war, you might have a chance to become the head of the Corpse Disposal Unit."
"No, I'm just a Chūnin..."
"There's no difference between a Chūnin and a Special Jōnin in most respects, you know that," Morino Idate shook his head. "Besides, I've also gained a lot of military merit, and I'll continue to gain more. After returning to the village, it's impossible for me to remain in my original position."
Although the Corpse Disposal Unit was only a third-rate department, only capable of handling worthless corpses, not even getting any Bloodline Limit corpses.
But if Tsukasa Kaede were to lead this department, with his unique Soul Death Technique, he could maximize the value of the Corpse Disposal Unit.
Everyone knew that with the successful completion of this A-rank mission, Tsukasa Kaede's contribution was immense, and he was bound to receive commendation from the village.
The squad disbanded then.
Nonō Yakushi did not leave immediately. She continuously scrutinized the gaunt young man before her, who looked as though a gust of wind could blow him over.
To be honest, she hadn't really paid attention to Tsukasa Kaede before. Kaedex months after she took over the war orphan work, Tsukasa Kaede had already left the orphanage to carry out village missions. During those six months, the total number of words they exchanged didn't exceed ten.
Tsukasa Kaede always actively avoided others, giving the impression of extreme isolation and unsociability, and his sickly appearance further gave off an unapproachable aura.
"But I must warn you, your jutsu ultimately involves tampering with corpses. It's impossible to become a war hero for whom everyone cheers."
Nonō Yakushi felt a pang of pity, thinking it too cruel: "You also seem to have developed a Space-Time Ninjutsu for position replacement through your Soul Death Technique? This is remarkable. You've embarked on your own path, constantly building your ninjutsu system..."
Her words abruptly ceased as she looked at Tsukasa Kaede's hand, missing two fingers, and found herself speechless. Before he lost his fingers, Tsukasa Kaede might indeed have had a chance to advance further, continuously filling out the Soul Death Technique system with various ninjutsu, but now, it would be extremely difficult.
(end of chapter)