Chapter 29: The Feeling of a Racing Heart
Infecting Naruto natives with the Zombie Virus, without any external interference, would take a considerable amount of time.
If an ordinary Earthling, scratched and infected with a small amount of the virus, would turn into a zombie within ten minutes, then a Naruto native could last at least ten hours.
Note, this is still for ordinary people in the Naruto world, completely without Chakra, enduring the virus with physical prowess three times stronger than Earthlings.
With a threefold difference in physical prowess, the difference in their immunity isn't merely threefold; it starts at a minimum of tenfold.
If it were a ninja capable of producing Chakra, it would be even more terrifying. With their physical prowess increasing exponentially, if Tsukasa Kaede didn't intervene, infecting a ninja with just a small scratch would take at least a few days.
It's not that the Zombie Virus Tsukasa Kaede brought isn't potent. The Zombie Virus he brought is already terrifying; a mere scratch can transform an ordinary Earthling into a zombie in just ten minutes. If bitten, Earthlings wouldn't last a minute before undergoing Corpse Transformation.
New zombies would then go on to bite and scratch others, resulting in an exponential expansion of the Corpse Horde, fully capable of creating a terrifying zombie crisis where the infected don't even have a chance to react.
But in the Naruto world, such a virus falls short; the physical prowess of the Naruto world natives is simply too monstrous.
If they mastered some special Jutsu, it would be even more astonishing. For example, during the Chunin Exams, Sasuke learned from Kakashi how to stimulate body cells with Chakra, a Jutsu that allowed Sasuke to catch up to Lee's Taijutsu level in just one month.
And there's also the Third and Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, Orochimaru's Body Modification Jutsu, and so on.
If it were ninja known for their physical prowess, like the Senju, Uzumaki, or Kaguya Clan, whose internal cells far exceed 130 trillion, plus the buffs from Cell Stimulation Jutsu and Cell Division Jutsu, their body's immunity would be simply incalculable.
Tsukasa Kaede once suspected that if he were to infect the First Hokage with his current Zombie Virus, the First Hokage would probably just sneeze and metabolize all the virus away.
This is also why Tsukasa Kaede insists on continuously developing Corpse Release. He needs to exert his abilities through Chakra, which is also a way to adapt to survival in this world.
If he really only relied on the Zombie Virus to act on its own? It wouldn't amount to anything.
"So, I'm truly looking forward to having the chance to convert an Elite Jonin into my minion. It's too rare. I originally thought that after I successfully replaced my body with a satisfactory one, I would only get this opportunity during the Third Great Ninja War."
Everyone saw Tsukasa Kaede display talents that surpassed common understanding, and those familiar with Tsukasa Kaede knew that he made visible progress every few months, with his development of Jutsu even surpassing many ninja.
They now saw Tsukasa Kaede in perilous situations, as if a rising young man—if not a genius, then at least one with promising prospects—was about to perish under everyone's protection.
But no one could see how excited Tsukasa Kaede was on the inside.
This is an Elite Jonin, already a non-human level. Higher Kage-level individuals often have Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
So, Araki of the Sand can basically be regarded as the near-ceiling for the natives of this planet.
"Come on, let me see." Tsukasa Kaede kept retreating, and at this moment, finally made hand signs with both hands. Although he was missing two fingers, it didn't affect him casting the Jutsu now.
Tsukasa Kaede was excited, and the nearby Konoha ninja, seeing Tsukasa Kaede's actions, became even more agitated.
"What's wrong with his hands?"
"I heard he carried out a very important mission recently, and provided great help to the village..."
"Damn it, those despicable, aggressive Hidden Sand ninja! They ruined one of our young ninja; doesn't that mean many of his ninjutsu are sealed?"
"We absolutely won't let you harm our comrade! The genius of Hidden Leaf Village, we mediocre ones will protect him!"
The nearby Konoha ninja seemed to activate a collective buff called the "Will of Fire." They were already continuously attacking Araki of the Sand, but now they swarmed even more frantically, creating great trouble for Araki of the Sand.
Even Jonin specifically rushed over to attack Araki of the Sand, trying to buy Tsukasa Kaede time to escape.
"What's with these small fries? Are they all under Genjutsu?!"
Araki of the Sand grew increasingly impatient. No matter how arrogant he was, he didn't think he could take down an entire military unit with just a squad. He originally just wanted to execute a surprise attack and use the time difference, abduct Tsukasa Kaede and immediately withdraw. He didn't need to care about the lives of the other Hidden Sand ninja.
But now it was difficult. Even if he captured Tsukasa Kaede, escaping with him intact was almost impossible.
Araki of the Sand felt for the first time that Hidden Leaf Village's efforts to promote the idea of valuing comrades still had some use; at least it cultivated a bunch of idiots who easily got carried away for no reason.
Protecting Tsukasa Kaede was not these Konoha ninja's mission at all, so why were they suddenly doing extra things unrelated to the mission?
Araki of the Sand was extremely agitated. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt his blood pressure soaring, his heart beating frantically, yet his body felt terrifyingly cold.
Fear? No, certainly not. He was a veteran Elite Jonin, had experienced countless life-and-death situations, and would not have emotions like fear. Was it sheer exasperation, then? Araki of the Sand continuously killed one Konoha ninja after another, but his inner agitation not only failed to subside, but as time passed, and with the constantly splashing blood, it intensified.
Swish! He raised a Sandstorm Jutsu, sending the three Konoha ninja in front of him flying. He also dodged an attack from a Konoha jonin, then in one move, killed two zombies. He looked up towards Tsukasa Kaede's position; only about ten meters away, he met Tsukasa Kaede's gaze.
Buzz! His brain seemed to emit a clear hum, his breathing became ragged, his heart's beating began to slow, and the flow of Chakra in his Chakra Pathway System was also undergoing unprecedented changes.
It was as if, suddenly, this body little by little no longer belonged to him.
At this moment, Araki of the Sand seemed to understand something, suddenly widening his eyes, which had begun to turn grayish-white.
"That guy can not only modify corpses, but also cast Jutsu on living humans!" This sentence echoed in Araki of the Sand's brain.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. The continuously increasing wounds on his body gradually lost sensation, becoming numb.
"It's almost a success! The enemy's movements seem to have slowed down!"
"It's a bit strange; he clearly hasn't suffered a fatal injury... But this is good news, let's put in more effort and finish him off!"
Kazematsuri Takuya panted heavily. He was continuously healing the wounded, which consumed a lot. At this moment, seeing Araki of the Sand's strange behavior, he suddenly turned his head to look at Tsukasa Kaede.
Tsukasa Kaede's face had turned pale from consuming too much Chakra, but the corners of his mouth clearly curled up, revealing a smile.
"I really have to thank these comrades for their help. Without this cover, if it were just me alone, it would be impossible to take down an Elite Jonin this way... No, not just one Elite Jonin."
(end of chapter)