Chapter 27: Araki of the Sand's Raid
The great War erupted once more, this time for a decisive battle.
A total of sixteen thousand people from both sides marched onto the battlefield, forming various units. Under the command of their respective Captains, they utilized specific Ninjutsu to execute specific Missions.
Tsukasa Kaede did not participate in the assault forces, which was a stroke of luck for him. Nominally, he was still a Medical Ninja of the Medical Unit. After Tsunade returned, the Medical Unit's command authority automatically transferred to her, and Ryoma had no authority to interfere.
"Recently, Hidden Sand Village's military operations have been somewhat too conservative. I suspect a conspiracy is brewing."
Tsunade was heroic and spirited, her voice crisp and decisive.
Kato Dan offered a gentle smile. "Leave it to me. I'll find out what you want to know and uncover the truth. My ability is also very suitable for this kind of environment."
Spirit Transformation Technique!
Kato Dan's Soul left his body, quickly flying towards the Hidden Sand Village's forces.
Hidden Sand Village had indeed prepared early; they had invited a powerful Ninja who was nearing the end of his life.
"Is there a light flying over?" Chiyo looked at the sky, her expression shifted. "Could this be Konoha's Spirit Transformation Technique? How arrogant!"
"Spirit Transformation Technique… Hidden Leaf Village has mastered far too many precious Ninjutsu. Considering their vast number of Ninja teams, they're never afraid of Geniuses failing to learn suitable Ninjutsu, only of having too few Geniuses. It's truly enviable."
A sluggish old man slowly raised his head. In front of him, both Chiyo and Ebizō had to stand a half-step back and to his side.
"Lord Bunzaemon, Hidden Sand Village has reached the most dangerous time since its founding. We still need your intervention," Ebizō whispered.
"The most dangerous time? As far as I know, it was the Third Kazekage and you who strenuously advocated invading the Land of Fire. Konoha has only been defending against you until now. Can this truly be called the most dangerous time? Wait until the people of Hidden Leaf Village push into the Land of Wind's territory; then you can bring up such a claim again."
Bunzaemon said slowly, "I am old, but my mind still works."
Chiyo and Ebizō's expressions remained normal; they showed no shame at all. The War of aggression had turned into a War of attrition, fought from beginning to end on the Land of Fire's territory.
Not long after, Kato Dan conveyed the old man's appearance to Tsunade.
"That old geezer is still alive… Bunzaemon, the first generation Puppeteer of Hidden Sand Village. He also developed the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu." Tsunade frowned.
Although he was old and his various abilities were declining, as long as he stood there, he was a formidable enemy that could not be ignored.
"Sakumo Hatake and I will handle this side. The logistics department has urgently manufactured three thousand doses of antidote based on the formula I provided, which should be enough to cope with this War. Dan, don't forget the Mission I gave you," Tsunade said.
She was a Genius. Through collected reports and frontline observation of Ninjas who were poisoned but didn't die, she was able to quickly devise an antidote formula.
Chiyo couldn't possibly equip all Sand Shinobi with the Toxin she developed; it was primarily supplied to the Puppet Force and Jonin.
Kato Dan smiled. "Understood. I will protect the Village's Comrades. Once I'm done on my side, I'll rush over to help you as soon as possible."
"Then I will deal with Chiyo even faster and might even go support you there." Tsunade was very confident in her own strength.
As various units advanced in an orderly fashion, the Ninjas on the front lines of both sides had already begun fighting—of course, it wasn't an immediate free-for-all, nor even Taijutsu confrontations, but rather a long-range Ninjutsu barrage.
Every Ninjutsu used was a common one, allowing as many people as possible to organize and cast Jutsu together, amplifying their power.
Various flames, raging winds, lightning, and earth walls constantly surged, drastically altering the geographical environment.
After several rounds of Ninjutsu barrages, subsequent units arrived one after another as well, advancing from different directions. Soon, units from both sides made close contact, beginning the brutal slaughter.
"It's truly brutal. Before such a battlefield, someone like me is truly insignificant. The good thing, though, is that no one should be specifically targeting me." Tsukasa Kaede was also witnessing such a War with his own eyes for the first time, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
He had an impulse, a strong desire to send a few Zombies to rush into the crowd and self-detonate, then convert large swaths of them, turning these lively Ninjas on the battlefield and the Corpses on the ground all into Zombies.
But unfortunately, he couldn't do that. Once he did, the outcome would be death. His sparse Chakra was not enough to support him in wantonly and quickly converting and controlling Zombies.
Tsukasa Kaede needed to restrain himself until the day he had sufficient strength.
Finally, when Tsunade's orders reached the Medical Unit, Tsukasa Kaede immediately took action.
"Wherever Lady Tsunade appears, Lord Ryoma is nowhere to be found."
Kazematsuri Takuya appeared beside Tsukasa Kaede. For this decisive battle against Hidden Sand Village, Tsunade had mobilized Medical Ninjas from all areas, committed to ending the War as quickly as possible.
He recalled the scene of being summoned by Tsunade; from what Lady Tsunade said, it seemed she had other arrangements…
Tsukasa Kaede smiled. "Isn't that normal? The two of them have fundamentally different styles of acting, and it's quite normal for them not to interfere with each other's actions…"
"I'm curious about something. You've performed so well; haven't you been summoned by Lord Sakumo Hatake or Lady Tsunade? Your Secret Technique is clearly so powerful."
"It's only powerful at our level," Tsukasa Kaede replied. "They have a lot of things to deal with and don't have time for a small fry like me."
Kazematsuri Takuya did not believe it.
Soon, the Medical Ninjas received orders and began to act one after another, splitting into various squads to accompany different units.
Tsukasa Kaede originally thought he wouldn't be targeted. On the battlefield of a decisive battle, with over ten thousand people scattered in an all-out melee, how could the enemy specifically organize elite units to target and kill a Chunin like him amidst the crowd?
But he soon realized he had been wrong.
In the sky, many eagles circled, observing the battlefield situation and transporting Intelligence.
Then Hidden Sand Village truly dispatched special Ninjas to deal with him!
On the barren land, a dust cloud suddenly swirled, and Araki of the Sand appeared.
His subordinates helped him break through the Konoha units' resistance, while he himself specifically headed towards the Medical Squad where Tsukasa Kaede was. It was as if he, an Elite Jonin, didn't need to care about the outcome of this War, and only needed to deal with Tsukasa Kaede.
"Is this placing my value above the War? Araki of the Sand, you truly move me. If that's the case, then I have nothing more to say. If it's you, it would be worth expending a lot of Chakra to convert you into my servant…"
Tsukasa Kaede clearly felt his own Chakra Virus from Araki of the Sand. Perhaps during the last pursuit operation, a wound had come into contact with Zombie flesh and blood, planting a hidden danger within him.
"Without my subjective control, relying solely on the Zombie Virus I brought into this world to act on its own, the difficulty of converting an Elite Jonin into a Zombie is truly astonishing. I wonder if it would take several months or even years to achieve, and this also requires ensuring that the opponent doesn't take any action to eliminate the Virus."
Tsukasa Kaede formed Hand Kaedegns with one hand. He might soon acquire an Elite Jonin-level Zombie, but this process needed to be concealed; otherwise, it would be too shocking.
(end of chapter)