Chapter 37: This Isn't the End, But the Beginning
"Your Void World Jutsu, it's not a Kekkei Genkai, is it?" Sasori of the Red Sand suddenly said.
"No, it's definitely a Secret Technique. Theoretically, anyone can practice it."
Tsukasa Kaede specifically emphasized "theoretically."
Sasori of the Red Sand understood Tsukasa Kaede's implication; he certainly didn't believe he couldn't learn Tsukasa Kaede's Secret Technique.
So, if it wasn't a problem with the practice threshold, then it must be a problem with the practice conditions?
He also placed a Scroll on the ground: "That old hag hasn't perfected this Jutsu yet. Hmph, a Forbidden Jutsu that transfers one's Life Force. I have a general idea of what she intends now; it's truly boring. Does she think she can change my mind with this method?"
"I'm not interested in inquiring about the conflict between you and your grandmother."
Tsukasa Kaede slowly retreated, immediately summoning a Zombie to retrieve the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu Scroll. Sasori of the Red Sand did the same.
No sneak attacks, no poison. After repeatedly confirming there were no issues, both simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
Tsukasa Kaede commanded the Zombie to open the Scroll. Seeing the dense text within, he nodded in satisfaction.
Sasori of the Red Sand's Clone, meanwhile, directly controlled his Puppet to leave. After several detours, it met up with his Main Body at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
"It went smoother than imagined. My evaluation of that guy has increased a bit... perhaps he really is a genuine fellow traveler."
Sasori of the Red Sand also had a string pulled taut in his heart. He hadn't yet reached his peak, and risking this kind of transaction would lead to a very troublesome situation if exposed.
Clashing with Tsukasa Kaede or other Konoha Ninja would also be troublesome.
*Whoosh!* Sasori of the Red Sand opened the Scroll, carefully reading the Void World Jutsu from beginning to end, then closed it expressionlessly.
"To learn the Corpse Shift: Void World Jutsu, one must first master Corpse Release's prerequisite Secret Technique: Zombification Jutsu?"
Sasori of the Red Sand snorted coldly, scoffing at the idea. The Void World Jutsu essentially uses a Corpse to perform Space-Time Ninjutsu.
If Jutsu can be performed with Corpses, then why can't he perform Jutsu with Puppets?
Aren't Corpses and Human Puppets essentially the same thing? Besides, the modification potential of Corpses is far inferior to that of Human Puppets! "Just wait, I'll learn it in no time."
Sasori of the Red Sand put away the Scroll and turned to walk into the wind and sand, but soon had to stop, looking forward expressionlessly.
"I thought you'd be focusing your main efforts on negotiations with Hidden Leaf Village or the War with Hidden Stone Village." Sasori of the Red Sand observed Chiyo.
"The War is over. The Village's losses were too heavy; there's no point in fighting further. The ceasefire with Hidden Stone Village is also in effect. The Kazekage is currently negotiating with the Tsuchikage."
"The Third Kazekage ultimately chose to compromise. He, heralded as the strongest Kazekage, gained nothing from this War? But that has nothing to do with me." Sasori of the Red Sand said indifferently.
Chiyo's expression was complex: "Sasori, what have you done?"
"As you can see, I struck a good deal with that guy. I traded your rather useless Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu for his Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Sasori of the Red Sand said: "You should be glad. That guy's Jutsu is far more useful than yours. Our Village will master a Space-Time Ninjutsu like never before."
Chiyo sighed: "I felt something was off when I found new traces in the secret room. It was indeed your doing. This kind of behavior... why would Tsukasa Kaede know I was developing the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu?"
She truly didn't know what to do. Arrest Sasori of the Red Sand for Village Defection? Don't be ridiculous. She valued Sasori's life more than her own; otherwise, she wouldn't have developed a Forbidden Jutsu to transfer Life Force.
"Who knows? Maybe that Priestess did it. It just shows that our Village has been infiltrated by Hidden Leaf Village like a sieve. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time tracking me."
Chiyo thought this was preposterous. She had never told anyone about her secret development of the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. Only Sasori had access to her secret room, so she determined it was Sasori who revealed it to Tsukasa Kaede.
She said gravely: "You're still too young; you don't know how cunning those Konoha guys are! He gave you Space-Time Ninjutsu, which means he gained benefits from you far exceeding that of Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
To use the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu to resurrect Zombies? No, Chiyo merely gave it another thought and immediately guessed Tsukasa Kaede's intentions, feeling even more disappointed and helpless.
No wonder, no wonder he targeted the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. From now on, Tsukasa Kaede would break free from his restraints and truly become a strong individual.
"The Village will have one more powerful enemy, perhaps even more troublesome than Sakumo Hatake! Sakumo Hatake doesn't know Space-Time Ninjutsu!" Chiyo let out a deep sigh, feeling a fatigue she had never experienced before.
She had desperately tried to capture Tsukasa Kaede, not only failing but also having her painstakingly researched Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu fall into his hands, becoming the greatest aid to Tsukasa Kaede on his path to becoming a strong individual.
Yes, the greatest aid, bar none!
Chiyo could barely imagine how troublesome Tsukasa Kaede would become if he mastered a method to have Zombies transfer Life Force to him, alleviating his physical limitations, allowing him to utilize Corpses from battlefields at any time, and also perform Space-Time movements! "He will eventually follow the Human Puppet path. I originally intended to give him the Human Puppet techniques. This is just the beginning; your Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu isn't perfected yet and has many flaws in its execution, making it very difficult to learn. He will come to me in the future for a more complete Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. At that time, we can still obtain the complete Corpse Release Secret Technique from him."
Sasori of the Red Sand slowly walked past Chiyo's side, heading towards Hidden Sand Village: "I've also thought of what you're thinking. Whatever he intends to do, he must achieve one thing: controlling Corpses with entirely different physical characteristics and making those Corpses perform this S-Rank Forbidden Jutsu. Is that even possible?"
According to Chiyo and Sasori's estimations, Tsukasa Kaede, exhausting all his efforts, could at most enable one or two Zombies to master the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu. They would never have imagined that Tsukasa Kaede wanted all his Zombies to learn it.
Corpses, after all, are not Puppets. While Corpse Release undoubtedly holds many unknown secrets, logically speaking, it shouldn't be so absurd. It's not as if Tsukasa Kaede learns it, and all the Corpses he controls will instantly know it too? The principle of the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu is completely different from the Void World Jutsu.
Chiyo watched Sasori of the Red Sand's retreating figure, feeling her grandson was so unfamiliar, having completely changed into a different person.
"It's all because of that damned Sakumo Hatake! If it weren't for you... this is absolutely not the end, but merely the beginning!!"
Chiyo gritted her teeth. This War was over, but new Wars would come in the future, and she would always have an opportunity to kill Sakumo Hatake.
Perhaps Sasori's deal with Tsukasa Kaede wasn't a bad thing. Using the Jutsu obtained from Konoha to perfect Human Puppets would allow him to kill Sakumo Hatake in the future.
As for Tsukasa Kaede becoming stronger... she couldn't worry about that anymore.
***
Tsukasa Kaede returned to the camp as if nothing had happened, greeting Ninja he knew and didn't know along the way. Everyone was quite relaxed now.
After avoiding the crowd, he took a deep breath and opened the Scroll.
"Finally... the crucial first step has been achieved. This is the most important and most difficult piece of the puzzle in all subsequent plans. I didn't expect it to go even smoother than anticipated."
Tsukasa Kaede began to slowly 'devour' this Forbidden Jutsu. It was not easy; the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu had absolutely reached the level of an S-Rank Ninjutsu, fully qualifying it for the Scroll of Seals, with an off-the-charts learning difficulty.
Fortunately, Tsukasa Kaede's Chakra might not be abundant, but his learning ability was very strong.
(end of chapter)