Chapter 42: You Made a Mistake Too
Those guarding Danzo were, at the very least, Special Jonin with a unique skill.
Several Root ninja instantly surged forth like a storm, launching a surprise attack on Tsukasa Kaede from multiple directions. Any ordinary person would have been taken down in an instant.
But Tsukasa Kaede was no ordinary person.
Puffs of white smoke simultaneously billowed up. Several figures appeared out of thin air around Tsukasa Kaede. The leader, Araki of the Sand, raised his hands, instantly creating a localized sandstorm.
The ground trembled as layers of dust were violently pulled up, becoming part of the storm. In the fierce gale, particles of sand and dust condensed into stone bullets, which suddenly erupted, interfering with the movements of the Root ninja.
"This is an Elite Jonin from the Hidden Sand Village. This guy can actually control ninja of this caliber?" a Root ninja said.
"It's not just simple manipulation. From the moment of Summoning to successfully performing a Jutsu, even if he had already prepared for this in advance, that speed is still too fast."
This means one thing: Araki of the Sand has retained most of his strength from when he was alive. Seventy or eighty percent? Perhaps even more!
On the contrary, Tsukasa Kaede's decisive choice to resist seemed insignificant in the face of Araki of the Sand's astonishing performance.
Danzo watched the sandstorm erupting out of thin air, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"Just as I thought. This guy, Tsukasa Kaede, has been hiding the true capabilities of this Secret Technique from everyone! To be able to restore an Elite Jonin's power to this level—no, perhaps it's already infinitely close to their strongest power level from when they were alive—means this Secret Technique could even work on a Kage's Corpse."
Perfect, truly perfect. Danzo looked at Araki of the Sand and the other Zombies, feeling there was no Jutsu more perfect than this Secret Technique.
He just wondered how this Secret Technique system, which could develop numerous supporting Ninjutsu, compared in learning difficulty to the Impure World Reincarnation, which no one had been able to learn to this day. And to be able to develop a Jutsu like Corpse Release all by himself, Tsukasa Kaede's talent was beyond his imagination.
The more this was the case, the less he could let Tsukasa Kaede go easily.
"Continue, and capture him alive. Does this old man have to act personally?" Danzo said coldly.
The Root ninja scattered around, immediately beginning to perform Jutsu, using Ninjutsu to break through Ninjutsu.
Under the impact of so many Ninjutsu, the sandstorm was naturally torn apart, clearly revealing Tsukasa Kaede's figure.
A Root ninja, holding a blade in one hand and forming Hand Kaedegns with the other, thrust directly towards Tsukasa Kaede with astonishing speed.
"Are you Captain Terai? I can sense it."
Tsukasa Kaede's expression remained unchanged. The nearby Zombies had already taken action, and an Explosion Release Zombie even stepped sideways to block in front.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! Explosion Release: Exploding Thunder Palm! One Zombie pressed its hands to the ground, using Earth Release. The moment the wall surged up, the Explosion Release Zombie next to it almost simultaneously extended its palm and precisely slammed it onto the wall the instant it stopped.
Boom! A violent explosion suddenly erupted. Under the destructive force of the Explosion Release Jutsu, the wall shattered, and a powerful shockwave surged directly towards the approaching Terai.
All of this happened in an instant. Their coordination was seamless, and there was no communication between the Zombies from beginning to end, as if they had practiced countless times.
The combination of Ninjutsu with different Nature Transformations, precisely because it was all so fluid and seamless, was even more awe-inspiring.
This opening was enough for Araki of the Sand to use a new Ninjutsu.
Magnet Release: Sand Hail Shot! "This guy really is better suited for combat in the desert. The terrain advantage provides too great a boost to Ninjutsu power."
Tsukasa Kaede stood motionless, even having the presence of mind to make an assessment.
But Terai was still Terai. With the strength of an Elite Jonin, augmented by the assistance of other Root ninja, lightning sparks shot from his blade. He precisely slashed through the trajectory of the sand, and with rapid swings of his blade, deflected countless sand bullets. His blade, imbued with a piercing Chakra hum, cut a deep blue arc through the air.
Thwack!
Araki of the Sand was pierced straight through the chest, leaving a void where his left chest had been, yet no blood flowed out. He nonchalantly continued to create a larger-scale sandstorm.
"This zombie's strength is already formidable, and it has the characteristic of not fearing injury. This makes him even more troublesome in combat."
Terai glanced at his forearm out of the corner of his eye. The hairs on it stood on end. This was an instinctive warning.
He seized the opportunity to swing his blade. His blade, originally aimed straight for the throat, abruptly shifted into a diagonal slash—he was clearly going to chop off Araki of the Sand's head! Just then, an ordinary zombie stepped forward. A fizzing sound emanated from its body, and then it exploded with a roar.
The blast wave generated by the explosion sent half the blade flying. Scattering metal fragments grazed Tsukasa Kaede's ear and punched honeycomb-like holes into the ground several meters away.
At the same time, three figures suddenly burst out from underground, trapping the Explosion Release Zombie in the center.
But Araki of the Sand's giant sand hand simultaneously emerged from underground, imbued with Magnet Release Chakra, turning the ground within a twenty-meter radius into shifting quicksand.
This series of actions did indeed allow the Root ninja to successfully dismantle the defensive system in front of Tsukasa Kaede, leaving no other Zombies.
"Be careful, he might use Summoning Jutsu again."
"One of his hands has remained in a Hand Kaedegn position."
These individuals quickly exchanged Intel while forming Hand Kaedegns with both hands.
"Fire Release: Sealing Ash Mark!"
A barrage of Explosive Tags surged out, overlapping one another, forming a continuous array of Explosive Tags, which immediately detonated. Every substance within the array was completely reduced to dust.
"Lord Danzo, he couldn't have died, right?" Terai, covered in some dust and holding his broken blade, emotionlessly removed his damaged mask.
"He once served under you. You personally witnessed him using Space-Time Ninjutsu." Danzo's sinister face watched the billowing smoke, calculating the time.
"Forty-seven seconds. It took a bit too long, but it's within an acceptable range. However, the commotion created is too great. No matter how secluded this place is, it's bound to attract the Village's attention. At this point, many Ninja are probably rushing over."
Terai said, "His main problem is his poor physical condition. Controlling so many corpses to perform Jutsu must have already drained most of his Chakra. After such a high-intensity battle, I'm not sure if he has enough remaining strength to use Space-Time Ninjutsu to escape."
Even if he successfully performed the Jutsu, the moving distance would be an issue. Within dozens of meters, the area had already been blasted into a barren wasteland. The soil on the ground was overturned, and the solid walls had long since collapsed with a roar.
The longer the moving distance, the more Chakra consumed, and the higher the cost of performing the Jutsu. Inferring from the characteristics of the Flying Raijin Jutsu, Tsukasa Kaede's Jutsu should also be similar.
But after waiting a few seconds, the dust settled. Tsukasa Kaede walked out from a hidden room. He was completely spotless and showed no signs of exhaustion whatsoever. Everything appeared utterly normal.
The fallen Araki of the Sand moved again, but did not launch another attack. Instead, it stood quietly in place.
"So he had already transferred away, using a corpse to take the explosion for himself? Terai, it seems you also made a mistake regarding this guy. The chakra cost for him to control corpses is much lower than you imagined."
Danzo revealed a satisfied expression.
"The battle ends here, Tsukasa Kaede. This old man has seen all of your talent."
(end of chapter)