Chapter 50: Zombies VS White Zetsu
Tsukasa Kaede's guess was spot on.
If it were anyone else approaching Nagato, Madara wouldn't interfere, but it just so happened that Tsukasa Kaede was the one who came.
What would someone who can use the Corpse Manipulation Technique, allowing corpses to unleash their strength and use their Ninjutsu from when they were alive, think upon seeing Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan? Of course, perhaps Tsukasa Kaede's Jutsu also reminded Madara of Tobirama Senju, that utterly repulsive guy, and thus he harbored murderous intent.
Anyway, Madara had already instructed White Zetsu to do similar things many times before.
"Speaking of which, the current Nagato hasn't truly matured yet. He's been studying with Jiraiya for over two years, and at most, his strength is enough for self-preservation. It's not enough to become a regional powerhouse. This is precisely the time he needs careful protection."
Tsukasa Kaede moved quickly with three subordinates, his vision having already, through those Zombies, fallen upon White Zetsu.
Originally, he had been planning under what circumstances he could join Danzo and Orochimaru's Human Experimentation projects to gain access to Hashirama Cells.
But now there's no need to worry. White Zetsu Cells are at least a lower-quality version of Hashirama Cells, possessing many of their characteristics, and can be confidently used.
"This is truly a good opportunity. Although it has attracted Madara's attention and created unnecessary risks, it's worth it."
Tsukasa Kaede's body was bathed in the cold rainwater, yet he felt no discomfort whatsoever. As his heart burned with fervor, his muscles spontaneously tensed, and the heat emanating from within him visibly dissipated.
...
White Zetsu's main body arrived, bringing a group of subordinates to stare at the few Zombies before them.
"They can move, they can follow orders. After spotting me, they immediately stopped and prepared for battle... Can they really be controlled by a remote Jutsu? Or is this the spontaneous action of these Corpses?"
No matter how outlandish White Zetsu's thoughts were, it also realized there was something off about these Corpses—if they truly possessed a certain level of instinct, then were these Corpses really Corpses? Were they alive or dead?
"Huh~ Do you guys poop? Why aren't you talking?"
White Zetsu extended a hand, wiggling a few fingers, as if truly manipulating a string puppet: "Once I catch you, I'll ask you one by one, and I'll definitely find out... If I kill you when you're already dead, will you die again? If you die, will you keep resurrecting?"
Several White Zetsu accelerated their run, charging towards the Zombies.
These few Zombies, in silence, simultaneously took action, charging head-on towards the White Zetsu.
To some extent, this was a battle between two fundamentally different puppets. Neither side feared death, only the absolute determination to complete their mission at all costs.
In an instant, amidst the curtain of rain, a dozen or so figures collided. All sounds of combat were swallowed by the terrifying patter of raindrops. The extremely brutal and bloody slaughter, the gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying, all washed away with the rain.
During the battle, several Zombies even jointly activated Water Release, utilizing the weather conditions to produce an even greater effect, instantly washing away several White Zetsu.
"Oh? Although I've heard about this from other White Zetsu, seeing it with my own eyes still startled me. They can actually use Ninjutsu from when they were alive? No wonder Lord Madara wants to kill Tsukasa Kaede."
White Zetsu muttered to itself.
At the same time, in a puddle far away, a shadow-like mass was quietly wriggling, also surprised as it observed this unique battle.
On the White Zetsu side, it was too familiar with them. They were merely combat weapons created by Mother Puppet from the indigenous humans of this planet.
But what about these Corpses?
"Using the Corpse Manipulation Technique for battle, this Jutsu is truly interesting. However, the user is about to die."
Black Zetsu cared more about Nagato's safety than anyone else. Madara could die, but Nagato couldn't; if Nagato absolutely had to die, at the very least, he would take the Rinnegan with him!
As long as there were the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails, there would be a chance to free Mother Puppet. It had waited for over a thousand years and only now finally had this opportunity. It absolutely wouldn't allow any accidents to happen.
"Wait a little longer. It's not my time to show myself yet. I need to find a suitable opportunity." Black Zetsu shrunk back into the puddle, feigning death.
As time passed, the number of a dozen or so figures continuously decreased, with both sides falling one after another.
White Zetsu personally took action, stabbing through a Zombie's chest, then using its forearm to chop off the Zombie's head, and stomping on it, crushing the head.
"Truly troublesome. If I don't destroy their heads, there's no way to stop these Corpses. This Jutsu is very powerful."
White Zetsu looked around, intending to pick up a Zombie whose mobility had been destroyed but whose head was still intact. It planned to take it back.
"You're like this, and you still plan to bite me?" White Zetsu looked in surprise at the Zombie baring its teeth, as if it had discovered a special toy, immediately becoming overjoyed.
But soon, it had to stop its actions, because it discovered that more Zombies had arrived.
White Zetsu was least afraid of fighting with numbers, and immediately summoned another dozen or so White Zetsu.
Both sides erupted into a larger-scale battle, and the fighting became increasingly fierce. White Zetsu's life force was extremely vigorous; some injuries meant nothing to them. The Zombies similarly disregarded injuries, often preferring to trade blows.
Various Ninjutsu continuously erupted, causing the ground to slightly tremble. Figures continuously fell, but new figures continuously joined in.
Finally, after losing twenty-seven White Zetsu, and after attempting to fall down amidst the chaos to impersonate a Zombie but being killed by the Zombies at the first opportunity, White Zetsu couldn't hold on any longer.
Madara had only recently created White Zetsu. There were fewer than a hundred in total, and they still needed to be scattered throughout the Shinobi World to gather intel. They couldn't be carelessly consumed like this.
"They can actually see through my disguise Jutsu. This sensory ability is too excessive, isn't it? If we keep fighting like this, the losses will be too great. Lord Madara will kill me! Just how many Corpses has this guy stockpiled, anyway...?"
White Zetsu held its head, its face filled with disbelief.
"Rather than you killing me, I'd rather kill you. I've come here willingly. I really want to see with my own eyes what's going on with you identical beings. You can actually fight my Zombies to this extent."
Tsukasa Kaede appeared on the battlefield with three Root Ninja.
The three Root Ninja quickly surveyed the figures lying scattered across the ground, particularly focusing on the identical White Zetsu, their faces filled with confusion.
"What are these white things? Some kind of Ninjutsu? Why are they stopping us from looking for Lord Jiraiya?"
"Perhaps it's similar to the Second Tsuchikage's Fission Jutsu, splitting off many copies from a single main body."
Root Ninja possessed decent intel analysis capabilities. Their first reaction was to try and analyze the enemy's Jutsu.
Komatsufuji asked, "Lord Tsukasa Kaede, you've already engaged with these guys. What's their background?"
"For you, none of that matters. You might not have realized one thing: when you saw these things, your fate was to die here. This is a sacrifice you must make for the future." Tsukasa Kaede said slowly.
(end of chapter)