chapter 78 part 6
But the Third Hokage forcefully suppressed all dissent and staunchly defended Jiraiya, believing that Jiraiya must have had his reasons for doing so.
As for Tsukasa Kaede, although he wasn't part of the Hokage Faction, as long as he loved the Village, even if his daily conduct was slightly unconventional, the Third Hokage was willing to tolerate it, preferring to observe for a longer period.
Secretly leaving the Village to cultivate and experiment with various forbidden jutsu was not something the Third Hokage considered unacceptable.
"Kaedence Nawaki's death, Orochimaru's personality seems to have undergone some subtle changes. He's actively inviting Tsukasa Kaede to join his research projects. Such a matter... it shouldn't be about resurrecting Nawaki."
No matter how he looked at it, it shouldn't be a bad thing.
The Third Hokage never dreamed Orochimaru might commit Village Defection. He merely thought that Orochimaru, going down this dark path, would sooner or later become the next Danzo, specializing in dirty work, never to be whitewashed in this lifetime.
"Regarding the Fourth Hokage, if Orochimaru doesn't become the Fourth Hokage and instead becomes the next Shadow of the Leaf, would Tsunade be more suitable...?" the Third Hokage fell into deep thought.
...
Tsukasa Kaede didn't know what the Third Hokage was pondering, but he had generally prepared himself for remote surveillance. Many things he possessed were unsuitable for display within the Village.
"This place will do. Just an ordinary cave. I'll make this my temporary base."
Deep in the Land of Fire's forest, in a sparsely populated area teeming with large wild animals, over 1,200 kilometers in a straight line from the Hidden Leaf Village, merely using the Spatial Rift Jutsu to travel here consumed a massive amount of chakra.
Tsukasa Kaede used the summoning jutsu to first summon a group of zombies to replenish his life force. At the same time, he carefully arranged a corpse.
This was the corpse of an Uchiha Clan member who had activated the three-tomoe Sharingan, and it was also an important piece of war spoils he had obtained during the war.
"Now, let's see how an Uchiha Clan member with a three-tomoe Sharingan performs... Corpse Release: Zombification Jutsu!"
Tsukasa Kaede placed one hand on the corpse. Soon, the corpse opened its eyes, and the blood-red within its Sharingan dimmed considerably at that moment.
*Thwip!*
Tsukasa Kaede inserted two fingers, dug out a Sharingan, and simultaneously, with his other hand, gouged out his own eye and inserted the Sharingan.
Blood streamed from the corner of his eye. Tsukasa Kaede immediately used medical ninjutsu to heal the injury within his eye socket, which was very easy for him now.
From initial discomfort, to a few seconds later, Tsukasa Kaede rolled his eyeball, channeling the chakra within his body into the eye, attempting to activate the Sharingan.
He failed several times in a row. Tsukasa Kaede clearly felt that this eye brought a certain "pressure" to his body—primarily a mental burden.
"The Eye that Reflects the Heart, a Kekkei Genkai of the Yin Release side, is indeed extraordinary. However, mastering it is only a matter of time," Tsukasa Kaede thought.
Tsukasa Kaede spread his zombies outwards, ordering them to lie on treetops, burrow into the soil, and hide themselves as much as possible, remaining vigilant for any suspicious activity around them. He himself focused on adapting to the eye.
If he were using a Mangekyo Sharingan for his first time using a Sharingan, Tsukasa Kaede would find it perfectly normal not to master it quickly. But for a three-tomoe Sharingan, it would only take a bit of time.
Sure enough, with the boost of his powerful life force and abundant chakra, Tsukasa Kaede was able to activate the Sharingan normally in just five minutes.
Looking at things with this eye, the powerful perceptive ability gave Tsukasa Kaede a refreshing sensation. His static and dynamic vision vastly improved; everything seemed to move in slow motion before his eyes.
He could even see the chakra clusters within the nearby zombies.
"What excellent eyes," Tsukasa Kaede mused. "Although activating and deactivating them is exceptionally difficult and consumes a tremendous amount of energy, I can replenish life force at any time. As long as my spirit doesn't become overwhelmed, I am fully capable of truly making these eyes my own."
Tsukasa Kaede didn't hesitate. He immediately dug out the other three-tomoe Sharingan and swapped it into his own eye socket.
This way, both of his eyes were now three-tomoe Sharingan.
"My strength has increased again. It's a pity they're just ordinary Sharingan. Right now, there's no way to obtain a Mangekyo Sharingan. I can't exactly go and dig out Nagato's Rinnegan right away, can I?" Tsukasa Kaede shook his head.
He wouldn't use these eyes unless absolutely necessary. Once used, it would mean it was time to kill his enemy, no matter the cost.
He first placed his original eyes into formalin, carefully sealing them away. Then, he took out the scroll he had received from the Third Hokage, used his own blood to break the Contract Blood Seal, and officially began learning the Reaper Death Seal Jutsu.
This was bound to be a major undertaking, and the difficulty of learning it would undoubtedly be far greater than when he learned the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu.
"...Indeed, the Reaper Death Seal is inherently a perfected forbidden jutsu. Its complexity is far greater than the unperfected Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu, and for me, the danger of cultivating it is even more profound."
Tsukasa Kaede slowly absorbed the text and jutsu formulas, his brain working at high intensity, analyzing every detail to the best of his ability. With each bit of progress, the difficulty of the next section increased exponentially, racking Tsukasa Kaede's brain.
This was just decoding; actual cultivation would be even harder.
(end of chapter)