chapter 112 part 3
"It's not what you think. But never mind, I have nothing to explain to you." Tsukasa Kaede casually brushed him off. To some extent, Orochimaru's deduction wasn't entirely wrong—modifying an Impure World Reincarnation body and then truly Resurrecting could indeed perfectly grant one a Kekkei Genkai. However, throughout the entire Shinobi World, only Tsukasa Kaede could accomplish this with such ease.
Not even Orochimaru could.
Orochimaru rasped, "I was truly scared to death just now. I genuinely thought the Third Hokage would kill me. I even had my Defection preparations ready."
"Does it matter? For someone like you, Defection carries no psychological burden anyway," Tsukasa Kaede said indifferently. "You'd better consider how to report on the Hashirama Cells Transplantation Experiment to Lord Hokage. So many people died, and only Toka Senju is barely considered a successful experiment subject. He probably thinks I mastered Wood Release by following Toka Senju's path."
This was quite normal, as Tsukasa Kaede was originally a practitioner of Corpse Release. Achieving a fragile balance with Corpse Release and Wood Release, Tsukasa Kaede could theoretically do it more easily.
"That's true. If the old man isn't satisfied, this might become the fuse for me to become a Rogue Ninja. Tsukasa Kaede, will you defect with me then? For you, staying in the Hidden Leaf Village no longer holds much meaning, does it? You've already obtained the powerful body you desired most." Orochimaru chuckled deeply.
"You're right, but defecting now wouldn't yield any benefits. I have no reason to do such a thing. I'm still waiting for the Third Great Ninja War to break out; that will be my true stage, where I can legitimately target powerful Ninja from various Villages."
In front of someone like Orochimaru, Tsukasa Kaede didn't hide his ambition—the path of collecting powerful Corpses had only just begun. Likewise, the mission to collect Tailed Beast Chakra wasn't over yet. He still needed the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Kaedex-Tails, and Seven-Tails. Once he completed the Chakra of these four Tailed Beasts, he could initiate entirely new actions.
"Kaedence Konoha has been fobbed off, I won't waste any more time with you, Orochimaru. There's nothing here that attracts me anymore. Our cooperation seems to be taking a temporary halt, unless you can produce a breakthrough that genuinely impresses me." Tsukasa Kaede said mercilessly, completely disregarding their once close collaboration. Now, all that remained was extreme coldness and pragmatism.
Orochimaru felt suppressed; what could he say? Should he reach out and demand the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu from Tsukasa Kaede? That was utterly impossible. The best time for him to obtain the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu was actually when he had just used Impure World Reincarnation to bring Tsukasa Kaede back.
But even if he had forcefully interrogated him then, he wouldn't have gotten what he wanted, because he hadn't mastered the Seal Formula to control the thoughts and actions of an Impure World Reincarnation Ninja. He could only wait for Tsukasa Kaede to willingly give it to him.
This wait, however, led to Tsukasa Kaede abandoning him.
"To think I'd have a day like this, Tsukasa-kun. You truly are ruthless," Orochimaru mused, finding it extremely novel that he would be cast aside for being useless.
Orochimaru watched Tsukasa Kaede's retreating back and let out a series of cold laughs.
Tsukasa Kaede walked out of the laboratory and onto Konoha's streets, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility—not auditory tranquility, as the Hidden Leaf Village was densely populated, especially the commercial district he was in, filled with noise, making silence impossible—but his mind became incredibly peaceful.
As it stood, he now possessed a perfect body. If he had to find a flaw, it would probably be the lack of a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. However, such an item was extremely rare in this era; it would be best if he had the chance to obtain them, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.
Tsukasa Kaede already had a plan to enhance his Sharingan. Even if he couldn't acquire someone else's Mangekyo Sharingan, he had a way to obtain eyes comparable to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
In this current world, very few could still threaten Tsukasa Kaede. Whether through surprise attacks, assassination, or direct combat, Tsukasa Kaede no longer had any weaknesses; he was powerful in every aspect.
This was the fruit of many years of his effort, achieved only after countless near-death experiences.
Closing his eyes, his terrifying physique amplified all his senses to an unprecedented degree. Countless pieces of information flooded into his mind through his ears and nose.
"Did you hear? Those envoys from Sunagakure are going around talking about Lord Tsukasa Kaede's actions as a Rogue Ninja!"
"Sunagakure? Haven't those guys been here for a long time already? They still haven't left?"
"No, they haven't left, and they're escalating things, accusing the Village of tyranny and cruelty, and blaming Lord Tsukasa Kaede for killing Sand Shinobi. In short, they claim that either the Village intentionally provoked a War between the two nations, or Lord Tsukasa Kaede became a Rogue Ninja and intends to spark a Great Ninja War!"
"Hah, how interesting. These guys are trying to threaten Lord Hokage, aren't they? They want Lord Hokage and the Village to bow down? Are they seriously expecting the Village to kill Tsukasa Kaede as an apology to Sunagakure?"
As these words were spoken, the nearby people, whether shopping or just passing by, simultaneously burst into laughter.
No way, no way, surely no Village leader would choose to sacrifice an important subordinate in exchange for the recognition and understanding of a hostile Village, right?
How could such an absurd maneuver be Konoha's style? Those pushovers from Sunagakure must be crazy!
(end of chapter)