chapter 77 part 1
Chapter 77: The Second War Ends, Fame Spreads Far and Wide
Putting himself in their shoes, Tsukasa Kaede knew he, too, would stop at nothing to eliminate someone like himself.
The more chaotic the era of war, the greater the potential for the Corpse Release Secret Technique—so great it was unimaginable. It was naturally suited for the battlefield.
Using the enemy's corpses to fight the enemy, creating even more corpses to accumulate more power—who could withstand that? A comrade fighting alongside you one second could become your enemy the next. Crucially, their only weakness was their head. They feared no injury and could even push their physical functions beyond their limits...
Onoki watched the vibrant Tsukasa Kaede, grinding his teeth in frustration. But he lacked the ability to kill Tsukasa Kaede and could only watch helplessly as he zipped around everywhere, dodging all sorts of attacks.
That was right. Even now, Tsukasa Kaede had not personally killed a single enemy. He was like a casual observer taking a stroll, observing and casting his jutsu from a position slightly behind Konoha's defense line.
Onoki frequently sought opportunities to attack Tsukasa Kaede, so much so that wherever Tsukasa Kaede was, he became the focal point of their assaults.
Moreover, numerous Explosion Release ninja would occasionally launch fierce assaults and surprise attacks, using Explosion Release to blast a path straight toward him. Yet, from start to finish, they couldn't even lay a hand on Tsukasa Kaede. He always managed to escape nimbly, only to reappear somewhere within their line of sight.
After several waves of attacks, the Iwagakure side understood. Tsukasa Kaede was doing this intentionally, using his own power to pin down as many of Iwagakure's elite forces as possible.
Every second he stalled was one less second of pressure on the other Konoha ninja. Their casualties would be smaller, and their strength to deal with other enemies would indirectly increase. As one side weakened, the other grew stronger. This seemingly insignificant advantage would accumulate over time, ultimately becoming a major factor in their complete victory.
This made Onoki's blood boil. His Dust Release, capable of instantly obliterating anything, was utterly useless against such a cowardly Space-Time Ninja.
"What in the world is going on with his Chakra? Logically, Space-Time Ninjutsu consumes far more than ordinary Ninjutsu and allows no room for error. Yet he's controlling so many corpses and has used his jutsu to escape multiple times, but he still shows no sign of fatigue!"
Onoki couldn't even be bothered to use Dust Release anymore. He used the Added-Weight Rock Technique to hurl a giant boulder at Tsukasa Kaede, only to watch him flee once again. The boulder smashed an Iwagakure ninja who had become a Zombie into pulp on the spot.
This was just too much. Onoki felt numb. Suppressing the indignation and fury in his heart, he turned his attacks toward other Konoha ninja.
After that, although Tsukasa Kaede still used his Spatial Rift Jutsu to rescue comrades, he was no longer using it with the same high intensity as before. This implied that Tsukasa Kaede didn't have much Chakra left.
But even so, Onoki had no confidence in his ability to kill Tsukasa Kaede. He had his own problems to deal with; Orochimaru and Fugaku Uchiha took turns interfering with him, and they were all formidable opponents.
"If I weren't worried about something happening with Han..."
Onoki didn't dare to go all out. He was deeply concerned that Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, would be taken down by those Uchiha bastards with their Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Full control was unlikely. Without Dōjutsu Power on the level of a Mangekyo, it was difficult to turn a Tailed Beast into a loyal dog.
But it would definitely have an effect.
Han, like Roshi, was not a Perfect Jinchuriki. When he used the Tailed Beast's power, he also had to exert himself to suppress its will. If he were then hit with the Sharingan Genjutsu of an Uchiha clan member, the outcome would be hard to predict.
He might very well go berserk, entering a Full Tailed Beast Transformation and becoming a bomb that didn't distinguish between friend or foe.
On top of that, there was Toka Senju, Hiashi, and the leaders of the other Secret Technique Clans, each one at the level of an Elite Jonin, making it difficult for Iwagakure to establish any clear advantage.
There was nothing to be done. The Hidden Leaf Village's roster was just too stacked. The legacy left to this village by the First Hokage and Madara was simply too rich!
"Arrogant bastards never last long! You'd better pray you never make a mistake, because the moment you show a single flaw, you'll die a miserable death!"
Onoki spat out the harsh words and stopped wasting Chakra on Tsukasa Kaede. Every use of Dust Release was a significant burden, yet it was always fruitless against Tsukasa Kaede.
This also made him realize that he had no chance of exhausting Tsukasa Kaede's Chakra.
Orochimaru commanded three newly summoned Giant Snakes to viciously slam into the Iwagakure ranks, ultimately biting at the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, while he himself attacked Onoki once more.
He couldn't fly, nor did he possess an instant-kill Ninjutsu like Dust Release. However, his survival skills were exceptional. His body slithered like a snake, and he used all sorts of Ninjutsu with ease. Whether it was the Substitution Jutsu or some other technique, the end result was a massive number of Poisonous Snakes crawling all over the ground.
This also convinced Tsukasa Kaede that Orochimaru had already secretly begun his Forbidden Experiments. At the very least, his body modification had already shown results. He might have even started developing the Living Corpse Incarnation Technique.
He grew even more expectant of his collaboration with Orochimaru, striving to achieve his goal of swapping bodies before the Third Great Ninja War arrived. At that time, the Ninja World would be his to roam.
Tsukasa Kaede once again focused his attention on the battlefield. He found an opportunity to slip away with his Spatial Rift Jutsu, used the Summoning Jutsu to call a batch of Zombies to replenish his Life Force, and then returned.
No one noticed this, because Tsukasa Kaede was already flying all over the place. Disappearing from sight was a perfectly normal occurrence.
But Tsukasa Kaede did not continue to use his Corpse Release Secret Technique to press his advantage. Instead, he began to focus on collecting various precious corpses.
And so, some Zombies suddenly unleashed wide-area Ninjutsu, not hesitating to attack both enemies and other Zombies alike.