chapter 77 part 2
To outsiders, it seemed Tsukasa Kaede was doing this deliberately. The enemy cursed in terror, while the Konoha ninja cheered, praising the tactic as absolutely perfect.
But in reality, the moment the Ninjutsu erupted, a few specific Zombies, carrying the precious Bloodline Limit corpses from Konoha's side, had already been summoned away by Tsukasa Kaede.
"This is too difficult. With so many people watching, getting my hands on an Uchiha Clan Bloodline Limit is incredibly hard."
So far, Tsukasa Kaede had only managed to secretly transport away one corpse from the Uchiha Clan, and that was already no small feat. Bloodline Limit ninja were extremely protective of their clansmen's corpses. If they couldn't guarantee a body's safety, they would rather destroy it on the spot.
Not to mention, when certain Uchiha clan members knew they were about to die, they would use their last ounce of strength to destroy their own eyes before they could rest in peace.
For so many years, the Sharingan had never been obtained and used by people from other villages. Besides the Uchiha Clan's relentless pursuit of any thieves, this mentality among its clan members was another major reason.
"As expected of the Uchiha, they're ruthless. No wonder they don't have a Cursed Seal like the Caged Bird. Despite going decades without a Kage-level expert at the helm, they've ensured not a single Sharingan has fallen into enemy hands." Tsukasa Kaede lamented internally, half in resignation and half in admiration.
As for the Sharingan in the hands of Madara and Danzo... those two weren't ninja from other villages, so they didn't count.
Just as Tsukasa Kaede was putting on a worried expression, frowning as he surveyed the battlefield to make it seem like he was giving his all to use the Corpse Release Secret Technique...
"A pleasure to meet you. That's a truly eye-opening Secret Technique. No wonder everyone speaks so highly of you."
Fugaku fought off a wave of Iwagakure ninja and successfully disengaged with the help of an Explosion Release Zombie. He fell back for a brief rest to treat his wounds and eat some food, taking the opportunity to speak to Tsukasa Kaede.
"You must be Lord Fugaku. Thanks to the protection from you and our other comrades, I was able to cast my jutsu safely. Otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Tsukasa Kaede wiped the thick sweat from his brow and forced a difficult smile, looking utterly exhausted.
This posture immediately put the surrounding Konoha ninja, who were closely watching Tsukasa Kaede's every word and action, at ease.
By conventional thinking, a ninja who manipulated corpses should be gloomy and terrifying, with an unusually twisted personality. But they saw none of that in Tsukasa Kaede; they found him to be unexpectedly normal.
Moreover, he used the Corpse Release Secret Technique in battle, was even targeted by the enemy's leader, and persisted despite the enormous consumption of his energy. It was truly admirable.
"After this battle, your name will truly spread throughout the Ninja World. You'll be more famous than Minato Namikaze, the new representative of Konoha's younger generation," Fugaku remarked with emotion.
At Tsukasa Kaede's age, he had never achieved such dazzling results. Even with the Sharingan, he couldn't reach Tsukasa Kaede's heights, not unless he could obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan.
But ever since Madara, no one had been able to obtain those eyes. Fugaku himself hadn't even considered it.
A normal Sharingan allowed an Uchiha Clan member to have a lower limit of Chunin and an upper limit of Elite Jonin. As for becoming a powerful ninja on the level of the Hokage, that was basically out of the question. Without the Mangekyo Sharingan, it was almost impossible.
This also indirectly illustrated just how powerful the Hokage Faction was. With several Kage-level experts, they could easily suppress the major ninja clans and maintain strong control over the Village.
Tsukasa Kaede replied humbly, "Everything I have was given to me by the Village. Unlike most of you, I'm a war orphan. If the Village hadn't taken me in and cared for me back then, I'm afraid I would have died in the wilderness. Now that I've been fortunate enough to develop a Secret Technique that suits me, it is my bounden duty to serve the Village."
"Such a strong Will of Fire. I see it clearly." Fugaku thought to himself with a hint of regret. If he had known this would happen, he would have recruited Tsukasa Kaede when he was in dire straits. He might have gained a powerful ally then.
No, even better, if they had Tsukasa Kaede marry an Uchiha woman, he would become a member of the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha weren't the Hyuga Clan; as long as Tsukasa Kaede displayed enough talent and brought unimaginable benefits to the clan, even the most radical Uchiha would nod in agreement.
The Corpse Release Secret Technique had that much value, enough to make even a top-tier Great Clan like the Uchiha willing to make concessions.
But alas, a missed opportunity was a missed opportunity. The current Tsukasa Kaede could no longer be controlled by the Uchiha Clan. The Hokage Faction would surely make a move.
Fugaku's biggest worry, in fact, was that Tsukasa Kaede's Secret Technique would be taken by the likes of Danzo. Danzo would definitely find an opportunity to dig up the Uchiha Clan's ancestral graves and call forth all the buried forefathers.
That would be hell. But he couldn't say it outright, nor could he persuade Tsukasa Kaede to never hand over his Secret Technique to the Village, telling him to just keep it for himself.
Tsukasa Kaede maintained a polite and courteous demeanor, fully aware of Fugaku's ulterior motives.
The ordinary Konoha ninja without a Bloodline Limit or Secret Technique were the ones least worried about Tsukasa Kaede using his jutsu on them. It was people like Fugaku who were the most concerned.
"If you plan on taking disciples, I would be happy to recommend a few outstanding Uchiha descendants." Fugaku subtly expressed his intentions, then prepared to lead his men back to the front line.
Setsuna Uchiha said bluntly, "I heard about you from Yashiro. He thinks very highly of you, but excessive talent will inevitably arouse the wariness of those in power. You should be mindful of that."
Fugaku frowned and opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing more.
"The war isn't even over, and a radical like Setsuna can't help but step forward... but this is just the beginning. Before long, the conflict between your clan and the Village will intensify."