On the road, Kaede Tsukasa would occasionally summon zombies to carry him in order to conserve stamina. This way of traveling wore out several of them.
Summoning "ninja tools" from a scroll didn't consume much chakra, and the expendables he called forth were just worthless genin corpses anyway.
Seeing Kaede Tsukasa reseal a worn-out zombie, Morino Isuke couldn't help but remark:
"I never thought the Dead Soul Technique could be used like this. You're actually able to keep corpses moving for such a long time. Controlling them should drain a huge amount of chakra, right? Even if you turn the stamina you save into new chakra, can you really offset that kind of consumption?"
Kaede Tsukasa carefully secured the sealing scroll to his waist and answered calmly:
"Lord Morino, you should know I've improved the Dead Soul Technique. A little variation in its effects is perfectly natural. As for the details, I'm afraid I can't explain them to you."
He was meticulous. If he carelessly left behind a discarded zombie with some remnant insignia of Sunagakure or another village, it would be enough to make Konoha's patrol units file three contradictory reports.
Morino Isuke had no response, and the other colleagues looked uneasy as well.
It was, after all, the first time they had seen Kaede Tsukasa use the Dead Soul Technique up close—something inevitable sooner or later. More than two months ago, Kazamatsuri Takuno had already witnessed how strange his jutsu could be.
Kaede Tsukasa himself had long been prepared. This campaign was different from his previous fights—against Amegakure, or the duel with Ao of Kirigakure. This time would be the most perilous.
This was true large-scale warfare: the size of the forces, the coordination, the execution of tactics—all on a completely different level.
"The worst outcome is that I die nameless on the battlefield. If I'm truly forced into that corner, I'll have no choice but to turn myself into a zombie. I just don't know if it would succeed… or how much of my self I could preserve."
He ran the numbers in his head, but there was no way to calculate the odds.
The zombies he controlled had no self-awareness. Even if they could still perform jutsu from life and display instinctive responses in battle, that was only the product of pre-set neural pathways—not true consciousness.
Kaede Tsukasa had also wondered: if a zombie were carefully maintained and preserved for long enough, could a new, hazy awareness someday be born within its body?
Maybe. But that would require further development of Zombie Release.
"If I'm cornered, that's the path I'll take. With luck, perhaps after years or even decades, I could regain self-awareness and truly awaken again."
But by then… would that still be him?
The five of them spoke no more, each lost in their own thoughts, until they arrived at the forward camp.
The moment they entered, their expressions grew grim. The sight was too brutal.
Traces of battle were everywhere. Injured ninja staggered back from the front lines, some half-dead on stretchers, moaning in agony.
"…I see some of the wounded showing signs of poisoning. It seems the fighting isn't going in our favor," Kaede Tsukasa thought.
Clad in the garb of medical ninja, their group drew immediate attention. At first, people's eyes lit up with hope—only to fall quickly into sighs and disappointment.
Ordinary toxins could be dealt with; a ninja's resilience and chakra were usually enough to hold out until an antidote was prepared on site.
But the poisons crafted by Chiyo left everyone helpless.
Fubuki Tonbo had been abandoned for exactly this reason.
The only consolation was that ninja possessed strong resistance to poisons. They could often endure for over ten hours, sometimes even days—long enough to leave a chance of survival.
Everyone was waiting. Waiting for Tsunade to return.
As for what mission Tsunade was currently on, no one knew.
Until she came back, medical ninja like Kaede Tsukasa—who possessed a deep knowledge of the human body—had to do everything possible to keep the wounded alive.
More and more medical ninja arrived, and Kaede Tsukasa even spotted some war orphans, sweating profusely as they used chakra to heal wounds.
"Even the children from the orphanage have been sent over. That must mean Aburame Ryōma's plan is already in motion. Yakushi Nonō must have moved too… she might even have infiltrated Sunagakure ahead of us."
He drew his gaze back and focused on his work.
Before long, Kaede Tsukasa was dispatched to the front lines, attached to a squad of ninja.
Army-scale combat was nothing like small-team infiltration. Even the simplest jutsu, when performed by hundreds simultaneously, could reshape terrain and throw the battlefield into chaos. That meant the war was endlessly complex and unpredictable.
One careless mistake could mean a horrible death.
Kaede Tsukasa moved cautiously through the battlefield. Medical ninja weren't expected to spearhead attacks—that was the good news.
The bad news was that the enemy targeted medical ninja first.
"Tsukasa, behind you!" Morino Isuke shouted sharply.
Without even glancing back, Kaede Tsukasa's hand snapped to his scroll. He unfurled it in less than a second.
Bang!
A "尸" symbol flared on the scroll. With a puff of white smoke, a zombie appeared behind him, intercepting the strike.
Thwack!
A Sunagakure shinobi's kunai plunged deep into the zombie's chest.
"Oh? Some kind of summoning jutsu? Whatever it is, nothing can survive against me. Not when my kunai is laced with poison. One scratch is all it takes to kill you."
The Suna ninja grinned with savage delight.
Sure, the figure before him looked odd—pale skin, unnatural flesh tone—but that didn't matter.
He and his comrades had slain many Konoha shinobi with poison. Even the tiniest wound became unbearable torment for them.
But his grin froze. His wrist was suddenly clamped in an iron grip.
The Suna ninja didn't panic. With his free hand he whipped out another kunai, thrusting it upward toward the skull from under the jaw.
"It's over. Now it's your turn."
He dispatched the strange foe quickly and lunged for Kaede Tsukasa, intent on finishing him off before reinforcements could arrive. All he needed was a single scratch.
"You're already dead. Against you, one scratch is enough for me too."
Kaede Tsukasa formed a one-handed seal.
"Haa!"