Genius!
This was the first time anyone had ever publicly used such a lavish word to describe Kaede Tsukasa.
And the one who said it was none other than Dan Katō, an elite jōnin who possessed a one-of-a-kind jutsu.
"You flatter me too much. I'm just an ordinary Konoha shinobi, unworthy of being called a genius. I'm only trying to do what I should. Without my comrades' protection, I would've died long ago in some nameless corner." Kaede Tsukasa steadied his breathing before speaking slowly.
"The further development of your Dead Soul Technique was enough for Sunagakure to dispatch an elite squad to capture you. That alone says a lot."
Dan Katō glanced at the large Sand force in the distance and continued: "They think we don't value you, that we haven't realized your worth. In truth, it's the opposite. Lord Sakumo and Tsunade sent me here to protect you, while using you to lure Sunagakure into making a reckless move."
Everyone could see that the plan had worked perfectly. The death of Araki of the Sandstorm, no matter the era, was an astonishing military achievement.
In terms of strength, status, achievements, and reputation, an elite jōnin was a potential future leader—perhaps even a Kage. Killing one greatly diminished the enemy village's potential.
"My apologies. In the end, I killed Araki of the Sandstorm. Seems I accidentally stole your credit? I'll explain the situation to Lord Sakumo. The village never withholds rewards from its heroes." Dan Katō scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.
No one would have imagined that this humble, kind long-haired man was in fact the god of death who mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"No, I really can't accept that. This was originally your achievement. Everyone helped hold back many enemies for me too. Without so many people working together, I wouldn't be here now." Kaede Tsukasa stuck to his stance.
That only deepened Dan Katō's good impression of him.
"I saw you cast your technique on the living Araki of the Sandstorm, and I also noticed you used some unknown method to affect him. Don't worry about that."
Dan Katō patted Kaede Tsukasa on the shoulder. He had been watching the whole time—not just to protect him or to hunt down Araki, but also to assess Kaede Tsukasa's character.
After all, Kaede Tsukasa was a war orphan who had never received the formal education of the Konoha Ninja Academy. His jutsu dealt with corpses.
For someone like that, Dan Katō didn't necessarily doubt his loyalty or suspect he would defect. It was simply a close, systematic evaluation.
If his disposition had proven poor, then how to deal with Kaede Tsukasa would have required serious thought.
But the results of the assessment left Dan Katō more than satisfied. All of his objectives had been met perfectly, adding an extra flourish to this battlefield.
"Modest, cautious, maybe a little lacking in confidence? That's normal. His body is frail, and he seems to have suffered from illness in the past. Has he recovered now? Too little intel on that—we can look into it later."
"Even with the Dead Soul Technique as his core jutsu, he hasn't fallen into darkness. Instead, he continues building on it, developing new ninjutsu. He's even created space-time techniques… His sharpness and creativity with jutsu are beyond imagination. Remarkable."
Kaede Tsukasa had already surpassed most Konoha shinobi. The more Dan Katō observed, the more astonished he became.
Especially with that Dead Soul Technique. As Tsunade's lover, when he received the mission to protect Kaede Tsukasa and lure out Sunagakure's powerhouses—
After receiving this mission, it was only natural for Dan Katō to gather intel on Kaede Tsukasa and ask Tsunade about the state of the Dead Soul Technique.
He still remembered Tsunade's assessment—what Kaede Tsukasa wielded wasn't truly the Dead Soul Technique, at least not in its original form. It had undergone such extensive development that it could completely serve as the core secret art of an entirely new system.
Yes, a secret art of a brand-new system—the emphasis being on the system.
Much like the Nara clan's shadow manipulation or the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques, these were structured systems. Any shinobi who trained in them only needed to steadily advance, learning the system's techniques in stages as their strength grew.
Regardless of how powerful they became, shinobi with such arts were at least specialized types, indispensable to any team at any rank.
And a shinobi like Kaede Tsukasa, who seemed to have created an entirely new system? Even if it truly was rooted in the Dead Soul Technique, branching out from it continuously, it deserved the highest attention. No matter how careless Sakumo or Tsunade might be, they would never overlook that.
Not to mention, he had developed a new space-time ninjutsu!
That was why Dan Katō himself had been dispatched, rather than someone else.
Even if a Kage-level opponent targeted Kaede Tsukasa, Dan Katō had the ability to withdraw with him intact—and perhaps even kill the enemy Kage in a surprise counter.
Dan Katō patted Kaede Tsukasa on the shoulder and said quietly:
"I can see it—your technique has already gone far beyond the original Dead Soul Technique. Still, if you insist on calling it that, you must have your reasons. But you should plan ahead. You've already derived a space-time technique and even used some unknown method to influence a living elite jōnin…"
This new system had immense potential and immense value. Had Kaede Tsukasa reached its limits yet? From what Dan Katō could tell, not even close. At the very least, that space-time jutsu of his, faintly similar to the Flying Thunder God, which let him instantly change his position—its potential for growth was enormous.
For now, the range was too short. Perhaps that was tied to Kaede Tsukasa's frail body and the meager chakra it produced.
But what about in the future, once he regained his health? What if he learned chakra cell stimulation, or if Tsunade personally taught him precious medical techniques to strengthen his body?
Wouldn't the range increase, the number of uses grow?
What if he controlled a greater number of corpses, disguising them as normal shinobi hidden all around, and then used space-time jutsu to move between them at high speed… Don't forget, the special kunai of the Flying Thunder God couldn't move on their own—but Kaede Tsukasa's corpses could!
Not only could they move, they could fight with all sorts of ninjutsu! And if nothing else, they could drag enemies down with them in mutual destruction!
A version of the Flying Thunder God that could move its own coordinates?
Just imagining it, Dan Katō felt the possibilities were dazzling. Of course, there would be limits, and it could never be flawless, but that was enough. It at least proved this technique had astonishing room for growth.
"Have confidence. You're important. No matter what your past was, through your own efforts you've changed your fate—and you'll change the fate of many others. Chūnin Kaede Tsukasa, I can already see it: it won't be long before you're a pivotal figure. The village and your comrades need your strength."
Dan Katō's words were full of encouragement. Kaede Tsukasa only smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor denying.
Of course, he knew just how much potential his Zombie Release held. What he had tapped into so far was only the tip of the iceberg.
What truly interested Kaede Tsukasa was another matter: just how great a merit would he need to earn before he could gain access to the Book of Seals?