"Impatient, aren't we? So eager to see my limits?"
Kaede Tsukasa watched as two Root ninjas secretly delivered a corpse, then took a document from them and carefully scanned the recorded information about this kekkei genkai ninja.
"Masato Tsugu, Explosion Release kekkei genkai… Is this Lord Danzo's instruction, or Lord Ryōma's?" Kaede Tsukasa closed the document in his hand and gestured to an unremarkable corpse beside him.
The corpse immediately rose and, howling, walked to Kaede Tsukasa's side.
In front of the two Root ninjas, Kaede Tsukasa shoved the document into the zombie's mouth.
"…Quite a peculiar habit. I will report it accurately," one of the Root ninjas said.
"Whether it's Lord Danzo, Lord Ryōma, or any other superior, they are all untouchable. Don't ask about things you shouldn't," the other added, sternly.
Kaede Tsukasa smiled. "You don't need to hide anything. I've learned more about the Root from Lady Tsunade, and by looking at the shape of your masks and your unique patterns, it's clear you're from the Root, not the Anbu."
The two Root ninjas remained silent, quietly watching Kaede Tsukasa.
He didn't mind and began examining the kekkei genkai corpse in front of him seriously.
This was the second kekkei genkai corpse he had handled. To him, it was a valuable weapon.
Slap!
Placing a hand on the corpse, Kaede Tsukasa injected the virus and used some of his own chakra to accelerate its spread.
But he soon stopped, letting the virus reproduce on its own. His chakra was precious and wouldn't be wasted on a kekkei genkai ninja.
"Has it started yet?" one Root ninja asked.
"It's already done," Kaede Tsukasa replied. "Modifying a corpse isn't simple, especially a kekkei genkai ninja. Their body is more complex, and I have to ensure they can still use the kekkei genkai techniques they had in life. That makes it even harder."
"So you can do it? How long will it take?"
"About twenty-four hours. Come back tomorrow night," Kaede Tsukasa answered ambiguously.
The Root ninjas pressed about what he had done with Sabaku Araki's corpse, but Kaede Tsukasa didn't answer directly.
Not answering directly was, in itself, an answer.
After the Root ninjas left, Kaede Tsukasa closed the corpse processing room's door and truly began his work.
"Explosion Release is a postnatal kekkei genkai achieved by combining Earth and Lightning chakra, specializing in creating explosions."
Explosion Release ninjas generally have two combat styles: one is like Deidara, crafting explosives and throwing them, the other is like Gari, concentrating chakra in their hands so that anything they touch explodes.
Most Explosion Release ninjas are of the Gari type.
"The Iwagakure demolition unit is also a famed elite force, just like Sunagakure's puppet corps, notorious across the ninja world… If I were to face such an opponent, the best tactic is to use cheap zombies to drain their chakra."
Kaede Tsukasa didn't actually take this Explosion Release ninja seriously. After all, he had been dead for several days; the zombie form couldn't utilize his former strength. He was nowhere near as valuable as Sabaku Araki.
"I still need to focus on training for my own reincarnation Jutsu."
It must be said, the difficulty of learning theone's own life reincarnation Jutsu is truly astonishing. Essentially, it tears one's own life energy apart using chakra. Even just this step is extremely difficult, not to mention transferring that life force to the target.
A slight mistake, and the life energy lost is your own, wasted entirely. Even if one maximizes the transfer, the efficiency is terrifyingly low, and the cost is immense.
This technique is still far from perfected.
But it doesn't matter. Kaede Tsukasa lacks time, but he doesn't lack material.
He could simply use a large number of corpses for trial and error.
At the same time, he ordered a dozen zombies to begin tearing at the limited life force within their bodies. Occasionally, a zombie would destroy itself, but Kaede Tsukasa didn't even blink.
He didn't care. Not at all.
Although each zombie had different traits and chakra pathways, Kaede Tsukasa analyzed the results of each trial meticulously.
During the previous three days, aside from necessary rest and meals, Kaede Tsukasa devoted all his time to training. His written analysis had already reached over 300,000 characters, marking 413 points of caution.
And this was only the beginning.
"At this rate, who knows how long it will take to learn this imperfect one's own life reincarnation Jutsu… The simplest method is to command more zombies. Numbers equal power."
Kaede Tsukasa still couldn't perform the Shadow Clone Technique, let alone learn the forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.
Even if he learned it, it would be useless—he couldn't use it effectively.
The Shadow Clone Technique divides chakra evenly. The more chakra you have, the more clones you can create, and the longer each clone can last. Sending them out to train and accumulate experience gives greater returns.
Kaede Tsukasa figured that even if he learned the Shadow Clone Technique, producing three or four clones would be the absolute limit, and that would drastically shorten their duration.
Kaede Tsukasa sighed. He knew he had to do something—survival was paramount.
Otherwise, by himself, it would be nearly impossible to gather enough corpses to accelerate his training.
Like Naruto training the Rasenshuriken, starting with a thousand clones? And each clone's chakra abundant enough to study chakra transformations?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. The Child of Prophecy is a supermodel-level stat freak, not something Kaede Tsukasa could match.
Creak—
Kaede Tsukasa opened the gate again, looking out at the silent cemetery. Behind him, the Explosion Release zombie followed faithfully. If it wore a straw hat and cloak, it would appear completely like a normal ninja.
"Transformation complete. From now on, the Explosion Release ninja of Iwagakure will be Konoha's most loyal weapon. I believe my technique still holds some practical value for you."
No sooner had Kaede Tsukasa finished speaking than a Root ninja appeared before him.
The Root ninja carefully examined the Explosion Release ninja, then drew a blade and struck, but the zombie dodged precisely.
Slap!
The Explosion Release ninja extended its hand, revealing a brown palm—hemoglobin in the blood had long since decomposed, livor mortis was patchy, and the body had decayed to its current state.
The zombie's hand pressed against the blade. Chakra surged, followed by a thunderous explosion. At such close range, the full force of the blast struck toward the Root ninja.
The Root ninja nimbly stepped back several meters, saying nothing.
"Not as fast as in life, but considering the Explosion Release kekkei genkai, it's probably a special jonin-level threat—at least stronger than an average chunin," Kaede Tsukasa remarked.
"I suppose I've already proven my talent."
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