## Chapter 13: I Only Need a Scratch
While traveling, Tsukasa Kaede would occasionally summon zombies to carry him, saving his physical strength. This method of travel used up several zombies.
Summoning "ninja tools" from scrolls didn't actually consume much chakra, not to mention the consumables he summoned were nothing more than worthless genin.
Morino Idate watched Tsukasa Kaede reseal the broken-down zombies and couldn't help but complain, "I never imagined the Soul Death Technique could be used like this. You can actually make corpses move for long periods; the act of corpse manipulation inherently consumes a large amount of chakra, right? Even if you use the saved physical strength to create new chakra, can it really keep up with this level of consumption?"
Tsukasa Kaede carefully placed the sealing technique scroll on his waist and said calmly, "Lord Morino, you should be well aware that I have improved the Soul Death Technique. It's perfectly reasonable for the jutsu's effects to change slightly. As for the specifics, I can't explain them to you."
He was very careful. If he were to accidentally leave behind a broken-down zombie, and if it still bore lingering insignia from the Hidden Sand Village or any other ninja village, it would be enough for the Leaf Patrol Squad to issue three contradictory investigation reports.
Morino Idate was speechless, and the expressions of his other colleagues were also a bit strange.
It was indeed the first time they had seen Tsukasa Kaede use the Soul Death Technique up close – this was bound to happen sooner or later, not to mention Kazematsuri Takuya had already witnessed how special Tsukasa Kaede's jutsu was more than two months prior.
Tsukasa Kaede himself had long been aware that participating in this war was completely different from the previous two times fighting against the Hidden Rain Village and the battle against Ao from the Hidden Mist Village; it would undoubtedly be the most perilous one.
This was a true large-scale military operation; the participating forces, the scale of coordinated actions, and tactical execution, among other aspects, had all been raised by an order of magnitude.
"The worst-case scenario is that I will die on the battlefield as an unknown nobody. If I'm truly forced to that point, I can only transform myself into a zombie. I just don't know if I can succeed, and how much consciousness I can retain after succeeding."
Tsukasa Kaede quickly calculated the success rate in his mind, but the result was uncalculable.
The zombies he controlled all lacked consciousness; even if they could use the ninjutsu from their lives and display instinctive reactions during combat, these were essentially realized by following predetermined links formed by countless neurons, and they did not possess the consciousness they had in life.
Tsukasa Kaede also considered whether a completely new, nascent consciousness would be born within a zombie's body if it were carefully nurtured and maintained for a sufficiently long time. Perhaps this was possible, but it would require further development of Corpse Release.
"If I'm truly forced to a dead end, I'll have no choice but to take this path. If I'm lucky, perhaps in a few years or decades, I will regain consciousness and truly awaken."
I just don't know if the self at that time would still be 'me'...
No one in the group of five spoke again, and harboring their own thoughts, they arrived at the Frontline Camp.
The moment they entered the Main Camp, everyone's expressions became a bit grim; it was simply too horrific.
Traces of battle were everywhere. From time to time, ninjas retreated from the Front Line, injured but not dead, lying on stretchers and emitting painful wails.
"...I see some wounded with signs of poisoning. It seems the war is going badly for us," Tsukasa Kaede pondered.
The few of them, dressed in medical ninja uniforms, attracted some attention as soon as they entered the camp. Some people's eyes lit up at first, but soon they sighed and shook their heads.
Ordinary toxin was easy enough to deal with; with a ninja's physical constitution and chakra, they could last long enough for an antidote to be prepared on-site.
But the potent poison developed by Chiyo left everyone helpless.
Feizhu Qingting was abandoned precisely because of this.
The only thing to be thankful for was that ninjas had high resistance to toxin, often able to last for over ten hours or even several days. As long as they persisted, there was hope.
Everyone was waiting for Tsunade to return.
As for what kind of mission Tsunade was executing, no one knew.
Before Tsunade returned, medical ninjas like Tsukasa Kaede, proficient in human anatomy, were needed to maintain the lives of the wounded as much as possible.
Other medical ninjas arrived successively. Tsukasa Kaede even saw some War Orphans, sweating profusely as they used chakra to heal wounds.
"Even the children from the Orphanage have been sent here, so Nonō Yakushi should also be in action. I just don't know where she is exactly; she might have already infiltrated the Hidden Sand Village beforehand."
Tsukasa Kaede turned his attention back and focused on his work.
Not long after, Tsukasa Kaede was dispatched to the Frontline Battlefield, to act alongside some ninjas.
Legion-style warfare was incomparable to squad infiltration missions. An ordinary ninjutsu, if hundreds of people used it simultaneously, could change the terrain and add uncertainty to the battlefield. This meant that war would become even more complex and unpredictable.
Even a slight lapse in attention could lead to a horrific death.
Tsukasa Kaede moved through the battlefield extremely cautiously. Medical Ninjas were not responsible for direct assaults, which was good news.
But the bad news was, the enemy specifically targeted medical ninjas to kill.
"Kaede, watch your back," Morino Idate barked softly.
Tsukasa Kaede didn't even lift his head, reaching for the scroll on his waist and quickly pulling it open, the entire process taking less than a second.
*Bang!* The character "Corpse" on the scroll activated. Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, a zombie had already appeared behind Tsukasa Kaede to take the attack in his place.
*Shuk!*
The Sand Ninja stabbed the zombie in the chest with a single strike, the kunai in his hand plunging completely in.
"Oh? What kind of Summoning Jutsu is this? No matter what it is, it won't survive in front of me, especially since my kunai is coated with toxin. Just a small scratch is enough to kill you."
The sneer on the Sand Ninja's face was exceptionally cruel, and his heart was filled with satisfaction.
Although the person in front of him was strange, with a pale face and unnaturally colored flesh, none of that mattered.
He and his comrades had often used toxin to eliminate Konoha ninjas. Even creating just a small scratch was an unbearable pain for Konoha ninjas.
But his expression quickly froze as he saw his wrist snatched by the enemy.
But the Sand Ninja didn't panic. He immediately drew another kunai with his other hand and launched a second attack, piercing the head from the chin, from below upwards.
"It's over. You're next."
Having dealt with the enemy, the Sand Ninja immediately charged towards Tsukasa Kaede. He wanted to eliminate Tsukasa Kaede before other Konoha ninjas could come to his aid – he truly only needed a single scratch.
"You're already dead. To deal with you, I also only need a single scratch."
Tsukasa Kaede formed hand signs with one hand: "Haa!"
(end of chapter)