chapter 76 part 5
"Are you finally ready? I blocked quite a few attacks for you."
"My deepest thanks, Lord Orochimaru. Creating Chakra took me a considerable amount of time, but it's just about done."
Corpse Release: Zombification Jutsu!
A violent surge of Chakra erupted from Tsukasa Kaede, condensing into a visible blue current, and veins bulged on his forehead.
"As you wish, then I shall reveal just a little of the true power of my Corpse Release Secret Technique... You must have already suspected it anyway, otherwise, all those experiments would have been for nothing."
Tsukasa Kaede began to consume large amounts of Chakra. Where the current surged, people from the fiercely clashing sides continuously fell, soaked in blood, never to rise again.
This should have been normal, a common occurrence in war, but now something had changed.
Swish! An Explosion Release Ninja, whose heart had been pierced, pressed his hands onto a Senju Clan member before falling, instantly blowing the Senju Clan member's body to pieces.
Not long after he fell, his eyeballs suddenly began to spin again, and his entire body twitched violently, emitting cracking sounds, as if all his bones were dislocated by his jerky, strange movements.
"Zhishu? Great, you're still alive! I knew you wouldn't die so easily. I'll cover you, quickly get up!"
His comrade was overjoyed. He first used Earth Release to block the enemy's vision, then reached out, attempting to pull the Iwagakure Ninja on the ground to his feet.
But with a tug, his expression immediately changed. He saw blood still continuously flowing from the bloodied hole in the other's chest.
His heart was shattered; he should have been dead, but why was this person not only fine but twitching even more violently?!
"Zhishu, you—"
"Aooooooh!!!"
The Corpse Transformed Iwagakure Ninja's eyeballs spun rapidly, finally turning ash-white. Its hands suddenly overexerted, skin tearing, massive muscle fibers rupturing, all to grab its comrade before it and bite down viciously!
"Ow, what are you biting me for? Are you insane?!"
Kaedemilar incidents played out multiple times in a short period. The closer one was to Tsukasa Kaede's position, the higher the frequency. More deceased Iwagakure Ninja rose again, driven by instinct to attack those around them.
In an instant, the once orderly battlefield, with its various squads, plunged into chaos due to this change.
It wasn't a matter of causing massive casualties, but the suddenness of the events, and the blow to morale and disruption to tactical execution, were incredibly severe.
Already highly strung nerves snapped under this stimulus; many Iwagakure Ninja were on the verge of madness.
"Get away from me, you! Stay back!"
"Damn it, why are you only attacking me and not the Konoha guys? What's wrong with you?!"
"What's happening? I cut off his limbs, but he's still crawling determinedly to attack me?"
"Quick, get out of the way! This guy is still trying to use Ninjutsu!"
More and more Iwagakure Ninja descended into chaos, their minds exploding.
Even though many had already reacted and realized this was an enemy Ninjutsu, chaos had already erupted at various points. Having to guard against the enemy while also guarding against comrades who had fallen fighting alongside them, the pressure this created was simply too immense.
Konoha Ninja seized the opportunity to launch a charge, indeed gaining more kills, cutting down a group of enemies on the spot.
"I probably converted less than eighty corpses just now. It's great that I could create an opportunity for everyone. In those brief few tens of seconds, about two hundred enemies in this area were probably killed, right?"
Tsukasa Kaede maintained his Hand Kaedegns with an air of seriousness, observing the battlefield situation. In his Sensory Perception, more and more people were becoming infected with the virus, turning into his potential puppets.
However, Tsukasa Kaede ultimately did not deliberately perform a large-scale conversion. Insufficient Chakra was one reason, and ensuring it didn't trigger a Zombie Horde was another; the scale of the Zombie Horde had to be kept under his control.
Many Iwagakure Ninja, already severely wounded, would actually enter the Corpse Transformation process after being scratched or bitten. Even with their strong Physical Constitution, and even though Tsukasa Kaede did not deliberately accelerate the Corpse Transformation process, they would slowly turn into zombies over a few days.
But Tsukasa Kaede forcibly halted this process with Corpse Release Jutsu: Release.
"More than two hundred, Tsukasa-kun, many more enemies will be killed by us soon. You've rendered a great service."
Orochimaru was extremely exhilarated. Being the most skilled in human experimentation, witnessing dead people "resurrect" again to kill "enemies" filled his heart with immense pleasure.
He felt comfortable; every cell in his body felt comfortable. The scene before him was simply the peak expression of the art of life.
He knew that these corpses could not only be used to hunt enemies, contributing various Ninjutsu they mastered in life, but also be used as sacrifices to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu to resurrect people or grant Immortality! "It's beautiful, Tsukasa-kun. You must live well. With you around, this monotonous and boring world will become colorful... After the war ends, I invite you to join my research project. You'll surely love it."
Orochimaru licked his lips once more, personally joining the fray to bring this war, which he found tiresome, to a close.
All the high-end combat power entering the field signified that the war had reached its most brutal stage.
Various powerful Technique Formulas erupted consecutively; any single attack could create large swathes of empty space, leading to the tragic deaths of numerous weaker Ninja.
Originally, Iwagakure Ninja wouldn't have thought anything was wrong with this, but now it was different. Periodically, deceased comrades would suddenly rise and attack them, severely stimulating their sensitive nerves.
"Damn it, his casting speed is so fast? What method does he use to control corpses? Have I been wrong all along, that it's not a physical method, but fundamentally achieved with a spiritual Jutsu?"
Using some Yin Release-leaning Secret Technique to control and deceive the dead's brains, making them think they aren't dead, and then reactivating them? Onoki had no time to explore the truth of it. He charged straight towards Tsukasa Kaede's location, suddenly descending to the ground, then sweeping horizontally with Dust Release Jutsu.
In an instant, many Konoha Ninja and zombies were cut down, but Tsukasa Kaede had already used Spatial Rift Jutsu to evade to a distant spot.
"Give up, Lord Tsuchikage. These zombies you see are not all that I can control. How can you be sure that those lying motionless on the ground haven't been controlled by me?"
After changing position, Tsukasa Kaede emerged from behind several Konoha Ninja, watching Onoki from afar. "You've already lost this war. Your plan to kill me has also failed. But I don't think this is the end; we will have opportunities to clash again in the future."
(end of chapter)