Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 124 Do I, Obito, look like an idiot, so easily fooled?

The 44th year of Konoha's reign was destined to be a turbulent one.

In that year, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure officially promulgated a policy that encouraged the village's ninjas to fight each other and to eliminate the weak, which gradually earned Kirigakure the title of "Village of Blood Mist" from the world.

Every ninja who came out of this village had the blood of his comrades on his hands.

The world's attention should have been focused on Kirigakure, and spies should have been sent in to infiltrate and gather intelligence, carefully assessing whether this policy had actually strengthened or weakened Kirigakure.

At least in terms of the number of ninjas, there have been fewer, but whether the significant increase in quality can make up for the loss in quantity is something no one can guarantee.

The reality is that all countries and villages are keeping a close eye on Konoha, and even though they know that Kirigakure is undergoing major changes, they only consider it a secondary priority.

The policies implemented in Konoha Village are truly a game-changer!
"Resurrection slots? They can offer something like that as a 'reward'?"

"This is outrageous! This is utterly absurd! What do they take life and death for?! Are they letting ninjas jump back and forth between the mortal world and the Pure Land?!"

"I'm so envious—no, I mean, as expected of a born evil Corpse Release ninja, toying with death without restraint!"

Other villages, especially the smaller ninja villages, are relatively easy to deal with. They are not directly hostile forces that Konoha Village needs to eliminate. At most, they participate in the war as subordinate forces of other major ninja villages. At this time, they are filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, wishing they could become Konoha ninjas and enjoy the same treatment.

The senses of the other major ninja villages were not so pleasant; anyone with a brain realized how outrageous this was.

Resurrection can be obtained through merit points?! Is that reasonable? Death is the most important event in life, and nothing else matters. But if death can be reversed, the world becomes far too complicated.

What makes things even more complicated, and what plunges them into despair, is that the person who mastered this technique is a Konoha ninja, and the cost of using it is incredibly "cheap"!
Consuming corpses? Corpses are everywhere. Although we don't know exactly how many corpses or what level of corpses it would take to do that, the mere fact that corpses need to be consumed is just too unacceptable.

"Even if he uses Corpse Escape to perform the Reincarnation Technique, it will definitely not be easy. There will be limitations and flaws. There are no perfect forbidden techniques in this world, let alone resurrection techniques!"

Spies from various villages flooded into Konoha, making the already turbulent village even more complicated and chaotic.

This is the reaction from the outside world. As the eye of the storm, Konoha Village is about to explode. Its heat makes every outsider who has just entered feel like they are about to be melted!
Resurrection! This is resurrection, a chance to live a second life, and there's even a real-life example like Kato Dan who testifies to this!

Who doesn't want to be resurrected? Who doesn't have friends or family they wish to be resurrected? We risk our lives to complete missions and protect the village, isn't it all so that our comrades can live better lives?
This is the Will of Fire!
"As expected of Lord Kaedeji, such a strong will to fire is truly admirable!"

"I remember you were yelling really hard before, weren't you?"

"That's not true, don't slander me!"

"Resurrection! My fallen comrades can be saved!"

"Can my dead dog be brought back to life?"

"The prerequisite is to accumulate enough merits. How many merits are enough? That depends on what policies the village will issue."

“The village… that’s the real problem. You guys haven’t figured it out at all.”

Most people were caught up in the frenzy, while only a very few remained clear-headed and worried.

Normally, such an important matter should be announced by the Third Hokage, as this would be a great opportunity to boost reputation points. However, the Third Hokage did not appear; instead, Kaede Tsukasa released the news himself!

What does this mean? Considering the previous public opinion, there were voices everywhere trying to coerce Kaedeji Tsukasa...

The internal conflicts within the village have become increasingly intense, to the point that they have all come to the fore.

The higher-ups also realized this. Kaede Tsukasa was expressing his anger and dissatisfaction in the most direct way, without any intention of compromising. Instead, he was confronting the issue head-on and refused to back down even a step.

The idea of ​​exchanging merit points for a resurrection slot...

"If it works out, it will be good for the village. Many comrades will be saved, and the village's overall strength will increase." The Third Hokage exhaled smoke, not expecting things to turn out this way.

"Unless the village has full authority to decide who to resurrect, it will be troublesome!"

Danzo also attended this meeting, and his words were as radical as ever: "I told you long ago, Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

The Third Hokage remained unperturbed, coldly stating, "Don't you regret it? Are you truly unaware of Kaedeji's use of the Reanimation Jutsu to increase his chakra reserves? What was he doing in the five months before you sent him to the Land of Rain to find Jiraiya, and what did you do?"

Danzo fell silent.

Many things cannot withstand scrutiny, especially now that Kaedeji is playing his cards openly, with a lot of information on the table. By using the current results to deduce the process, one can figure out many things from the past, even through guesswork.

For example, what did Kaede Tsukasa do to suddenly transform from an extremely weak genin into a powerful ninja who was no longer constrained by physical limitations or chakra reserves, and was able to continuously unleash the power of Corpse Release?
The answer is the art of self-reincarnation.

“We can mobilize the entire village to besiege Kaedeji. No matter how much chakra he has, he can't possibly defeat the power of the whole village.”

Danzo snorted and threw a report on the table: "The identity of the person who entered the village with Hidan has been found out. It's the bounty hunter Kakuzu. It's said that he assassinated the First Hokage. He's probably a powerful ninja at the Hokage level. Isn't it obvious that Kaedeji hired such a guy without reporting it to the village?"

"If that's the case, then it means he's prepared to turn on us." Koharu Utatane exclaimed in shock and anger, "What exactly does he want to do? He doesn't report anything to the village; he's even worse than Danzo!"

Danzo glared fiercely at Koharu Utatane.

To be honest, if Danzo had the strength of Kaede Tsukasa, he thinks he would have gone even further and would have overturned the table to compete for the Hokage position long ago, even if it meant killing the Third Hokage.

But ironically, he lacked the power to achieve that. Ironically, his lack of power only highlighted his unwavering loyalty to the village.

Mitokado Homura looked at the other three. They had been through thick and thin together for decades and trusted each other completely. He immediately said, "A direct confrontation is not the solution. Even if we really kill him, how much will we lose? How many of our companions will turn into zombies and wander aimlessly in the village? And what price will it take to wipe out these zombies?"

"If he dies, then the zombies will be gone, right?"

"How can you prove that just because he's dead, the zombies will automatically die? We all know that the power he used to move the corpses was a special virus driven by chakra. Now that the caster, Kaede Tsukasa, is dead, will the chakra virus just disappear into thin air? The corpses themselves also have chakra, which can sustain the virus's existence!"

Silence fell over the office, and everyone frowned.

Yes, it's impossible to be sure. The Corpse Escape Technique has too many secrets and too many details. If you act recklessly without understanding even one detail, it can easily lead to even worse consequences.

We can still talk now that things haven't escalated to a breakdown; once things get physical, it will be too late to regret it.

"Unless there's a way to defeat Kaedeji instantly, neither taijutsu nor ninjutsu will work. He now has the First Hokage's cells, making his life force even stronger, so it can only be genjutsu," Danzo suddenly said.

Illusion? Good idea, but who has an illusion of that level that can take down a powerhouse like Kaede Tsukasa in an instant? Even Madara Uchiha would have a hard time with that!
The Third Hokage set the tone: "Stop all actions against Kaede Tsukasa, guide public opinion in the village correctly, stabilize people's hearts first, and then talk to Kaede Tsukasa about the rest."

They agree that violence should only be used as a last resort. Even if they win, they will lose. The losses to Konoha from this civil war might even exceed those of the Fourth Shinobi World War!

If we lose outright... then let's not talk about anything else.

Just like that, the situation in Konoha Village seemed to stabilize all at once. Apart from the heated discussions in the streets and alleys, everything was normal, so stable that it made people uneasy.

The various ninja clans, who had been closely monitoring the situation, also breathed a sigh of relief.

If it really comes to civil war, who would want to go up against Kaedeji? Kaedeji has Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu under his command, and Sasori of the Red Sand, who is said to have defected with Kaedeji but whose whereabouts are unknown!

Add to that a bunch of powerful zombies like Fenfu, Lao Zi, and Sha Bao Lang Mu, and these are the well-known forces. Who knows if Feng Jian Si has any hidden powers?

To wipe out such a powerful group in one fell swoop, are we supposed to just summon the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and unleash a Tailed Beast Ball to wipe out the entire village? That would be truly insane!

"Anyway, that's how it is, Obito."

Looking at the young man kneeling before him, Fugaku earnestly instructed, "You are too young to understand, but I hope you can start looking at things from the perspective of your clan as soon as possible."

"I understand, clan chief. According to you, the village is only one step away from civil war. Kaede Tsukasa has even summoned Kakuzu and is ready to take action. So, the current stability is essentially a helpless compromise under mutual fear, isn't it?"

Obito looked very serious: "This fragile balance will collapse sooner or later. What will the Uchiha clan do then? Should they side with the village or with Kaede Tsukasa?"

Fugaku's expression was serious.

Is there even a choice? Of course, you choose whoever wins!
Even if a normal person launches a rebellion, using the power of their entire clan, they would at most employ a decapitation strike tactic and would not easily engage in a war of attrition with the village's massive ninja force.

But Kaedeji is different. This guy might be most inclined to wage a war of attrition. Putting aside all moral considerations, Kaedeji probably prefers to target ordinary ninjas of the lower and middle ranks!

By creating more corpses, they can continuously replenish their troops and chakra points, sustaining the war through warfare until the village suffers excessive losses and the Hokage line collapses.

Even if they were defeated, Kaedeji could use space-time ninjutsu to escape with a bucket—Fugaku understood the village's higher-ups' approach. Facing such a perfect ninja, even attrition warfare was not a good solution; they had no choice but to compromise.

Obito suddenly laughed: "This is really difficult. Everyone wants Kaede Tsukasa's chance to be resurrected, but they don't want to disobey the village's orders. What can we do? This is so difficult."

Fugaku frowned, feeling that Obito had somehow gone astray, as if he had been influenced by other ideas. However, this might not be a bad thing; it was much better than becoming a fool who only knew how to shout the Will of Fire.

"Because of the Second Hokage, the Uchiha clan will be under the village's most intense scrutiny, and the clan will not express its political stance unless absolutely necessary," Fugaku said.

Soon after, Obito left Fugaku's house, feeling extremely bored. Compared to the ideas Madara had taught him, Fugaku's actions always seemed petty and narrow-minded, constantly talking about his clan, even though he and Kaede Tsukasa were clearly plotting against the entire ninja world.

Moreover, it is a great undertaking to end conflict and establish lasting peace.

Under the moonlight, Obito's shadow was faintly visible. He was already thinking about what delicious food his grandmother would prepare for him when he got back.

"Ok?"

Obito suddenly stopped in his tracks, a single tomoe Sharingan appearing as he stared at the man who had silently appeared twenty meters away.

Danzo opened his one eye: "You must be Uchiha Obito, the super genius who is famous throughout the village. It's amazing that you obtained the Sharingan at such a young age."

"who are you?"

"I am Shimura Danzo, a disciple of the Second Hokage and the leader of Root."

"Never heard of it. What do you want?"

"Hmph, it's normal that you haven't heard of it. You're still too young. Being young means having little experience and being easily influenced by outside opinions. But it doesn't matter."

Danzo pointed at Obito's eyes from afar: "Those eyes possess the power to see through darkness, and you will gain ever greater power from them. I want to tell you that genjutsu will be your final destination, just like Madara Uchiha back then."

Damn it, that old bastard!
Obito was furious; he immediately realized Danzo's purpose.

Is this intended to make him specialize in genjutsu, and even enable his Mangekyou Sharingan to unlock genjutsu-type eye techniques in the future?

He did indeed have the idea of ​​using illusion magic to take down Kaedeji, but he also wanted the space-time eye technique.

Even though illusion magic seems to be the only way to deal with Kaede Tsukasa on the surface, Danzo actually set his sights on him, and with such a foolish and clumsy method...

"Nonsense, I'm going home." Obito snorted coldly, suppressing the fierce glint in his eyes, and walked away on his own, completely ignoring Danzo.

If Danzo dares to make a move, Obito wouldn't mind showing this guy Tobi's power, and then killing Danzo right here and now—he wouldn't care about what happened afterward, he could just incite the Uchiha clan to rebel with Kaede Tsukasa.

“I know you went to see Kaedeji. No matter what agreement the Uchiha clan reached with him, you must understand that the Uchiha are first and foremost members of the village, and so are you.”

Danzo said with a gloomy face.

"You'd better go back right now. This is Uchiha clan territory. What are you trying to do, coming to a place like this in the middle of the night? Do you really think my clansmen are all fools?"

Obito completely ignored him, not even turning around, which made Danzo even more dissatisfied, and he restrained himself from attacking Obito.

He failed. Obito was unexpectedly difficult to fool. He showed no respect for Obito's status and did not listen attentively to his words. Instead, he quickly left as if avoiding a fly...

Is this right? This doesn't seem right. How come a method that always works perfectly is failing here?

As expected, they are the utterly evil Uchiha!

Hopefully, his words can have a psychological effect on Obito. After all, Obito is the most likely person to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan after Madara Uchiha. Using Mangekyou-level genjutsu to deal with Kaede Tsukasa should surely be successful.

What Danzo didn't know was that once he made a move, he wouldn't be able to escape safely without paying the price of losing several Sharingan eyes.

Obito's own strength isn't that great right now, but he still has Tobi and Black Zetsu and White Zetsu at his disposal, and he can beat Danzo to a pulp in no time.

Moreover, this is the Uchiha clan's territory. If any disturbance occurs, a large group of Uchiha clan members will immediately swarm over.

……

"Well, that's about it."

Kaedeji opened the window and glanced outside. Sure enough, a large crowd had gathered, cheering and staring at him with expectant eyes.

Everyone is waiting, waiting to see exactly how many merits are needed to exchange for a resurrection opportunity!
Although such a life-or-death policy will certainly require a long period of research before it is officially introduced, to put it bluntly, it would be normal for it to be introduced a year or two later.

But people's passion was irresistible; throughout the entire ninja world, no one had ever been able to achieve this.

Kaedeji closed the window expressionlessly.

"It sounds noisy outside. Shall we make a move? With your strength, you could turn them into zombies in an instant, right?" Kakuzu's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"Wait a little longer. I need to bring back a helper first. That guy will be of great help to us."

"Hmm, is this the guy you mentioned who's chasing immortality, Sasori of the Red Sand?"

This time, Kaedeji did not respond, but instead used the Void Realm Technique to leave, leaving only a zombie howling in the spot.

A base within the Land of Fire.

Kaede Tsukasa walked in and saw that the walls were covered with all kinds of parts—not only parts of puppets, but also parts of human bodies.

"How's it going? It should be finished by now, right?"

"Yes, thanks to you, I've grasped the basics. Now it's time to put them into practice."

Sasori of the Red Sand was adjusting his body. Unlike in the original timeline, this time, he covered his body with a layer of white flesh—undoubtedly, it was the flesh of White Zetsu.

To expedite the advancement of the human puppet technique, Kaede Tsukasa provided a considerable number of White Zetsu as materials.

"This white stuff is very useful. It can provide me with more chakra, so I don't have to keep only one flesh and blood core. All the flesh and blood in my body can be the core."

Sasori of the Red Sand now resembles a mechanical ascension, with all his internal body parts replaced. His internal organs are gone, not to mention his bones and nerves, which have all been replaced with puppet components.

If one had to pinpoint any imperfection in his current body, it would undoubtedly be that when he activates his internal mechanisms, he easily damages the outer layer of white flesh, leaving it a mushy mess...

Anyway, Sasori himself wouldn't care about that, since White Zetsu's body tissues don't have blood, making it much more visually appealing.

Sasori calmly cleaned his laboratory, carefully collecting all the parts that might be useful.

"I've heard from White Zetsu that many interesting things are happening outside. It seems like Sunagakure is on the verge of collapse," said Sasori, sealing the components one by one into the scroll.

"Your grandmother was also captured by the Akatsuki. She's probably dead by now. Nagato's Rinnegan has the ability to search memories."

"Hmm, what a pity..."

Sasori of the Red Sand fell silent, his face expressionless, seemingly unmoved by his grandmother's fate. But only he knew the truth.

Kaede Tsukasa spoke up: "Have you decided on your target? Puppeteers need top-tier bodies for modification. Have you decided who to target?"

"How about Nagato? Using the puppet technique to unleash the power of the Rinnegan is also a good idea."

"You can't beat him."

"Isn't there still you?"

“I can beat Nagato, but I might not be able to beat his comrade, that guy named Yahiko,” Kaedeji Tsukasa replied.

Sasori of the Red Sand finally showed a slight emotional fluctuation, staring at Tsukasa Kaede in surprise.

He knew that Kaedeji wasn't the type to make empty promises, nor would he use such a clumsy excuse to shirk responsibility.

"Is that so? According to your definition of the ninja world, does that Yahiko possess power comparable to the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, making him a powerful ninja who surpasses the Kage?"

"You could say that. If necessary, he can unleash even greater power—if I'm not mistaken."

"...I suddenly feel a bit unfamiliar with this world. Whether it's you, the Rinnegan, or Yahiko, it seems like a lot of strange guys have all come out at once."

After finishing his tidying up, Sasori casually grabbed a large garment from the wall and draped it over his shoulders. His handsome face was filled with an icy indifference.

Kaede Tsukasa said calmly, "Just as you have noticed, this world is becoming increasingly unfamiliar, and it will become even more unfamiliar, even disorienting, in the future."

"Hmph... You're not suggesting we start with Konoha, are you? Once I get what I want, I'll help you achieve what you want. After all, we're traveling together. It would be too boring to go on alone. Only those who live forever are qualified to talk about the future."

“Don’t feel lonely about this. You will soon meet other fellow travelers. Everyone of them can live forever. They can live forever on their own without relying on my Reincarnation Technique,” ​​Kaede Tsukasa replied.

Sasori of the Red Sand finally became very interested. It turned out that there were other people besides Kaede Tsukasa and Hidan.
"Then send me to the Land of Wind. I've had a problem with this guy for a long time, and I'll find a chance to kill him. He'll become my trump card."

(End of this chapter)