Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 138 Becoming Hokage from This Moment

This is the first time Kaede Tsukasa has used Tsukuyomi. Only by experiencing it firsthand can one understand how useful it truly is. It can defeat a Kage-level powerhouse with a single glance, or at the very least, severely damage their spirit.

Jiraiya was in this situation. He spent three days and three nights in the Tsukuyomi world, suffering all kinds of torture. If it were just simple mental damage, it would be fine, but the key is that Kaede Tsukasa killed him and destroyed his spirit.

Nagato destroyed Konoha Village in his quest for revenge, killing him again and again; the Third Hokage and Tsunade, among others, died tragically before his eyes.

Although it was all an illusion, it felt so real and long to Jiraiya—even though he knew he was under a terrible illusion, what he experienced felt so real to him.

Thus, in the eyes of others, Jiraiya, who was the main force in the battle, fell down in one move, even though the two toad sages immediately took action to try to pull Jiraiya out of the illusion.

"No need to waste time. I've already dispelled the illusion. He won't be of much use in this battle."

Kaedeji frowned deeply. He was in great pain as well, the stinging in his eyes was unbearable, and an unimaginable, twisted malice was assaulting his mind.

However, as long as Jiraiya can be dealt with, it will all be worth it.

"Damn it, everything just now was an illusion! What kind of eye technique is this? My body..."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, trying to move, but he couldn't control his body. Even simple thoughts were like torture.

This kind of illusion is simply unheard of!

"Old man, can you recognize what kind of illusion this is?"

"No, I've never heard of that. But Jiraiya is in a dangerous situation. He has lost the ability to balance natural energy on his own, and he's relying entirely on us!"

"But it's very difficult for the two of us to maintain Jiraiya's balance while fighting the enemy!"

The two toads were startled, and the Third Hokage and the others also fell silent.

Even the most pessimistic person would never have imagined such an outcome. Jiraiya, the most trustworthy top fighter, was crippled in a single encounter!

To put it bluntly, even if it were any other top-tier ninja who were hit by Tsukuyomi, despite the mental trauma, if they really gritted their teeth and persevered, they might still have a little bit of strength left to fight back.

But Jiraiya couldn't do that either, because he had entered Sage Mode, which required him to devote a lot of energy to maintaining the balance of his life force, mental strength, and natural energy!

If he hadn't entered Sage Mode and instead fought in his normal form with two toads, he wouldn't have been in such a passive position after being hit by Tsukuyomi.

Kaede's offensive came again, and powerful zombies surged in from all directions. As far as the eye could see, everything seemed to be against them.

Boom boom boom!
The Third Hokage swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang, instantly shattering a large number of trees. His powerful taijutsu skills were on full display at this moment, but it was completely useless.

Even if the Ruyi Jingu Bang assists him in battle, sometimes extending, sometimes turning, with perfect coordination, and each strike can penetrate dozens of meters of ground, which is even more effective than many powerful ninjutsu, what's the use?

The trees continued to pour in, and given Kaede Tsukasa's enormous chakra reserves, it would be worthwhile to use his chakra to exhaust the Third Hokage and the others.

Moreover, Kaedeji doesn't need to engage in any war of attrition with these people.

boom!
The blue giant entered the fray, wielding two katanas in each hand. Each swing unleashed a terrifying shockwave, possessing not only power but also absolute speed!

As he swung his arms, countless blue blades of light obscured his vision, striking the Ruyi Jingu Bang one after another, sending the tiny Third Hokage flying.

All the shadow clones were blasted into smoke, not even having a chance to get close to Kaedeji.

The key is that even if you get close, it won't help; you have to break through those two wooden dragons first!
Danzo roared and swung his head, using a wide-range wind jutsu to quickly clear away the surrounding objects. However, when he struck the wooden dragon, he only left deep wounds on it and ultimately could not destroy it.

At the very moment the spell was cast, Danzo was bitten to pieces by another wooden dragon, and his figure slowly disappeared.

Izanagi was activated. Danzo, who had just been resurrected, glanced at the Third Hokage who was still fighting to the death, and without any hesitation, turned around and fled.

"Hiruzen, you'll hold off these guys from now on. I'm different from you. If I survive, there's still a chance for me to take back the village in the future!"

Danzo knew the Third Hokage's personality all too well. There was no point in him continuing to fight. Faced with the disparity in both quantity and quality, it was indeed simpler to give up.

But the escape route wasn't so simple. Danzo was killed several times, but fortunately he had enough eyes—each three-tomoe Sharingan could maintain immortality for sixty seconds. Within those sixty seconds, even if he was killed multiple times, it was still only that one eye that was consumed.

"I understand. You absolutely must survive, old friend... Earth Release: Earth Dragon Barrage Technique!"

The Third Hokage held his Ruyi Jingu Bang in front of him, withstanding a violent impact from Bunpuku, and took the opportunity to unleash two mud dragons that clashed with the two wooden dragons.

This bought Danzo a moment to escape. The Third Hokage was also panting heavily, feeling exhausted. The intensity of this battle was too high. In just a few seconds, they had to exchange dozens of blows, and none of the enemies who participated in the attack were weak!

This was the most difficult battle the Third Hokage ever faced in his life, and it was also his last.

As the Hokage, he absolutely cannot hand over the village, yet he cannot leave the World of Trees to expand the scope of the battle, as this would only give Kaede Tsukasa more reasons to purge his rebellious comrades.

"It seems this is the end for me. This is my end, but it is definitely not the end of the Will of Fire! Where leaves dance, fire will never die. You seized the village by force, and you will never gain everyone's approval. You will destroy this village with your own hands!"

The Third Hokage, wielding his Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel), slammed it down on Susanoo, only to be stopped by two katana.

"Then let's destroy it. Although it's a bit of a pity, there will always be a steady stream of people who want to escape their commoner status and become ninjas... I will do my best to promote this noble profession and train more ninjas. It won't be long before we can cover up the traces left by you people."

Kaede glanced at Danzo, who was determined to escape, and activated another of his Mangekyou Sharingan techniques—Eight Thousand Spears!

This is an even more dangerous eye technique than Tsukuyomi. It can leave a unique mark on the recipient, and when necessary, the caster can extract the recipient's chakra from a great distance.

Of course, for this technique to truly be effective, it must be used on a large scale, causing more and more people to fall victim. This is one of the important means for Kaede Tsukasa to control global chakra in the future.

Kaede Tsukasa withdrew his gaze from Danzo. With his current strength, he could definitely kill Danzo, but it would be a waste of time and there was no need for it. He casually dispatched two elite Jonin, Terai and Troy, with more than ten Jonin zombies to hunt down Danzo.

"Pray for Danzo, Hokage-sama. If he takes a chance and stops using Izanagi to save chakra and Sharingan, he will never be able to get rid of me. Of course, neither will you."

Kaede Tsukasa also used the Eight Thousand Spears Eye Technique on the Third Hokage.

"Sarutobi, you have the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern on the back of your hand. You've been hit by his eye technique!" Enma hurriedly warned.

The Third Hokage glanced down, panting but not feeling any discomfort, so he didn't figure out what this eye technique was for—locking onto a location?
But whatever it is, he is certain of one thing: he absolutely cannot let Kaedeji Tsukasa get his body!!
"Monkey King, help me one last time, then you can leave!" the Third Hokage shouted, his Ruyi Jingu Bang swiftly turning to bind the two giant katana.

The Third Hokage held the other end of the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Monkey King's staff) and aimed it directly at Kaede Tsukasa. As the weapon rapidly extended, it slammed into Susanoo.

He used up his last bit of chakra to activate Earth Release: Earth Release, but instead of attacking Kaede Tsukasa, he destroyed the ground and trees beneath Kaede Tsukasa's feet, making Kaede Tsukasa unsteady.

To the Third Hokage's dismay, Kaede Tsukasa was precisely controlling his Susanoo to move in sync with him, so much so that the Third Hokage's attacks couldn't even break through the outermost layer of heavy armor, let alone the muscles and bones inside.

"There are absolutely no flaws. They have clearly established an absolute advantage, yet they are still very cautious in protecting themselves... Well then, that's the only way."

The Third Hokage pulled out an explosive tag; this was all he could do: "Enma, get out of here! You've done your best!"

After waiting for a second, the Ruyi Jingu Bang remained motionless, standing there. The Third Hokage looked at it in confusion and discovered that the Ruyi Jingu Bang's surface also displayed a kaleidoscope pattern, flashing intermittently.

Suddenly, an astonishing power of ocular energy erupted from the right eye behind Kaedeji's back. The Third Hokage's body was forced to kneel on the ground uncontrollably, and all of his chakra was forcibly drained by Kaedeji!
The Monkey King also reverted to its original form, lying on the ground in agony, its chakra also stolen.

This means that the two of them have lost their ability to fight, as well as their means of protection against the zombie transformation technique!

At that moment, the Third Hokage understood. His expression darkened, and even though the explosive tags in his hands made a hissing sound, they could not soothe his cold heart.

As expected, Kaedeji controlled Susanoo to open its large hands, grabbing the Third Hokage and Enma in each hand.

Simultaneously, Bunpuku severed the Third Hokage's hand, letting it fall and be shattered by the explosive tag he was tightly gripping.

"So, your second Mangekyou Sharingan technique is this kind of power—stealing other people's chakra... What a domineering ability."

The Third Hokage's body was being squeezed so tightly by Susanoo that it was creaking and groaning, and he could be crushed into a pulp by Kaedeji at any moment, but he knew very well that Kaedeji would not do that.

The Eyes of the Mind: Considering that the person who awakened these Mangekyou Sharingan was Kaede Tsukasa, it seems plausible that he awakened this eye technique that can steal the chakra of others.

In the current ninja world, what is the most essential step for ninjas fighting against Kaedejima? It's simple: cover themselves with chakra. This effectively counters the corrosive effects of the Zombie Technique. In other words, as long as they have chakra, they don't have to worry about inexplicably turning into zombies and attacking their comrades!
But what about now? Once you're hit by this Mangekyou Sharingan, all your chakra can be violently taken away by Kaede Tsukasa at any time. Without chakra, you'll naturally be unable to resist Kaede Tsukasa's techniques and will turn into a zombie in a very short time!

This is yet another S-rank technique that can be closely integrated with Corpse Escape, raising the level of terror of Corpse Escape secret techniques to a new level!
Even with his unwavering will, the Third Hokage was somewhat disheartened at this moment—not entirely because he had lost the opportunity to destroy his own body and was about to become a zombie like Kaede Tsukasa, but more because he was pessimistic about the future of Konoha.

It seems that just as people have gained a new understanding of the Corpse Escape Technique, acquired the latest information, and are struggling to devise countermeasures with a very low success rate, Kaede Tsukasa always manages to pull out an even more troublesome complementary technique out of the blue.

This means that the tactics people design will always lag behind Kaedeji's growth rate! To put it bluntly, even if Kaedeji no longer gets stronger or masters any new techniques, his current power alone is already enough to give people a splitting headache.

In any case, the Third Hokage will never have the chance to see how people in the future deal with Kaedeji, nor will he see how Kaedeji plans to govern Konoha.

"Si, I hope you can govern the village well and treat your fellow villagers kindly. They are innocent."

"I know. Die with despair and pain, and I will let your soul enter the Pure Land. You're welcome."

With a slight exertion of force, the Third Hokage's pupils gradually changed, turning deathly white, and he let out an incomprehensible howl.

"As for you, Enma, the Hokage's handy weapon, you will forever be the Hokage's weapon." Kaede Tsukasa also made Enma a member of his team.

From then on, Kaede Tsukasa had another Kage-level zombie in his hands.

With the death of the Third Hokage, the civil war was gradually coming to an end, and the biggest obstacle in front of Tsukasa Kaede had disappeared.

But not everyone who harbored the will to resist gave up.

The two toads were already using reverse summoning techniques to take Jiraiya away, but Kaede Tsukasa used the Eight Thousand Spears eye technique on Jiraiya, indifferently watching the smoke rising in the distance, and no longer paying attention to him.

"You didn't kill Jiraiya? You showed mercy?" Orochimaru arrived not far from Kaede Tsukasa.

Kaede glanced at him and suspected that the Orochimaru in front of him was a shadow clone. Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have appeared in front of him so easily before he had a way to break the Eight Thousand Spears.

“Why would a farmer arbitrarily kill his own livestock? That guy has a much greater use.” Kaedeji’s casual remark immediately stirred a strong sense of apprehension in Orochimaru’s eyes.

Kaede Tsukasa has begun to view issues from the perspective of a "Kage," and his approach is completely different from that of the previous three Hokage; he is now conducting a straightforward value assessment.

What Orochimaru didn't know was that Kaede Tsukasa only gave Jiraiya the Eight Thousand Spears to ensure that he could take Jiraiya's chakra at any time if necessary. The key was not that Jiraiya was a Kage-level powerhouse, but that he was the teacher of the Child of Prophecy.

It's that simple.

"Prophecy, that's something that can observe different timelines..." Kaede Tsukasa will have to make a trip to Mount Myōboku sooner or later. In the future, when he goes to war with the Ōtsutsuki clan, he will have to improve his various abilities no matter what, and prophecy is one of them.

Kaede Tsukasa already had a vague plan on how to use prophetic abilities. Moreover, rather than saying that prophecy is about observing fate, it is more accurate to say that it is about observing the timeline. Kaede Tsukasa also pays close attention to different time branches.

With Mitokado Homura's body brought back by Sandstorm Araki, the outcome of this battle was already predictable. Apart from Danzo and Jiraiya, who were hit by the Eight Thousand Spears and temporarily survived for various reasons, the battle on Kaede Tsukasa's side was over.

Of course, Kaede didn't kill everyone. At least some of the small groups sent by the various ninja clans survived and escaped the Tree World's territory long ago, so Kaede didn't pursue them to the end.

These people, if they die, will become zombies to fight and recharge for him; if they live, they will eventually become consumables to contribute his chakra.

The vast village of Konoha was under martial law, and most of the ninjas had no idea what was happening.

They only heard a huge roar, and then, someone standing on the roof could see the tree world that appeared, as well as the faintly visible blue giant and terrifying wooden dragon.

After the intense but short-lived battle ended, most people were still in a daze and only gradually learned what had happened.

"What?! The Hokage led a group to attack Lord Kaedeji? Are you kidding me?!"

"This is absurd! Are you under some kind of illusion?"

"It's true. Lord Kaedeji has already dispatched zombies to various parts of the village to take over, and the news has already spread."

"The whereabouts of the ANBU ninjas are a mystery. Logically, there should be someone guarding important areas, but now they are all gone."

Gradually, as some ninjas tried to move near the Tree Boundary, they were shocked to see the dense forest covering the edge of the village. Even without entering, they could sense the horror of the battle through some traces.

At the very least, the fact that the two wooden dragons stood there like majestic statues was enough to silence anyone.

Hatake Sakumo received the news later. He was covered in blood, looking at his dwindling comrades and the powerful enemies opposite him.

Admittedly, he also caused Sasori and Hidan a great deal of trouble, almost severing the Third Kazekage's puppet and even piercing Hidan's head, but this was not enough to turn the tide.

When Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and immediately left the battle to rush to another battlefield, Sakumo Hatake had already anticipated this outcome.

"I've lost. If the Hokage is dead, I have no obligation to carry out orders. I have a duty to protect my comrades." Sakumo Hatake hesitated for a moment before dropping the blade in his hand.

He never had the belief that the mission was paramount, and he was quite critical of the attack on Kaede Tsukasa. Now that things had come to this point, continuing to fight was meaningless. Apart from dying with his surviving comrades, he could not create any meaningful outcome.

Sasori of the Red Sand didn't care what Sakumo Hatake thought; he controlled the puppet to seize the opportunity to kill him.

But Hidan held up his tattered scythe and blocked Sakumo Hatake's path.

"Get out of my way. You want me to give up such high-quality materials?"

"The battle is over, we've won! What, do you intend to disobey Kaedeji's orders?"

After listening to Hidan's words, Sasori of the Red Sand thought for a while and finally withdrew his puppet. He didn't have any hatred for Sakumo Hatake; he just wanted Sakumo Hatake's body.

"Hmph, it seems my payment will be in my hands soon."

Kakuzu didn't care about all that; he was more concerned about when his money would arrive. To be honest, he had killed quite a few people tonight, but none of them were well-known ninjas. He had originally set his sights on Jiraiya, but Jiraiya, who had entered Sage Mode, quickly crushed two of his hearts with the Frog Kujaku technique, leaving him extremely frustrated.

Jiraiya's strength was simply too great, and those two toads were also very troublesome. All kinds of information were unknown, and his fighting style had also changed drastically, leaving everyone at a loss.

Kakuzu felt that it was fortunate that their side consisted of a group of hard-to-kill individuals. The only normal person, Konan, was Jiraiya's disciple, so Jiraiya wouldn't easily kill her.

"I wonder how Jiraiya-sensei is doing, and what about Nagato and Yahiko..." Konan said worriedly.

In a daze, she felt like she was hallucinating, and she actually heard Nagato and Yahiko's voices.

"Xiao Nan! I've finally found you!"

"Come with me quickly, before that guy Kaedeji gets here!"

Yahiko and Nagato came into Konan's view. Both of them had signs of battle, and it was clear that it had taken them quite a while to defeat Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

All things are attracted by heaven!

Nagato immediately raised his hand, intending to pull Konan towards him.

But several wriggling white fleshy lumps immediately emerged from Xiao Nan's body, digging into the ground like nails and firmly binding Xiao Nan's body.

"These white ghosts again! They've actually possessed Konan?" Nagato was somewhat annoyed.

"Of course, my mission is to stop you from achieving your goal. Since your goal is your former comrades, I have no choice but to stop you in this way."

Obito, dressed as Tobi, emerged from the ground and glanced at Konan, who was trying to kill the White Zetsu with Paper Release: "Don't waste your energy. You've noticed it too, haven't you? These White Zetsu can quickly absorb your chakra. You just went through that level of battle, so you don't have much chakra to begin with."

Obito said this, but when he thought about the Mangekyou Sharingan he had just observed Kaede Tsukasa using, he felt a chill run down his spine!
Even if six White Zetsu absorbed their chakra together, it wouldn't be as fast as Kaede Tsukasa's single glance in extracting it.

Although Obito did not yet have a complete understanding of Kaede Tsukasa's two single-eye eye techniques, with his current abilities, he was more than capable of making reasonable deductions.

“From now on, this is Kaede Tsukasa’s village. You outsiders who have trespassed have better leave as soon as possible, or you won’t be able to keep your Rinnegan and the strange runes on your bodies,” Obito said.

(End of this chapter)