Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 150 The Collapse of Cloud Concealment
"Even if Father can't kill you, he will never die by your hand. Are you trying to demoralize us with such a clumsy trick?"

Ye Yue Ai immediately rebuked him, her inner fear not only not diminishing, but actually increasing with the passage of time.

Yes, the Third Raikage was extremely powerful, almost a super strongman with no weaknesses. In addition, he also had information that Kaede Tsukasa possessed Wood Release, Mangekyou Sharingan, and Reaper Death Seal. Even if the plan to assassinate Kaede Tsukasa failed, escaping would definitely not be a problem.

"You may be a space-time ninja, but you can't possibly catch up to my father at short distances," Ai Yozuki roared.

“You’re right, that’s why I never intended to defeat Lord Raikage in terms of speed… Seeing how sad you are, I’ll send you to join him.”

Kaede paused, then suddenly realized, "Oh right, I remember I took the soul from your right hand in that battle a few years ago, didn't I? It's a pity, then I'll have to consider sending you to reunite with your father. Wouldn't that be a waste of a spot?"

However, if we capture as many Cloud Village ninjas as possible to use as human batteries, we should have a much larger pool of login slots. In any case, most of these guys would be dead anyway in the original timeline.

Yes, most of them would die. This was true not only for Kumogakure, but also for all other ninja villages, whether they were large or small. The casualty rate during the Third Shinobi World War was exceptionally high.

If World War II set a bad precedent by sending children to fight, then by World War III, it was commonplace for children to rush to the front lines, and no one thought it was wrong.

Because the older and middle-aged generations suffered too many casualties, it was the children who were sent to the front lines and died in droves.

However, after Kaede Tsukasa took over Konoha, he certainly wouldn't do such a thing. He wasn't short of manpower—if the ninjas within the Land of Fire weren't enough, he could just rob the enemy's ninjas.

Moreover, the crippled Sand Village is on Konoha's side.

"Nonsense, utter nonsense! Bah!" Ye Yue Ai roared.

"Wow! Kaede Tsukasa is too powerful. Let's watch our performance!"

Killer Bee unleashed numerous octopus tentacles that rapidly extended, and every Cloud Villager he touched was covered in a Tailed Beast Cloak.

“Bee, is it really okay to do this? Although I have more chakra than most tailed beasts, it is definitely not unlimited. If I divide my chakra among all the ninjas, I may not have much strength left to deal with Kaede Tsukasa.”

"What does it matter? Even if you were at your peak, you wouldn't be a match for Kaede Tsukasa."

"In this respect, you are far more detestable than Brubi. I kind of miss him. If he had just been a little braver and hadn't always been so cowardly and run away, you wouldn't have been my vessel!"

The Eight-Tails showed a disgusted expression, and its disgust grew even stronger when it realized that Killer Bee was absolutely right.

Yes, the Eight-Tails knew it was no match for Kaede Tsukasa, not because Kaede Tsukasa could defeat the Third Raikage, but because Kaede Tsukasa possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release. The Eight-Tails knew perfectly well how powerful these two abilities were.

Oh, if Kaede Tsukasa really killed the Third Raikage, it would mean that the Third Raikage had also become a zombie controlled by Kaede Tsukasa, making it even more impossible for him to defeat Kaede Tsukasa on his own.

"If only the Two-Tails could join the battle too..."

"Yo yo, the Raikage doesn't agree, there's nothing we can do. Yugito is too young and easily attacked by Kaede Tsukasa." Killer Bee made a strange gesture on the spot, pointing his palm directly to the sky.

Kaedeji used a summoning technique to summon countless zombies, along with dense white smoke, which at first glance looked like the effect of a mist concealment technique.

"There are so many zombies..."

"There must be several thousand people here. Our numerical advantage has been wiped out in an instant, and our people will gradually turn into zombies!"

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if Kaedeji returns, so what? The Third Raikage is definitely on his way, and he might appear in front of us with the Heavenly Delivery Technique at any moment!"

"Don't be afraid! They're just a bunch of weak corpses. The advantage is still on our side. We can't give up no matter what!"

"With the chakra gifted by Lord Killer Bee, I feel like I have inexhaustible power. This way, I don't have to be afraid of the enemy's zombie transformation technique at all! No matter how many zombies Kaede Tsukasa have, can they be infinitely many? Can they outnumber Lord Killer Bee's chakra and exhaust all of us in one go?"

"Charge! Charge! Lord Tsuchitai has given the order!"

Shouts echoed through the sky, and the faces of the Cloud Village ninjas were contorted. Even though more and more people were now protected by the Tailed Beast Cloaks, they were still afraid.

They first need to break through the first line of defense, which consists of the numerous zombies summoned by Kaedeji.

Crunch!

At the forefront of the horde of zombies, several black coffins emitted a sound that made one's teeth ache, like the horns of death. One by one, powerful zombies, meticulously maintained, emerged from the coffins.

"Damn it, these guys are obviously much harder to deal with. Were they famous ninjas in their previous lives?"

"That must be Lord Troy, our village's Magnet Release ninja. He followed Lord Yotsuki in the attack on Konoha last time and unfortunately died in battle!"

"I also saw the sealing ninja from our village, and the sensory ninja..."

The people of Kumogakure were already mentally prepared to see zombies, but what really made them lose their composure was seeing many former Kumogakure ninjas charging at the forefront of the horde, their clothes still in tatters, with the Kumogakure insignia and characters still faintly visible.
But we still have to fight.

Araki unleashed a massive sandstorm, sweeping from the Konoha forces towards the Kumogakure forces, using wind and sand to buff the Konoha ninja as much as possible.

The zombies, including Terai, were the first to charge forward.

The Cloud Village ninjas at the forefront had already clashed with the zombies, fighting fiercely. The Cloud Village ninjas, clad in tailed beast costumes, were full of energy and extremely active, venting their inner fear and anxiety through actual killing and destruction.

"Having a tailed beast cloak is good; it provides a real boost in strength, which will inevitably give people more motivation than before. But what's the point?"

Kaede Tsukasa dispatched the Third Raikage.

The moment this tall figure appeared on the battlefield, it attracted the attention of all the Cloud Village ninjas—a look of stunned disbelief.

"Lord Raikage, it really is Lord Raikage, not a substitute created by the Death Soul Technique!"

"How could this be? Lord Raikage has already been... by Kaedejima..."

"Calm down, everyone. Look closely. Lord Raikage isn't dead. He's still alive, as if he's being controlled by an illusion! If we can bring Lord Raikage back, there's a chance we can bring him back to his senses!"

There was a commotion on Yunyin's side, and Yeyue Ai even roared to the sky and rushed straight towards her father like a bolt of lightning.

"Bi, come with me! We must bring Father back!" Tears streamed down Ye Yue Ai's face as she intensified her Lightning Release Chakra Mode, causing her hair to stand on end.

Their idea was simple: the Third Raikage was still alive, yet obeyed Kaede Tsukasa's orders, which meant he was undoubtedly being controlled by Kaede Tsukasa's Mangekyou Sharingan. All they had to do was steal the Third Raikage and inject chakra into him to break Kaede Tsukasa's genjutsu.

hum!
An exaggerated yellow lightning erupted from the Third Raikage, contrasting sharply with the blue lightning of the Fourth Raikage. The two equally tall figures moved at a speed that was completely imperceptible to ordinary people, and collided with a thunderous crash, like two shattered mountains.

As a result, Yotsuki Ai was at a disadvantage. He could only use one hand, and in terms of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he was no match for his father.

Fortunately, Killer Bee helped, and several of his octopus tentacles wrapped around the Third Raikage. Although the Third Raikage severed them with his palm in the next instant, it did buy Ayukatsuki time.

"Thunder bomb!"

Ye Yue Ai hoisted her father onto her back, tears streaming down her face, and roared as she slammed him down, creating a deep crater.

Without him needing to emphasize it, Killer Bee had already arrived quickly. The Eight-Tails used its octopus legs to transfer chakra, violently injecting it into the Third Raikage's body, trying to pull him out of the genjutsu.

"Alright, that solves the problem. Kaede Tsukasa is too arrogant. He'll regret it soon and die at our hands!" Yozuki Ai shouted excitedly.

The invincible father will be saved by his son, and the two will fight together to defeat the evil Konoha Village!

Kaedeji glanced in their direction but lost all interest, then gave the Konoha forces the order for a general offensive.

The clan leaders of various ninja clans, including Fugaku Uchiha, Momoka Senju, and Choza Akimichi, led their respective teams into action.

“Obito—” Fugaku subconsciously looked at the junior he cared about most.

Obito completely ignored the clan leader's intentions. Having already demonstrated his ability to instantly cast Wood Release, Obito was too lazy to waste time on someone like Fugaku and went straight to Kaede Tsukasa's side.

"We finally managed to take down the Raikage, and you're just going to hand him over like that? You're not planning to stuff the Raikage with explosive tags and wipe out that Yotsuki clansman and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in one go, are you?" Obito asked.

"No, that would mean all the bodies would be blown up, wouldn't that be such a waste?"

"You're worried about that? Then you wouldn't be so arrogant as to send the Third Raikage out so casually," Obito retorted.

"That's true. You've grown, Obito. It seems that Fugaku-senpai has trained you quite a bit."

"..." Obito became extremely annoyed.

As expected, under Obito's watchful eye, A and Killer Bee were unable to bring the Third Raikage back to his senses. Instead, they were subjected to a powerful attack from the Third Raikage at close range.

The Four-Handed Blow pierced Killer Bee's chest. If Killer Bee hadn't been a Jinchūriki and possessed unimaginable regenerative abilities with the Eight-Tails, he would have been killed in one blow.

"Father? How could this be? Why isn't it working? What kind of illusion is this?!" Ye Yue Ai was furious.

Zombies and Konoha ninjas continued to gather, launching various ninjutsu attacks on Yotsuki A. In an instant, Yotsuki A's figure was engulfed. Amidst the explosions and roars of numerous ninjutsu, the Third Raikage moved at high speed, his terrifying Four-Handed Piercing Techniques constantly stabbing at Yotsuki A, forcing him to defend with his fists and putting him in a very passive position.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Critical situation! Enter Tailed Beast Transformation immediately!" Killer Bee transformed into a humanoid Eight-Tails, its tail lashing out continuously, each strike unleashing a terrifying hurricane that sent anyone who got close flying.

Some of their tails would occasionally pierce out, extending dozens of meters long, piercing through zombies and Konoha ninjas.

But this was not enough to cover up the decline, because in this massive battle of 30,000 people, the momentum created by the countless figures using all kinds of ninjutsu to bombard the enemy was simply overwhelming, the air itself vibrated violently, and shock waves spread out violently, making it impossible to defend against.

The ninjas, caught in the midst of battle, were highly focused, with only two options: kill the enemy or be killed by the enemy. They lacked the ability to perceive the battle situation. Everywhere they looked, they saw figures screaming and fighting, falling to the ground. Their individual will had long been swept up by the frenzied collective will, and they were bound to go mad as well.

When will they come to their senses? It's simple: when your allies are dwindling, or the enemy's allies are dwindling and there are obvious signs of chaos and escape, then the battle situation has changed dramatically. Even the most insane person should start to come to their senses.

The current situation is that while the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is doing a great job, constantly attaching Tailed Beast cloaks to more and more Cloud Village ninjas, Kaede Tsukasa's side is not faring much better, because...

Kaede Tsukasa's side is also constantly reviving the dead!
Of course, he didn't revive them all with a single stroke. Kaede Tsukasa didn't have that many zombies at his disposal. He mainly used his resurrection technique on those brave, talented, and meritorious Konoha ninjas.

Needless to say, the fallen Cloud Village ninjas, even those who had exhausted their Tailed Beast chakra or were simply injured, turned into zombies in despair.

Being able to howl and bite at a comrade who was just a few minutes ago is considered lucky. If the injury is too severe and the person loses the ability to fight, they will be immediately controlled by Kaedeji to retreat to the rear and sacrifice all their life force to revive the dead Konoha ninja.

And so, the Cloud Village ninja fell and rose again; the Leaf Village ninja did the same. The impact they had on the battlefield, and the intense force they generated, had an increasingly significant effect on the Cloud Village ninja who were still fighting.

The disparity in troop strength is widening rapidly, and at an unimaginable speed. Some Cloud Village squads have already suffered defeats.

"We've lost. There's no way to turn the tide." Tu Tai, who was directing from the rear, sighed.

"Lord Tsuchidai, please don't give up! We haven't lost yet!" A sensory ninja carrying a radar device and wearing a high-tech goggles to constantly monitor the situation couldn't help but say.

“You are sensory ninjas, so you see things much more clearly than I do. The moment this war reached a stalemate, it meant that we had already fallen into a disadvantageous position. I don’t need to elaborate on that, do I?”

Tsuchida sighed. This was his most powerless moment—the turning point came when Kaedeji arrived at the battlefield, which was far too early!

Even if the Third Raikage could delay Kaedeji for a little longer, Tsuchida was confident he could defeat these tens of thousands of Konoha ninjas and burn all their corpses. By then, even if Kaedeji returned, there would be no zombies he could control immediately.

The number of available ninjas in this world is limited. As long as the killing speed exceeds Kaedeji's conversion speed, it is only a matter of time before Konoha is defeated.

Unfortunately, Kaede Tsukasa returned, and this battle plan fell through. To not win is to lose, and fighting against someone like Kaede Tsukasa is just too painful.

"How is it going with Lord Raikage? Is there still no solution?" Tsuchida asked again.

"...There's no other way. Lord Raikage is currently fighting Lord Yotsuki and Lord Killer Bee, and it seems he has the upper hand."

What about the other areas?

“Areas A, C, and D have all collapsed one after another, the enemy’s advantage is growing, and Area F is about to be surrounded. It’s only a matter of time before we are defeated.”

"What about the enemy's losses?"

"It's impossible to estimate the exact number, but currently... the number of active enemies is much less than when the war started, but their total numbers have always remained higher than ours."

Tsuchikage understood. Konoha was controlling its troop numbers, using the excess zombies as expendable resources to revive the dead, and was constantly surrounding more and more Cloud Village ninja in an attempt to capture them alive.

Continuing to persist is pointless.

Tsuchikage issued the order to retreat and decided to personally lead the rearguard to buy time for the main force to withdraw. The battle was lost, but Kumogakure was not truly defeated. At worst, they could surrender like Sunagakure and wait for a future opportunity!
Surely Kaede Tsukasa wouldn't be so crazy as to recklessly massacre the entire Hidden Cloud Village, would he? It shouldn't be that bad, right?

"Lord Todai...!"

"This is an order. It's better for me to die than for Yozuki Ai and Killer Bee to die here, and it's better for all the remaining survivors to become sacrifices for Kaede Tsukasa!"

Soon, a major mobilization occurred within the Cloud Village forces. Tsuchida led the last remaining troops into the battle and dispatched a large number of ninjas to deliver orders, forcing everyone to retreat immediately.

"What? Retreat at this time? What are they thinking? Isn't the war at a stalemate? We have every chance to win!"

"Why hasn't Lord Raikage regained consciousness yet? Is this really the effect of an illusion?"

“Execute the order. I don’t know why, but many people will die during the retreat, killed by the people of Konoha for nothing.”

The Cloud Village ninjas demonstrated a high level of unity and combat prowess, cooperating with each other to withdraw from the battlefield. Although they lost thousands more in the process, in the long run, this approach might allow more people to survive, maximizing the preservation of the Cloud Village's reserve strength and development potential.

"Yotsuki Ai, from this moment on, you are the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, the highest military commander of the Land of Lightning! You bear the heavy responsibility of leading everyone to survive in this world. Retreat immediately, and leave the rest to me!!"

Tu Tai roared.

Yotsuki Ai turned his head in disbelief, and in that instant, he was punched to the ground by the Third Raikage and struggled to get up.

Fighting against his own father, who is better than him in every way, is far too passive.

"Kirabi, take the fourth generation with you!" Tsuchikta shouted again.

"Okay, I'll listen to my older brother."

"Brother my ass! If you had any brains, you'd realize we can't win like this. Very few of us here will survive!"

"……All right."

Killer Bee stretched out its tail, intending to roll up Ai and escape.

Finally, the moment arrived, and Kaedeji made his move, appearing in front of them using a space-time ninjutsu.

“Now that you’re here, don’t think you can go back so easily. I’ve told you before, the Third Raikage isn’t dead yet. He’s waiting for his comrades to reunite with him. Do you really have the heart to let your Kage be alone forever?” Kaede Tsukasa said.

"Shut up! What other schemes and tricks do you have up your sleeve? I will repay you tenfold, a hundredfold, for what you did to my father!"

"Really? That's quite ambitious. It's not easy to do something more valuable than him."

Kaede immediately used his magic to control numerous zombies to spread the message across the vast battlefield.

"The Hokage has ordered that the enemy be captured alive if possible!"

"Prisoners must not be killed; Konoha Village will treat prisoners of war well!"

Kaede Tsukasa pondered that if he captured and imprisoned a larger group of people, his Mukoro Tsukuyomi would likely succeed, and the chakra accumulation operation would likely enter a virtuous cycle. At that time, he would have a continuous supply of chakra to use, and if necessary, he could extract all the chakra from the group of people who had entered the Mukoro Tsukuyomi.

However, unless absolutely necessary, such as when fighting against the Otsutsuki and having no other choice but to use this method to obtain a large amount of chakra in a very short time, there is no need to do such a short-sighted and destructive thing.

"You may never need to use your trump card, but you absolutely cannot be without it when you do."

Kaede Tsukasa slowly said, "You should thank me. Thank me for not yet having the ability to cast spells on a large scale, and for having to use a clumsy method, which gave many of your companions a chance to escape."

Having temporarily escaped annihilation, Kaedeji will not let Kumogakure go. The Third Shinobi World War, which he spearheaded, was intended to establish a new order after the war—an order ostensibly led by Konoha.

At a deeper level, it is a system centered on him, where he alone controls the order of the entire upstream and downstream chain from birth to death, from body to soul.

This is something even a Six Paths level being would find difficult to do; at the very least, Kaguya Otsutsuki couldn't do it.

At the same time, in the world of Tsukuyomi.

The Third Raikage felt like he was living in a never-ending, meaningless cycle.

He fought with Rōshi, and although he always gained the upper hand, even severely injuring or killing Rōshi, Rōshi would always reappear with his little four-tailed fox.

It's just that every time he reappears, Lao Zi's condition is visibly much worse than the last time.

"You see, everything here is fake, but the exhaustion after death is real. If I die too many times, I will probably be overwhelmed in reality and die of a mental breakdown."

Old Purple had no interest in getting angry, looking at the Third Raikage opposite him, who had also lost the will to fight.

"Damn it, this is never going to end..."

The Third Raikage clenched his fists, hesitating whether to try suicide, when he suddenly saw someone appear in his field of vision.

"A ninja from Kumogakure?! And more than one?"

(End of this chapter)