Zombie Sage in Naruto

Chapter 229 Divine Arts, Employing the Strongest Mechanism
For the Land of Rice Fields, which has been reduced to ruins and whose terrain has been permanently altered, the whereabouts of the Ten-Tails are no longer of any practical significance; the country is utterly finished.

The people on the land died in batches during the two great wars. Those who could escape fled, but as for the ninjas? Those who were slow to escape suffered even more. They have now become part of the Ten-Tails. All the fruits of their lifelong training and all their chakra have become nourishment for the Ten-Tails.

However, no one really cared about the fate of the Land of Fields. After all, it was a country in the cracks, existing as a buffer zone and transitional battlefield for major powers. For those large and powerful countries and villages, they were undoubtedly more concerned about information about the Ten-Tails.

In particular, after the Fourth Raikage transformed into a beam of light and fled thousands of kilometers in a very short time, the news of Onoki's defeat and capture would inevitably spread sooner or later. There was no point in hiding such information.

"Onoki is finished. It's true he can fly, but the enemy can fly too, and even faster! His physical skills are unbelievably powerful!"

The Fourth Raikage, panting heavily, threw his burlap robe to the ground and looked at the Cloud Village members whose expressions had changed drastically: "I don't know what the enemy's origins are, but I'm no match for them."

For the Fourth Raikage, he had never admitted that he was inferior in skill. Even when facing Tsukasa Kaede, he would never lose his fighting spirit. However, after facing the Ten-Tails and Jigen, the Fourth Raikage was silenced.

The two sides are on completely different levels; the gap is so large that it's impossible to quantify.

When the leader of the rival village, Onoki, was captured, the Fourth Raikage felt no schadenfreude whatsoever, only a deep sense of helplessness and shared misfortune.

The ninja world was already dominated by Konoha Village. Other major ninja villages banded together for mutual support, constantly sacrificing themselves to satisfy Kaede Tsukasa's appetite, delaying their own annihilation, and desperately searching for a way out of the predicament.

Every powerful figure who falls means a reduction in the strength to fight against Kaedejima, let alone the fact that it was Onoki who fell this time! The enemy wasn't even Kaedejima, but a mysterious person who could capture the Ten-Tails, and might even be connected to the Sage of Six Paths.

The Fourth Raikage was somewhat paranoid and increasingly pessimistic about the future of Kumogakure, but on the surface, he remained calm and recounted the course of the battle in a composed tone.

As the chief secretary, Azabui stood up and quickly said, "After losing Onoki, the only thing left for Iwagakure to shoulder the burden is the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Their strength against Konoha has been further weakened, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Kaedeji has an extraordinary need for chakra. Having captured so many prisoners, even if one has to guess, one can roughly figure out what he intends to do.

If Kaedeji launches a surprise attack on Iwagakure, this great ninja village can be declared finished. Are we really hoping that Han will use his explosive powers to kill Kaedeji, or that a new generation like Deidara will rise at lightning speed? That's simply impossible.

As for Kirigakure... that ninja village is still as chaotic as ever, with the killing of comrades being openly observed. During missions, people openly rely on ambushing their comrades to gain the right to escape unscathed from Konoha, turning war and missions into a battle royale.

“Lord Raikage, send diplomatic letters to the other villages, informing them of what happened in the Land of Rice Fields. Of course, send a copy to Konoha as well,” Azaburo sighed. “To deal with that unknown enemy, we still need Kaedeji and the Akatsuki to take action. Our other ninja villages don’t have the ability to cope.”

Many Cloud Village ninjas hesitated to speak, feeling deeply humiliated.

In order to survive, not only do they have to regularly sacrifice a group of companions forcibly trained and recruited from all over the country under the guise of war and defeat, but now they also have to adopt a fawning attitude in this way, hoping to get support from Konoha Village when necessary.

The Fourth Raikage stood silently, his massive frame muscular and imposing, yet he no longer inspired the same sense of security as he had on many occasions before. At times like these, silence was perhaps the only answer; no hope was in sight.

"No, there is definitely hope! We just haven't found it yet! The new enemy and Kaedeji's gang are fighting like dogs. No matter who wins, it won't be a good thing for Kumogakure!"

The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists. If Jigen hadn't kidnapped Onoki, the Fourth Raikage would have been willing to find an opportunity to cooperate with him. But now he had given up on that idea. The other party didn't care about the Kage of the ninja village at all. Like Kaede Tsukasa, he treated the village and the Kage as disposable items to achieve his ulterior motives.

Soon after, a diplomatic letter from Kumogakure appeared in Kaedeji's hands.

"I never expected that the Hidden Cloud Village, which should be the most united and toughest, would back down in this way? But it's no wonder. Witnessing Jigen and the Ten-Tails' power, facing a Six Paths level enemy with Kage-level strength, the despair of not seeing any hope of victory is the most demoralizing thing."

Kaedeji casually tossed the letter aside, not taking it seriously.

Regardless of whether Kumogakure surrenders or not, even if they were to surrender on the spot, Kaedeji would not stop the war. He has something next that requires an even greater amount of chakra, so the other ninja villages must do everything in their power to enhance his strength, making contributions even more significant than before.

"So, the war is going to continue?"

Nagato took it, looked at the contents, and when he saw the news that the Ten-Tails had been forcibly taken away by Jigen, his eyelids twitched and a dark cloud flashed across his face.

He also wanted to capture the Ten-Tails.

"The Ten-Tails has been rampaging for so many days, and Kaede Tsukasa hasn't made a move. It's clear that it's not something you can touch. Even I, before I'm resurrected, would definitely not be a match for that monster."

Ban stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the village bustle with people coming and going.

Many staff members who come to the Hokage Building, or those who come to apply for the Eight Thousand Spears and the Tsukuyomi Mark to enter the Musou Tsukuyomi, can see Madara wearing red armor as soon as they look up.

This is somewhat absurd, and such a scene could only occur in Konoha under the rule of Kaede Tsukasa. If it were the original Hokage lineage, regardless of their strength, having a reanimated ninja like Madara, who is also Konoha's most famous rogue ninja, standing in the Hokage Building overlooking the village would be extremely politically incorrect.

But Kaede didn't need to worry about all that. He had already firmly grasped the inside and outside of Konoha Village, and no one would resist his will.

“There will be opportunities. Now that Jigen has captured Jiraiya and Onoki, he will definitely take bigger actions next, and the Ten-Tails in his possession will surely reappear.”

Kaede Tsukasa also had designs on the Ten-Tails, but knew he didn't yet have the ability to suppress and control it: "Things will probably get interesting once I get the Rinnegan."

At the very least, the endless stream of people outside the building won't need to come to the Hokage Building to be targeted by Kaede Tsukasa's shadow clones.

Madara and Nagato simultaneously stared at Kaede Tsukasa with their Rinnegan. Kaede Tsukasa, who possessed the Rinnegan, was even more troublesome. As a teammate fighting against the Otsutsuki and the Ten-Tails, Kaede Tsukasa was undoubtedly reassuring. But as a rival or even an enemy on a different path, he was a nightmare.

Madara said in a deep voice, "It took me decades to obtain the Rinnegan, and you... even if you merge the Hashirama clone into your body, it will still take you many years of trying to integrate the power of all things in the universe."

"Many years...five years? Or ten years? I'm worried that Jigen won't give us much time." Nagato frowned. Having to be wary of Kaedeji, yet also dependent on him, and having to follow his every move—this feeling was truly awful. "How many years doesn't matter, the important thing is that I have it. By then, this body of mine can..."

Kaede Tsukasa's goal is not just one pair of Rinnegan, but two pairs: the Eternal Eyes he dug up from Obito, plus Nagato's Rinnegan from another timeline, so that four Rinnegan will be gathered in his body.

Before the arrival of the Otsutsuki clan, it seemed strange for a person to have four eyes. However, within the Otsutsuki clan, having many eyes was quite normal. For example, Momoshiki could open a golden Rinnegan on his forehead, a red Rinnegan on his palm, and two Byakugan in his eye sockets that he could use and switch between.

Moreover, it's just this one body.

"Once you obtain the Rinnegan, are you planning to take action against the Otsutsuki clan?"

Madara began to consider what method he could use to revive himself. He didn't have much time left. Kaede Tsukasa was getting stronger and stronger and would eventually take away all the high-level powers that he could get his hands on.

Although Madara has recognized the conspiracy behind the Eye of the Moon Plan and is trying every means to eliminate the Otsutsuki who brought him such great humiliation, this requires strength, and, after eliminating the mastermind behind it all, whether the Infinite Tsukuyomi can still be used is also a question...

Madara couldn't find a better way to bring lasting peace to the world than the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

“Even if I don’t act, Jigen will. He’s more anxious than we are. He has no way out now that he’s been exposed.” Kaede Tsukasa never forgot that the Sage of Six Paths was still squatting in the Pure Land.

In the original timeline, the Sage of Six Paths divided his remaining power among Naruto and Sasuke, sending them to deal with Kaguya. Once Jigen established the Kara organization, gathered enough manpower, and had a reliable vessel, the Sage of Six Paths naturally had no way to deal with Jigen, who was hiding so deeply.

Now it's different. Jigen was exposed too early. Even Hamura was able to use the giant Tenseigan to revive himself and personally intervene. Not to mention the former Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, the Sage of Six Paths.

"Let's announce the changes in the Land of Rice Fields, and also release some information about the Ten-Tails. It's time for the world to get to know this world again, so that people don't always have me on their minds when there are even more troublesome guys around."

Kaede Tsukasa casually remarked to Shikaku, who was handling official business beside him, "People must understand that I am the only savior, and only I can lead this world against the extremely evil Otsutsuki clan. It is a blessing for people to have the opportunity to risk their lives to serve me, both in this life and the next, and it is better than becoming an enemy force."

While the Otsutsuki clans were planning a mass extinction, Kaede Tsukasa was different. He wanted as many lives as possible, stuffing them all into the genjutsu world to live out their days.

……

Tenzo had been waiting for some time, and after confirming that only Jigen had returned, or that he had returned with Jiraiya and Onoki, he still hadn't seen Orochimaru.

"Lord Jigen, has Lord Orochimaru betrayed the organization?" Tenzo asked.

Cixian shook his head: "Not at the moment, he was just killed."

"Then we need to find someone who can replace Lord Orochimaru and continue to advance various research projects."

"No need, he's still alive. He'll reappear on his own soon."

Jigen tossed Jiraiya and Onoki to the ground and fell into a brief moment of contemplation—if he were to transform these two into Divine Tree People all at once, the number of Divine Tree People would exceed the number of members of the Kara organization.

If we exclude Jigen and Tenzo, Orochimaru is currently the only member of the Kara organization, and he is still on the path to resurrection.

We still need to expand our manpower. Whether they are spies or not doesn't matter. Loyalty and betrayal are never issues for someone of Cixian's caliber, as long as they provide him with enough help before betraying him.

Jiraiya and Onoki were covered in blood, with many of their bones and muscles broken, making it incredibly difficult for them to even control their fingers. Despite the nonchalant words of Jigen and Tenzo, they still hadn't given up hope of escaping.

Unfortunately, it was no use. In Cixian's view, all the efforts of the two were meaningless.

“Tenzo, from now on, I will teach you the divine art of ‘Claw Mark,’ giving you the ability to modify the Ten-Tails,” Jigen said.

"Divine magic?"

“That comes from the power of Otsutsuki Shibai. Although there are only a few divine techniques, each one is exceptionally powerful, surpassing even ninjutsu,” Jigen replied.

To put it simply, it's a top-tier technique that maximizes the "mechanism".

Normal Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnegan eye techniques are unreasonable. A typical example is Amenotejikara. Once the eye technique is activated and its mechanism is unlocked, it can achieve effects that conventional ninjutsu cannot achieve no matter how much chakra, coverage area, or various stats are stacked.

Divine arts are essentially amplifications of a specific characteristic based on pupil arts.

For example, in the anime timeline, Fugaku obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan, a prophetic eye technique. However, Jiraiya's clone, Kashin Koji, obtained the divine technique "Ten Directions," which allows him to see countless lines of fate and even the final outcome many years later. The prophetic ability of Ten Directions is many levels higher than the Mangekyou Sharingan and the Great Toad Sage's prophetic techniques.

Those who join the Kara organization are meant to become henchmen of Jigen, but they are not simply serving Jigen. They also receive powerful abilities from Jigen, which is the source of Jigen's confidence in using the Kara organization to conquer the planet.

"Otsutsuki Shibai? I've never heard you mention him before. Is he the adult who planted trees on other life-bearing planets?"

"No, He is different from all of us. In His eyes, whether it is the Otsutsuki or the natives of the planet, there is probably no essential difference... He has become a god of this universe, transcending the normal dimension that we can understand."

Jigen opened his palms: "But I obtained the 'remains' He left behind. Orochimaru has made some progress in his genetic research on Shibai."

(End of this chapter)