Chapter 56: It's Not Just Living Humans Who Need to Eat
Tsukasa Kaede took a deep breath. There were simply too many absurdities; for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
From the moment he obtained this Secret Technique, Tsukasa Kaede subtly sensed something was amiss, suspecting that this was the Jutsu Madara had used to "create" Black Zetsu on the original Timeline before his death.
But it was just a suspicion; after all, Black Zetsu should have been focused on Madara, not him.
Yet, he never expected Black Zetsu would ultimately choose to disguise itself as his, Tsukasa Kaede's, Consciousness.
Why? Was it the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu, which could infinitely transfer Life Force to others?
"I roughly understand now. Black Zetsu must be preparing for the future. If it fails in this era, and if it can subtly guide me, or even directly control my Jutsu, then there's still a huge chance of success in the next era. The longer its Lifespan, the higher the success rate."
Tsukasa Kaede realized this; only this could explain Black Zetsu's actions.
Look at Madara now; he's only seventy and already in this state. It shows how difficult it is to force the Rinnegan to awaken. But what if he could receive a constant supply of Life Force from Tsukasa Kaede, keeping his body perpetually in its prime? No matter how difficult the Rinnegan is to awaken, given enough time, it's bound to appear.
"Madara, you should also separate a part of your Consciousness into a White Zetsu," Tsukasa Kaede said.
"Not now. I'll do it when I'm about to die," Madara refused. He was himself, proud and unique. He wouldn't create a replica of himself when he was certain he could still live.
Tsukasa Kaede asked, "Then why don't you die now? I have no problem dealing with your remaining Consciousness, whether it's finding a successor or pushing forward with the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I'll do it."
"My Consciousness is not me in the end, nor is it your match," Madara said coldly.
Tsukasa Kaede eyed Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, shook his head, and summoned the three Root Ninja. "In that case, don't ask me for Life Force when you die. Someone like you would be wasting my Secret Technique. But thanks to you, I've come up with some interesting results..."
White Zetsu mocked, "How dare you speak to Lord Madara like that. Lord Madara, are you really not going to kill this guy? I never imagined your temper was this good."
"Shut up, White Zetsu, this isn't something you or I can interfere with," Black Zetsu reprimanded in a low voice.
Tsukasa Kaede looked at Black Zetsu with interest. "Do you know what I'm thinking?"
"No, I don't. I am a Clone of your Consciousness, at most possessing some of your thought patterns. I am your assistant; you are still the one who makes the final decisions," Black Zetsu replied.
It was quite a convincing act.
A glint of killing intent flickered in Madara's single eye, then quickly dissipated. It was his first time encountering someone like Tsukasa Kaede, who readily agreed to his grand ideals and seemed eager to execute them, yet was utterly stingy when it came to giving anything up. "Your Jutsu is ultimately an illusion, not indispensable. Even if you use your Jutsu on me, my physique will still age; it's not truly restoring youth."
"A Jutsu to restore youth would definitely be a Forbidden Jutsu among Forbidden Jutsu. I can't achieve it right now, but who knows about the future. You can look forward to it, provided, of course, that you pay me sufficient compensation," Tsukasa Kaede said.
Madara didn't respond, nor did he believe it in the slightest.
Tsukasa Kaede's ability to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu through Corpse Release and master Life Force Transfer was already extraordinarily astonishing. To also desire a truly perfect Resurrection Jutsu? That was utterly impossible; it was a Domain only the Rinnegan could touch.
The moment Madara gained the Rinnegan, he spontaneously understood the various Dojutsu within it. Yet, even a Rinnegan wielder had to sacrifice their own life to perform Rinne Rebirth. How could Tsukasa Kaede possibly achieve this with a mere Secret Technique? "Any Resurrection Jutsu exacts a terrible price. You are using Corpse Release to offset that cost, and for me, that is already enough."
Madara never mentioned the Rinnegan to Tsukasa Kaede from beginning to end. "I can have more time to find a successor, and you must also help me select a suitable candidate from the Uchiha Clan. This is a necessary step to achieve World Peace."
"Got it, got it. I'll keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan, but don't get your hopes up too much. After all, I only have a slight reputation in the Village, and considering my Secret Technique, a Bloodline Limit Clan like the Uchiha would naturally be wary of me, wouldn't they?"
Tsukasa Kaede waved his hand dismissively.
Anyway, in Madara's plan, Tsukasa Kaede was just an unexpected intruder, of low priority. His only value was to prolong Madara's life now and assist his successor in advancing the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan in the future.
"White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, I killed many White Zetsu before. I need their Corpses; my Zombies also need to feed."
Tsukasa Kaede summoned Araki of the Sand and commanded.
"Huh? Corpses need to feed? Aren't they just consumables, the kind you throw away when they're no longer useful? Are there other ways to use them?" White Zetsu was startled.
Black Zetsu's heart stirred, and it said coldly, "Just do whatever Lord Tsukasa Kaede tells you. Don't prattle on. I actually wouldn't mind a different partner."
"Seriously, you're supposed to be me, aren't you? At the very least, this body is mine. You just developed self-consciousness and you're already siding with him," White Zetsu grumbled.
Soon, White Zetsu Corpses were transported one by one.
Under the gaze of Madara and the others, Araki of the Sand pounced on a White Zetsu and began tearing at it with large bites.
With each bite, the energy within its body was replenished anew, and its condition visibly improved. The wound in its chest, stabbed by Terai, was slowly recovering.
If it kept eating like this, would it recover to its peak state, or even go further and become even stronger?
"I used to deliberately suppress the feeding instincts of these Corpses, which led to many Zombies that were buried and left unused for a long time literally 'starving' to death... After all, if something like this were to be exposed, I would become an enemy to many."
Controlling Corpses was one thing, but if Corpses could continuously devour Living Humans to gain strength and then turn Living Humans into new Zombies, that would be terrifying and would surely exceed people's understanding.
If this Jutsu wasn't eliminated soon, then in the future, all living beings in the Ninja World would either become Zombies or become food for Zombies.
Tsukasa Kaede's strength had not yet reached Kaedex Paths Level; he couldn't challenge the entire Ninja World alone.
After devouring two White Zetsu Corpses consecutively, Araki of the Sand recovered its health and still wanted to eat more.
"Then let him eat here. Given his physical condition, he can absorb quite a bit of White Zetsu's nutrients."
"Won't he burst if he keeps eating?" White Zetsu asked.
"If it bursts, it bursts. Once it does, it'll just keep eating, recovering, and bursting again," Tsukasa Kaede said casually.
"Wow, but couldn't you just transfer the Life Force from other Corpses to him?"
"Thanks to you all, I don't have many Zombies left; they can't endure this kind of consumption. Besides, Araki of the Sand is my trump card; it deserves better treatment. Isn't satisfying its instincts a form of reward?"
Tsukasa Kaede said, "Also, I'm wondering if my Zombies would experience additional growth if they ate you, who was made from First Hokage Cells. Don't complain; you are my Minion now. Just execute what I tell you to do."
(end of chapter)