chapter 76 part 1
## Chapter 76: Zombie Horde
Tsukasa Kaede first surveyed his surroundings, glancing at the numerous skeletons and the many overturned test tubes, and understood the situation.
"This fellow was very skilled in using Lightning Style during his life, so I arranged for him to showcase his Lightning Style Jutsu one last time to greet you. I hope you enjoyed it... However, I didn't expect Lord Ryoma to be here as well."
Tsukasa Kaede first nodded to Orochimaru, then looked at Ryoma.
Orochimaru and Ryoma's expressions were grim; they had already prepared for battle.
Buzz! A large number of bugs flew out, but Orochimaru was even faster!
"Hiding Shadow Snake Hands!"
A poisonous snake shot out from his arm, tightly binding Tsukasa Kaede's body.
"Heheheh, Tsukasa-kun, this isn't a place you can just waltz into whenever you please. Intrusion without prior notice can truly be fatal..."
Orochimaru excitedly licked his lips, his eyes burning. This was his first time seeing Tsukasa Kaede, and if possible, he wished it would be the last.
But he knew that was impossible.
As expected, Tsukasa Kaede stood still. The zombie who had previously used Lightning Style immediately slammed its hand on the ground, and a Summoning Technique Formula appeared on the surface. Immediately, several coffins emerged from the ground.
Tsukasa Kaede casually swapped places with a zombie, breaking free from the Hiding Shadow Snake Hands.
Immediately after, he kicked open a coffin lid and stepped out of the coffin.
"Fortunately, I meticulously prepared these coffins..."
"Oh? So Tsukasa-kun had already made preparations to transfer using Spatial Rift Jutsu? You truly are thorough."
"No, that's not what I meant. I was saying, fortunately, I put air freshener in these coffins beforehand, otherwise, the corpses, having been cooped up for so long, would already reek," Tsukasa Kaede said.
Orochimaru paused for a moment, then gave an evil smile. "What a fastidious person. My intel never recorded you as having germophobia."
"It's not germophobia, just a small hobby. Zombies stored in coffins for backup should naturally be different from zombies sealed in Summoning Scrolls, like this guy."
Tsukasa Kaede raised a hand and pointed. From another coffin, yellow sand poured out from the cracks, and Araki of the Sand emerged from the sand-filled coffin.
With the appearance of this Elite Jonin, a trace of caution, along with astonishment, entered Orochimaru's eyes as he scrutinized Araki of the Sand.
"You've preserved him surprisingly well. It seems my research results are consistent with yours: zombies can recover their physical state by eating. This is probably an instinctual way to replenish Life Force. But Araki of the Sand is indeed a dead man, and his condition is far better than I anticipated. So, what did you feed him? Did you use Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu on him?"
The more Orochimaru looked, the more he liked what he saw, wishing he could swallow Tsukasa Kaede whole and devour him.
"Oh dear, probing another's Secret Technique upon first meeting them, isn't that terribly rude? Speaking of which, each of you Sannin, due to your individual personalities, have been rude in different ways. The most excessive, without a doubt, is you, Lord Orochimaru."
Tsukasa Kaede spoke with a smile, appearing extremely relaxed, even walking around with great interest, continuously inspecting various equipment, occasionally opening scrolls and perusing the data recorded on them.
"Lord Ryoma, if I were you, I'd abandon the idea of using Insect Secret Technique. You can't stop me, and your actions won't escape my Sensory Perception."
Tsukasa Kaede casually pointed, and the numerous bugs that had previously devoured the zombies immediately began to die in large numbers. "Bugs have brains that are too simple, and their body structure is the same. Using Corpse Release to control these things would mean fighting you for control, and I might not even win, so it's better to just deal with them directly. If this was your way of deliberately probing me, you succeeded."
The two types of Chakra and the zombie virus struggled within the bugs, which simply couldn't withstand it. Parasitic Destruction Bugs are known for their rapid reproduction and Chakra consumption, but they are by no means invincible.
As long as Ryoma himself didn't relinquish control of his bugs, if Tsukasa Kaede tried to infect them with the virus, Ryoma would kill the bugs before Tsukasa Kaede could succeed.
"Compared to bugs, I truly prefer dealing with people. It's a pity we meet under these circumstances. You secretly researching my Secret Technique behind my back is somewhat overstepping."
Tsukasa Kaede looked at the utter mess, found an empty spot, and sat down. Immediately, a zombie rushed to position itself beneath Tsukasa Kaede, acting as a chair.
This precise, powerful control, achievable without Hand Kaedegns or words, made Orochimaru's eyebrow twitch. "This was bound to happen sooner or later. With your talent, you're destined to make a name for yourself in the Shinobi World sooner or later. More people will research your Secret Technique, trying to find a way to break it."
"Heh, well, it shouldn't be comrades from the Village doing this. Even Tsunade-senpai hasn't done such a thing. But considering it's you, such actions seem only natural."
Tsukasa Kaede slowly said, "I came to the Front Line using Space-Time Ninjutsu without Lord Hokage's reassignment. Strictly speaking, that's a violation. Lord Orochimaru will surely handle this."
"Of course, I truly wish to have a good talk with you... Ryoma, your business here is concluded. Leave now and tell Danzo that once the war ends, I will immediately begin preparing what he desires," Orochimaru said.
Ryoma didn't feel awkward; instead, he looked at Tsukasa Kaede. "You came here without authorization, and you didn't report it to Lord Danzo, did you? And what's with your body? Intel indicated that after you assisted Kato Dan in defeating the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, you became extremely emaciated, but now you've recovered a great deal."
"It seems Lord Danzo didn't tell you about my affairs. You don't need to gather intel for Danzo because of my physical changes; he knows everything clearly," Tsukasa Kaede said indifferently. "Now, get out, or are you implying you wish to fight me here?"
Orochimaru let out a sinister chuckle, mocking, "Ryoma, it seems Danzo doesn't fully trust you either, since you don't even know Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu."
Ryoma fell silent and walked out of the Main Camp.
The Root Ninja outside immediately approached. As soon as Ryoma gave the order, they would rush in. No matter what happened inside the Main Camp, they would intervene and clean up.
"Lord Ryoma, there seems to be a battle inside. Do we need to do anything?" the leading Root Ninja asked.
"No, Tsukasa Kaede arrived. The commotion is a bit loud."
"Tsukasa Kaede... used Space-Time Ninjutsu to come from the Village to the Frontline Camp? His Chakra has become that abundant? This is highly unusual. Did Lord Danzo order him to come?"
This time, Ryoma didn't answer. As Danzo's chief aide, he wouldn't voluntarily bring up matters he shouldn't inquire about.
Ryoma managed to suppress his personal emotional fluctuations to the maximum extent. Feelings of humiliation or offense, even if present, would not affect his rationality in the slightest.
Under the gaze of numerous Ninja, Ryoma quickly departed with the Root Ninja, which only deepened people's confusion.
Even a fool would know that a fight had broken out. While the initial commotion could be attributed to some experiment, the subsequent burst of Lightning Style Chakra couldn't be faked.