Chapter 47: A Thousand Li Dash to the Land of Rain
"Danzo-sama said that Tsukasa Kaede-sama's Secret Technique can control a large number of corpses, which is very suitable for search missions in a country with complex circumstances like the Land of Rain," the assistant said.
Tsukasa Kaede put away the mission scroll and said, "Danzo-sama didn't just say that, did he? What else?"
"Danzo-sama also said that he really wants to use this opportunity to see the results of your cultivation over the past six months."
The assistant respectfully continued, "In over five months, you have consumed a total of 1216 ninja corpses. Even with Root's strength, supplying them has become somewhat difficult, because we cannot use the corpses of ninja from our own village; they have to be transported from other places."
"Hmm, I can feel that. From the initial forty or fifty per day, it gradually dropped to ten or twenty later. Some corpses have even been rotten for a long time, still stained with mud, clearly dug up from the ground. I've seen all of this, and since Danzo-sama has given the order, I will certainly carry it out."
In fact, if he didn't carry it out, there wouldn't be much of an impact. With his current strength, if he truly wanted to leave, Danzo couldn't stop him, but there was no need for that.
Danzo was a very troublesome fellow; in a large sense, he represented the village. Anyone who moved against Danzo was considered to be committing treason against the village. But if Danzo moved against someone else, at most it would just be ceding some interests and then getting scolded by the Third Hokage a couple of times.
Tsukasa Kaede had no intention of committing treason against the village. As long as Danzo didn't go too far, he wouldn't turn hostile; they just needed to get what they each wanted.
"Does he want to test my mettle with this mission... The Land of Rain is indeed a good place. Hanzo the Salamander of Hidden Rain Village is one of the current Kage-level powerhouses in the Shinobi World. If I'm not careful, I might not come back."
"You jest, Tsukasa Kaede-sama."
The assistant had no trace of a smile. "Although you've been in rigorous cultivation for the past five months, rumors about the Spatial Rift Jutsu have persisted in the village. Everyone is waiting for you to make a move again, eager to witness the full power of this Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Tsukasa Kaede didn't respond further, turning to pack his equipment — in reality, there wasn't much to pack. He changed into clothes suitable for combat and sealed his straw hat, spare clothes, and other items into a special scroll, carrying it with him.
Most importantly, he placed a summoning scroll at his waist.
The assistant's gaze followed the movement of the summoning scroll. He knew very well that what was sealed inside determined how much combat power Tsukasa Kaede could unleash.
"Are you curious?"
"No, I have almost no curiosity. Right now, I am simply obeying Danzo-sama's orders, collecting as much intelligence as possible, and intelligence often lies in various details," the assistant replied.
Tsukasa Kaede scoffed, not minding it. He rather liked this guy's honesty; it was probably the chosen social method of this Root ninja.
After quickly getting ready, he pushed open the door of the Corpse Disposal Unit again. Without any delay or procrastination, he was fully prepared.
A gentle breeze blew, feeling quite comfortable. Summer was fast approaching.
"This season is perfect for travel. I want to experience the continuous heavy rain of the Land of Rain up close."
Tsukasa Kaede turned back to look at the three assistants. These three had, at some point, put down their work, donned their gear, and silently followed behind Tsukasa Kaede.
"...I think your name is Komatsufuji, if I remember correctly. I thought only you were from Root. Turns out all three of you are? Danzo-sama really values me; he won't even give me a real assistant," Tsukasa Kaede shook his head.
Komatsufuji responded, "You must have anticipated this long ago. It shouldn't be important to you, anyway. You've never trusted us, otherwise, you wouldn't be calling my name for the first time now."
Tsukasa Kaede smiled. "You're right. It seems we get along well. I hear Root ninja are known for strictly following their superiors' orders, never hesitating even when facing death. I hope you can demonstrate this excellent quality... I'll give you some good news in advance: even if you die, your corpses will continue to fight with me. Isn't that touching?"
The three Root ninja didn't respond, awaiting Tsukasa Kaede's next command.
To be fair, if Tsukasa Kaede truly ordered them to commit suicide on the spot, they certainly wouldn't obey, because observing and analyzing Tsukasa Kaede's strength and Secret Technique was also part of their mission.
In some ways, this mission was even more important than finding Jiraiya.
The group of four immediately set off, passing through the Hidden Leaf Gate, rapidly heading northwest. The entire process was swift and decisive.
"Hey, hey, hey, whose squad is that? Aren't they even going to stop and say hello before leaving? Someone who didn't know would think they were spies from another village, caught and fleeing for their lives."
The dozen or so ninja guarding the gate stood on the city wall, gazing at the four rapidly disappearing dark figures, chatting idly while on duty.
It was only during wartime that there would be over ten ninja at the gate; normally, there weren't so many.
One of them stroked his chin, a look of suspicion on his face. "The one leading them, I think I've seen him somewhere before..."
"Was it during the decisive battle against Hidden Sand Village last year? The young man who used the Soul Death Technique really stole the show."
"That's right, it was him! I remember Kato Dan-sama publicly called him a genius of the village! I've been waiting for him to earn greater achievements and become someone like Minato Namikaze, but I haven't heard any news of him in a long time."
"Those who participated in the battle against Hidden Sand Village have gradually begun heading to the battlefields against Iwagakure. Perhaps Tsukasa Kaede was also waiting for such an opportunity."
"This time, will that Tsukasa Kaede head straight to the front line? He's very skilled at using Jutsu with corpses, so only the front line would be suitable for him to exert his strength."
"Hard to say, the direction is wrong."
Many ninja soon stopped talking about Tsukasa Kaede and began discussing the situation with Iwagakure. That village's combat power had truly exceeded their expectations. Not only did the fighting show no sign of ending, but it was also becoming increasingly brutal.
The entire Shinobi World watched Hidden Leaf Village and Iwagakure fight head-on. Various Hidden Villages periodically sent squads to invade and harass, making Hidden Leaf Village and Iwagakure even more frustrated.
Tsukasa Kaede led his team, traveling day and night without rest. In just 57 hours, they arrived at the border of the Land of Rain.
"Just arrived and the weather is already changing. These dark clouds look like they're about to press down at any moment."
Tsukasa Kaede extended his palm, nonchalantly feeling the heavy humidity in the wind.
Behind him, the three Root ninja were breathing rapidly, clearly struggling. Their stamina could no longer keep up with such high-intensity, long-distance sprints.
"His stamina is abnormal."
Komatsufuji had already noticed this.
(end of chapter)