Sandstorm Araki's Surprise Attack

The great war erupted once again. This time, it was the decisive battle.

A total of sixteen thousand people from both sides took to the battlefield, forming different units and, under the command of captains at every level, using designated ninjutsu to carry out designated missions.

Kaedeji did not join the assault force, which made him relatively fortunate. Nominally, he was still a Medical Ninja in the Medical Corps. After Tsunade returned, command of the Medical Corps automatically transferred to her, and Aburame Ryoma had no standing to interfere.

"Sunagakure's military operations have been far too conservative lately. I have a feeling they're brewing some kind of scheme."

Tsunade looked valiant and heroic, her voice crisp and decisive.

Dan Katō revealed a gentle smile. "Leave it to me. I'll uncover whatever you want to know. My ability is also well suited to this kind of environment."

Spirit Transformation Technique!

Dan Katō's soul left his body and swiftly flew toward the Sunagakure forces.

Sunagakure had indeed prepared in advance. They had brought in a powerful ninja who was already in his twilight years.

"Is that a ray of light flying over?" Chiyo's expression changed as she looked into the sky. "Could this be Konoha's Spirit Transformation Technique? How arrogant!"

"Spirit Transformation Technique... Konoha possesses far too many precious ninjutsu. Considering the enormous size of their ninja forces, they never have to fear that their geniuses won't find suitable ninjutsu to learn. I fear only that they have too few geniuses. It truly is enviable."

A slow-moving old man gradually raised his head. Before this man, both Chiyo and Ebizo stood at his side, half a step behind him.

"Lord Bunzaemon, Sunagakure has reached its most dangerous moment since its founding. We still need you to take action," Ebizo said in a low voice.

"Our most dangerous moment? As far as I know, it was the Third Kazekage and all of you who strongly advocated invading the Land of Fire. Konoha has only been resisting you up to this point. And you call this your most dangerous moment? Wait until Konoha's people have fought their way into the Land of Wind before saying such things."

Bunzaemon spoke slowly. "I may be old, but my mind still works."

Chiyo and Ebizo's expressions remained unchanged, without the slightest shame. Their war of aggression had turned into a war of attrition, and from beginning to end, it had been fought on the Land of Fire's territory.

Before long, Dan Katō reported the old man's appearance to Tsunade.

"That old bastard is still alive... Bunzaemon, the first-generation puppeteer of Sunagakure's Puppet Masters. He also developed the Chikamatsu Collection." Tsunade frowned.

Though he was advanced in years and all his abilities had declined, simply standing there made him a formidable enemy who could not be ignored.

"Hatake Sakumo and I will handle this side. The logistics department has urgently produced three thousand doses of antidote according to the formula I provided, enough to deal with this war. Dan, don't forget the task I gave you," Tsunade said.

She was a genius. With the various reports they had gathered, coupled with firsthand observation of poisoned ninja who had survived, she had been able to quickly formulate an antidote.

Chiyo could not possibly equip every Sunagakure Ninja with the poisons she had developed. They were mainly supplied to the puppet forces and Jonin.

Dan Katō smiled. "Understood. I'll protect our comrades in the village. Once I settle things on my side, I'll hurry over to help you."

"Then I'll deal with Chiyo even faster. Maybe I'll be able to support your side instead." Tsunade was extremely confident in her own strength.

As the various units advanced in orderly fashion, the ninja at the forefront on both sides had already begun fighting—not by immediately engaging in chaotic one-on-one battles, nor even through Taijutsu clashes, but with long-range ninjutsu bombardments.

Every technique used was a common ninjutsu, so that as many people as possible could cast them together and amplify their power.

Flames, raging winds, lightning, and earthen walls surged without end, wildly reshaping the terrain.

After several rounds of ninjutsu bombardment, the follow-up forces arrived one after another and advanced from different directions. Soon, units from both sides came into close contact, and brutal slaughter began.

"How tragic. On a battlefield like this, someone like me is truly insignificant. Still, the upside is that no one should be specifically watching me." It was Kaedeji's first time witnessing a war like this firsthand, and he could not help sighing sincerely.

He felt an urge to send several zombies charging into the crowd to self-destruct, then conduct mass conversions—turning all these lively ninja on the battlefield, as well as every corpse on the ground, into zombies.

But unfortunately, he could not do that. The moment he did, he would die. His meager Chakra was also insufficient to support reckless, rapid conversion and control of zombies.

Kaedeji needed to restrain himself until the day he possessed enough strength.

Finally, when Tsunade's order reached the Medical Corps, Kaedeji immediately moved.

"Wherever Lady Tsunade appears, Lord Aburame Ryoma is nowhere to be found."

Kazematsuri Takuya appeared beside Kaedeji. For this decisive battle against Sunagakure, Tsunade had gathered Medical Ninja from all over, determined to end the war as quickly as possible.

He recalled the moment Tsunade had summoned him. From what Lady Tsunade had implied, it seemed she had other arrangements as well...

Kaedeji smiled. "Isn't that perfectly normal? The two of them have fundamentally different ways of doing things. It's natural for them not to interfere with each other's actions..."

"I'm curious about something. You've performed so well—haven't Lord Hatake Sakumo or Lady Tsunade summoned you? Your secret technique is clearly so powerful."

"It's only powerful at our level. They have many things to deal with; they have no time to spare for a nobody like me," Kaedeji replied.

Kazematsuri Takuya did not believe him.

Soon, the Medical Ninja received their orders and began moving out in succession, splitting into squads to accompany different units.

Kaedeji had originally thought he would not be targeted. On the battlefield of this decisive battle, with more than ten thousand people scattered everywhere in chaotic combat, how could the enemy possibly organize an elite unit specifically to hunt down one Chunin amid the crowd?

But he quickly realized that he was wrong.

Large numbers of hawks circled in the sky, observing the battlefield and carrying intelligence.

Then Sunagakure truly dispatched ninja specifically to deal with him!

A sudden cloud of dust swept across the wasteland. Sandstorm Araki had arrived.

His subordinates tore open Konoha's blockade, while he himself headed straight for the medical squad where Kaedeji was located. It was as though, as an Elite Jonin, he had no need to care about the outcome of this war—he just needed to deal with Kaedeji.

"Putting my value above the war itself? Sandstorm Araki, you truly move me. Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say. If it's you, then you're worth the large amount of Chakra it'll take to turn you into my servant..."

Kaedeji could clearly sense his own Chakra virus within Sandstorm Araki. Perhaps during the previous pursuit operation, one of Araki's wounds had come into contact with zombie flesh and blood, planting this hidden danger in him.

"Without my conscious control, and relying only on the Zombie Virus I brought into this world to work on its own, turning an Elite Jonin into a zombie is truly incredibly difficult. Who knows whether it would take months or even years? And that's assuming he doesn't take any action to eliminate the virus."

Kaedeji formed a seal with one hand. He might soon obtain an Elite Jonin-level zombie, but he needed to conceal the process somewhat. Otherwise, it would be far too shocking.