The Feeling of a Racing Heart

Infecting Naruto World natives with the Zombie Virus without any outside interference required a great deal of time.

If an ordinary person from Earth were scratched and contaminated with a small amount of the virus, they could last ten minutes before becoming a zombie. Naruto World natives, however, could last at least a dozen hours.

Note that this applied to ordinary people in the Naruto World, people with absolutely no Chakra in their bodies, enduring the virus with physical quality three times that of an Earthling.

A threefold gap in physical quality meant the difference in immunity was far more than threefold—at least ten times greater.

It was even more frightening with ninjas capable of producing Chakra. Their physical quality increased geometrically, and unless Kaedeji intervened, infecting a ninja through nothing more than a small scratch would take several days.

It was not that the Zombie Virus Kaedeji had brought over was weak. A virus that could turn an ordinary Earthling into a zombie in just ten minutes through a minor scratch was already terrifying. If someone got bitten, an Earthling would turn within a minute.

The newly created zombies would then bite and scratch others, expanding the horde at an exponential rate. It was entirely capable of creating a horrific zombie outbreak, leaving the infected with no chance to react.

But in the Naruto World, such a virus fell somewhat short. The natives of this world simply had absurdly powerful physical quality.

It would be even more astonishing if they mastered certain special techniques. For example, during the Chunin Exams, Sasuke learned from Kakashi how to use Chakra to stimulate the body's cells. That technique allowed Sasuke to catch up to Rock Lee's Taijutsu level in only a month.

Then there were the Lightning Release Armor of the Third and Fourth Raikage, Orochimaru's body modification techniques, and so on.

For ninjas like the Senju Clan, Uzumaki Clan, and Kaguya, who excelled in physical quality, the number of cells in their bodies far exceeded 130 trillion. Coupled with the boosts from the Cell Stimulation Technique and Cell Division Technique, the strength of their immune systems was simply impossible to estimate.

Kaedeji had once suspected that if he used his current Zombie Virus to infect the First Hokage, the First Hokage would probably metabolize every last virus with a single sneeze.

That was also why Kaedeji insisted on continuously developing Corpse Manipulation. He needed to wield his abilities through Chakra, which was the way to adapt to survival in this world.

If he truly relied only on the Zombie Virus to do its thing? It would never amount to anything.

"So, I'm truly looking forward to the opportunity to turn an Elite Jonin into my servant. It's far too rare. I originally thought I would only get such a chance during the Third Great Ninja War, after successfully replacing my body with one I was satisfied with."

Everyone had seen Kaedeji display talent beyond ordinary comprehension. Those familiar with him knew that he made visible progress every few months, and that his development of techniques surpassed that of many ninjas.

Right now, they saw Kaedeji in constant danger. It seemed that a rising young man—if not a genius, then at least someone with a promising future—was about to die under everyone's protection.

But no one could see how excited Kaedeji was inside.

This was an Elite Jonin. Such people had already reached an inhuman level. Those at the higher Kage-level often even possessed Otsutsuki bloodlines.

Therefore, Sandstorm Araki could basically be regarded as the near-ceiling among the natives of this planet.

"Come on, let me see." Kaedeji kept retreating. At last, he formed hand seals with both hands. Although he was missing two fingers, it did not affect his ability to use this technique.

Kaedeji was excited, and the nearby Konoha Ninja became even more excited when they saw his actions.

"What happened to his hands?"

"I heard that he carried out some extremely important mission a while ago and provided enormous help to the village..."

"Damn it, those warlike Sunagakure bastards ruined one of our young ninjas! Losing fingers is practically the same as sealing away many of his ninjutsu!"

"We absolutely won't let you hurt our companion! The genius of Konoha will be protected by mediocrities like us!"

The nearby Konoha Ninja seemed to have activated a collective buff called the "Will of Fire." They had already been relentlessly attacking Sandstorm Araki, but now they charged at him even more frantically, causing him immense trouble.

Even Jonin specifically rushed over to attack Sandstorm Araki, trying to buy Kaedeji time to escape.

"What is wrong with these small fry? Are they all under Genjutsu?!"

Sandstorm Araki grew increasingly agitated. No matter how arrogant he was, he did not think he could lead a squad against an entire force. He had originally intended to launch a surprise attack, exploit the timing, seize Kaedeji, and immediately retreat. He had no need to pay attention to whether the other Sunagakure Ninja lived or died.

But now things had become difficult. Even if he captured Kaedeji, it would be nearly impossible to escape unharmed with him.

For the first time, Sandstorm Araki felt that Konoha's efforts to promote the importance of comrades had some use after all. At the very least, they had raised a batch of idiots who were easily and inexplicably fired up.

Protecting Kaedeji was not the mission of these Konoha Ninja at all, so why had they suddenly decided to do something extra that had nothing to do with their mission?

Sandstorm Araki was extremely irritated. He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt his blood pressure soaring, his heart pounding wildly, while his body grew terrifyingly cold.

Fear? No, definitely not. He was a veteran Elite Jonin who had experienced countless life-and-death battles. He would not feel something like fear. Then was he simply furious?

Sandstorm Araki kept killing one Konoha Ninja after another, but the agitation in his heart did not ease. Instead, as time passed and more blood splashed onto him, it only grew more intense.

Whoosh!

He raised a sandstorm and sent the three Konoha Ninja before him flying. He also evaded the assassination strike of a Konoha Jonin, killed two zombies in a single move, then looked up toward Kaedeji. From a distance of just over ten meters, their eyes met.

Buzz!

A clear buzzing seemed to echo through his brain. His breathing became rapid, the pounding of his heart began to slow, and the flow of Chakra through the meridians in his body underwent an unprecedented change.

It was as though, all of a sudden, this body was gradually ceasing to belong to him.

At that moment, Sandstorm Araki seemed to understand something. His eyes, which had begun to turn grayish-white, widened abruptly.

That guy can not only modify corpses—he can also use techniques on living people!! The words echoed in Sandstorm Araki's mind.

He opened his mouth, but could not say anything. The ever-increasing wounds on his body gradually lost all sensation and became numb.

"It's almost done! The enemy's movements seem to be slowing down!"

"Something's strange. He clearly hasn't suffered a fatal injury... but that's a good thing. Keep it up and take him down!"

Kazematsuri Takuya panted heavily. He had been continuously healing the wounded, expending a great deal of energy. Seeing Sandstorm Araki's strange behavior, he suddenly turned to look at Kaedeji.

Kaedeji's face had turned pale from consuming too much Chakra, but the corners of his mouth were clearly raised in a smile.

"I truly have to thank these companions for their help. Without their cover, there's no way I could have taken down an Elite Jonin like this on my own... No, not just an Elite Jonin."