My Companions and I Were Incredibly Close

Summoning Technique was a very interesting type of summoning jutsu, ranging from C-rank to S-rank.

The highest S-rank Summoning Technique was typically Impure World Reincarnation.

The lowest C-rank Summoning Technique could be Ninja Tool Scroll Summoning, or summoning formulas engraved onto wristguards and belts to summon various ninja tools at critical moments. For example, when Sasuke fought Danzo, he summoned a pile of shuriken from his wristguard.

The Summoning Technique Kaedeji currently used was undoubtedly C-rank and could only summon a few ninja tools—his scant chakra was insufficient to use a Higher Rank Summoning Technique. Even if he wanted to learn one, such as animal summoning, he had not signed the corresponding contract.

However, the ninja tool he had summoned was somewhat special.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The coffin that abruptly rose from the ground served as a shield, firmly protecting Kaedeji and blocking the senbon needles.

"A coffin?" Norio's face showed confusion. He had never heard of such a summoned object, but that would not affect the final outcome. A mere Konoha Genin had only one path before a Chunin like him: death.

Creak—

The coffin, which had Originally Was completely silent, began to stir after being struck by three senbon needles, as though whatever was inside had been awakened.

The rotten pine boards slowly lifted, crashing onto the ground with a loud bang and revealing the body sealed within.

This corpse was a horrifying work of art—its head was fixed crookedly onto its neck, and two deathly pale eyeballs stared from its festering sockets. Dark red blood had congealed A Long Time Ago, covering every part of its body.

Most horrifying of all was its chest, where a chunk of flesh had vanished, exposing its rotting, shriveled, incomplete organs. It showed that this body had endured a brutal battle before death and had died terribly.

"Judging by its clothing... it seems to be an Iwa ninja." Norio was deeply shocked as he tried to make sense of the ghostly thing before him—an Iwa ninja's corpse sealed inside a Konoha Ninja's coffin?

No, it was not a corpse, because he watched with his own eyes as the horribly decayed thing moved!

Damn it, a guy who had clearly been dead for a long time was staring at him with pale eyes, and The Next Second, it moved, lifted a foot, and walked out of the coffin toward him!!

"What the hell is this thing?! Judging by the state of its body, it should already be dead, so why can it still move? What kind of jutsu is this?!" Norio's mind roared. His first reaction was that he had fallen under Genjutsu.

"This is a jutsu that can kill you. Honestly, this is my first time using it on an enemy... a healthy enemy, that is."

Kaedeji formed a seal with one hand and, through the resonance of chakra, controlled the zombie before him to attack the enemy.

This was also his first time using the Zombie Secret Technique in actual combat, though he had secretly tested it before.

After all, he was specifically responsible for escorting ninja corpses. There were too many usable Materials, and a zombie's physical condition was no different from that of a dead person. After experimenting, he could simply dispose of it as a corpse, leaving Without Any traces.

Research ninjas with genuine talent would not waste their time on a pile of low-value Genin corpses. Coupled With Kaedeji's concealed casting process and his deliberate avoidance of the Hyuga Clan, only performing the jutsu in the forests along the route, there was even less chance of being discovered.

Kaedeji was not actually satisfied with this zombie.

This zombie had Originally Was a Genin. Its strength was mediocre, and it had died without a sound, the type nobody would waste time paying attention to. It was very suitable as his target. To the point that when this guy still had one breath left and needed to be casually disposed of by the corpse transport team, Kaedeji had pretended nothing was amiss and Acted, implanting the Zombie Virus into its body with chakra.

Kaedeji had done similar things many times and had several zombies that were barely usable—but they were only barely usable.

Norio sized up the decaying living corpse, unease filling his heart. To be safe, he intended to finish it with a long-range ninjutsu.

Water Release: Water Severing Wave!

A violent torrent surged forth, washing away part of the zombie's rotten flesh and knocking it to the ground.

"So this is the jutsu you use to save your life?" Norio let out a breath of relief and gave a savage grin. His Hands formed seals rapidly as he charged toward Kaedeji.

Whatever the other side planned to do, killing him Will Be Enough.

Kaedeji retreated several steps. If he did not keep something in reserve, he would be utterly outclassed in speed and would not survive three seconds.

Corpse Manipulation: Corrosive Burst, detonate!

A sizzling sound suddenly came from the fallen zombie, followed by a thunderous explosion!

The massive blast engulfed the Mist Ninja, kicking up dust that filled the sky.

This was a zombie he had spent A Bit of time fine-tuning... He had carefully attached Explosive Tags to its bones and used his jutsu to control its body for chakra transmission.

Kaedeji slowly lowered the arms shielding his face, but he did not relax. He quickly backed away and stood Beside Him, leaning against his two companions.

Over the years, he had developed a cautious personality. His poor physical condition did not permit him to take risks; a single lucky gamble could mean death.

When the dust settled, that ninja was not quite dead yet. The water stains on the ground indicated that he had used Water Release to offset part of the explosion.

However, he had still suffered grievous injuries. Most of his body bore terrifying wounds, and his face was completely mangled.

Various scraps of flesh and blood from the zombie had splattered onto Norio.

"As Expected Of an outstanding ninja who survived the Second Great Ninja War. You are qualified to make me remember your name, while you can still retain your self-awareness." Kaedeji shielded his two companions behind him and spoke solemnly.

"Ugh... you damned bastard..."

Norio spoke indistinctly as he looked at his body, especially the wounds where chunks of rotten flesh had stuck to him. He was both shocked and furious.

He Actually had been defeated by this kind of trash!! And in such a miserable state!

"What, you still want to fight? Then I'll have no choice but to summon new tools." Kaedeji narrowed his eyes.

He had only prepared four Exploding Zombies in total, and there were three remaining, hidden in different locations throughout the forests of the Land of Fire for emergencies.

There was no helping it. He went on missions too infrequently, and the money he earned healing wounded people was limited. Even during wartime, when the village distributed Explosive Tags and offered discounts on additional purchases, the financial burden was still far too great for Kaedeji.

Placing fifteen Explosive Tags on every zombie had nearly bankrupted him.

Kaedeji had also imagined further developing Corrosive Burst until it could achieve the effect of Mutual Exploding Tag—an endless bombardment within a certain period of time.

Just imagine it: two or even more zombies spreading out across the battlefield, moving at extreme speed, then suddenly beginning Mutual Exploding Tag self-detonations, turning Wherever He Went into a field of white ash.

What should such a jutsu be called? Infinite Corrosive Burst... no, perhaps Infinite Good Fortune?

Unfortunately, it was destined to remain a fantasy for now. He still had a long way to go before making it a reality.

"...He ran away. Good. Though I still don't know that guy's name."

Kaedeji slowly released his left hand, which had been holding a seal, and watched the other man's retreating figure, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

On the surface, he had merely gained a slight advantage in this battle and forced the enemy back. In truth, he had already won.

"A Chunin, and heavily injured at that. To incorporate him into my Corpse Manipulation will take some time... My chakra is still too little. Not only does it keep me from casting freely, it also severely slows my progress in further developing Corpse Manipulation."

Kaedeji looked at his two unconscious companions on the ground.

"And since I didn't use these two, I can leave them as they are for now instead of turning them into zombies. Then... release!"