Shisui Ought to Kowtow to Me

If this continued, Kaedeji felt that his situation would become very dangerous. He began sensing the zombies nearby, prepared to use the Void Realm Technique for a long-distance transfer, and then defect.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario. He might not need to do that, but if it truly came to it, he could not be completely unprepared.

It could not be helped. Root's ninja lineup was simply too comprehensive. The few who had acted already made him feel strained, while another Root ninja had not attacked from beginning to end, yet had already formed hand seals and was ready to cast a jutsu at any moment.

Kaedeji recognized it as the Mind Body Switch Technique. The other party was prepared to take over his mind at any time, but had yet to use it.

That alone was enough for Kaedeji to infer some useful information.

"Lord Danzo, this kind of test is truly too dangerous. I nearly threw caution to the wind and used the Void Realm Technique to flee to the Hokage Building and report this matter." Kaedeji sighed helplessly, raised a hand, and recalled Sandstorm Araki.

"Going to the Hokage Building would be useless. There are people all over the village willing to serve this old man. If I wished it, you would have no chance at all."

Danzo would never have imagined that Kaedeji had considered defecting, much less known that this guy's loyalty to Konoha was extremely unreliable.

"No, you misunderstand. What I mean is that I would flee farther away, then detonate everything here and blow it all completely clean... The art of self-destruction may only last an instant, but when used well, it truly has a unique charm."

Kaedeji pressed one hand against the ground. Fine rustling sounds continuously came from the cemetery around them, exceptionally eerie and sinister beneath the night sky. This was a far more unsettling change than the open battle itself.

A flicker of emotion appeared in Terai's eyes. "You actually planted so many corpses without anyone noticing... When did you do it? Could it be that you had already anticipated what would happen tonight and started preparing long ago?"

He did not accuse Kaedeji of being too bold. Controlling so many already buried bodies at once was an obvious act of desecration that violated the village's will, but their joint attack on Kaedeji had gravely violated the Will of Fire. In truth, its nature was even worse.

"Captain Terai, I have not mastered the Prophecy Technique. This was merely a self-defense measure born of necessity. Who would have thought that you would join Lord Danzo in attacking me?"

Kaedeji rose to his feet. The movements beneath every gravestone around him instantly vanished without a trace. "Speaking of which, I was also surprised when I noticed that you had come."

He had indirectly admitted that he possessed "Perception Ninjutsu"—although what he sensed was the negligible amount of virus in Terai's body.

Terai turned to Danzo. "Lord Danzo, we can continue the attack. His finances are insufficient for him to purchase enough Explosive Tags, and he may not have truly implanted all his limited Explosive Tags into so many corpses. Such a large operation could not possibly have caused no commotion."

"No need," Danzo said.

Kaedeji looked as though he had been relieved. "Then it seems I have received an opportunity from you."

"Hmph. Your secret technique indeed has great potential. Being able to bring out this Sunagakure Ninja's power to such an extent exceeded this old man's expectations."

Danzo had failed to subdue Kaedeji quickly and no longer wished to waste time. Since Kaedeji had displayed sufficient strength and potential—especially his ability to flee and maneuver—Danzo changed his approach from capture to recruitment.

Yes, if Danzo could control Kaedeji through force, he would never consider persuading him with words.

He was recruiting useful tools to expand the overall strength of his faction, not taking in disciples. He would not waste time on troublesome matters.

"Starting tomorrow, you will receive the corpses you desire. Whether in quantity or quality, this old man will satisfy you. No matter who asks about tonight's events, say that you were conducting normal ninjutsu experiments. Root will also cover for you. You are a War Orphan. You would not have made it this far if you were brainless, so you surely know what to do."

"That is naturally no problem. But, Lord Danzo, my intuition tells me that if I do not promptly do something to repay your kindness, I will inevitably pay an even more painful price in the future."

"Are you teaching this old man how to do things?"

Danzo snorted, then said, "When there is a use for you, this old man will order you to carry out missions. In this village, only under this old man's command can you truly display your talents. If you truly follow the plan like other ninja, you will never have the opportunity in your life to come into contact with the corpses of great ninja."

Danzo left with his people, leaving only devastation across the ground.

Kaedeji remained where he was, waiting for people from the village to come investigate the situation.

"That was truly dangerous. Danzo definitely intended to control me from the very beginning. It was never a so-called recruitment. If I had not prepared beforehand, my situation would have been extremely passive."

In truth, Kaedeji had considered what would happen if Danzo captured him, planted the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on his tongue, and forced him to serve Danzo.

He would gain higher authority, gain access to all manner of forbidden experiments, and more easily obtain a powerful body highly compatible with himself. As long as he could replace his current body and use a new one, he could naturally escape the Sealing Jutsu.

But accomplishing such things under Danzo's watch would be difficult. He could not place his hopes on Orochimaru helping him; that would be absurd. Orochimaru was even more dangerous than Danzo.

After thinking it over, Kaedeji still tried to ensure his own freedom. This time, he had by chance forced Danzo to back down with the Suicidal Corpse Explosion Technique and the Void Realm Technique, but he could not rely on this every time in the future.

"When all is said and done, I still need more corpses to speed up my cultivation efficiency... This is a difficult period, but once I get through it, the world will truly be wide open."

Even if Danzo wanted to do something again by then, it would be hard to say who would act against whom.

"At least I will not become a second Uchiha Shisui... No, I should say that I will keep Uchiha Shisui from becoming a second me."

In the future, he would have to make Uchiha Shisui properly repay this immense favor.

Not long afterward, Anbu ninja were the first to arrive, followed by members of the Uchiha Police Force. Then the Konoha Patrol Unit arrived after hearing the news, intending to seal off the entire area layer by layer while taking away Kaedeji, the only suspicious person.

But Root ninja soon stepped forward and forcefully stopped everyone, declaring that this was Lord Danzo's order. The Corpse Disposal Unit belonged to the Intelligence Interrogation Department and was carrying out tasks for Root and the Medical Department. Departments without direct authority were not allowed to interfere.

"What kind of joke is this? A battle clearly just broke out here. What experiment could make such a huge disturbance? It cannot be that whatever Root says goes. We of the Konoha Military Police Force refuse to accept this!"

"Then go report to Lord Danzo and see what Lord Danzo has to say."

The Root ninja said coldly, "Squad Captain Uchiha Yashiro, you have stretched your hand too far."