Chapter Summaries

In Konoha’s 39th year, Kaedeji described how his Earthling body had barely survived years of illness and how he had developed the ability to control a zombie virus and resurrect the dead. He accepted a deployment to the northern border, determined to use every opportunity to escape his frail body.

• Kaedeji explained that his body had struggled against diseases in the Naruto World because it had far fewer cells than a native’s, leaving him too weak to extract much Chakra.
• Kaedeji revealed that years of experimentation had let him control the Zombie Virus and resurrect the dead, a power he had kept secret to avoid being accused of forbidden techniques.
• Kaedeji considered how to escape his Earthling body and decided to seize opportunities by serving Konoha, since he could not rely on Orochimaru’s Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique.
• A messenger told Kaedeji that Lord Ryoma had ordered a Medical Ninja squad to assemble at the northern border.
• Kaedeji recognized Kazematsuri Takuya, a medical ninja he had previously saved from a fatal poisoning on the Amegakure battlefield.

Kaedeji joined Kazematsuri Takuya’s Medical Ninja team on a mission and used unconventional methods to save two wounded Konoha comrades. After Kaedeji recognized that their rescue had been a trap, three Mist Ninja surrounded the group, leaving them facing an imminent fight.

• Kaedeji explained how he had survived as a War Orphan and said his health and physical abilities were finally improving.
• Kazematsuri Takuya’s team found Tobitake Tonbo escorting two critically wounded comrades after their Medical Ninja had been killed in a Mist Ninja ambush.
• Kaedeji assessed the injuries, conserved Chakra while treating the patients, and kicked one wounded man in the groin to jolt him back to consciousness.
• Takuya refused Tonbo’s request for an escort because his team had to follow Aburame Ryoma’s orders, but Kaedeji declared the situation an emergency and prepared for an attack.
• Three Mist Ninja emerged and surrounded the Medical Ninja, and their leader identified himself as Ao of Kirigakure.

Ao and the Mist Ninja attacked Kazematsuri Takuya, Tobitake Tonbo, Kaedeji, and two wounded Konoha companions, forcing the group to flee after Takuya bought them time. Kaedeji was cornered by Norio but revealed that he had prepared a jutsu, summoning a pitch-black coffin from the ground.

• Ao ambushed the Konoha group with Water Release, killing one ninja and wounding Tobitake Tonbo and the others.
• Kazematsuri Takuya fought Ao while Kaedeji fled into the forest carrying two badly wounded companions.
• Kazematsuri Takuya raised an Earth-Style Wall to delay the Mist Ninja, but Ao sent Norio after Kaedeji.
• Norio caught up with Kaedeji, who placed the wounded men down and revealed that he had been preparing a tactic.
• Kaedeji used the Summoning Technique, and a pitch-black coffin burst from the ground.

Kaedeji used his Zombie Secret Technique and an explosive corpse to defeat and drive off the Mist Chunin Norio. Afterward, he assessed his injured companions and chose not to turn them into zombies yet.

• Norio attacked Kaedeji with senbon, and Kaedeji summoned a coffin containing a decayed Iwa ninja zombie to block them.
• Kaedeji controlled the zombie to attack Norio, but Norio’s Water Release knocked it down.
• Kaedeji detonated Explosive Tags hidden on the zombie, badly injuring Norio.
• Kaedeji taunted the wounded Norio, who fled before Kaedeji could learn his name.
• Kaedeji considered the chakra needed to incorporate Norio into Corpse Manipulation, then left his two unconscious companions unchanged.

Kaedeji considered how Kirigakure’s Bloody Mist policy and the Senju Clan’s mysterious disappearance might connect to his plans to replace his body, while worrying that revealing Corpse Manipulation would bring trouble. Meanwhile, Ao cornered the wounded Kazematsuri Takuya, but a charred figure with uncanny white eyes arrived and shocked him.

• Kaedeji reflected on the Senju Clan’s disappearance and wondered whether it could provide an opportunity for his Body Replacement plan.
• Kaedeji decided he needed to return safely to Konoha and find a convincing explanation for exposing Corpse Manipulation.
• Ao pursued and cornered the badly wounded Kazematsuri Takuya, who warned that his comrades had bought others a chance to surround Ao.
• Ao prepared to kill Kazematsuri Takuya and leave the Land of Fire, but a charred, unrecognizable figure approached.
• Ao stared at the figure’s unusual white eyes and wondered whether they were white eyes.

Kaedeji’s zombie distracted Ao and let Kazematsuri Takuya escape, but Ao captured the zombie’s head and fled to study it. Kaedeji returned to Konoha with two wounded companions and learned that Minato Namikaze’s patrol had rescued the others, though Minato did not recognize him.

• Norio transformed into a zombie, blocked Ao’s attacks on Kazematsuri Takuya, and kept fighting even after Ao cut off its head.
• Ao seized the zombie’s head for study while Kazematsuri Takuya escaped, then fled without searching for the Mist Ninja pursuing Tobitake Tonbo.
• Kaedeji watched Ao retreat from a distance and carried two unconscious wounded men toward Konoha.
• Tsume Inuzuka met Kaedeji with a guard team and escorted him toward the village.
• Kaedeji found Kazematsuri Takuya and Tobitake Tonbo at the entrance and heard that Minato Namikaze and Choza Akimichi’s patrol had rescued them.
• Kaedeji realized that Minato Namikaze did not recognize him among the many Konoha ninja.

Kaedeji explained that he had used the Dead Soul Technique to save his comrades, and Kazematsuri Takuya agreed to help shield him from scrutiny. After Kaedeji was officially marked as having failed his mission, Aburame Ryoma summoned him and questioned why the Wandering Miko had taught him the jutsu.

• Minato Namikaze comforted the rescued ninjas and left without speaking to Kaedeji.
• Kazematsuri Takuya asked Kaedeji about the technique he used, and Kaedeji identified it as the Dead Soul Technique.
• Kazematsuri Takuya warned Kaedeji that the jutsu could draw criticism in peacetime and promised to help explain its use.
• Kaedeji reported to the mission office, where officials judged his mission a failure for disobeying Aburame Ryoma's order to head north.
• A masked messenger brought Kaedeji to Aburame Ryoma, who questioned why the Wandering Miko had taught him the Dead Soul Technique.

Aburame Ryoma coerced Kaedeji into reporting on Yakushi Nonō by threatening to cut War Orphan subsidies and send trained orphans to the front. Kaedeji left calmly, recognizing Ryoma’s suspicions and resolving to use his new Corpse Disposal Unit assignment as an opportunity to practice his ninjutsu.

• Kaedeji told Aburame Ryoma that he wanted to work hard and repay the village, while Ryoma focused on the possible connection between him and Yakushi Nonō.
• Aburame Ryoma demanded that Kaedeji regularly pass him information about the miko and threatened War Orphans and their subsidies if Kaedeji refused.
• Kaedeji challenged Ryoma’s view that comrades were secondary to missions, and Ryoma insisted that ninjas were tools serving missions.
• Kaedeji reflected that Ryoma had mistaken him for Yakushi Nonō’s close associate and that Root would continue trying to force her back into espionage.
• Kaedeji viewed his transfer to the Corpse Disposal Unit as a chance to practice ninjutsu before Ryoma discarded him, then returned home to rest.

Kaedeji joined Konoha’s Corpse Disposal Unit, where he processed enemy ninja corpses and learned that the village’s research had advanced toward experiments with First Hokage’s Cells. He left the chapter longing to obtain a stronger, more vital body.

• Kaedeji arrived at the Corpse Disposal Unit and met its leader, Morino Ise, who assigned him to polish and record the heads of recently delivered corpses.
• Kaedeji worked skillfully with the Sunagakure Ninja corpses and practiced the Dead Soul Technique with moving zombies.
• Morino Ise explained that villages guarded Kekkei Genkai secrets by destroying or reclaiming the bodies of their clan members.
• Kaedeji suspected Orochimaru and Danzo had already begun cooperating and that more secretive researchers handled valuable Kekkei Genkai corpses.
• Kaedeji concluded that the Corpse Disposal Unit’s work supported Konoha’s research into First Hokage’s Cells and yearned for a body with greater vitality.

Kaedeji falsified casualty records and experimented on corpses while Morino Ise documented his activities. When Root brought the dying Tobitake Tonbo to the Corpse Disposal Unit, they ordered Ise to dissect him alive and analyze Sunagakure poison as a B-rank Mission.

• Kaedeji buried an unidentified corpse under a false name to increase compensation funding for human experimentation.
• Kaedeji tested his Dead Soul Technique on corpses and recorded how their strength and abilities changed after death.
• Two Root ninja brought the poisoned, convulsing Tobitake Tonbo to the Corpse Disposal Unit after the hospital abandoned treatment.
• Root ordered Morino Ise to dissect Tonbo while he was still alive and prepare a detailed analysis of the poison for Lady Tsunade.
• Morino Ise accepted the mission and ordered the diagnosis to begin.

Kaedeji and Morino Ise dissected Tobitake Tonbo to study Sunagakure's poison and prepare findings for Tsunade, while Kaedeji concealed his use of the Dead Soul Technique. Their analysis report was sent through Root to the appropriate department, where it would soon reach Tsunade.

• Morino Ise told Kaedeji that Tobitake Tonbo's fate had been decided by a superior order, and Kaedeji said he would try to lessen his suffering.
• Kaedeji used Chakra to kill Tobitake Tonbo, then pretended to prepare the Dead Soul Technique when the corpse moved.
• Kaedeji and Morino Ise examined Tobitake Tonbo's poisoned body and identified damage to his glands, lungs, heart, and Chakra pathways.
• Kaedeji concluded that the poison combined a neurotoxin with fine mineral sand crystals.
• Root Ninja delivered the completed analysis report to the appropriate department, where it would soon reach Tsunade.

Aburame Ryoma forced Yakushi Nonō to accept a mission to gather intelligence on Sunagakure by targeting Chiyo’s grandson, Sasori of the Red Sands. Kaedeji and four others were assigned to the front lines, and he prepared zombie corpses before the group departed west toward the Land of Wind.

• Aburame Ryoma confronted Yakushi Nonō about teaching Kaedeji an improved Dead Soul Technique and demanded that she obtain intelligence on Sunagakure, especially its defenses and finances.
• Yakushi Nonō accepted the mission document and memorized the name Sasori of the Red Sands.
• Kaedeji received orders to head to the front lines with Morino Ise and the others, while Morino Ise temporarily closed the Corpse Disposal Unit.
• Kaedeji raised and sealed zombies, including two Jonin corpses, into a scroll as preparations for the mission.
• At dawn, Kaedeji and the other four members of the group set out west toward the Land of Wind.

Kaedeji reached the front-line camp with Morino Ise and the others, where poisoned and wounded Konoha Ninja awaited Tsunade’s return. On the battlefield, a Sunagakure Ninja attacked Kaedeji, who used a zombie to block the first strike and prepared to counterattack.

• Kaedeji used zombies as carriers during the journey and resealed them when they wore out, while Morino Ise questioned how his technique worked.
• The group arrived at a devastated camp filled with wounded and poisoned Konoha Ninja, and Kaedeji suspected the battle was going badly.
• Kaedeji noticed War Orphans helping treat the wounded and wondered whether Yakushi Nonō had infiltrated Sunagakure.
• Kaedeji was assigned to the battlefield, where Morino Ise warned him about an approaching attack.
• A Sunagakure Ninja stabbed Kaedeji’s summoned zombie with a poisoned kunai, but the zombie grabbed the attacker’s wrist before he could strike Kaedeji again.
• The Sunagakure Ninja killed the zombie and charged at Kaedeji, who formed a hand seal and began his counterattack.

Kaedeji used venomous, explosive zombies to protect himself and help Konoha defeat Sunagakure Ninja, surprising the Medical Ninja with the Dead Soul Technique's combat potential. He kept his strongest methods hidden, intending to survive until the Third Great Ninja War.

• Kaedeji detonated a zombie containing Tobitake Tonbo's venom, and Morino Ise killed the poisoned Sunagakure Ninja who was caught in the blast.
• As Sunagakure's poison smoke bombs struck for a third round, Kaedeji used summoned zombies as barriers and attackers, creating openings for nearby Konoha Ninja.
• Kaedeji's zombie crushed an enemy's chest with a kick, then he regretted not having attached an Explosive Tag before it became useless.
• Kaedeji restrained himself from unleashing the zombies' infectious potential because he wanted to conceal his power and live to fight in the Third Great Ninja War.
• Medical Ninja and other Konoha Ninja watched Kaedeji's zombies fight and self-destruct, and Morino Ise remarked that the technique's creator could not have imagined such a use.

Kaedeji withdrew from the battlefield as his chakra ran low and Sunagakure intensified its attacks. In the rear camp, Hatake Sakumo endured the casualties while following the Third Hokage’s conservative strategy and waiting for Chiyo to act.

• Kaedeji used six zombies, saw his chakra running low and enemies targeting him, and decided to retreat after Sunagakure released a fourth wave of poison smoke.
• Hatake Sakumo heard that another forty-seven Konoha ninja had died from poisoning and remained in the rear camp, waiting for Sunagakure’s commander to make the first move.
• Hatake Sakumo received reports that gas masks, Wind Release ninja, and newly delivered antidotes were limiting the poison smoke’s effects.
• Hatake Sakumo criticized Chiyo for holding back and privately disagreed with the Third Hokage’s cautious strategy, which required him to conserve his strength while comrades died.
• Hatake Sakumo reviewed intelligence and reflected that Konoha’s expected victory and demands for other villages’ mission quotas would eventually provoke another war.

Hatake Sakumo reviewed reports of Konoha's emerging talents before joining the battle when Chiyo brought Sunagakure's puppet corps onto the battlefield. Amid the fighting, Kaedeji considered developing new Corpse Release Techniques and a Chakra-efficient Substitution Technique, then faced a white puppet's axe.

• Hatake Sakumo praised Tsume Inuzuka and Kuromaru for killing two jonin, then read a report about Kaedeji's Dead Soul Technique and battlefield accomplishments.
• Hatake Sakumo reflected on Minato Namikaze's achievements with the Flying Thunder God Technique before learning that Chiyo had led Sunagakure's puppet corps onto the battlefield.
• Hatake Sakumo entered the fight as Chiyo and Ebizo attacked Konoha's forces, while Chiyo lamented Sunagakure's disadvantage in a war of attrition.
• Kaedeji, low on Chakra and constrained by the crowded battlefield, resolved to develop new Corpse Release Techniques and train a special Substitution Technique.
• A white puppet charged at Kaedeji and swung a massive axe at his face.

Chiyo unleashed the Chikamatsu Collection against Konoha, forcing Kaedeji to use two reanimated jonin to hold off one of her puppets. After his zombies were destroyed and he narrowly escaped, Hatake Sakumo arrived and cut the puppet down, leaving the battle in his hands.

• Chiyo used the Ten Puppet Collection of Chikamatsu to devastate Konoha’s forces and target promising young ninja, including Kaedeji.
• Kaedeji summoned an Amegakure jonin zombie and a Puppet Master jonin zombie, whose chakra threads let them fight one of Chiyo’s puppets and astonish the surrounding Konoha ninja.
• Chiyo recognized Kaedeji’s technique as resembling Human Puppet and ordered her forces to capture him alive and learn how it worked.
• Chiyo’s puppets destroyed Kaedeji’s two zombies, but he summoned another zombie to self-destruct and buy time to retreat.
• Hatake Sakumo arrived, cleaved the approaching Chikamatsu puppet in two, praised Kaedeji, and told him to leave the rest to him.

After Kaedeji used his Dead Soul Technique to help Konoha’s forces, Hatake Sakumo promoted him to Chunin and summoned him to central command. Chiyo learned of the technique and ordered Sunagakure to capture Kaedeji alive or obtain the technique.

• At the Konoha camp, the ninjas praised Kaedeji’s battlefield performance while Tsume Inuzuka and Morino Ise discussed the frightening effectiveness of his Dead Soul Technique.
• Kaedeji reflected that displaying his ability against Sunagakure had advanced his plans for Body Replacement and made him more difficult to dismiss or control.
• An Anbu ninja delivered Hatake Sakumo’s order promoting Kaedeji to Chunin and summoning him to the central command camp.
• Chiyo rejected Ebizo’s consolation over her severed arm and regretted not poisoning Hatake Sakumo during their fight.
• Ebizo showed Chiyo a report about Kaedeji and identified the Sunagakure Puppet Master whose corpse he had used.
• Chiyo designated Kaedeji an A-rank mission target and ordered Sunagakure to capture him alive or seize his Dead Soul Technique.

Chiyo and Sasori became intent on obtaining Kaedeji’s Dead Soul Technique to advance Human Puppet research. When Yakushi Nonō infiltrated Sasori’s workshop to abduct him and report Sunagakure’s research, Sasori caught her and asked what she knew about Kaedeji.

• Chiyo connected Kaedeji’s technique to the possibility of creating true Human Puppets and decided she wanted to capture him for Sunagakure.
• Kaedeji’s name spread among Sunagakure’s ninjas, who began studying intelligence about him and planning ways to hunt him down.
• Sasori worked on a Human Puppet and concluded that Kaedeji’s Dead Soul Technique could advance his research and bring him closer to eternity.
• Yakushi Nonō disguised herself as a Sunagakure medical ninja and entered Sasori’s basement, but Sasori recognized her and restrained her with chakra threads.
• Yakushi Nonō severed Sasori’s threads with a Chakra Scalpel and tried to leave after admitting she had come to abduct him and report Sunagakure’s Human Puppet research.
• Sasori stopped Yakushi Nonō and asked whether she knew Kaedeji, offering to exchange intelligence.

Kaedeji developed a space-time ninjutsu that let him exchange places with his zombies while waiting through a lull in the war. He then joined a classified A-rank mission led by Terai to retrieve a Konoha ninja carrying valuable intelligence, suspecting Root had ulterior motives.

• Kaedeji tested his idea for Corpse Replacement, a technique that used his connection to a controlled zombie to switch places with it.
• Five days passed without a major battle between Konohagakure and Sunagakure, and Kaedeji wondered what Sunagakure was preparing.
• Kaedeji received a classified A-rank mission from Aburame Ryoma and left camp with a five-member squad led by Terai.
• Kaedeji recognized Terai as a Root ninja and suspected the other guarded squad members were Root operatives too.
• Terai explained that the squad had to bring back a comrade carrying valuable intelligence, while Kaedeji anticipated that Root would sacrifice the team if necessary.