Corpses Must Not Be Desecrated

In such a brutal battle, there was no need for Qifeng, a mere Chunin with zero battlefield experience, to throw his life away.

Wasn't Orochimaru already having a hard enough time over there?

On the battlefield, corpse collectors were responsible for this. While their comrades fought desperately on the front lines, they silently gathered the bodies in the rear.

No one would criticize them, nor would anyone blame corpse collectors for ignoring the brutality of the battle.

It couldn't be helped. Everyone had their own duties.

No one wanted to fight desperately on the front lines, only to die for their country and have their corpse unable to return home—abandoned in some remote wilderness, or even taken away by an enemy hidden village to be searched for valuable intelligence.

Therefore, not only did Konoha not oppose corpse collectors, it actively supported them.

But honestly, as Qifeng collected the corpses of one Konoha Ninja after another, his heart felt exceptionally heavy.

For a brief moment, he even felt the urge to charge in and fight the iwa-nin to the death.

Fortunately, reason quickly reined in that impulse.

What a joke. What could a mere Chunin accomplish in a battle like this?

If he were a Kage-level powerhouse, or even just an Elite Jonin, then charging in would be one thing. Perhaps he really could achieve some unexpected results.

But a Chunin...

He would merely be one more person going to his death.

Even if he unleashed all his trump cards, activating both the Shikotsumyaku and the Sharingan, he might be able to save a few people.

But once this incident was over, it would be a miracle if the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha higher-ups didn't come after him.

Most importantly, there was Orochimaru.

He might end up being sliced into specimens.

Facing Orochimaru with his current strength was truly terrifying.

Forget it.

Qifeng grumbled inwardly and gave himself some deep hypnosis.

I'm a slacker. I'm a slacker. I'm a slacker.

There was nothing wrong with honestly being a corpse collector.

As for fighting on the front lines, he would leave that to Konoha's heroes.

"Someone has to shoulder the darkness. I will become the darkness and embrace all corpses." Qifeng even found himself a rather good excuse.

He could collect corpses in peace now.

Yellow Corpse, Green Corpse, Green Corpse, Green Corpse, Yellow Corpse.

The countless light spots in different colors and shades dazzled him.

If he disregarded identity, circumstances, and feelings, it was like picking up equipment all over the ground.

It felt like being carried through a dungeon by some big shot—the big shot bravely fought monsters up front while his low-level alt frantically harvested the spoils behind him.

It felt great.

But this process was destined not to go smoothly.

Konoha had a corpse collector like him, so naturally the iwa-nin had people doing the same work.

As the saying went, when corpse collectors met corpse collectors, their eyes turned red.

He had run into someone stealing his business!

Qifeng watched an iwa-nin crouching low and rapidly weaving through the battlefield in the distance. His gaze settled on the corpse of a Konoha Jonin between them, while the other man also stopped and fixed his sights on that corpse.

The corpse was a Yellow Corpse, but the yellow light spot on it shone exceptionally bright.

There was no doubt that this had been a Konoha Elite Jonin, though he had unfortunately fallen here.

He was also the first Elite Jonin to fall in the battle between Konoha and the iwa-nin. However, his death had been valuable, because before dying, he had killed three Iwagakure Jonin. In the end, his stamina failed him, and he was killed in a sneak attack.

Jonin already counted as middle-to-upper management within a village, while Elite Jonin were practically upper management. Their minds certainly held a great deal of intelligence concerning their village.

The Iwa Corpse Collector seemed to realize the corpse's value and importance as well, and he faced Qifeng from afar.

It wasn't just the Konoha Elite Jonin's corpse. There were also three Iwagakure Jonin corpses nearby.

They were the most important corpses on the battlefield so far!

Qifeng was determined to get them, and so was his opponent.

Clang!

Qifeng slowly drew his long blade and lightly ran a finger across its edge. The blade reflected the light, yet carried a trace of chilling coldness.

He hadn't wanted to make a move.

But if the other side wanted to steal corpses, that was another matter entirely. It had crossed his bottom line.

He took one step, then another. The silver blade twisted like a water stream, while a bright white halo circled around him and enveloped his body. With every step he took, the light became more abrupt and the rays more distorted.

Seeing Qifeng's change, his opponent's expression turned grave, even wary.

But after glancing at the Elite Jonin's corpse, he gritted his teeth and shot forward.

His goal was clear: seize the corpse and retreat immediately.

However, while he was fast, Qifeng was faster.

Flowing Water Sword Technique!

His figure shifted and twisted in an uncanny fashion, like a swift yet smooth stream of water. Ignoring every obstacle around him, he reached the corpse before the iwa-nin did.

Facing the iwa-nin rushing toward him with gritted teeth, Qifeng changed his footwork once again.

Willow Dance!

Through his recent development of the Shikotsumyaku and deeper understanding of its traits, coupled with the Willow Dance posture Kaguya Senjin had displayed during their previous battle, as well as the similarly gentle and elusive movements of the Flowing Water Sword Technique, Qifeng had finally mastered this taijutsu.

Though he only had one blade, that did not hinder its execution.

The next second.

Before the wide-eyed iwa-nin, Qifeng seemed to transform into a slender, ever-changing willow branch, then into a winding, ceaseless stream. Mixed with silver-white radiance, he moved while the iwa-nin stood at a complete loss.

A silver-white flash swept across his neck, leaving behind a crimson line that deepened from shallow to dark.

His vision spun endlessly as he looked at his own body still standing there, a thought flashing through his mind.

I'm dead?

Yes.

With Qifeng's taijutsu far surpassing that of an ordinary Chunin, and the combination of the Flowing Water Sword Technique and Willow Dance, the iwa-nin was beheaded in a single exchange.

Qifeng might have seemed timid and afraid of death, but when it came to the bottom line of corpses, he showed no mercy.

He coldly watched the iwa-nin's head gradually lose its light and said faintly, "Corpses must not be desecrated."

Damn it, I pulled that off again.

Not only had the other man delivered a corpse to him for free, but he also came with all the iwa-nin corpses he had collected earlier.

A bountiful harvest!

The reason Qifeng had acted without hesitation against this iwa-nin was because he knew that no village would be foolish enough to send Jonin to collect corpses.

Jonin were core combat strength. Sending them to collect corpses would be a tremendous waste.

The corners of his mouth slowly rose beyond his control.

With delight, he collected the Elite Jonin's corpse and the three Iwagakure Jonin corpses from the ground, along with the Iwagakure corpse collector and the Sealing Scroll on his body.

There was no time to admire the spoils.

The battle between Konoha and the iwa-nin had already entered its fiercest stage. Orochimaru was also fighting at full strength, and for the moment, it was impossible to tell which side would ultimately win.

The iwa-nin's advantage was their numbers, while Konoha's advantage was Orochimaru, a presence whose strength exceeded everyone else on the battlefield.

Since he could not determine the outcome, he had to collect corpses even faster.

Otherwise, if Konoha lost, he would no longer have the chance to send the corpses of these Konoha heroes back to Konoha. During the retreat, he would also have no choice but to abandon some of his comrades' bodies.

However, the iwa-nin's numerical advantage was still extremely obvious.

Someone noticed Qifeng kill the Iwagakure corpse collector and take away the iwa-nin corpses.

That touched the bottom line for quite a few iwa-nin.

So an Iwagakure Jonin, his face filled with hatred, abandoned the person he had been besieging and charged toward Qifeng.

Konoha valued returning fallen leaves to their roots, and the iwa-nin were the same.

In particular, some Iwagakure Jonin knew portions of the iwa-nin's battle plans.

If the corpses were taken, and Konoha's Intelligence Department obtained information about iwa-nin personnel deployments or even supply line arrangements, it would be extremely disadvantageous for the iwa-nin.

Thus, this Jonin acted decisively.

After all, dealing with a Chunin would not take much time.

Qifeng sensed a chill and shuddered. He decisively dropped what he was doing and ran toward the forest in the distance.

Fuck, I'm going to die.

I've been targeted!

That was why corpse collectors were also very dangerous on the battlefield.