Hatake Sakumo, the legendary White Fang of Konoha, was without a doubt a reliable commander—and, more importantly for Tsukasa Kaede, he deeply valued his comrades. That alone made him an ideal superior.
Had it been someone like Orochimaru or any of the other cold-blooded types, they might've used the chaos to leapfrog over comrades in peril just to go straight for the kill.
Tsukasa stumbled back into the Konoha camp, disheveled and pale. He might've had a spectacular moment earlier on the battlefield, but the whole ordeal had lasted no more than a few dozen seconds. The two reanimated shinobi he summoned—zombies with barely half the strength they'd had in life—weren't some ultimate game-changers. Holding back even one of Chiyo's Chikamatsu Ten Puppets had been a miracle.
But to the others, it was as if he had turned the tide.
Looking around at the corpses of fallen Leaf ninja surrounding him, only Tsukasa had responded to that life-or-death crisis with a jutsu so unorthodox it shocked the enemy into faltering. That alone saved lives.
Medical-nin were always respected. But a medical-nin with a unique, battlefield-effective forbidden technique? Revered.
At the southeastern firepit of the Konoha camp, Tsukasa sat wearily, trying to stoke the flames. But someone else had already added wood for him. The smallest details spoke volumes about a person's standing.
"Thanks…"
"So it's true? Lord Sakumo fought the enemy commander and took her down, even severed her arm?"
"Yeah! His moves look deceptively simple, but they slice through everything—puppet or shinobi. You should've seen her flee, clutching that stump. Pathetic!"
The chatter continued, Tsukasa surrounded by voices, their expressions a blend of awe and subtle unease.
They weren't afraid of Tsukasa's power, per se. He wasn't strong enough to command the battlefield outright. No—it was the discomfort that came naturally when one stood near a medical-nin who manipulated corpses.
After all, what he had done today was disturbing, far beyond what anyone thought possible.
"It's like... he turned corpses into puppets," muttered Inuzuka Tsume, scratching her cheek. "And they could still use ninjutsu they knew in life. That's forbidden jutsu, no matter how you frame it."
"Right, Kuromaru?" she said, glancing at her black ninja hound.
"Ruff!"
"Terrifying—but it worked," came the bandaged voice of Moriya Isuke, limping over. "Thanks to him, we killed extra enemies and saved teammates during Chiyo's ambush. That changes everything."
He attempted to perform a full diagnostic on Tsukasa, only to be refused.
"Lord Moriya, have you forgotten? I'm a medic-nin myself," Tsukasa replied, calm but firm.
Isuke's eyes flickered with disappointment. He had hoped to sneak a look at the summoning scroll tied to Tsukasa's waist. All the Impure Soul Technique corpses—usable or otherwise—had been sealed back into it.
Cautious, he noted. Very cautious.
He should've focused more on the technique itself. Perhaps Aburame Ryoma would be interested... no, even Shimura Danzō might take notice. Word was, Danzō was a man who gathered every dark talent Konoha had.
If he could offer this "evolved" version of the Impure Soul Technique as tribute, maybe even Danzō would grant him an audience.
But the chance had slipped away. Tsukasa Kaede wasn't the type to give people a second shot at peering into his secrets.
Yet here he was—mingling with others, speaking like a normal shinobi. Not cold. Not brooding. Friendly, even. That in itself was strange. The old Tsukasa would've collapsed in minutes just from the germs in close contact. Now, he sat by the fire like any other soldier.
"From this point on, I guess I've gained some notoriety."
Not fame. Not the "genius-level" that bards would one day sing about. But he'd showcased his unique ability on the battlefield against Sunagakure—exactly what he needed for future plans.
There was no better enemy than Suna.
His plans for a new body were well under way. He had many theoretical routes, but Suna offered the cleanest path toward a "perfect vessel." That was step two.
Step one had been this: reveal his Shikotsu no Jutsu (Corpse Release) in a way that avoided being branded a heretic. That way, he wouldn't be "cleansed" by Konoha's dark side or forcefully recruited.
Tsukasa had no desire to end up with a cursed seal on his tongue like the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal Danzō used.
"By now, the higher-ups in Suna must've taken notice. That's dangerous—but also my opportunity."
The flame flickered in his eyes.
In the distance, a masked ANBU appeared in front of him.
"Genin Tsukasa Kaede. Under direct orders from Lord Sakumo, you are hereby promoted to chūnin for exceptional battlefield performance. Report to Central HQ immediately."
Meanwhile, back in Suna—
Chiyo sat silently, staring down at her severed arm.
"Sister, it's just an arm. With the village's prosthetic tech, you'll have a better replacement in no time," said Ebizō, trying to soothe her.
Chiyo frowned. She slammed the blood-soaked cloth into the medicine basin. Crimson spread slowly across the porcelain.
"I'm not upset about the damn arm. I pioneered human puppet conversion, Ebizō. I've already designed the prosthetics, the built-in weapons, even the compatible ninjutsu they'll use."
She swept her sleeve and overturned the medicine basin.
"What pisses me off is missing the chance to poison Hatake Sakumo. I should've laced my blood with venom. Just a few drops on him would've been enough to change everything."
She cursed her own hesitation. Sometimes a failed gamble was a victory in disguise—but she hadn't taken it.
Ebizō said nothing. Chiyo's descent into darkness unsettled him more with each passing day. Quietly, he unfurled a new report.
"Something more up your alley: Tsukasa Kaede. Sixteen. Orphan of war. Genin. Medical-nin."
The document was full of question marks.
"No bloodline limit. No famous mentor. And yet he's weaponized corpses—used them as explosive traps, even. The jutsu is called Impure Soul Technique."
Chiyo's gaze sharpened.
"That's not what Impure Soul Technique is supposed to be. How did a genin develop it to that level? No chakra threads either... so how did he control them?"
"Genjutsu?" she murmured, then shook her head. "No—genjutsu doesn't work on corpses. That's absurd."
Ebizō added, "One of the reanimated puppeteers was ours. Identified by partial remains. Killed in battle a month ago—we failed to recover the corpse before retreating. Looks like Konoha took it as loot."
Puppet masters in Suna were an elite class. Without innate talent, one didn't even get to train. That meant the pool was tiny—and any missing jōnin puppet master was obvious.
"Issue a priority command," Chiyo said, her voice cold and hard. "Tsukasa Kaede is now an A-rank target. Alive is ideal, but if not, I want his jutsu. At all costs."
"We must obtain his technique. For the future of Sunagakure."