Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 278 The Death of Kato Dan

After bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Shisei Aburame dispelled his shadow clone technique, and his memories and senses instantly returned. That's right, he also used a clone for this meeting.

Inside the laboratory, Shiseido Aburame was quite surprised upon receiving the news.

He hadn't expected that Orochimaru would ask him to kill Kato Dan.

However, soul-based ninjutsu is indeed his current weakness, and related research materials are indeed scarce. If he could find an opportunity to obtain some soul or spiritification techniques, that would be good.

As for Jugo's defects in his immortal body, in his view, the problem likely stems from the mixture and imbalance of his energy system.

The immense physical energy that awakens too early far exceeds the control of one's mental energy, naturally making it easy to go berserk.

If one can be guided to specialize in one type of energy, or to reorganize the body's internal forces, there may still be a chance to remedy the situation.

Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with him.

From the moment Jugo fell into Orochimaru's hands, that name was already marked with Orochimaru's mark.

Several days later, on the battlefield of the Land of Rain.

Tsunade has just completed a highly complex surgery, pulling a ninja back from the brink of death.

She leaned back in the chair at the temporary command post, nestled beside Kato Dan, her brow furrowed, and suddenly a wave of weariness washed over her.

"I don't know why, but my mind is in a mess, and my eyelids are twitching a lot."

"You're too tired." Kato Dan smiled gently and held her hand lightly. "Why do you have so many premonitions? I think it's because you haven't rested for too long and your nerves are too tense."

"Maybe..." Tsunade whispered, resting her face on his shoulder.

Just then, a communications ninja rushed in, bringing an urgent battle report:

The Iwagakure demolition squad and the Sunagakure puppet army suddenly joined forces, forming an encirclement.

A mixed squad led by Konan of Amegakure, along with some Konoha ninja, totaling nearly 500 people, is trapped in the encirclement.

Kato Dan immediately got up and decided to lead a team to the rescue.

Before he left, Tsunade called him back and personally hung her lucky charm around his neck.

She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the lips.

"Come back safely. I have a surprise for you when you return."

"What kind of surprise? Can't you tell me now?" Kato asked with a smile.

"cannot."

Tsunade shook her head and said, "That's to make you have something to worry about, something to look forward to... that way you'll be more careful."

"Go quickly, I really like Xiao Nan, don't let anything happen to her."

"Alright, alright, all this mystery." Kato Dan gently stroked Tsunade's nose with his finger before turning and leading his team away.

Watching Kato Dan lead his team away into the distance, Tsunade subconsciously raised her hand and gently touched her lower abdomen.

Yes, she is pregnant.

A few days ago, while changing the dressing of an injured person, she uncovered the festering gauze and was suddenly overcome by a strong feeling of nausea.

At first she thought it was just irritation from the wound, but as an experienced medical professional, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

That evening, she took a check-up and the results confirmed that she was pregnant.

Thirty-five years old is considered quite late in childbearing in today's world.

But the joy of becoming a mother for the first time still made her heart pound like a drum, just like a young girl.

The child came at an inopportune time, amidst the chaos of war. But she secretly vowed to protect the child and ensure his safe delivery.

"Dan... What should I name the baby after he/she is born? Should he/she be surnamed Kato or Senju?" she murmured to herself, a gentle smile on her face.

However, that smile didn't last long.

The brutal battle report soon arrived: Kato Dan had been killed in action.

Intelligence indicates that his soul failed to return in time after he performed the spiritualization technique.

The body was killed by the enemy while unprepared, and the death was extremely gruesome: the abdomen was cut open, the internal organs were gone, and even the most important brain seemed to have been hollowed out by some means, leaving only a broken empty shell.

When Kato Dan's remaining half of his body was brought back, Tsunade rushed forward, but the moment she saw the horrific scene, her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground.

She reached out, trembling, and futilely searched the cold body.

"No...it's impossible...how could you be dead? How could you die!"

Her voice was hoarse and broken: "Where's your heart? Where's your heart? I'll help you revive, let me help you revive!"

"Tsunade-senpai! Please calm down! Senior Duan has already... has already sacrificed himself!" Yahiko rushed forward, trying to pull Tsunade, who was losing control of her emotions.

At that moment, Changxin walked in from outside and said to the group, "I saw it! It was the people from Takigakure who did it."

Meanwhile, far away on the border of the Land of Waterfall.

When Shisei Aburame received the message from the battlefield of the Land of Rain through a special communication insect, he was completely astonished.

"Kato is dead. Orochimaru is moving that fast? Since he's prepared to take action himself, why bother me?"

Just then, the communication insect not far away suddenly sounded. It was the one he had given to the other party last time for easy communication.

"Zhicheng-kun, your movements are faster than I imagined!"

"I initially thought you had some reservations about killing, but I never expected your methods to be so... clean and efficient!"

"You didn't kill him?"

Orochimaru immediately picked up on the key information: "Oh? So, you're saying it wasn't you who did it?"

"If I take action, I will leave no corpse behind."

Even if he wanted to waste food, his insects wouldn't allow it. Besides, he was still planning this; he didn't intend to get directly involved.

There was a moment of silence in the communication, followed by Orochimaru's low laughter.

"Heh, never mind. It doesn't matter who did it. I've already got the scroll of the Spirit Transformation Technique. I was overthinking it before. The essence of this technique is simply to let the soul leave the body; it's not some profound method of soul control."

"Zhicheng-kun, if you're still interested in this technique, how about we make another deal?"

After listening, Aburame Shisei shook his head and refused: "If it's just a technique of this level, then there's no need for it."

Through a deep resonance with the energy of nature, he has vaguely sensed another path.

When one cultivates immortal arts to a sufficiently profound level, the soul will be tempered and strengthened along with the physical body.

True fulfillment should be the unity and harmony of spirit and flesh.

In his view, separating the soul from the body too early and too deliberately is not the right path, but may instead hinder the final ascension.

As the call ended, Aburame Shisei said with a smile, "Was it Black Zetsu or Danzo? But this time, your dirty water was quite accurate."

-

Elsewhere, in the darkness, Kato Dan groped his own body. "Wasn't I already dead?"

"Yes, in history, you are indeed dead, Father!"