Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

The Mist Ninja corpses lay exposed here, with Nagato likely having no regard for them whatsoever. A shinobi's corpse contains valuable information that can be studied to gain intelligence on the Mist Village, hence the existence of corpse retrieval squads.

Nagato ignored these bodies, not even checking if the battlefield had been entirely cleared before turning away.

With the Mist Village's only jinchūriki in their possession, if this attack wasn't enough to make the Mist Village submit, they would simply come back and do it again until they gave up.

After Nagato left, Ye Zi and White Zetsu entered the hellish battlefield.

Ye Zi's gaze passed over the disfigured remains, then shifted to a body cut in two. "Go ahead," he said.

Without a word, White Zetsu began collecting enough biological material for intelligence gathering; these would serve as important materials for the Impure World Reincarnation.

Leaving White Zetsu to the task, Ye Zi walked over to Ao's body, crouching down to remove the black eyepatch, revealing the dull, lifeless Byakugan beneath it.

Taking out a glass container, Ye Zi inserted his thumb and forefinger into Ao's eye socket, carefully extracting the Byakugan intact, then placing it into the container.

The Byakugan, a crucial asset of the Hyūga Clan, may not be as famous as the Sharingan, but it's an excellent asset for a shinobi.

Having experience with transplant techniques and body research, Ye Zi was not surprised that a Byakugan could be implanted into an outsider.

Putting away the Byakugan, Ye Zi turned to leave.

He hadn't decided where to use this Byakugan yet, but it was still worth keeping.

Walking past the blood washed down by the rain, Ye Zi wandered through the rain-soaked, devastated landscape like a wandering soul.

Meanwhile, White Zetsu tirelessly collected flesh, recording each sample in a numbered scroll.

"Mm…"

Ye Zi's brow twitched as he suddenly heard a faint moan, quickly turning his head toward the source of the sound. Two bodies lay stacked on top of each other there.

The person on top was already disfigured by an explosion, lifeless.

Ye Zi walked over, lifted the corpse with one hand, and casually tossed it aside, revealing Mei Terumi lying on the ground, her body covered in wounds.

Her shinobi attire was mostly torn, exposing reddish skin, and her ample chest was laid bare. Her beautiful face bore several burn marks.

Mei Terumi's eyelids fluttered weakly, her vision blurred as she opened her eyes a crack. After a moment, her sight began to clear.

As the ringing in her ears faded, her scattered consciousness stabilized, and she recognized Ye Zi.

Mei Terumi recognized Ye Zi, and he recognized her as well.

His gaze lingered momentarily on Mei Terumi's exposed, graceful form. Then, he bent down, gripped her neck, and lifted her up.

Mei Terumi let out a feeble whimper, unable even to struggle, like a broken doll in Ye Zi's grasp.

"Wow, nice figure," White Zetsu chuckled, stopping his collection to join Ye Zi. "This woman's Kekkei Genkai seems impressive. Should we kill her?"

"A bit of a waste." Ye Zi's cold gaze lingered on the woman who had nearly killed Yan Ye—the very cause of it all.

With her two highly corrosive Kekkei Genkai, she would make excellent material for the Impure World Reincarnation. However, she was still young, her mastery of her Kekkei Genkai was limited, and her chakra reserves were not yet fully developed.

Impure World Reincarnation cannot restore one's strength to its fullest potential in life, so killing a young Mist Ninja with so much potential would be a waste.

"If she'd mastered her Kekkei Genkai better or had more chakra, she would be exceptional for Impure World Reincarnation material."

"Wait, do you have plans for her?" White Zetsu asked curiously.

Ye Zi didn't deny it. This was the reason he hadn't immediately broken her neck.

"This woman has great potential. Killing her now wouldn't yield much in the Impure World Reincarnation."

White Zetsu nodded in agreement. A shinobi with two Kekkei Genkai was indeed rare. Given time, this female Mist Ninja could grow into a formidable opponent.

"If you had a Sharingan, you could control her right now," White Zetsu commented casually.

Ye Zi glanced at White Zetsu, replying, "If only Orochimaru hadn't left the base. I could have handed her over to him as a test subject. He could implant a Curse Mark or Hashirama's cells; we could experiment however we want. Even if she died, she'd still serve as Impure World Reincarnation material."

The indifferent tone in his words made the content even more chilling.

It seemed that, if Orochimaru were around, Mei Terumi could be used without restraint—subjected to whatever experiments might enhance her strength, regardless of her survival. Even in death, she could be resurrected for use.

With her mind now clear, Mei Terumi heard their conversation and felt utter despair.

In her current state, there was no hope of survival.

"I can control her," Black Zetsu suddenly said, breaking his usual silence as he opened his eyes.

Ye Zi and White Zetsu turned to look at Black Zetsu.

"Shall I control her?" Black Zetsu asked Ye Zi.

"What's the strength of your control?" Ye Zi masked his surprise and asked.

"I can control her will and make her act under my direction. However, the stronger the target, the weaker my control. In her current state, controlling her would be easy," Black Zetsu replied calmly.

White Zetsu feigned surprise, saying, "I didn't know you had such a useful ability."

Black Zetsu ignored him, quietly looking at Ye Zi.

"A useful ability indeed," Ye Zi's eyes brightened slightly, but after a moment, he tightened his grip.

Crack.

"But using it here would be a bit of a waste."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Mei Terumi's neck twisted, her half-open eyes slowly closing as her life faded.

Having snapped Mei Terumi's neck, Ye Zi let go, allowing her body to fall to the ground.

"If Orochimaru were here, you might've lived a bit longer."

Glancing at Mei Terumi's body, Ye Zi walked past White Zetsu and Black Zetsu to a protruding rock, sat down, and said to White Zetsu, "Continue."

Having taken note of Black Zetsu's ability, Ye Zi saw potential in it if used properly.

"Hehe," White Zetsu chuckled, giving Mei Terumi's corpse a look. "Cold-hearted, aren't you?"

Then he proceeded to extract enough flesh from Mei Terumi's body for Impure World Reincarnation material.

In a way, death had lost its intimidating essence in the face of the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

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Currently on Chapter 356 - A Clue Gained From Sacrifice