Naruto: Zombie Release

Infecting native inhabitants of the Naruto world with the zombie virus, without any external interference, took an enormous amount of time.

If a regular person from earth got scratched and exposed to a trace amount of the virus, they'd last maybe ten minutes before turning into a zombie. 

But a native of the Naruto world could hold out for at least a dozen hours.

And that was just the ordinary people in this world, those without any chakra in their bodies, relying purely on physical strength that was three times that of a typical human on Earth to resist the infection.

A threefold increase in physical fitness didn't just mean triple immunity, it translated into a gap of at least ten times or more.

Now, if it were a ninja capable of generating chakra, it became even more terrifying. Their bodies were enhanced by several magnitudes. 

Unless Arata intervened directly, infecting a ninja with just a scratch would take days to take effect.

It wasn't that the zombie virus he brought over was weak. A tiny scratch could turn an ordinary person from earth into a zombie in just ten minutes. If they were bitten, they'd transform in under a minute.

Each new zombie would go on to bite and scratch others, causing the infected population to multiply at an exponential rate, launching a full-blown crisis before anyone had time to react.

But in the Naruto world, that kind of virus was just… underwhelming. The sheer physical resilience of its natives was monstrously high.

And if they had certain special jutsu, it only got worse. 

Take the time during the Chunin Exams when Sasuke learned from Kakashi to stimulate his body's cells using chakra, he closed the gap with Lee's taijutsu in just one month.

Or consider the Lightning Release Armor of the Third and Fourth Raikage, or Orochimaru's body-modification techniques.

If the target was someone from the Senju, Uzumaki, or even Kaguya clans, ninja with physical prowess as their foundation, the number of cells in their body easily exceeded 130 trillion. 

Factor in techniques like cell stimulation and cellular division, and their immune system became virtually immeasurable.

At one point, Arata genuinely wondered, if he tried to infect the First Hokage with his current virus, would the man just sneeze it all out of his system?

That was exactly why Arata was so insistent on continuously developing Zombie Release. He needed to channel his abilities through chakra, it was the only way to truly survive in this world.

If he relied solely on the zombie virus?

It wouldn't amount to anything.

"So yeah, I'm honestly looking forward to the chance to turn an elite Jonin into my servant. That kind of opportunity is just too rare. 

I thought I'd have to wait until I found a suitable new body and the Third Great Ninja War was in full swing before I could pull it off."

Everyone could see Arata's talent, something that shattered conventional expectations. 

Those familiar with him knew he made visible progress every few months, especially when it came to jutsu development, far surpassing most ninja.

Now, watching Arata caught in such dire straits, it looked as though this promising young man, maybe not a genius, but definitely a rising star, was about to die under everyone's protection.

But no one could see just how thrilled Arata felt inside.

This was an elite Jonin they were talking about, already beyond human level. Above that were the Kage-levels, many of whom possessed Otsutsuki bloodlines.

In other words, someone like Araki could be considered a near-peak representative of this world's native power ceiling.

"Come on, let me see what you've got." Arata kept backing away. At last, he formed a hand seal. Even with two fingers missing, it didn't stop him from casting jutsu.

He was practically trembling with excitement. The nearby Konoha ninja saw his actions and grew even more emotional.

"Wait, what happened to his hand?"

"I heard he went on an extremely dangerous mission recently and made a huge contribution to the village…"

"Damn those aggressive Suna bastards! They ruined one of our promising young ninja, losing fingers means losing access to tons of jutsu!"

"We're not letting you hurt our comrade! If Konoha's genius needs protection, then we nobodies will protect him!"

The nearby Konoha ninja looked as if they'd collectively activated something called the "Will of Fire." 

They'd already been attacking Araki relentlessly, but now they charged with even more fury, putting him under enormous pressure.

Even other Jonin rushed in to attack Araki, trying to buy Arata time to escape.

"What the hell is wrong with these losers, did they all fall under genjutsu?!"

Araki was getting impatient. As arrogant as he was, even he didn't think he could take down an entire platoon with just his squad. 

His original plan had been to launch a surprise attack, grab Arata during the chaos, and withdraw immediately. The fate of the other Suna ninja didn't matter to him.

But now things had gone sideways. Even if he captured Arata, getting out alive with him seemed nearly impossible.

For the first time, Araki started to think Konoha's relentless "protect your comrades" propaganda actually did something, at least it produced a bunch of lunatics who'd throw themselves into danger without a second thought.

Protecting Arata wasn't even their mission. So why the hell were they going this far?

Araki was getting seriously annoyed. And maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt his blood pressure skyrocketing, his heart pounding violently… while his body turned ice-cold.

Was it fear?

No, definitely not. He was a seasoned elite Jonin, forged in countless battles between life and death. He didn't do fear. Then what, fury? Rage?

He kept killing Konoha ninja one after another, but his inner restlessness wasn't calming down. 

On the contrary, it was getting worse with every splash of blood, with every passing second.

Whoosh!

He raised a sandstorm, flinging three nearby Konoha ninja into the air. 

He narrowly dodged a strike from a Konoha Jonin, killed two zombies in a single move, then looked up, locking eyes with Arata across a ten-meter gap.

Buzz…!

His brain rang with a sharp hum. His breathing grew erratic. His heartbeat began to slow. The chakra flowing through his meridians started shifting in ways he'd never experienced before.

It was as if… his body was no longer his own.

In that moment, Araki seemed to realize something. His wide, gray-tinged eyes snapped open.

That guy can modify corpses… and cast techniques on the living too!!

The words echoed in Araki's mind like a death sentence.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The wounds on his body kept increasing, but strangely, he no longer felt them. They were numb.

"We're almost there! The enemy's movements are slowing!"

"Something's off, he hasn't taken a fatal hit… But this is good! Push harder, take him down!"

Takano was gasping for air, nearly drained from all the healing he'd done for the injured. When he noticed Araki's strange behavior, he suddenly turned his head toward Arata.

Arata's face was pale, drained from chakra depletion, but his lips were unmistakably curved into a smile.

"I really have to thank my comrades. Without their cover, there's no way I could've taken down an elite Jonin like this… No. Not just an elite Jonin."

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