From Naruto onwards, I Control Time

Chapter 1: Popularity Can Be a Pain

Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village)
Ninja Academy

Inside one of the classrooms, a Chūnin instructor stood at the front with a clipboard in hand.

"Next, Hatake Kaede."

At his call, a silver-haired boy calmly stepped onto the platform. His fingers moved swiftly, forming a simple hand seal.

Poof!

A puff of white smoke burst forth, and standing next to Kaede appeared a near-perfect replica of himself.

A wave of gasps rippled through the classroom, mostly from the girls. Sure, he had nailed the Clone Technique on the first try, but it wasn't just that, it was also because Kaede was undeniably one of the most handsome boys in class.

"95 points. Well done," the instructor said, giving a small nod and jotting down the score.

A flawless execution and clean clone, definitely top-ten material. Still, there wasn't much praise in the teacher's eyes. The reason was simple: Kaede had a younger brother—Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi had graduated early at five years old and became a Chūnin by six. A prodigy whose name already echoed through the village, believed by many to be the one carrying on the will of the legendary "White Fang of Konoha."

Compared to him, Kaede seemed… ordinary.

Sure, Kaede's grades were excellent across the board, he was among the best in class. But against Kakashi's monstrous talent, his brilliance seemed dim. At eight years old, Kaede was still following the academy's standard curriculum without any earth-shattering breakthroughs.

The teacher might have remained neutral, but that didn't stop a chorus of admiration from erupting.

"Kaede, that was amazing!"
"95 points? That's gotta be the highest score!"

Girls gazed up at him, their eyes twinkling.

Having inherited the White Fang's bloodline after arriving in this world, Kaede bore a strong resemblance to Kakashi, but unlike his younger brother, he didn't wear a mask or act cold and aloof. Naturally, he became the center of attention for most of the girls in class.

Kaede returned to his seat, smiled at Yūhi Kurenai beside him, and said modestly, "It's nothing. The Clone Technique isn't that hard, you just need to focus."

He arrived in this world two years ago, becoming Kakashi's older brother. unfortunately, he hadn't arrived early enough to prevent the death of their father, Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang.

That event had deeply scarred Kakashi, and within a month, he applied for early graduation.

As a modern soul reborn into this world with the blood of a legend, Kaede knew he wasn't inferior to Kakashi. Still, he thought early graduation was downright foolish, a decision he couldn't help but scoff at.

Seriously?

Why rush? Training steadily at the academy was the smarter path. Why jump into the field early?

Especially considering the current era, this was Year 42 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar. If he remembered correctly, the Third Great Ninja War would officially break out next year. The entire shinobi world was already on edge.

In peaceful times, becoming a Genin early might not be a big deal, just basic missions. But now? Even Genin were frequently sent on dangerous combat operations.

Kakashi's early graduation and rapid rise might seem dazzling, but to Kaede, it was reckless. Just revealing such overwhelming talent was enough to catch the eyes of enemy villages.

And during times like these, that was not a good thing.

"If I had Jōnin-level strength, I wouldn't mind graduating early…" Kaede muttered inwardly.

unfortunately, he wasn't there yet. Sure, he could absolutely wipe the floor with Kakashi, but he was still only around elite Chūnin level. And that was thanks to a certain… special ability.

After all, he was only eight. His body was still growing. For a ninja, true maturity didn't come until around sixteen.

oh right.

That special ability.

It was something he discovered after arriving in this world, an ethereal, enormous clock embedded within his mind, visible only when he closed his eyes.

It resembles Kurumi Tokisaki's "Zafkiel" from Date A Live, though so far, he has unlocked only one power: Time Acceleration.

It worked much like a personal time field, similar to the "Time Alter" ability from Fate.

When activated, it sped up his time alone.

under its effects, every move he made, whether taijutsu or hand seals, became faster. That alone was why he could dominate Kakashi in a fight.

At the moment, he could accelerate up to twice his normal speed. That meant his movements were literally double that of any regular person in real time.

"um… Kaede, I brought two bentos today. Want to eat together later?"

Just as Kaede was deep in thought, a girl sitting in front turned around, blushing slightly as she offered her invitation.

Her words sparked immediate outrage from the nearby girls. Even Kurenai, seated next to Kaede, shot a sharp glance her way, the tension was electric.

Kaede could only sigh.

So this was why Kakashi wore a mask all the time. Probably to avoid this kind of headache. Still, the problem wasn't just the girls, it was that none of the other boys could really compete.

Sure, the class lineup was stacked, with future big names like Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Yūhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, but right now, Obito was dead last in everything. And Asuma? Well, he was average at best.

Itachi Uchiha wouldn't even enroll for a few more years. Shisui had already entered the academy but was two years younger and in a different class.

Honestly, if Kakashi had not graduated early, maybe some of the attention could've gone his way.

Sigh.

Being too popular really is a problem.

Kaede sighed again. Back in his previous life, he used to envy characters in these kinds of situations. But now that he was living it? All he could do was groan internally.

And honestly, girls in the Naruto world matured way too fast.

I mean, just look at these 8 and 9 year-olds already fighting over him.

To be fair, the boys were just as ahead of their time.

Kaede could already feel several jealous stares drilling into him, some full of resentment, others with clenched fists.

"That bastard…"
"ugh, so annoying, I just wanna punch him!"
"You wouldn't win, though."
"Shut up!"

Even Uchiha Obito was among the frustrated crowd. After all, Rin was one of the girls hovering near Kaede.

Kaede didn't care much about his classmates. The only two that piqued his interest were Might Guy and Uchiha Obito, but only after Obito's infamous transformation.

Before that? Obito was just a weak, whiny loser dragging everyone down.