From Naruto onwards, I Control Time

[Veltoria]

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.

 

[Stormbringer117]

Does he age faster when he used time acceleration? Or does he have the "Required Secondary Powers" and is immune to aging from his time manipulation?

Either way, watched.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 2: Triple Speed

As the classroom grew increasingly chaotic, with girls throwing sparks and boys on the verge of fighting, the Chūnin instructor finally lost his patience.

"Quiet!"

"Next, Uchiha Obito!"

The teacher's authority still held weight. At his sharp command, the room quickly fell silent. Uchiha Obito shot Kaede a resentful glare before making his way up to the front of the class.

His eyes briefly landed on Nohara Rin, and after a deep breath, he clenched his fists and steeled himself.

This time... I'm gonna beat Kaede!

Poof!!

After forming the hand seals, white smoke erupted.

A clone appeared beside him, lopsided, unsteady on its feet. Technically, it was a clone… but even a glance could tell it wasn't the real deal.

"50 points."

The Chūnin instructor barely spared it a glance.

The Uchiha clan was known as a haven for geniuses, almost every student from that family ranked among the top of the academy.

But Obito was the exception.

"Aghhh… one more try!"

Naturally, Obito couldn't accept such a low score. He immediately went for another attempt. But his nerves were shot, and the second Clone Technique failed outright.

His third attempt wasn't much better than the first. In the end, he only managed to scrape together a 55, still below passing.

"…"

Kaede watched it all unfold, only one thought running through his mind:

How the hell does this guy become a final boss?!

All it took was witnessing Rin's death, and this bottom-of-the-barrel loser suddenly went full villain mode, awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, unlocked Kamui (one of the most broken abilities in the series), and completely transformed both in combat skill and personality.

Not long after, he attacked Konoha, released the Nine-Tails, and played a hand in the death of the legendary cheat code: Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.

utterly absurd.

If Kaede didn't already know the original story, he never would've believed that this guy, who could barely manage a Clone Technique, would someday become one of the biggest threats to the entire shinobi world.

Kaede shook his head and looked away.

He didn't have any strong feelings toward Obito, really. The true mastermind had always been Uchiha Madara, pulling strings from the shadows. Even without Obito, Madara would've probably found himself an "Uchiha Takefire" or "Uchiha Bringwater" or something to carry out his will.

The most important thing… was his own strength.

After all, the Third Great Ninja War was just a year away. When that time came, the usual graduation exam would be scrapped, by age nine, all academy students would be forcibly graduated into the battlefield.

That meant he had just one more year left in school, whether he liked it or not.

"...I wonder if I can reach Jōnin level in a year?"

Kaede pondered silently.

During the Third War, Genin and Chūnin were basically cannon fodder. He was lucky to be in Konoha, if he were in any other village, even Jōnin would be thrown into hopeless battles, because of monsters like Minato Namikaze who could take out fifty Jōnin in a single breath.

If Kaede could unlock more time-based abilities, then just relying on temporal powers alone might be enough to dominate the battlefield.

unfortunately, so far he only had access to a single ability: Time Acceleration, linked to the "1 o'clock" position on the mysterious clock in his mind.

So he still had to rely on good old ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Just as Kaede was lost in thought, a crisp ding suddenly echoed in his mind, like the sound of a clock striking a new hour.

"Hm?"

He blinked in surprise, then smiled slightly and closed his eyes.

In the darkness behind his eyelids, the massive, silver-white illusion of a clock emerged, ethereal and otherworldly, with golden hands ticking slowly across its face.

The hour hand remained fixed at 1 o'clock.

At the center of the phantom dial was a strange gear-like mechanism, similar to a date display on an analog watch. But instead of tracking dates, it showed the current acceleration multiplier.

"No new ability unlocked, but..."

Kaede narrowed his eyes.

Click.

With just a thought, the mechanical dial shifted, emitting a sharp click as it moved from 0 to 1…

Then to 2…

And finally stopped at 3.

"Just as I thought... I can now enter Triple Speed."

Seeing the number on the dial, Kaede let out a quiet breath.

When he first crossed into this world, the maximum time acceleration he could achieve was between 1x and 1.5x. About a year later, he heard that same crisp ding sound, and the upper limit increased to 2x speed.

Now, it had become 3x.

"It increased around this time last year, too... maybe the time acceleration limit goes up once per year?"

A thought flashed through Kaede's mind.

He couldn't confirm it yet, but the timing lined up. If that was the pattern, he'd find out for sure when next year came around.

It was a slight disappointment that he still hadn't unlocked any new abilities. Who knew when the power tied to the 2 o'clock mark would finally awaken?

Still, even this lone acceleration ability was incredibly powerful.

While in an accelerated state, the world around him slowed dramatically—his speed, reflexes, perception, everything received a seamless, direct boost.

If an ordinary Chūnin could move at 5x time acceleration, they could go toe-to-toe with a Jōnin. And if a Jōnin had 5x speed, even a Kage from one of the Five Great Nations might struggle to keep up.

The same logic applied to him.

If he could maintain the strength of a Chūnin under normal conditions, time acceleration would let him fight evenly against Jōnin. And if he reached Jōnin level himself... well, there'd be very few in the ninja world who could even touch him.

And that was just 5x.

If the phantom clock ever reached 10x speed or more, his speed alone would become a terrifying, almost unbeatable force.

"...What would the Eight Gates look like under ten times acceleration?"

Kaede let his imagination run wild.

He pictured a massive air cannon blast, ten times stronger than the Evening Elephant shattering clouds, ripping the moon created by the Sage of Six Paths apart in space, reducing it to a cloud of debris.

He sucked in a breath just imagining it, and only after a few seconds did he return to reality.

Tenfold acceleration paired with the Eight Gates was still a distant dream, but the Eight Gates themselves might be worth looking into. They seemed like one of the most compatible powers for time acceleration.

As for other abilities...

once a jutsu was cast, its flight speed wasn't affected by his time powers. The acceleration field only covered his body, not the outside world. But his hand seal speed and casting speed were both boosted, which still gave him a significant edge.

After all, the casting speed of a technique could be critical in battle. Take the Flying Thunder God Technique or Flying Raijin, it made the entire ninja world tremble not because of its power, but because it had zero casting time and no need for hand seals!

Speaking of which...

Now that he could use 3x acceleration, and his 2x state had already allowed him to easily beat Chūnin-level Kakashi, he figured that at 3x, even elite Chūnin wouldn't be much of a problem. A Jōnin would still be a tough fight, though.

"...Maybe somewhere around a special Jōnin level?"

Kaede assessed his current power level.

He was probably just a bit short of special Jōnin, but by this time next year, he was confident he'd be there.

In the ninja world, reaching special Jōnin was the bare minimum for being considered a "strong" ninja. Genin and Chūnin were basically cannon fodder once war broke out.

Above special Jōnin came Jōnin, then elite Jōnin, and above even that… technically, there was nothing. There was no official "Kage level" designation in this world.

But in Kaede's eyes, ninja like the White Fang or Danzo, whose strength far surpassed that of typical elite Jōnin, could be considered "Kage-level," just for the sake of categorization.

 

[Veltoria]

Kaede's movements had not escaped Obito's watchful eyes.

When Obito saw Kaede close his eyes and ignore him, his eyelids twitching slightly as if deliberately provoking him, he couldn't help but clench his fists.

"Damn it... what's he so smug about…"

"A guy who got left behind by his own little brother…"

Obito gritted his teeth in frustration.

Kakashi was a cocky bastard too. He'd only been in school for less than half a year before graduating early. Honestly, both brothers were insufferable in their own way.

"I heard Kakashi recently completed an A-rank mission with a Jōnin."

"Can't lie, he's pretty impressive. He became a Chūnin last year. At this rate, he might become a Jōnin soon..."

Someone nearby, catching onto Obito's grumbling, decided to add fuel to the fire.

Kaede was usually ranked in the top ten in class, sometimes even taking first place. So it wasn't easy to criticize him based on performance or grades. But when compared to someone like Kakashi, it was much easier to belittle Kaede.

After all, against Kakashi, who graduated at five and became a Chūnin at six, Kaede's shine dimmed considerably. He barely seemed worth comparing.

Another classmate quickly picked up the cue, glanced at Kaede, and said casually, "As much as I hate to admit it, Kakashi really is a genius. Compared to him, some people don't seem qualified to be called 'big brother.'"

Smack!

Before Kaede could respond, the girl sitting in front of him, Yamanaka Inoka, jumped up and glared angrily at the boy who'd just spoken: Inuzuka Fang.

"Hey! What the hell did you just say?!"

Fang wasn't about to back down just because a girl was angry. He stiffened his neck and said, "What? Am I wrong?"

Inoka fumed but couldn't come up with a good comeback.

Kaede opened his eyes and looked at her with a calm smile. "Kakashi really is a genius. Most people would have a hard time measuring up to him…"

Inoka nodded earnestly. "Yeah, Kaede, don't listen to him. A ninja like your brother only comes around once in a lifetime. You don't have to compare yourself to Kakashi."

Yūhi Kurenai agreed with a nod.

As long as you didn't compare Kaede to a freak like Kakashi, he was already one of the most outstanding students in the class. There wasn't really anything to criticize.

Kaede shrugged innocently, cut off before he could finish speaking, and just smiled at Kurenai instead of continuing.

Seeing that Kaede didn't want to argue and the girls were clearly on his side, Inuzuka Fang could only grumble and look away, though he clearly wasn't satisfied.

Kurenai looked at Kaede, her large, beautiful eyes flickering slightly. She spoke in a soft voice. "Having a brother like Kakashi... must be a lot of pressure, huh?"

"Nope."

Kaede glanced at her and smiled. "Why would I feel pressure? The stronger my little brother is, the better, right? It's not like we're the Hyuga clan or something…"

Kurenai blinked. "What about the Hyuga clan?"

"oh, you don't know?"

Kaede briefly explained the situation with the Hyuga clan's main and branch families. Kurenai was surprised to hear it.

She glanced over to a corner of the classroom, where a quiet student sat, and thought to herself: So that's what the noble Hyuga clan is like...

That boy's name was Hyuga Homon, nephew of the clan head Hyuga Hiashi, a member of the branch family.

As a member of a prestigious clan, he held a certain pride. He had no fondness for Kaede, who was always surrounded by admiring girls. He was consistently ranked first or second in class, and the only one he saw as a rival was Kakashi.

In truth, he could've graduated early too, but the elders of his clan had told him to follow the standard path. So he did as instructed.

"…"

Hearing someone mention the Hyuga clan, Homon turned to glance at Kaede and frowned slightly, though he didn't catch exactly what was said.

Even without hearing clearly, he could guess Kaede had brought up something about the Hyuga clan, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

"He's getting a little too arrogant…"

Things like being popular with girls didn't bother him too much, but if someone started talking about the Hyuga clan, that was a different matter.

Maybe I should give him a 'warning' after class?

Homon's gaze darkened.

After all, Kaede wasn't Kakashi. As far as Homon was concerned, the only one stronger than him in their age group was Kakashi.

While he was still deep in thought, the final student completed their clone technique test. The Chūnin instructor recorded the last score, glanced at the results sheet, and announced:

"That's it for today's test."

"Those who didn't pass, Uchiha Obito, Aburame Den, and... the rest of you, stay after class for extra practice."

"There's a mock exam tomorrow, and the official advancement assessment is in four days. If you can't pass that, you'll be stuck here for remedial lessons over winter break!"

The whole class let out a collective sigh of relief at the announcement.

Obito and the others who didn't pass looked miserable. No one wanted to waste their vacation on make-up classes. It wasn't just boring, it was downright humiliating.

"That's it for today. You're all dismissed."

The Chūnin instructor put the results into a folder, organized his things, and addressed the class.

upon hearing the announcement, the students stood up together and bowed respectfully. After the instructor left the classroom, they scattered like birds.

using the excuse "I've got something to do, see you later," Kaede quickly shook off Kurenai, Inoka, and the other girls and headed home.

Watching these precocious eight and nine year old girls bicker over him was amusing, but he had more important things to do, namely, adapting to his triple-speed state.

Compared to his double-speed, triple-speed gave him an even greater boost.

After a quick dinner, Kaede headed to the backyard, activated his triple-speed state, and began striking a special wooden training post.

To accelerate his physical development, Kaede not only trained in accelerated mode but also slept in it. His cellular regeneration and metabolism all increased, making one day for others equivalent to nearly two for him. Though chronologically eight years old, his body had developed to about nine due to months of accelerated sleep.

If he stayed in that state all the time, his body would develop even faster, but it was way too boring. Listening to lectures at three times speed made it feel like the teacher was speaking in slow motion, stretching each syllable unbearably long.

Plus, to appear normal while in that mode, he'd have to consciously slow down his speech and movements, which was incredibly annoying. So during school hours, Kaede stayed in normal mode.

 

[Veltoria]

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Kaede's fists struck the wooden post again and again, each blow landing with a heavy, muffled thud. Deep dents formed in the tough, specially reinforced wood, clearly showing the impact of his punches.

When it came to taijutsu training, Kaede was nothing if not diligent.

His Time Acceleration ability currently served two main purposes. The first was to grant him base movement and reaction speeds far beyond ordinary people, an advantage he could freely stack at will during combat.

The second was boosting his training speed, or more accurately, increasing his total training time.

When training in accelerated mode, every three hours of effort for Kaede only amounted to one hour passing in the outside world!

In other words...

Whether in battle or in training, the enhancement from Time Acceleration seemed to affect only speed on the surface, but in reality, strength was also involved. After all, according to Newton's Second Law, force equals mass times acceleration...

And this law applied just as well in the world of Naruto.

Kaede vaguely remembered a character from another world saying something like:

"Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?!"

If his speed during Time Acceleration could truly reach the speed of light, then a single strike might very well be capable of shattering the world!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

After adjusting to triple-speed for a bit, Kaede suddenly stopped. He quickly formed a hand seal and activated the Shadow Clone Technique.

Poof! Poof!

Two identical copies of Kaede appeared, one to his left and one to his right, surrounded by a brief cloud of smoke.

The Shadow Clone Technique, widely considered the ultimate support jutsu for training, was something Kaede had prioritized from early on. He'd gotten the training method for it from Kakashi a while back.

using this technique in the Ninja Academy would drop jaws to the floor, because Shadow Clone Jutsu was a B-rank ninjutsu, three entire ranks above the basic E-rank Clone Jutsu taught in class.

Even many Chūnin struggled to master Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Just being able to use it proficiently was enough to crush the vast majority of students and qualify Kaede for early graduation.

Swish! Swish!

once the two shadow clones appeared, they each dashed off to a different part of the yard.

one of them grabbed a short sword placed on the left side of the courtyard, White Fang, the ninja blade left behind by Sakumo Hatake, which Kaede had inherited as the eldest son.

Kaede had been diligently practicing the renowned Hatake Sword Technique, a powerful style that incorporated chakra into its form—a perfect match for his Time Acceleration ability.

If he could one day master the Hatake Sword Technique to the level of Konoha's White Fang, he'd be able to roam the ninja world unchallenged. In accelerated mode, he might even stand toe-to-toe with those who exceeded Kage-level!

Meanwhile, the second clone moved to the opposite corner of the yard. There, it held out its palm and began to shape and compress chakra into a spherical form.

That's right—the Rasengan.

The core principle behind the Rasengan was chakra shape transformation. Since it was a close-range jutsu, it also synergized well with Time Acceleration. More importantly, training the Rasengan was an excellent way to improve chakra control.

Kaede had already mastered basics like tree-walking and water-walking long ago.

To further refine his chakra control, the Rasengan was the logical next step. However, his chakra reserves weren't even close to Naruto's absurd levels, so his progress was slow. Even after a few months of effort, he'd only managed to get halfway.

"With triple-speed, my body should grow to around age ten in about a month… That should be just enough to meet the physical requirements for Eight Gates training."

While training, Kaede kept contemplating his next steps.

The Eight Gates were extremely important to him. Because of their massive side effects, they weren't suitable for young children, which was why he hadn't tried to secretly learn them from Might Duy just yet.

Still, no matter what, he needed to acquire the training method for the Eight Gates eventually. Despite the drawbacks, their power was undeniable.

Kaede was very clear on his core principle: improve every aspect of his strength to the fullest. That way, he could maximize the power of his Time Acceleration; three times, five times, or even more!

After all, to him, this "Phantom Clock" was like having an upgraded, side-effect-free version of the Holy Grail World's Time Manipulation, and it could be kept active at all times!

Swish! Swish! Swish!!

The clone wielding the White Fang blade continued slicing through the air in the eastern yard, practicing precise strikes infused with chakra.

Though shadow clones couldn't enter accelerated mode, that didn't matter. Kaede only needed them to accumulate experience and skill proficiency.

Meanwhile, the second clone kept condensing chakra in its palm, forming a faint, glowing sphere that rotated with increasing stability.

Poof! Poof!

After a while, both clones exhausted their chakra and vanished in small clouds of white smoke.

Kaede paused his own training and felt a wave of experience and memory flood back into his mind, he absorbed and integrated it quickly.

Taking a deep breath, he once again formed the hand seals.

Poof! Poof!

Two more shadow clones appeared.

This time, beads of sweat formed on Kaede's forehead. He could feel his chakra reserves struggling to keep up.

"Chakra... is always a limiting factor…"

Kaede sighed inwardly.

Naruto, who could train with dozens, or even hundreds, of shadow clones, was truly a freak of nature. A freak among freaks. Just ridiculous.

Then again, he was an uzumaki and also had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him. His chakra volume was off the charts, there was no replicating that.

After another round of training…

Poof! Poof!

The clones dispersed once again.

Kaede didn't make any new ones this time. His main body had been training taijutsu nonstop, burning through chakra. Two sets of dual clones was already his limit for now.

"1,377… 1,378…"

Kaede counted silently as he repeatedly side-kicked the reinforced wooden post. He didn't stop until his legs were trembling and his body could barely keep going.

Still in accelerated mode, he staggered over to the side of the courtyard, grabbed a water cup, took a sip, and nibbled on a couple of biscuits.

With his metabolism also sped up, his recovery came faster too.

If he kept Time Acceleration active all day, then to him, a single day would equal seventy-two hours. That meant nine meals and three sleep sessions per day.

"I don't know if I could still train with full-body fractures and a 49°C fever…"

"But training more than twenty-five hours a day? Totally doable."

Kaede couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought this.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 5: Kakashi's Challenge

Just as Kaede was about to resume his training, he suddenly sensed something. He looked up toward the top of the courtyard wall and said:

"Seems like you've gotten used to not using the front door."

Standing atop the outer wall was a familiar figure, with the same silver-white hair and a mask over his face, it was none other than Hatake Kakashi.

"No, I just happened to be returning from this direction."

Kakashi leapt down from the wall and landed inside the courtyard.

Standing close together, there were still quite a few differences between him and Kaede: slightly longer hair, the signature face mask, and a noticeably smaller physique and height.

Kakashi turned to Kaede and said,
"Just like you predicted, the friction between the villages is intensifying. Most recent missions have been about intercepting or spying on each other..."

"I see."

Kaede wasn't surprised in the slightest.

After all, ever since coming to this world, aside from making a few small changes within the Ninja Academy, he hadn't done anything that would affect the larger course of history. under the weight of inevitability, the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War was bound to happen next year.

"You're still not planning to graduate? There's really nothing more for you to learn at the Academy, is there?"

Kakashi looked over at Kaede.

others might not know, but Kakashi was very clear on just how strong his older brother truly was. up to this point, he had never beaten Kaede in a single duel!

And that was despite the fact that he had already been promoted to Chūnin the previous year. Even after becoming a Chūnin, he had challenged Kaede again, yet still couldn't win. Kaede's speed was so fast it seemed almost unnatural.

Moreover—

Kaede wasn't just strong in combat; his mind was equally sharp. Even though he was only one year older than Kakashi, his understanding of the broader situation was almost on par with that of a seasoned adult.

Kaede smiled and said "It's true that I've already learned everything I can from the instructors, but staying in the Academy gives me more time to train on my own... Speaking of which, have you had any contact with the techniques I asked you to look into?"

Since Kakashi was already a Chūnin, he had access to far more jutsu than Kaede did. Many of the jutsu Kaede had learned came from Kakashi. He had also specifically asked Kakashi to keep an eye out for two techniques: Flying Thunder God and Eight Gates Release.

The Eight Gates technique was non-negotiable—he had to obtain it no matter what. As for Flying Thunder God, it was worth trying. If he could master it, it would be a life-saving trump card. If not, it was no big deal. After all, for someone who could control time, space-time ninjutsu wasn't all that critical.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and said: "Those are all in the Sealed Jutsu Scrolls. It's not that easy to get access to them..."

Although he was a Chūnin now and had access to a lot of jutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique, forbidden techniques like Flying Thunder God and the Eight Gates were still out of reach.

"We'll get our chance eventually."

Kaede wasn't bothered. once Kakashi became a Jōnin, gaining access to those techniques wouldn't be a problem. In fact, considering Kakashi had become a Jōnin at twelve, there was a chance he might reach that milestone even earlier.

No matter what, he would be forced to graduate next year due to the war. once the war started, there would be no hiding his abilities. In the face of constant danger, he'd have to go all out.

Kakashi shook his head and muttered,
"...I don't know how you have the patience."

After their father's suicide, brought on by public criticism for choosing to save comrades over completing a mission, Kakashi had been deeply affected. He had no desire to be looked down upon or criticized, so he showcased his talents early, graduating at five and becoming a Chūnin at six. And indeed, no one dared to look at him differently anymore.

But Kaede?

Kaede stayed in the Ninja Academy, going through classes like a regular student. This stood in sharp contrast to Kakashi's accelerated path and had stirred up a lot of discussion in the village.

And Kakashi knew Kaede was stronger than him.

Yet Kaede never wavered in the face of gossip or judgment. He never said a word about wanting to graduate early, just kept calmly attending school like nothing had happened.

Kaede sighed and said:
"You still don't get it."

The legendary "White Fang of Konoha," Hatake Sakumo, who made his name in the Second Ninja War, didn't die just because he failed a mission. That idea was nonsense.

In his past life, Kaede might not have been sure. But after living through it in this world, he was certain there had been foul play from Konoha's higher-ups.

At the very least, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, never once stepped in. He could have squashed the fallout from a single failed mission with a few words especially when the mission failed because Sakumo chose to save his teammates.

While Kaede couldn't be sure of the details, he could make an educated guess: Danzo Shimura had likely played a major role.

Sakumo's strength and battlefield achievements were such that, barring any accidents, he would have been a front-runner to become the Fourth Hokage. That alone was reason enough for Danzo to act.

And since Sakumo's death was likely tied to Danzo, that meant both Kaede and Kakashi were under scrutiny by the higher-ups.

If only one of them showed exceptional talent, Danzo might try to recruit that person into Root, but Hiruzen would probably veto it.

But if both of them stood out?

Danzo would come up with a thousand reasons to convince Hiruzen that at least one of them should join Root.

Kaede certainly wasn't going to let that happen, not to himself, and not to his younger brother Kakashi. He wouldn't let either of them fall under Danzo's brainwashing.

"Get what?"

Kakashi looked puzzled.

Kaede shook his head. He had no intention of explaining. Kakashi was still too young, and his personality too impulsive. It was better that he did not learn about Konoha's darker side just yet.

"But it's about time anyway..."

Kaede showed a thoughtful expression.

Now that they were already in the tense buildup to the Third Great Ninja War, even if he revealed his strength now, it wouldn't be a big deal. Danzo didn't have the luxury to expand Root at a time like this, his attention would be focused on the external threats.

The coming war was both a crisis and an opportunity.

Kakashi would rise to the rank of Jōnin during the war, and so would Kaede. once they both became official Jōnin with recognized status, they'd be free of Danzo's reach. Even after the war, Danzo couldn't arbitrarily move full-fledged Jōnin around, Hiruzen wouldn't allow it.

And if Kaede pushed his training hard during the war, surpassing Jōnin-level and reaching power on par with Kage, that wasn't just a dream, it was well within the realm of possibility.

After all, he had the Illusory Clock, the power to manipulate time itself!

"Speaking of which… I wonder how your training's been going lately, brother..."

Kakashi's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at the wooden training posts in the courtyard and then turned his gaze back to Kaede.

Although he had never beaten his brother before, Kakashi had never given up on surpassing him. Especially recently, after so many real battles and close brushes with death, he felt his strength had grown by leaps and bounds. If Kaede had been slacking even a little… this time might be different!

After all, ever since becoming a ninja, he had never stopped training, and his power had continued to rise with each mission and every drop of blood shed.

Kaede raised an eyebrow.

Halfway through Kakashi's sentence, he already knew what his little brother was thinking.

"Oh? I was just thinking it might be time to see how much you've improved."

---

Note: If you want to read up to 150+ chapters ahead of the current story, you can support me on Patreon and read up to Chapter 171 there! Patreon.com/Veltoria

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 6: Kekkei Genkai?

Konoha Village.

The mountain forest behind the village.

Now that Kakashi had become a Chūnin, and Kaede's strength had long surpassed the Chūnin level, their training duels could no longer be held in their small courtyard—there simply wasn't enough space to fight seriously.

"Are you ready?"

Standing in a wide clearing, Kakashi held a kunai in each hand. His body leaned forward slightly, already poised for battle as he stared at Kaede from a distance.

Kaede stood calmly in place, holding the chakra short blade known as White Fang. His expression was tranquil as he replied: "Come."

Swoosh!!

The instant Kaede spoke, Kakashi sprang forward like a bolt of lightning.

His twin kunai turned into afterimages as they slashed from both sides, swift and unpredictable. Kaede, however, didn't rush. With steady movements, he swung his chakra blade in clean arcs, deflecting every strike with practiced ease.

Clang!

After parrying a few moves, Kaede's eyes flashed. With a sudden, powerful downward slash, he broke through Kakashi's guard, his blade slicing across Kakashi's chest.

But then—

Kakashi's figure burst into smoke and vanished.

Shadow Clone!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Before Kaede could regain his stance, a voice called out from behind him. Heat surged through the air as a massive fireball roared toward his back!

Kaede didn't even flinch. With a simple step, he launched himself forward, narrowly dodging the full brunt of the fireball.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

But before he could fully regain his footing, seven or eight shuriken spiraled out of the flames, each one wreathed in fire, cutting off every path of retreat.

Kaede smiled faintly.

"You've gotten good at blending ninjutsu and shuriken attacks."

Then, he moved.

His short blade, White Fang, flickered like a phantom, slicing through the air in a series of graceful arcs. The blade's speed was unnatural, carving glowing lines through the air.

In the blink of an eye, all of the flaming shuriken were knocked aside!

Hiss!

Almost simultaneously, Kakashi emerged from the ground, less than a meter behind Kaede. With a swift stab, he drove his kunai toward Kaede's back, only for the blade to come to a stop, resting gently against his shirt.

"I win."

A bead of sweat rolled down Kakashi's forehead as a glint of triumph flashed in his eyes. This was the first time he had ever defeated Kaede in a spar!

But—

Kaede calmly turned his head and gave Kakashi a faint smile.

"Do you really think so?"

Poof!

With a soft burst of smoke, Kaede's body dispersed into a cloud of vapor, vanishing entirely.

It was another clone!

Kakashi froze in place, disbelief written all over his face.

"A clone? But how—"

Before he could finish the thought, a gust of wind suddenly swept in from behind him!

Kakashi spun around and raised his arm to defend, but it was too late, Kaede's kick landed squarely against his arm, sending him stumbling back.

A heavy force came crashing down, and Kakashi couldn't resist it. He stumbled back five or six steps before he managed to steady himself.

"Was that… a Shadow Clone just now?!"

Kakashi stared at Kaede in disbelief.

He was sure he hadn't seen Kaede perform the Shadow Clone Technique. And besides, how could it be cast so silently, without leaving the slightest trace?

"No," Kaede shook his head.

"That was just a regular Clone Technique."

Kakashi was momentarily stunned.
"Impossible! Normal clones can't attack! How could one block my flaming shuriken?"

"When I blocked the flaming shuriken, I was still using my real body."

Kaede gave a faint smile. "You probably won't understand it just by hearing me say it, so watch carefully."

As he finished speaking—

Kaede gripped White Fang with one hand, while his other hand moved at a speed so fast it blurred into afterimages. In what seemed like a single instant, he completed two sets of hand seals.

Clone Technique.
Substitution Technique.

"Wha…"

Kakashi stood there, jaw dropped.

Both the Clone and Substitution Techniques were basic jutsu taught at the Ninja Academy. There was nothing shocking about knowing them, but what did shock him was Kaede's seal speed.

one-handed seals.

And they were even faster than two-handed seals!

He had always known Kaede was fast, faster than him, even, but this was something else entirely. The speed at which his fingers moved was inhuman, nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye!

"What's up with your hands… That speed is beyond normal human limits!" Kakashi exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Kaede didn't look surprised at Kakashi's reaction.

After all, this time he had used triple speed. Two times speed might still pass as normal, but three times? From a regular perspective, it looked outright monstrous.

"Who knows." Kaede shrugged.

"Maybe I just have exceptionally good motor skills."

Kakashi gave him a dead-fish stare, the kind that screamed "You think I'm stupid?"

"Even superhuman reflexes wouldn't explain that."

He furrowed his brow as memories resurfaced, strange things he'd occasionally noticed about Kaede over the past few years.

"I remember… you weren't like this before. But starting about two years ago, you began getting faster. This isn't normal, it's already approaching the realm of a kekkei genkai. If you can go even faster…"

Kekkei Genkai.

Every ninja knew this term.

Many existed in the world, some common, like elemental chakra fusions (Lava Release, Scorch Release, etc.), and some rare and powerful, like the Sharingan, Byakugan, or Shikotsumyaku.

Kaede's speed wouldn't be out of place even among Jōnin. But that wasn't the point—it wasn't just speed. It was unnatural, as if his entire body was operating in fast-forward, out of sync with the world around him.

The only plausible explanation…

Was a kekkei genkai.

The Hatake clan had always passed down swordsmanship, not Kekkei Genkais. But there were plenty of cases where a regular ninja spontaneously awakened a unique kekkei genkai. It was rare, but not unheard of.

Kaede might not yet be classified as having one, but if he could move even faster…

Then it would be a kekkei genkai, one like no other.

"Yeah… that might be it," Kaede murmured thoughtfully.

His ability, the Illusory Clock, did indeed fit the bill. In the world of Naruto, where forbidden techniques like Izanagi existed, a kekkei genkai that enhanced speed wouldn't be out of place at all.

Kakashi considered this and said: "If you think so too, then it's probably true… But I don't remember reading about any kekkei genkai like that. There's no record of anything similar…"

Kaede stroked his chin. "If there's no record, then I must be the first to awaken it. In that case…"

"Let's call it, Ghost-Style Kekkei Genkai."

"Ghost Release, huh?" Kakashi nodded.

"That movement really does feel inhuman, like a ghost darting through shadows. Fits perfectly."

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of "Glitch Release," Kaede thought to himself, amused.

But whether it was ghost-like or glitchy, it didn't matter. It was just a cover.

If this ability were truly to be considered a kekkei genkai, then it should bear only one name—

Time Kekkei Genkai.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 7: Kakashi and Might Guy

"This really isn't fair, you know."

Kakashi gave Kaede a deadpan look. "No wonder I've never been able to beat you. Having a Kekkei Genkai is basically cheating."

Kaede chuckled. "Since when has using a Kekkei Genkai in battle counted as cheating? But if it bothers you that much, I'll fight you again, without using that ability."

Kakashi was indeed a genius.

Though they both inherited the bloodline of Konoha's White Fang, Kaede's talent in ninjutsu didn't quite match Kakashi's. But that didn't matter, he was still stronger, because he had put in more time training!

The effects of his time acceleration didn't just apply to combat, it extended to training too. Ever since he arrived in this world, Kaede had spent at least twice as much training time as Kakashi!

"…No, forget it."

Kakashi paused, then shook his head.

A Kekkei Genkai was an innate ability, it wasn't cheating. Even if he managed to beat Kaede without one, it wouldn't really mean much.

In the ninja world, no one ever said you couldn't use your Kekkei Genkai.

"But just having a Kekkei Genkai doesn't mean you'll always be stronger than me. If you slip up, I might surpass you."

He stared at Kaede, not showing even a hint of discouragement. After all, Kekkei Genkai weren't invincible.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't have a Kekkei Genkai either, yet his name shook the entire ninja world, and many in Konoha considered him the strongest of the Five Kage!

"Then I'll be waiting for the day you surpass me."

Kaede smiled and reached out to pat Kakashi's head, but Kakashi immediately stepped back with a frown.

Just as he was about to snap at Kaede for treating him like a kid, a loud and energetic voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

"Ahhh! Kakashi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Kaede turned to see a boy in a tight green jumpsuit bursting out of the bushes—his look was unmistakable.

Might Guy!

Without even sparing a glance at Kaede, Guy leapt straight toward Kakashi and lashed out with a flying spinning kick.

"Let's settle this, Kakashi! Take this—Leaf Hurricane!"

"…"

Kakashi glanced at Guy with his usual dead-eyed look and silently blocked the strike with one arm before countering with a horizontal kick of his own.

Guy absorbed the blow with seemingly endless energy. "This time I'm definitely gonna win, Kakashi! Bring it on!"

Bam! Bam! Bam!

In the blink of an eye, Guy and Kakashi were locked in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Just like in the original story, Guy had viewed Kakashi as his rival since their Academy days, constantly training and challenging him.

Kaede watched the two going at it, shrugged, and leapt up into a nearby tree to watch from above, completely uninvolved.

A man who would one day master the Eight Gates and beat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the dirt, leaving lasting trauma on survivors like Fuguki Suikazan, Guy's taijutsu talent was undeniable.

Though he hadn't yet learned the Eight Gates, his raw physical prowess already let him pressure Kakashi in close combat. But the moment Kakashi started using ninjutsu, the fight's outcome was clear.

Crackle! Zap!

Still irritated from losing to Kaede, Kakashi didn't hold back. After exchanging a few blows, he suddenly unleashed a Lightning Release technique.

ZAP! Guy flew back with a yelp, his hair standing straight up and the scent of burnt cloth in the air.

"ugh… dammit…"

Guy lay sprawled on the ground, smoking slightly. Even though he'd clearly lost, he didn't seem the least bit discouraged.

"Next time… I'm totally gonna win…" he muttered, sparks still flickering from his mouth.

Kakashi crossed his arms and looked down at him.
"You should probably give up now. You beating me is even less likely than me beating Kaede."

"Thanks for the support…"

Guy slowly pushed himself off the ground and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.

Then, blinking, he tilted his head.

"Wait… what did you just say?"

"Nothing important," Kakashi replied with a shrug.

But Guy furrowed his brow and glanced up at Kaede, still perched in the tree, his eyes filled with doubt.

Did Kakashi just say… he couldn't beat Kaede?

Guy had never really compared the two brothers. After all, Kakashi had graduated at five and became a Chūnin at six, while Kaede had only ever ranked near the top of their class.

Must've misheard. Kakashi probably meant that Guy beating him was less likely than Kaede beating him…

Relaxing at the thought, Guy's brows smoothed out again.

Swoosh!

Kaede leapt down from the tree and looked at the two of them.

"You two gonna keep training, or grab something to eat first?"

Thanks to Guy's frequent challenges, Kaede had gotten used to him. Despite the odd stares that followed Guy and his father Might Duy wherever they went, Kaede never looked down on them, not one bit.

After all—

one of them would eventually open the Eighth Gate, destroying the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and scarring the survivors mentally.

And the other… would nearly kick Kaguya otsutsuki's coffin open in a battle against Madara.

Honestly, Kaede felt kinda guilty for eyeing the Eight Gates technique himself.

That said, mastering the Eight Gates was both simple and extremely hard. The basics were easy enough that any ninja could learn it, it was a straightforward, brutal form of taijutsu, but to truly master it required years of hellish training and discipline.

Which is exactly why only people like Guy and Duy had the willpower to push through and perfect such a grueling technique.

"Since I lost to Kakashi, I'll do 3,000 squats before I eat."

Guy answered without hesitation and immediately began squatting in place, completely ignoring Kakashi's exasperated stare.

Seeing Guy jump right back into training, Kakashi shook his head and turned to Kaede.

"I'm not hungry either. I'll keep training too."

It wasn't that Guy had inspired him.

It was Kaede.

With Kaede pulling ahead thanks to a Kekkei Genkai, Kakashi could feel the distance between them widening. If he didn't push himself, that gap would only grow.

And that was something he simply couldn't accept.

"Suit yourselves," Kaede said casually.

"I'm gonna go eat. You guys keep at it."

He didn't mind.

His daily rhythm was completely out of sync with regular people's. Thanks to his time acceleration, he ate at least five meals a day, and trained far more than both Kakashi and Guy combined.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 8: Team Assignment Confirmed

Hokage's office.

On Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk sat a file detailing Kakashi's recent missions and records of his behavior.

For the third time now, Kakashi had gotten into conflicts with new teams, making it difficult for him to function normally in missions.

Shimura Danzo, leaning on his cane, stood in front of Hiruzen's desk and said in a low voice,

"It seems you still haven't found a proper place for that child, Hiruzen. If that's the case, why not leave him to me?"

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, glanced at Danzo, and replied

"You want to turn Sakumo's child into an emotionless tool?"

Danzo's face was blank as he answered,

"If I train him, he won't make the same mistakes Sakumo did. He'll become an even greater ninja, someone who surpasses Sakumo."

Hiruzen snorted and stood up.

"Don't tell me you came here just to talk about this, Danzo."

Danzo looked at Hiruzen deeply, then said,

"No. I just happened to hear about Kakashi's situation. What I really came for is to ask you, what's your next move regarding Kirigakure? Hiruzen, are you planning for war, or...?"

Hiruzen took another drag from his pipe and exhaled a ring of smoke.

He walked to the window, gazing out into the distant sky. After a few seconds of silence, he finally replied in a low voice,

"Let's make some moves to intimidate them. Their recent probing has gone too far. I'll leave this matter to you."

"understood."

Danzo nodded and turned to leave the office. As he walked out, he added,

"...Don't let that boy's talent go to waste, Hiruzen."

Sakumo's two sons, well, he wasn't interested in Kaede but Kakashi's potential had caught his attention. otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up. Still, if Hiruzen disagreed, Danzo didn't have the time to meddle too much in such affairs right now.

Hiruzen didn't respond, only turning his gaze toward the door once Danzo had left.

He shook his head, and the image of Sakumo appeared in his mind. A sigh escaped his lips.

Sakumo's death had impacted the village significantly.

other ninja villages had been probing Konoha more aggressively lately, and the loss of a powerhouse like the "White Fang" was definitely part of the reason.

Kakashi had been deeply affected by Sakumo's death as well. No matter which team he was assigned to, he always ended up clashing with his seniors. It had been over two years since his graduation, yet he still hadn't found a proper team. Danzo's suggestion, while extreme, did have some merit.

"Your child is a gifted ninja, Sakumo... but in terms of handling people, he's still a bit too immature."

Hiruzen fell into thought.

of Sakumo's two sons, Kaede could be considered "excellent," but Kakashi was without a doubt a genius, he had inherited Sakumo's talent and might one day become the next White Fang of the Leaf.

The issue now was how to properly place Kakashi. Hiruzen had already tried assigning him to multiple teams, but every time, conflict ensued, and the matter ended up back on his desk.

Giving Kakashi to Danzo was out of the question.

While Root might suit someone like Kakashi in theory, it would be a betrayal of Sakumo's wishes. Sakumo had openly clashed with Danzo in life and would never want to see his son molded into a tool of Root.

"...Very well, then."

After sorting through countless thoughts, Hiruzen finally made a decision. He spoke quietly to the seemingly empty rooftop:
"Bring Minato here."

Regular Jōnin couldn't handle Kakashi, and the few Hiruzen had in mind had all clashed with him already. That left only one final candidate: Minato Namikaze.

After Sakumo's death, the best candidate to succeed as the Fourth Hokage was one of the Legendary Sannin. But Jiraiya and Tsunade both had no interest in the role. It was Jiraiya's recommendation, Minato Namikaze, that stood out the most.

If Minato was to inherit the title of Fourth Hokage, then naturally he needed to begin training his own elite subordinates. Entrusting a genius like Kakashi to Minato was a perfect fit.

"Yes."

The Anbu on the rooftop replied and vanished instantly.

Hiruzen returned to his seat, took another drag of his pipe, and muttered,

"...In the end, it's Minato again."

Because of the tense situation in the ninja world, Minato's skills were in high demand everywhere. Hiruzen had thought of him early on, but hesitated. Now, after going in circles, he was right back to where he started.

He had no worries about Minato. After all, he was Hiruzen's ideal candidate for Fourth Hokage. Training a talented young ninja was child's play for someone like him.

As he mulled over the situation, Hiruzen pulled out a file.

It listed detailed information about the current crop of academy students, organized by their relationship to Kakashi.

At the very top of the stack was Kaede's file. Hiruzen glanced at it, then set it aside.

It wasn't appropriate to put two brothers in the same team, especially when one of them was also a key figure's younger sibling. If Kaede had talent on par with Kakashi, it might be worth overlooking, but right now, it was important to consider public perception within the village.

"Guy... Obito Uchiha... Rin Nohara..."

Hiruzen pondered for a moment and made his choices.

First was Obito Uchiha. Assigning a member of the Uchiha clan to Minato would help smooth the clan's attitude toward Minato's future as Hokage.

Next, a civilian student. Since Guy was male, he was ruled out to avoid an all-boy team. Rin Nohara, a competent and well-balanced kunoichi, was a perfect fit to round out the squad.

Clack.

Having made his decision, Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and chuckled quietly.

The great Hokage, going to such lengths to sort out a single ninja's placement, even meddling in next year's team assignments for graduating students.

But Kakashi's talent was truly worth the effort. And with Minato, there was nothing to worry about. Letting him handle this personally was far more reassuring.

There would be no problems.

With Kakashi's placement settled, Hiruzen lost interest in the rest of the student files. He returned Kaede's folder to the stack and tossed it aside, not giving it another glance.

"Let's hope Danzo's actions are enough to quiet things down with Kirigakure…"

Hiruzen looked up at the ceiling, exhaling a swirl of smoke.

What truly troubled him now was the state of the ninja world. The great villages were clashing more and more, with everything seemingly revolving around Konoha.

And for good reason, the Land of Fire was the most resource-rich country, and Konoha had claimed huge spoils in the Second Ninja World War. The other villages had all set their sights on Konoha.

But conceding was not an option.

In the ninja world, one concession leads to another. only by meeting greed with strength could true peace be maintained. Hiruzen understood this all too well.

If the situation couldn't be stabilized, if a Third Ninja World War became inevitable, then Konoha would fight back with everything it had!

As that thought crossed his mind, a cold gleam flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.

Thanks to the gains of the Second War, Konoha's core strength was vast and steady. Even though they'd lost Sakumo, their top-tier forces still included Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who had both become powerful enough to lead. And rising stars like Minato Namikaze promised a strong future.

If war came...

Konoha would not lose!

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 9: Obito and Shisui

Ninja Academy.

It wasn't time for morning classes yet. The training field was already noisy, filled with kids of all sizes. In the center of the crowd, a chaotic scuffle was going on.

"Fire Style! Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

A young boy formed hand seals and blew towards a few others, startling them, only to produce a tiny puff of flame.

After a brief moment of silence, the boys facing him burst out laughing.

"You call that a jutsu?!"

"Get him!"

"Damn it! Take this!"

About seven or eight boys were caught up in the brawl. They looked like lower-year students and didn't really know any actual jutsu,it was just a wild free-for-all. A couple of the older kids could throw around some basic techniques like Clone Jutsu and a few others, making their fights look slightly more organized.

The onlookers were shouting, cheering, and egging the chaos on. It was a mess, and since it was still early, no Chūnin instructors had come to break it up yet.

"What are you watching?"
Kaede appeared not far from the field, glanced at the brawl, and walked a few steps closer. He tapped someone on the shoulder in the outer edge of the crowd.

Yūhi Kurenai jumped slightly in surprise. When she turned and saw Kaede, she relaxed with a sigh of relief.

"Morning, Kaede."

"Morning."
Kaede smiled warmly. "Come on, let's go to class."

He had no interest in watching a bunch of kids fight.

Kurenai glanced at the center of the brawl, hesitated, and said:

"um…"

"Hm?"
Kaede looked over at her.

Kurenai said a bit awkwardly, "My cousin's in there getting beat up… his name's Yūhi Yo. He's my uncle's kid."

Kaede tilted his head. "Yo?"

Kurenai pointed into the middle of the chaos. "Yeah, that one right there."

Never heard of him.

Kaede shrugged. He didn't have any interest in background characters; he had no memory of not even worthy of being a side character.

"Boys fighting is normal. You're a girl, you don't need to get involved. Anyway, the Chūnin instructors are definitely watching. It'll be fine."

"But…" Kurenai looked conflicted. Not doing anything felt wrong, but stepping in also didn't feel right.

Seeing her so torn, Kaede clicked his tongue, stepped forward, formed a simple hand seal, and gently pressed his hands against the ground.

"Earth Style: Tremor Technique."

"Eh?! Whoa!"

Kurenai's eyes widened at Kaede's jutsu. Moments later, she felt the ground tremble under her feet. She was able to steady herself thanks to being ready for it.

But the rest of the students? They weren't so lucky.

A large portion of the gathered kids swayed and stumbled. The ones brawling were shaken apart by the sudden quake and scattered.

"Kaede, you…"

Before Kurenai could finish her sentence, Kaede brought a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

"That should stop the fight. Let's go."

The crowd, thrown into disarray by the tremor, had no idea what had just happened—many thought it was a real earthquake. The earlier brawl was completely broken up.

But not everyone had been thrown off.

Among the crowd, one student narrowed his eyes at Kaede, clearly realizing that the tremor had been caused by him.

"That was reckless…"

The boy shook his head.

He looked even younger than Kakashi and wore clothes bearing the Uchiha clan's symbol. Though he blended in with the crowd, his name was anything but unknown.

Uchiha Shisui!

unlike Uchiha Obito, Shisui was a genius nearly on par with Uchiha Itachi. Even before awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, he had earned a fearsome reputation on the Mist battlefield. After awakening it, he wielded the strongest illusion technique—Kotoamatsukami.

And it wasn't just Shisui who had noticed the jutsu, so had Nohara Rin, who had been watching Kaede from a distance.

"Kaede, that was too much…"

Rin walked over, muttering to herself. Then she looked at him and said, "But you're really amazing. Tremor Technique is an Earth Style C-rank jutsu, right?"

Kaede hadn't noticed Rin was nearby. He smiled and held a finger to his lips again.

"I copied it from Kakashi. Just a little trick."

Shisui watched this interaction and smirked, but didn't say anything. He turned to walk away, but hadn't taken more than a few steps before stopping again.

Nearby.

Another boy in an Uchiha uniform, wearing goggles, stood directly in front of Kaede and raised his fist.

"Hey! Kaede! Let's settle this once and for all!"

It was none other than Uchiha Obito, challenging Kaede.

He had surprisingly arrived early today without tripping over something or getting caught in an accident, only to find Kaede and Rin laughing together.

His mood tanked on the spot.

The brawling atmosphere around the field didn't help either, and Obito charged over angrily.

"Boring."

Kaede glanced at him.

He had no interest in pre-darkness Obito. Back then, Obito was a kind and cheerful kid, and Kaede had no desire to bully someone like that.

"Don't run!"

Obito couldn't contain himself when Kaede ignored him and jumped in front to block his path.

Whoosh!

He lunged forward with a clumsy punch.

Kaede sighed, sidestepped the attack, grabbed Obito's shoulder, and gently twisted. Obito lost his balance, flipped midair, and crashed to the ground in a heap.

Rin facepalmed.

Kurenai was speechless.

"Is this guy really from the Uchiha clan? That name might be a little overrated…"

The Uchihas were supposed to be elite, respected, powerful, full of genius ninja topping their classes. But Obito didn't really fit the bill.

But just as Kurenai said that, a voice interrupted her.

"That's not something I can ignore."

Uchiha Shisui had approached without her noticing and now looked calmly at her.

Obito might be a distant relative he didn't care much about, but an insult to the Uchiha clan? That he wouldn't let slide.

"You're…!"

Kurenai's eyes widened.

"Uchiha Shisui?!"

Shisui was one of the most well-known students in the Academy. Top of his class in every subject, he had even defeated a real Genin recently!

Most people saw him as the only student whose talent could rival Kakashi's, and a future elite ninja capable of graduating early.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 10: Shisui's Shock

Noticing the commotion on Yūhi Kurenai's side, Kaede turned his head. The moment his gaze landed on Shisui, he recognized him and tilted his head slightly as he said:

"I don't think Kurenai meant to question the Uchiha clan's prestige. Besides, isn't it rather narrow-minded to judge an entire noble clan based on one individual? The Uchiha are still a clan of many geniuses."

"……"

Shisui's expression softened a little at Kaede's words.

originally, he hadn't intended to meddle in Kaede's affairs, there was no need for unnecessary conflict. He only spoke up because Kurenai's comment had crossed a line, and he wanted to gently warn her.

However—

In the very next instant, Shisui's pupils suddenly contracted.

A hand had silently landed on his shoulder.

His body went stiff in an instant.

The owner of that hand was Kaede!

"How…?"

Shisui's eyes widened with disbelief.

Kaede simply gave him a harmless, innocent smile. Without saying a word, he withdrew his hand and casually walked back toward the classroom.

The "Kaede" that had been standing in front of Shisui just moments ago… suddenly burst into a puff of white smoke and vanished.

A clone!

The one that had remained in place was just a clone!

In that brief moment, Kaede had left behind a clone while his real body moved instantly to Shisui's side!

As a fellow genius, Shisui immediately understood what had happened—but even with that realization, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

"Clone Technique… and Body Flicker?"

"How is he so fast…"

Kaede had swapped places with his clone and appeared next to him in an instant—it was utterly mind-blowing!

Which meant, if this had been a real fight… he would've already been taken out in a flash, before even understanding what was happening!

"This is…"

Yūhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin were stunned too.

Neither of them had fully grasped what just happened. In fact, they hadn't even seen how Kaede had left a clone behind and arrived next to Shisui in the blink of an eye.

The two girls exchanged glances, and both saw the same shock in each other's eyes.

After snapping out of their daze, they glanced at the still-frozen Shisui, then quickly chased after Kaede.

"……"

Shisui took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. As he turned his head to watch Kaede walk away, there was still a trace of shock lingering in his eyes.

Everyone knew about Kakashi's genius. Kaede, by contrast, had always been considered "average talent," "mediocre," or even "lacking potential."

At this moment, Shisui had only one word for those evaluations:

Blind.

Even though he wasn't sure about Kakashi's full strength, just based on Kaede's technique just now, Shisui was convinced, Kaede was definitely not inferior to Kakashi. In fact, he might even be stronger.

"Whew…"

"This level of skill couldn't have been gained overnight. That guy's been hiding his true strength all along… never once showing off his talent, not even when others doubted him…"

Shisui muttered in his heart.

His current judgment of Kaede could be summed up in one word: Terrifying.

Compared to the brash and proud Kakashi, Kaede, his older brother, didn't just possess incredible strength, he had a calm, composed, and mature demeanor.

And someone like that… was undeniably even more formidable.

Taking a deep breath, Shisui suddenly felt the weight of being called a "genius" grow heavier on his shoulders.

…
Back in the classroom, Kaede leaned back in his chair, fingers to his chin in thought.
"Young Shisui of the Uchiha shouldn't be any weaker than Itachi. But I'm not sure exactly when he awakened the Mangekyo and obtained Kotoamatsukami…"

Since this was the Shisui from the original story, one of the Uchiha clan's prodigies and considering how arrogantly he treated Kurenai, Kaede decided to test him a bit.

He wanted to see if the future "Shisui of the Body Flicker" could keep up.

Turns out, not quite.

"Kaede, just now you…"

As Kaede walked into the classroom, Kurenai and the others followed close behind. Kurenai sat down beside him and immediately spoke up.

She didn't fully understand what had just happened, but it was clear as day that Shisui had been shaken by something, his expression and eyes had frozen on the spot.

"oh, that? I was just saying hello to Shisui. No big deal."

Kaede smiled casually.

After all, they were already in the tense period before the Third Great Ninja War. Revealing a little of his strength wasn't a problem anymore.

Kurenai stared at him with wide eyes and said, "But… you totally scared him, didn't you?"

Kaede took out his textbook and placed it on the desk, thinking aloud, "Probably. I do have two more years of experience with ninjutsu, after all."

Though he said it lightly, Kurenai knew full well that what had just happened was far from simple.

Uchiha Shisui was one of the most famous geniuses in the whole academy!

To shake someone like him, that was definitely worth bragging about.

And yet Kaede acted as though nothing had happened. He joked and smiled just like always, as if it were no big deal.

That unshakable demeanor only made Kurenai admire him even more. Compared to the boys who couldn't stop bragging at every little achievement, Kaede's charm was off the charts.

"……"

Noticing the look in her eyes, Kaede sighed inwardly.

This girl's expression… is she already planning to have my babies or something? Maybe I should tone it down a bit.

But then again, he hadn't really done anything excessive.

Ah, to be young…

Kaede had wanted to truly enjoy this peaceful ninja school life, this sunshine-filled period without stress. That was his original plan from the start.

unfortunately… reality wouldn't allow it.

No matter how much he tried to forget, he would still remember the looming Third Great Ninja War, the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, and Pain's destruction of the village…

This was a dangerous world.

A world where you needed strength to enjoy peace.

Leaning back in his chair, Kaede stretched and muttered as he gazed out the window:

"If only this were some slice-of-life world…"

Kurenai tilted her head and asked, "Hmm? What did you just say, Kaede?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about something."

Kaede shook his head, then chuckled softly.

Even if he had ended up in one of those relaxed worlds like Clannad or Kaguya-sama: Love is War, there'd still be different kinds of pressure pushing him forward. unless you were born on top, stress always found a way.

Being reborn with the power to manipulate time, and landing in Konoha before the Third Great Ninja War… honestly, that was already a pretty easy-mode start.

If he'd ended up in the Bloody Mist Village, where students killed each other during training, and then didn't even have the time-manipulation ability?

That would've been hell mode.

With those thoughts in mind, Kaede calmly waited for today's training test while refining his chakra, feeling it flow smoothly through his body.

"Now that I think about it, the Eight Gates technique shouldn't be that hard to train…"

He pondered, circulating chakra through his body and trying to pinpoint the locations of each of the Eight Gates based on memory.

He wanted to see if he could figure out how to train it on his own.

The real difficulty of the Eight Gates technique wasn't in unlocking them, it was the long-term discipline needed to master them.

otherwise, someone like Might Duy wouldn't have been able to create it in the first place.

To put it simply: training the Eight Gates was like writing the same character over and over again. If you had the willpower and persistence, you'd eventually get it.

Whereas techniques like the Reaper Death Seal or Flying Thunder God, those were like mathematical theorems on a global scale. Without talent, there was no chance

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 11: Chakra Flow

Although the Eight Gates Technique is relatively easy to get started with even Genin can begin developing it, it wasn't something Kaede could fully master in just a short moment.

He did manage to locate the eight positions of the Gates within his body, but the real challenge lay in how to train and loosen them, and how to freely open and close them. That was the true essence of the Eight Gates.

"Looks like I'll need a lot more practice…"

Kaede muttered to himself, deep in thought.

He considered whether he should shortcut the process by asking Might Duy for guidance. Playing it safe, asking Duy directly would definitely be more reliable. After all, even if the method was simple and brute-force, it was still a Forbidden Technique, one that might pose risks during development.

That morning's academy test was a general physical ability assessment, including tasks like tree climbing and weighted runs. However, these were no big deal for any of the ninja students. Even Obito passed with relative ease.

once the test ended, Kaede returned home. After a quick meal and a bit of tidying up, he left again, heading into the village to look for Might Duy and Might Guy. unfortunately, Duy was apparently out on a mission, and only Guy was training alone at their usual spot.

Without Duy, Kaede couldn't set up a "coincidental encounter" to ask for guidance, but he wasn't in a rush. He returned home, grabbed the chakra blade White Fang, and headed for the forested mountains behind the village.

"This time… I think I'm finally ready."

Arriving at his usual training spot, Kaede gripped the White Fang tightly, took a deep breath, and began training in earnest. He didn't create any Shadow Clones, this time he trained with his real body.

After yesterday's sparring match with Kakashi, Kaede had continued training in the Hatake Sword Style at home and felt himself nearing the threshold of sensing chakra flow.

The Hatake Sword Style, a blade technique that made White Fang's name feared across the entire ninja world, had two stages.

The core of the first stage was: chakra flow.

This meant allowing chakra to flow naturally through the weapon, enhancing its sharpness and attack power. once mastered, the power of the Hatake Sword Style would increase drastically.

The second stage went a step further, chakra shape transformation.

In this phase, flowing chakra is solidified into a razor-sharp form. Combined with the Hatake Sword Style, the destructive power would increase again by a huge margin.

No matter what level a shinobi was at, mastering the first stage alone guaranteed Chūnin-level strength. The second stage pushed the user into Jōnin-level strength.

Beyond that… depended entirely on talent.

You might think reaching Jōnin level makes the technique just "average," but that's only because almost anything stronger than the Hatake Sword Style falls into the realm of Forbidden Techniques and Secret Arts. Techniques like the Flying Thunder God are simply out of reach for most ninja.

Kaede had never once slacked off in his training with the Hatake Blade Style. That's because it required refined chakra control and was compatible with nearly every form of taijutsu, even techniques like the Eight Gates or Sage Mode could be used in tandem with it.

Shhh! Shhh!

Kaede continued to swing his blade. A faint white glow shimmered across White Fang, subtly trembling with each slash and leaving behind glowing arcs in the air.

He trained like this for hours before returning to the village for a meal. Then he came back out to continue.

Seven hours...
Eight hours...
Nine hours…

under the effect of 3x time acceleration, Kaede kept repeating the most basic forms of the Hatake Sword Style, integrating the increasingly familiar chakra flow into each motion.

over time, his crude movements became smoother. What was once unfamiliar became second nature, until finally, with one clean slash, Kaede felt the chakra flowing along his blade perfectly align with his cutting motion.

"That's it!"

His eyes lit up.

He paused, felt out that exact state again, and swung once more. The result was the same, perfect execution.

After repeating it dozens of times to confirm he'd fully mastered the technique, Kaede finally relaxed.

The first stage of the Hatake Sword Style was complete!

"Let's test the power…"

Calming his breath, Kaede stepped in front of a thick wooden post. His eyes focused, and he slashed with the White Fang. A thin white arc flickered through the air.

Shhht!!

The thick post, easily as wide as a man's arms, was sliced clean through as if it were tofu. The top half slid off silently.

"Yeah… that's powerful. With White Fang and chakra flow, I could probably slice through an opponent's kunai with brute force."

Kaede evaluated the strike quietly.

The legends about White Fang were clearly true. Just the first stage of the Hatake Sword Style alone could bring a shinobi to Chūnin level, and perhaps even give an edge against others at the same level.

With Kaede's prior strength already at Chūnin level thanks to his ninjutsu and taijutsu, this now elevated him to Elite Chūnin, even in his base form!

"Next up… the accelerated state."

He exhaled, his eyes gleaming.

That last slash was done at normal speed. But under time acceleration, the Hatake Sword Style should become even more devastating!

Silently—

Kaede activated 3x Time Acceleration.

Anyone watching from afar would've seen his entire body shift into a strange fast-forward mode, his movements and even his breathing seemed unnatural, surreal.

In that state, Kaede gripped the chakra blade, gathered chakra flow, and unleashed a slash toward the wooden post.

Shhht!!

The slash was so fast it left behind afterimages.

In a flash, a white crescent arc like a blade of light tore through the air and effortlessly pierced the thick post.

"This…"

Kaede's eyes widened in awe.

under time acceleration, the slash's range had extended beyond the blade itself, it had launched a chakra wave nearly a foot long!

This was something only the second stage of the Hatake Sword Style could do!

Trying to calm his excitement, Kaede circled behind the post. There, he could clearly see a clean line where the wooden post had been cleaved in two. The ground itself had a faint cut as well.

"While the power might not yet match a true second-stage slash, in the accelerated state, I can already achieve ranged attacks by leveraging chakra flow and sword technique!"

Kaede took a deep breath, reassessing his current strength level.

Tokubetsu Jōnin.

A specialized speed-type Tokubetsu Jōnin.

He wasn't sure how he'd fare against opponents who used genjutsu or forbidden techniques, but against standard Chūnin or even most Elite Chūnin his overwhelming speed would let him end battles in seconds.

And the best thing about being a speed-type shinobi?

He wasn't afraid of being outnumbered.

Genjutsu users or those with forbidden techniques might struggle against groups, but Kaede with his speed could freely enter and exit combat, dodging and striking at will.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 12: Setting a Small Goal

The surge in strength naturally brought with it a sense of joy.

But that joy didn't last long before Kaede Hatake calmed down again. He knew that despite the title, a Special Jōnin was in an awkward position.

Their overall abilities weren't balanced enough to be considered a true Jōnin, and their survivability in actual combat was far inferior by comparison.

"Still lacking endurance..."

Kaede muttered to himself.

Without the constitution of the uzumaki clan or a tailed beast sealed inside him, the amount of chakra he had was only just reaching the level of a Chūnin Elite, still far from what a Jōnin possessed.

As for stamina, there wasn't much to expect from a ten-year-old's body.

And in accelerated time, stamina burned out even faster.

"If I learn the Eight Gates now, I'll basically be a five-second wonder…"

A helpless smile formed on Kaede Hatake's lips.

until he could gain the body of a Sage, stamina and chakra would likely remain his shortfalls. And acquiring a Sage's body wasn't something he could even consider at this stage.

Still, thinking it over, if he could unleash overwhelming power in a single instant, it wouldn't matter how short-lived his stamina was, just like the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, who could cut down fifty Jōnin in a flash. Even if chakra was his weak point, it didn't stop the "Yellow Flash" from shaking the ninja world.

"Looks like my future combat style is going to be about ending things in one instant…"

Kaede Hatake couldn't help but joke to himself.

Regardless of his stamina issues, the Eight Gates was still worth learning. When combined with time acceleration, he'd finally have the capability to truly end battles at lightspeed.

If his speed was high enough, endurance just wouldn't matter.

The fight wouldn't even last long enough for it to be a concern.

"Right now, my base state should be on par with a Chūnin Elite. With triple speed, I'm basically a Special Jōnin. To go one step further, I have three paths I can take…"

Kaede Hatake pondered silently.

The first route was the most conventional: steadily training in taijutsu, refining chakra, and using time acceleration to grow his body more quickly. By the time he reached twelve or thirteen years old physically, he should have chakra and stamina comparable to a true Jōnin.

Add in one standard Jōnin-level ninjutsu, and he'd be a full-fledged Jōnin in his base state.

The second path was to continue training in the Hatake Sword Style.

If he could reach the second stage of the technique, then even without massive chakra reserves or elite stamina, the sheer destructive power of the "White Fang" blade would give him Jōnin-level strength.

The third path was, of course, the Eight Gates.

"...Ideally, I should cultivate all three paths at once."

Kaede Hatake made his decision.

For ordinary people, choosing one path to focus on was the wisest course, trying to do too much would result in mediocrity across the board.

But he wasn't ordinary.

With the ability to accelerate time, he had far more time to train than anyone else!

And if the illusory clock's power improved further, four times speed, five times speed... then he'd absolutely have the capacity to walk all three paths at once!

"Let's set a small goal: reach Jōnin level in six months."

Kaede Hatake clenched his fist and took a deep breath.

Jōnin.

By that, he meant reaching Jōnin-level strength in his normal state.

If he could achieve that, then under triple or even quadruple speed, he might truly reach the level of Minato Namikaze, slaying Jōnin like cutting vegetables!

only by reaching that level would he have real survival power in the looming Third Great Ninja War. otherwise, a random accident might take him out before he ever had a chance to shine.

Leaving his training grounds, Kaede Hatake returned to the village.

"The security's gotten tighter again."

Compared to a few days ago, there were noticeably more patrol ninjas on the streets today, and their patrol frequency had increased as well, and this was just the visible side.

In the shadows, the Anbu and the Hokage's Surveillance Corps were surely watching every corner of the village, hunting for enemy spies who might've slipped in.

Kaede Hatake could feel eyes on him—someone had clearly investigated him. After confirming there was nothing suspicious, the feeling of being watched gradually faded.

It wasn't a pleasant experience, but such scrutiny was inevitable in the tense days before a ninja war. Every village was sending spies and trying everything they could to gather intel.

Because of his accelerated training sessions, the food in his fridge was running out quickly, so he needed to restock every few days. He made his way to the food market for more supplies.

He hadn't gone far when—

From the nearby butcher shop, a familiar voice called out.

Kaede Hatake glanced over and saw a familiar figure holding a grocery bag, standing in front of the beef vendor, glaring at the shopkeeper.

"What?! Beef is up to 450 ryo now? Hey, that's way too expensive!"

Might Duy protested with visible dismay.

The shopkeeper just shrugged. "That's the wholesale price, it's not like I'm trying to scam anyone."

Because of the rising tensions in the ninja world, prices were inevitably climbing. While Konoha was still relatively stable, their supply routes were strained, and to prevent enemy sabotage, large shipments now required ninja escorts, which increased costs further.

"This is brutal…"

Might Duy scratched his head, visibly troubled.

He was only a Genin, and since he couldn't find a team to join, the missions he could take were extremely limited. The rise in living costs hit him hard, but his son Might Guy was still growing and needed meat in his diet every day.

After struggling for a while, Duy finally bought a smaller piece of beef, figuring he could cut back his own portions to make it work.

"Tough life, huh…"

Kaede Hatake murmured to himself, watching the scene unfold.

He himself was doing fine, though Sakumo had passed, he'd left behind a sizable inheritance, enough for both Kaede and Kakashi to live comfortably for years. on top of that, Kakashi was already a Chūnin and could support himself.

That said, if Might Duy could open all Eight Gates and defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, then even just opening seven gates should put him at Jōnin level. If not a full Jōnin, at least a Chūnin promotion should've been possible.

But the missions he took were mostly menial tasks; cleaning garbage, finding lost cats, and the like offering no room to showcase his strength.

So no one in Konoha had any clue about his real abilities.

After thinking it over, Kaede Hatake quickly bought his groceries and returned home. He made a simple meal and ate, then left again, this time, to look for Might Duy.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 13: The Eight Gates Released Formation

It didn't take long.

Kaede quickly found Might Duy.

Just as he expected, after returning from a mission and having dinner with Guy, the two had begun their training. They were currently running laps around Konoha.

Kaede thought for a moment, then took another route and also began running around the village. After a while, he 'naturally' caught up with Duy and Guy.

"You're training too, Guy?"

Kaede greeted him casually.

Guy saw Kaede and gave him a thumbs-up while running. "of course! Fifty laps after dinner to adjust the state, this is youth!"

Might Duy mirrored his son's movement exactly, raising a thumbs-up in unison, flashing a set of pearly white teeth in agreement.

This bizarre scene made passersby on both sides of the street give them strange looks.

Kaede felt a little helpless.

Do we really have to be this weird…

Even he was getting attention from others just for running with them. He could vaguely hear people whispering, "Someone's actually hanging around with those two?" which made him mentally sigh.

While running, Guy turned to Kaede and asked, "Huff… Huff… By the way, where's Kakashi? Didn't you train together?"

Guy still seemed more interested in Kakashi than Kaede.

"He probably went to train on his own."

Kaede knew Kakashi hadn't taken any missions recently, and if he wasn't home, he was likely out training somewhere. They rarely trained together.

Guy gave him another thumbs-up and grinned, "I see… I didn't expect you to do this kind of basic training too."

"Basics are important."

Kaede smiled, then said thoughtfully, "Lately I've been training in taijutsu, and I feel like there's some kind of limit inside me I can break through. Have you felt that before?"

Guy looked confused. "A limit? You mean when you train until you run out of stamina?"

"No."

Kaede glanced sideways at Might Duy and continued talking to Guy, "Not that kind of limit. It feels more like shackles restricting the strength of the body…"

Hearing Kaede's words, Guy looked even more puzzled. But just as he was about to ask something, Duy spoke up, visibly impressed. He looked at Kaede and said, "As expected of Kakashi's older brother, sensing the existence of the Eight Gates at such a young age. That's not something you achieve just through effort."

"Eight Gates?"

Kaede feigned confusion as he turned to Duy.

Duy, being straightforward by nature, didn't bother hiding anything. He laughed and said, "When you train your body to a certain degree, you'll feel shackles inside. I call these shackles the Eight Gates. once you break through them, you can unleash extraordinary power."

Guy looked at his father with surprise. He had never heard anything like this before, not even from the academy's teachers.

"Dad, can you use this kind of taijutsu?"

"of course!"

Duy gave a big thumbs-up. "This is the one and only ultimate technique I've trained for twenty years. I planned to teach it to you once you grow a bit more."

Kaede asked, "Even if you can feel the gates, forcibly opening them would probably cause damage, right?"

"Mm."

Duy nodded seriously. "Honestly, I don't recommend someone your age trying to open the gates yet. But if you can already sense their existence, that means you've reached the threshold of practicing the Eight Gates."

Duy didn't even consider keeping it a secret, or perhaps he'd always wanted to pass down this technique. But being a mere Genin, no one besides his son ever listened to him, even if he wanted to teach them.

So now that Kaede was asking, Duy immediately poured out all the key points of the Eight Gates training method, giving Kaede a moment of sudden clarity.

"Thank you for the guidance, senpai."

Kaede stopped running and gave Duy a respectful bow with a smile of gratitude.

Seeing him like this, Duy laughed heartily. "No need to be so formal! If my experience can help you, that's great! After all, you're Guy's classmate. I didn't expect someone would actually listen to a Genin like me talk about taijutsu experience, my youth!"

The first half was fine, but the second half quickly veered into nonsense again, making Kaede sigh inwardly.

Guy looked at his dad with confusion. "Dad, what's the Eight Gates? Can I learn it?"

"Guy!"

Duy snapped out of his emotional moment and patted Guy hard on the shoulder. "You're not ready yet! Let's finish the fifty laps first, then I'll tell you all about the Eight Gates!"

And with that, Duy took off running again, dragging Guy along. The two of them quickly disappeared down the street under the strange looks of everyone nearby.

Kaede had thought about continuing to run with them, but seeing that, he could only shake his head helplessly.

Forget it.

"I finally got the training method for the Eight Gates. Just as I expected, it wasn't hard to obtain. Though… I do feel a little guilty. I'll find a way to repay him someday."

With that thought, Kaede returned home and, based on Duy's explanations and his own understanding of taijutsu, organized the Eight Gates training method.

The key to training the Eight Gates lies in breaking the shackles inside the body.

However, forcibly opening them causes internal damage to the chakra network, so it requires specific preparation and adaptation training—namely, resistance training.

Early-stage practice involves using tools like weights to put the body under constant stress. That way, once the weights are removed, the body becomes more adapted to breaking through the Eight Gates.

Training essentially revolves around repeating this process.

"So I'll need to buy some weights…"

Kaede rummaged through his ninja gear and found some old training weights, but none of them were heavy enough. They were fine for ordinary training, but not for beginning Eight Gates practice.

Still, weights weren't hard to come by. Ninja villages never lacked training tools, and the inheritance left by Sakumo was more than enough to cover the cost.

Soon after—

Kaede spent a decent amount of money and bought a full set of weights.

unlike the ankle weights Rock Lee wore in the original series, his set included everything: vest, wrist guards, and leg weights, a complete outfit.

"I have no idea what this stuff's made of, but the weight doesn't make sense…"

After studying the weights for a bit, Kaede concluded they were another one of those "unscientific" items like the blood-absorbing Executioner's Blade or the endlessly stretching Kusanagi Sword, likely made with some special crafting methods.

"So heavy…"

once he put them all on, he could feel a huge increase in body weight. Even walking felt unstable at first, but after a while, he slowly adapted.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 14: Slaying a Chūnin

After purchasing ninja tools and obtaining the training method, everything was ready. Kaede took a nap first. In his accelerated time state, he woke up after about two and a half hours in the real world. After having a meal, he headed to his usual training spot.

Kaede's usual training ground was located behind the mountains of Konoha. It was also a place where many people came to train, but now it was nighttime and completely deserted.

under the moonlight,
Kaede began his intense training.

The Eight Gates technique was something that could only be mastered through sheer hard work. There was no shortcut, no wild ideas like permanently opening the gates or training in reverse, those were pure nonsense and practically impossible.

…
Four hours passed.
At some point, Kaede had taken off his weights and was resting against a rock. His clothes were completely soaked in sweat, as if he had just been pulled from a river.

Training the Eight Gates was far more grueling than regular ninjutsu or taijutsu exercises. Even with his time acceleration ability, it only sped up his time relative to the outside world—the effort and strain of training itself could not be bypassed.

"Huff..."

This was already his seventh rest break. Although his body had recovered somewhat, Kaede still leaned there, reluctant to move.

Four hours at three times acceleration equals twelve hours of continuous training.

"That's enough for now. I'll go home and rest, then continue."

Feeling mentally fatigued, Kaede decided to stop. He stood up, picked up his discarded weights, and was about to head back.

But then, he suddenly paused.

He stopped what he was doing and set the weights down again, listening intently.

Rustle, rustle...

Faint sounds echoed from within the woods.

Someone seemed to be moving through the trees.

At this hour of the night, anyone wandering the forest was unlikely to be there for good reasons. Kaede frowned slightly, his expression growing more cautious.

Though he didn't know who it was, he had no desire to run into them. Judging from the sound of the movement, they seemed to be heading in his direction and would likely pass by nearby.

Huff...

Judging the intruder's position, Kaede moved around the back of the rock to avoid detection.

The footsteps swept past on one side and gradually faded into the distance, seemingly unaware of his presence.

However—

Almost the very next instant after the footsteps vanished, a sudden flash of silver burst through the night air. Accompanied by the whoosh of slicing wind, seven or eight shuriken rained down toward Kaede's hiding spot, cutting off all possible escape routes.

"Shit!"

Kaede cursed. The chakra blade already gripped in his right hand flicked out in swift, precise motions, knocking the shuriken away. At the same time, he leapt atop the rock and looked in the direction the attack had come from.

under the moonlight, a figure could clearly be seen. Though the symbol on his forehead protector wasn't Konoha's, Kaede recognized it instantly.

Kirigakure!

A ninja from the Hidden Mist Village!

"So it's just a brat..."

Rin Kinyuuya narrowed his eyes coldly and charged at Kaede, drawing a short sword and slashing at him.

He was a scout from the Hidden Mist, a sensory-type elite Chūnin. After some effort, he had slipped into the Land of Fire, planning to try and infiltrate Konoha. But then he sensed Kaede's chakra.

His first reaction was shock, he thought he had walked into an ambush. But after carefully analyzing the chakra, he realized it belonged to just one person, and the chakra level wasn't high. Without hesitation, he sent a clone to continue making noise and launched a sneak attack.

Kaede blocking the strike surprised him slightly. But seeing that Kaede looked like a ten-year-old kid, he relaxed a bit and decided to finish things quickly.

He had to be fast.

They were close to Konoha. The longer the fight dragged on, the more dangerous it would be. He had to eliminate Kaede swiftly and then try to infiltrate.

"This area near the village isn't safe anymore."

"Guess I can't train here at night anymore."

Seeing Rin Kinyuuya radiate killing intent without even attempting conversation, Kaede's thoughts raced. He met the attack head-on with his blade—White Fang.

Clang, clang, clash!

Kaede's chakra blade White Fang clashed fiercely with Rin Kinyuuya's short sword under the moonlight, sparks flying and metal ringing out.

In just a few seconds, they exchanged over a dozen blows. From initial bloodlust to growing surprise, Rin Kinyuuya realized that this kid wasn't as easy to handle as expected.

Silver hair... Chakra blade...

Could this be... the son of White Fang mentioned in the intel?!

Rin Kinyuuya's eyes flashed with recognition.

It had to be!

Hatake Kakashi's reputation as a genius had spread through Konoha, and naturally, he was on the Hidden Mist's assassination list. No one wanted Konoha to produce another White Fang!

Killing this kid would be a huge accomplishment. Even if he failed to gather intelligence, returning with this success would suffice.

Compared to risking everything to infiltrate Konoha, taking out a kid was a much better option. Besides, now that Kaede had spotted him, he couldn't just leave him alive.

Whoosh!!

With that thought, Rin Kinyuuya's killing intent surged. After another exchange of blows, he leapt back, biting down on his short sword and forming hand seals rapidly.

"Ninjutsu! Hidden Mist Technique!"

"Wind Style! Gale Force Jutsu!"

But before the mist could spread, Kaede seemed to predict it in advance. At nearly the same moment, he released his own Wind Style jutsu. A violent gust blew through, scattering the forming mist before it could thicken, only slightly obscuring vision.

Rin Kinyuuya frowned, but still charged forward through the mist.

This was Kaede's first true battle, his first real life-or-death fight. Most people might panic, unable to bring out their full strength under such pressure, but Kaede remained eerily calm.
For one simple reason: He had already judged the opponent's strength.

And more importantly, in three-times acceleration, everything before his eyes was effectively moving in slow motion, including Rin Kinyuuya's movements.

A faint gleam shimmered on the edge of Kaede's chakra blade.

"White Fang Slash."

Staring at Rin Kinyuuya charging through the haze, Kaede's eyes gleamed coldly. He unleashed the full extent of the speed he hadn't used before, instantly reaching his limit.

To Rin Kinyuuya, Kaede seemed to blur and vanish, moving at a speed that was nearly supernatural. His chakra blade left afterimages in the air as it slashed forward.

Rin Kinyuuya's expression shifted dramatically.

How is he this fast?!

The thought barely crossed his mind. There was no time to think. Facing Kaede's terrifying burst of speed, he could only use all his strength to raise his short sword in defense.

CLANG!

Just barely, just barely, Rin Kinyuuya's short sword intercepted the White Fang blade, sparks flying.

"I blocked it..."

That thought flashed through his mind—

But in the very next instant, he froze completely. His eyes widened in disbelief.

A thin line of blood appeared on his forehead, trailing down from the center of his forehead protector and running all the way to the back of his head.

He had blocked the physical blade—but failed to anticipate that the strike extended beyond the blade, reaching nearly a foot further with a slicing shockwave.

This was...

The legendary Hatake Kenjutsu!

Countless ninja had fallen to this move during the Second Great Ninja War. Even knowing it was coming, it was nearly impossible to block!

In his last moment of consciousness, Rin Kinyuuya remembered the dread so many once felt before the chakra blade White Fang.

He had never imagined that such a young kid could already wield the very technique that once shook the ninja world.

Silently—

Rin Kinyuuya's body shuddered and collapsed to the ground.

 

[Veltoria]

Chapter 15: Kakashi's Confusion

He had only wanted to quietly train until he reached the level of Jōnin, but now he had been forced to kill someone, disrupting the rhythm of his training. For a moment, Kaede was at a loss for words.

Should he destroy the body to cover it up...?

There probably wasn't enough time.

Whoosh!

Without even checking Rin Kinyuuya's corpse, Kaede leapt up, grabbed his belongings, and quickly fled into the distance.

He could easily guess that Konoha's Anbu were likely rushing to the scene. Kaede had no intention of running into them.

Almost immediately after Kaede left—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several shinobi appeared at the location where the fight had taken place. They all wore animal masks, clearly members of the Anbu directly under the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"over there!"

one of them, a sensory-type ninja, caught a flash of something and saw Lin Qingyu Yuuya's corpse. He didn't approach directly, instead hurling a shuriken that struck the body, confirming that the target was dead.

The other two Anbu quickly approached from both sides.

"He's dead."

one of them crouched down to confirm the death, then flipped the corpse over so the face was up, revealing the forehead protector of Kirigakure.

The three Anbu looked at each other, a flicker of surprise passing through their eyes. They had expected to find a fallen Konoha shinobi, only to discover it was an enemy ninja instead. Judging by his gear, he was likely a scout, though it was unclear who had taken him out.

"This guy should be a Kirigakure elite Chūnin."

The crouching ninja swiftly inspected the body. A flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes as he turned to his companion.

"It's been less than a minute since you sensed the battle here, right?"

"Yeah..."

The sensory ninja furrowed his brow. "To take out an elite scout from Kirigakure that quickly, it'd have to be one of our Jōnin. But I don't recognize that chakra signature at all. And after killing the enemy, they just left? Seems they didn't want to encounter us."

The ninja inspecting the body looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly froze. He stared closely at the wound on Rin Kinyuuya's head, his expression turning to surprise.

"This wound…"

"What about it?"

The other two turned their attention to him.

After hesitating for several seconds, the inspecting Anbu spoke, sounding unsure.

"This kind of wound... I've seen it before. It looks like something caused by Lord Sakumo's sword technique."

"No way!"

"Lord Sakumo died two years ago…"

The two were almost in sync with their reaction.

The inspecting ninja also looked uncertain, but after double-checking, he finally said:

"This kind of cut is definitely the result of Lord Sakumo's blade technique. But it likely wasn't him. If it were, this forehead protector would've been cleaved right through too."

Hearing this, the three Anbu exchanged glances.

The Hatake Sword Technique was a secret art passed down only within the Hatake clan, just like the Nara Clan's Shadow Jutsu or the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Techniques. Ever since Sakumo's death, very few people could use it.

"…Compile a report for the Hokage."

"understood."

After coming to a decision, the Anbu returned to the village.

The death of a scout from an enemy village wasn't exactly a major incident given the current tension between the villages, so there was no need to wake Hiruzen Sarutobi in the middle of the night. It wasn't until the next morning, when Hiruzen entered his office, that he was informed of what had happened.

"A Kirigakure elite scout, killed by the Hatake Sword Technique? And the fight lasted no more than a minute?"

Hearing the Anbu's report, Hiruzen was a little taken aback.

An elite Kirigakure scout capable of sneaking near Konoha would at the very least be a high-level Chūnin. To take such a person out in under a minute would require a Jōnin-level shinobi. But there shouldn't be any Jōnin in the village currently proficient in the Hatake Sword Technique.

"Could it be… him?"

A figure flashed through Hiruzen's mind—Kakashi.

His heart trembled slightly.

Killing a Kirigakure scout in under a minute… Had Kakashi already grown that powerful? He wasn't even eight years old yet!

Though it was hard to believe, no one else seemed to fit the profile. Hiruzen took a deep breath.

"Kakashi... Bring him here. I have questions."

"Yes, sir."

The nearby Anbu vanished instantly.

A short while later—

Kakashi arrived outside the Hokage's office and walked in. He bowed respectfully.

"You summoned me, Lord Hokage?"

Hiruzen stood up, approached Kakashi, and gave him a warm smile, his eyes full of admiration.

"Your training has progressed quite a bit recently, hasn't it? I didn't expect you to already master Sakumo's blade techniques at your age."

"...?"

Kakashi froze.

Hiruzen patted Kakashi's shoulder and said with a smile, "Seeing you now reminds me of Sakumo in his youth... Don't you have something you want to report to me?"

Kakashi looked at Hiruzen, utterly puzzled. After hesitating, he asked,

"Lord Hokage, what exactly are you referring to?"

Hiruzen was slightly surprised, but then smiled again.

He hadn't expected the proud and impulsive Kakashi to have learned how to hide things. It seemed the boy had truly grown up. Maybe it wouldn't be long before Kakashi could truly take on the duties of a Jōnin. If he'd known this earlier, there might have been no need to have Minato guide him.

Clack.

Hiruzen raised his hand and tossed something toward Kakashi.

Kakashi caught it and saw that it was a Kirigakure forehead protector, stained with dried blood and marked by a clean cut across the middle—as though it had been sliced by a sharp blade.

utterly baffled by the Hokage's gesture, Kakashi looked even more confused, lost in thought as he turned to Hiruzen.

"...Still not remembering?"

Hiruzen took a sip of tea, his expression calm.

Knowing how to hide was a good quality, but once the Hokage knew, it was time to report the full situation.

Kakashi's mind raced, but he truly couldn't recall anything involving the forehead protector. After a long silence, he finally asked,

"Lord Hokage… this forehead protector... what exactly—?"

Hiruzen frowned slightly, surprised that Kakashi was still denying it. His tone turned colder.

"The battle last night. I want you to explain it."

"Last night?"

Kakashi was stunned, and his expression turned serious.

"Lord Hokage, I was home all night. I wasn't involved in any battle…"

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Note: If you want to read up to 150+ chapters ahead of the current story, you can support me on Patreon and read up to Chapter 171 there! Patreon.com/Veltoria

 

[Opossum89]

Pretty distinctive Chinese fanfiction style writing. The writing style is pretty distinctive of Chinese web novels. its okay, but the translation quality itself is surprisingly good. better than even the best AI translators.