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.