Although it was wartime, there was no way Konoha would send out a squad of ninja to recklessly attack towns in the Land of Rain and slaughter innocent civilians.
Even if Danzo had ordered Root to do such a thing, they would've disguised themselves as ninja from another village to frame someone else. They would never act openly under the name of Konoha.
Clearly,
The group of ninja that attacked this town weren't Konoha shinobi at all.
"Think you can run?"
A cold glint flashed in Kaede's eyes as a silver light erupted in an instant.
Shhhhk!
Under the stunned gazes of Yahiko, Konan, and the others, a streak of silver lightning zipped across the street in a blink, slicing through the dozen or so "Konoha ninja" without the slightest pause.
The fleeing shinobi all froze in place.
Each of their eyes were filled with shock and fear, as if they were trying to react, but they couldn't. In the next moment, all their bodies were severed in half, blood spraying across the ground.
Splurt!
One by one, white smoke erupted from the corpses sliced in two by Kaede. The disguises of Konoha ninja faded away, revealing the outfits of Sand ninja from Sunagakure.
"…So they were Sand ninja."
Kaede's figure came to a halt a short distance away. He slid his Kusanagi sword back into its sheath with a practiced motion, then turned to glance at the fallen Sand ninja.
The silver light that had enveloped him quietly dissipated.
Then,
Kaede lifted his head and looked toward Yahiko.
Yahiko, still reeling from the scene before him, felt a chill run down his spine as Kaede's gaze met his. A cold sweat broke out, he felt like he was being stared down by something terrifying.
There was no doubt. Kaede, who had just slaughtered a dozen shinobi in a single instant, could easily kill him in the blink of an eye. Though Kaede looked around his age, his strength was at a terrifying, almost incomprehensible level.
Step.
Nagato stepped forward, holding a kunai tightly, his gaze wary and fixed on Kaede.
Konan and the other ninjas around them, now snapped out of their daze, also raised their weapons, their bodies tense and dripping with cold sweat.
What was that speed?!
Who is this guy?!
"Are… are you a Konoha ninja?" Yahiko asked, swallowing nervously as he forced himself to speak.
Kaede glanced at Yahiko, then let his gaze pass over Konan and linger for a moment longer on Nagato, especially on the Rinnegan in his eyes.
"Yes," Kaede replied flatly, then turned away and walked over to the corpses of the Sand ninja, beginning to search and process them.
Yahiko and the others stood frozen, the atmosphere unbearably tense. They wanted to leave but didn't dare move recklessly.
The scene was eerily silent,
Only the sound of Kaede's hands moving through the bodies remained.
In this strange, oppressive atmosphere, Yahiko slowly calmed himself. He realized that Kaede hadn't killed them and probably didn't mean them harm. He was merely dealing with the Sand ninja who had tried to frame Konoha.
Taking a deep breath, Yahiko cautiously asked,
"Do you know Jiraiya-sensei? How is he doing?"
"Jiraiya's not here."
Kaede finished with the corpses and began walking down the street.
Yahiko and the others tensed up again as Kaede approached. Their palms were soaked in sweat. But Kaede simply walked past them.
Konan hesitated, then turned and called out to him,
"You… seem to know who we are?"
"Jiraiya mentioned you," Kaede replied casually, continuing forward.
Yahiko watched him grow smaller in the distance. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and called out:
"I heard Konoha is at war with Amegakure… Can't this be resolved through peace? If needed, I can act as a mediator and help you negotiate with the Rain ninja."
Kaede stopped walking.
He turned to glance at Yahiko.
"Naive."
Yahiko stiffened and said, "Surely the great nations don't want to be at war forever. Why not try to end it through diplomacy?"
Kaede looked at him plainly.
"That would require mutual trust. But unfortunately… humans can't trust each other. If you keep holding on to that naïve belief, you'll die."
With that, he turned and continued walking, eventually disappearing down the end of the street.
Only after Kaede's silhouette vanished did the oppressive atmosphere finally lift. The shinobi around Yahiko could feel the cold sweat soaking through their backs.
Those following Yahiko looked at him in astonishment, they hadn't expected him to actually dare speak with someone so terrifying.
This was someone who could have wiped them all out in an instant!
"…Yahiko," Nagato said, worried.
Yahiko stared in the direction Kaede had left for a moment, then took a deep breath and clenched his fists.
"It's exactly because everyone keeps thinking that way that there's no understanding in this world. Just watch, I will bring true peace to this world!"
His words weren't shaken by Kaede's warning.
Nagato let out a breath of relief.
Konan turned her gaze away from the street corner where Kaede had vanished and murmured,
"By the way… who was that ninja? With that kind of strength… even Jiraiya-sensei might not…"
Yahiko thought for a moment, then turned to the Sand ninja's corpses and said,
"Those 'Konoha', I mean, Sand ninja, called him the 'Silver Flash.'"
"We didn't catch his actual name though," Konan added softly. "But a ninja like that must be famous across the entire shinobi world. We'll find out eventually."
"Yeah." Yahiko nodded, then sighed.
If only I had the strength of someone like Hanzō of the Salamander…
If I had that kind of power, no one could dismiss me so easily. Maybe then I could truly broker peace between the great nations.
…
Encountering Yahiko's group, the early Akatsuki, had been a brief detour.
Kaede had considered taking action against the Rinnegan, but ultimately decided against it. Nagato wasn't weak. He'd simply been holding himself back all this time. If he ever unleashed his full power, it wouldn't be a fight that could end quickly.
Uchiha Madara was still alive in the shadows. Nagato was someone he was definitely keeping a close eye on. If Kaede made a move, Madara would surely appear.
There was no need to clash with Uchiha Madara this early.
With time, Kaede's strength would only grow. He would eventually reach super-Kage level… perhaps even the level of the Sage of Six Paths. When that time came, the entire ninja world would be nothing more than a toy in his hands.