In the following days, Kaede began a long period of intense training.
With his body increasingly adapted to lightning-natured chakra, and his overall chakra level gradually reaching Kage Rank, Kaede easily mastered the upgraded form of Chidori, Raikiri.
Compared to Chidori, Raikiri no longer emitted that piercing chirping sound; its lightning chakra was denser and more focused, with far greater piercing power.
Moreover, training in the Lightning Release Body Refining Technique further enhanced Kaede's physical speed and strength.
All of these combined made him feel that, even without relying on the Kusanagi Sword to perform the "Heaven Flash" move, he could now break through the defenses of the Third Raikage!
"My power should be considered beyond Kage Rank now," Kaede murmured to himself, though he immediately shook his head slightly. "No, compared to Nagato... I'm still lacking."
Against the Six Paths of Pain, with his current strength, Kaede was confident he could take them all on and win. But facing Nagato's true body would still be troublesome.
Nagato's true form was simply too strong.
In the original story, Kabuto, unfamiliar with Nagato's powers, clumsily controlled his body and even managed to suppress Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Killer Bee. If it weren't for Uchiha Itachi's timely intervention, both might have been killed outright.
If the real Nagato, who knew his own abilities well, were to fight, even Itachi, Naruto, and Killer Bee together likely couldn't win.
Whether he could resist Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in was another question entirely.
But under the powers of the Preta Path, which absorbs chakra; the Human Path, which can directly rip out souls on contact; and the Rinnegan's genjutsu, Nagato would be able to clearly track his movements.
Thinking it over carefully, Kaede realized that fighting Nagato now would still be extremely dangerous. If he acted too aggressively, the Human Path's soul-extraction ability could end him instantly.
That was an ability targeting the very soul!
"I need to train even further," Kaede whispered, dispersing the Raikiri chakra in his palm and continuing his cultivation.
Time flew by.
Months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the ninja world gradually began to calm down.
Although the war wasn't truly over, the major ninja villages were like unleashed huskies suddenly freed from their chains, the previous tension that felt like an explosive powder keg softened into a chilling stillness.
The reason was clear: Kaede's shocking defeat of Hanzō of the Salamander had deeply unsettled the villages, making them wary and unwilling to act rashly.
Iwagakure ninja retreated to the Land of Water.
Kumogakure ninja withdrew to the Land of Lightning.
Ishigakure ninja likewise fell back to the borders of the Land of Earth, keeping a close watch on the ninja world's shifting situation.
During this calm period, Kaede advanced the Lightning Release Body Refining Technique from a mere beginner's stage to a nearly formidable level.
This "nearly formidable" meant that even without time acceleration, without opening the Eight Gates, and without other special abilities, relying solely on the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his strength approached Kage Rank.
Of course, this was also tied to the fact that Kaede's chakra reserves had fully reached the standard of a Kage Rank ninja.
Beyond this point, progress slowed considerably. In truth, the Lightning Release technique had no distinct stages, it was simply a matter of slowly accumulating and stacking more power over time.
The Third Raikage had likely trained this technique from childhood, practicing for decades without fail, combining the body's strength and this secret art to terrifying effect.
In fact, Kaede believed the technique's potential ceiling might even surpass the Eight Gates. If someone trained it for thousands or tens of thousands of years, who could say to what level the body could be refined?
Of course, this was only speculation, no one without the Six Paths power could survive that long, and as one advanced, the required chakra amounts would become enormous and intense.
Kaede's slow progress was partly due to his chakra reserves just barely reaching Kage Rank.
"Time to head back," Kaede said, cracking his neck and standing from the rock.
Though he had been training constantly, he usually ate in a nearby small town where he occasionally encountered ninja and kept up with the world's situation. He knew Konoha's situation was now fully stabilized.
"First, some food..."
Kaede left the canyon and headed to the closest town.
The town was small and somewhat quiet due to the war, but a few restaurants still remained open. One ramen shop was his frequent haunt over the past few months.
"Same as usual."
Entering the ramen shop, Kaede greeted the owner with practiced ease.
The owner smiled warmly, "Got it!"
Kaede smiled back, placed some money on the counter, found a seat, picked up his chopsticks, and waited.
But as he waited, his eyes flickered slightly, sensing something unusual, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. It felt like... he was being watched.
"Are they coming for me?" he whispered, his expression calm.
In these months, Kaede had often visited this town. To avoid frightening civilians, he concealed his ninja tools with a jutsu, but never changed his appearance.
Only other ninja could recognize him, and those who knew he'd slain Hanzō of the Salamander would have fled immediately, so there was no need to hide.
But this time, something felt different.
"…Is Danzo finally sending someone to my head?" Kaede's eyes gleamed subtly, but his face showed no change as he continued sitting.
Just as the owner placed a bowl of ramen before him and Kaede lowered his head to eat, suddenly from five directions, left, right, front, back, and below (all but directly above), strong chakra exploded forth almost simultaneously.
"Wind Release: Pressure!"
"Fire Release: Head Scorch!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
"Water Release: Water Curtain!"
Five ninjutsu from five completely different chakra natures unleashed at once, sealing off every direction and instantly engulfing Kaede's position.
Nearby behind Kaede, a figure wearing a black mask with green eyes and horns slowly straightened up while maintaining a hand seal.
A faint eerie glow flickered in his eyes.
"Three million ryo for the head... I'll gladly accept it."
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