After finishing his training with Mitarashi Anko, Kaede's life in Konoha settled into a leisurely pace.
Since he had already made it clear he wouldn't interfere with Konoha's affairs, and Sarutobi Hiruzen wisely didn't send anyone to watch him, while Namikaze Minato acted as if Kaede didn't even exist, his days mostly followed a simple routine.
A bit of training with Uchiha Itachi.
A bit of training with Mitarashi Anko and Rin.
And the rest of the time spent cultivating his Sage Body. His Sage Body was still in its early stages, far from the level of a Senju Hashirama.
About two months later...
Uchiha Sasuke was born.
From the moment Sasuke came into the world, Kaede kept a close watch, sensing through Sage Mode, but he didn't detect any chakra from Indra.
This didn't surprise him. Even Uchiha Madara with his Rinnegan couldn't tell that Naruto and Sasuke were reincarnations of Ashura and Indra. So for Kaede to sense it was simply impossible.
"Have you picked a name yet?"
Kaede smiled faintly, holding the one-month-old Sasuke as he asked Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku smiled back, "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."
"Not a bad name."
Kaede had briefly considered messing around and giving Sasuke a different name, but thought better of it. Still, Sasuke's future path was bound to change dramatically now.
With Kaede here, the Uchiha clan would never face extinction.
….
A few months passed.
If Obito still planned to steal the Nine-Tails right after Naruto's birth, then without Obito acting, Namikaze Minato would likely be unable to stop him.
When that time came, Kaede would officially take over Konoha.
…..
Time flew by swiftly.
Months slipped past.
By the dates in his memories, it should have been close to Naruto's birth, yet Konoha hadn't sent him any updates. Not even Kakashi, who should have been on guard duty, had received any orders.
At home, Kaede sat on the sofa, gazing up at the moon hanging bright in the night sky, its light shining over the dark earth.
"They really have no intention of telling me..." he muttered, shaking his head.
Regarding the sealing of the Nine-Tails, neither Minato nor Hiruzen informed him. It wasn't just about respecting Kaede's vow to stay uninvolved, this also showed the elders' deep mistrust toward him.
This matter had certainly been discussed by the Konoha council. Kaede could guess that the question of whether to notify him had come up, but was ultimately rejected.
"In that case..."
Kaede's voice was calm, "Then I really will just stand aside, Minato."
He turned to Rin, Yūhi Kurenai, and Mitarashi Anko sitting on the sofa and said, "Alright, enough chatting. Let's play mahjong. But no cheating, I swear."
"Got it!"
"No problem."
The three girls responded in unison.
Watching the scene, Kaede scratched his head, feeling a strange pang of guilt. Had he spoiled them too much? Judging by the room, one might think this was a scene straight out of The Genius Mahjong Girl.
Still, after training, a little downtime was well deserved.
….
That night, nothing unusual happened.
Time passed.
The next night was also quiet.
The third day... the fourth day...
Until the fifth evening, Kaede sat at the mahjong table, reaching out to pick up a tile, but suddenly hesitated.
His pause caught the attention of Rin, Kurenai, and Anko.
"Hey, hey, this is only the fourth round!" Anko complained. Kaede had won four hands in a row already!
Kaede paused briefly, then smiled. "Don't worry, no quick wins coming... Well, that's enough mahjong for now."
He flipped the tiles face down on the table.
Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko looked at him with puzzled expressions, unsure what he planned. Then Kaede spoke calmly:
"Rin, watch over Kurenai and Anko..."
He raised his voice toward Kakashi's room: "Kakashi, come here!"
"Huh?"
Kakashi pushed open the door, looking thoroughly disinterested as he walked out. "It's late, the shops are closed. You can't buy anything now."
"I'm not sending you out to buy anything," Kaede replied. "Just come here and stay in the living room. Don't move around. No matter what happens outside, don't take any action."
Kakashi froze briefly, then his expression changed slightly. "Is something wrong?!"
Kaede walked over to the window, folding his arms behind his back. He looked out at the sky darkening under a spreading storm cloud, his eyes deep and steady.
"What must come, will come."
….
Konoha.
Somewhere outside the village.
Boom!
A terrifying chakra erupted skyward, casting a bloody red tint over the moon. The Nine-Tails stirred, shaking the earth itself.
This was the Nine-Tails, strongest of all the tailed beasts. Half its power could overpower five others. At full strength, it rivaled the combined might of the other eight beasts!
Unlike the others, just controlling a portion of its chakra was enough to reach the peak of shadow-level strength; mastering it entirely was stepping into the realm beyond the Kage.
Above the Nine-Tails' head stood a man.
He wore a mask with a swirl pattern; both eyes were blazing red Sharingan, his gaze linked directly to the Nine-Tails below, nearly mastering its power completely.
"So this is the power of the Nine-Tails..." he murmured.
"Indeed, formidable, but still controllable."
Obito's cold eyes fixed on distant Konoha.
With the Nine-Tails under his control, he was almost indistinguishable from peak-period Uchiha Madara, now possessing power on the level of the Shinobi God himself.
"The most elusive Nine-Tails is now mine. Next, should I leave or... do something else? Hmm, looks like they don't want me to leave so easily."
Obito stood tall on the Nine-Tails' head, looking down toward a certain direction.
There,
Clad in the Fourth Hokage's official cloak, Namikaze Minato silently appeared.
Minato's face was grim as he stared up at Obito. He felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from the chakra.
Obito wasn't just relying on the Nine-Tails; his own power was terrifying.
"Who are you?!" Minato thought of Obito's name but this terrifying chakra was nothing like the man he remembered.
Obito looked at Minato calmly and said quietly:
"...Uchiha, Madara."
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