Kaede glanced at his chatty older brother. "One question at a time, please."
He walked them through the logic—from the Spiral Sphere's core principle to why the Wind Spiral Shuriken works at all. "If you want to learn it, I can teach you too."
Hearing how feasible it sounded, Ennosuke still balked. "You're too young. How could you already grasp wind nature transformation? That's impossible!"
Kaede shrugged. "If you can't do it, that doesn't mean no one can. Haven't you heard there are other worlds out there? Maybe I was just born with a natural affinity for nature change." He wore a small, triumphant smile while the others' eyes filled with envy.
Ennosuke refused to be shown up in front of his aunt and godmother; it was like someone had stepped on his tail. "Who says I can't? I'll train under Father and the Lord. He's famous for mastering all five nature transformations."
Kaede saw straight through him. "You don't need to be discouraged, brother. You're learning in the right order, and you specialize in a different path. I happen to have a knack for ninjutsu, but I'm clueless at taijutsu and genjutsu—that's why I'll lean on you to advance. You're the one with all-round growth: body arts, illusions, medical ninjutsu—too strong, brother!"
That soothed the monkey's pride. He decided, on the spot, never to bully Kaede again.
Kaede rose and clasped Ennosuke's forearm.
"Elder brother."
"Younger brother."
The two clowns struck their pose; the onlookers had no idea what to do with them.
Later, Kaede drifted through the daimyo residence carrying a bundle of bright red tanghulu, drawing stares.
"Hokage's kid—great power, questionable IQ. Still kind of handsome."
"He's just a child, after all."
He reached his own courtyard and called out. "Aoi, Aoi—look what I brought you!"
Aoi didn't appear. Instead, Princess Xiangji of the Far East stepped out.
Kaede studied her. Different from yesterday—down to the air around her. Luxurious dress, simple jewelry, an effortless harmony to the look, and a faint, poised smile.
Xiangji studied him in turn: Sarutobi Kaede, looking seven parts like a boyfriend, in strange clothes from the twenty-first century, earrings in his ear, candied haw on his shoulder—a curious, disarming sight. The smile in her eyes deepened. If only her own child could be like this: a prodigy and a storyteller.
Kaede's thoughts flicked a thousand times in a heartbeat. What's off? Green tea? Playing with me? Isn't this a broken-sword setup? I'm not biting.
"You are Sarutobi Kaede. Thank you for yesterday. Please accept—please accept—"
"Thank you," Kaede cut in, already bored. "It was a deal. I got paid to work."
He shouldered past with the tanghulu, giving the sword in her hand the lightest, pointed glance.
A chill of winter threaded the garden. So the boyfriend overdid it at noon and angered the little brother; she would have to mend this. She'd meant that sword as a token to the Sarutobi house—future in-laws, perhaps—and he had simply taken it. Now she had to retrieve her footing.
Kaede slipped into Aoi's place. "Aoi, Aoi—why didn't you answer? Look what I brought." He held out the skewers.
She took her time. At last Aoi said, flatly, "Say it—go on—trick me again."
Kaede almost sputtered. "I went and bought you candied haw! Biggest, roundest ones from the whole stall—see? I bought the entire cart for you."
Aoi chuckled despite herself. "Master, I added honey to the juice I was pressing."
Ennosuke heard the voices and wandered in, shameless. "Little brother, can I have a skewer?"
Kaede's face hardened. "Buy your own. These are for Aoi."
Ennosuke remembered he was the adult here. "About noon—that was my fault. Forgive me. Besides, Her Highness sent you a farewell gift." He reached out to pull Kaede closer.
Watching how easily they moved together, Kaede's suspicion set like iron: not only green tea—she's sailing two boats—and she did it right in front of me to needle me.
"That's bold of Her Highness," he said, voice dry. "As a citizen of the Land of Fire, saving the princess's beloved is hardly something to be repaid, is it?"
The sarcasm hung in the air. Kaede stared at his brother, the edges of his worldview crumbling. Say something, big brother. I just called her green—aren't you going to react? Ask her, at least?
She didn't deny it, either.
Ennosuke's temper flared, tone sharpening. "Aoi, where's Mother?"
Aoi flinched at Kaede's clipped voice—she'd been about to feign anger a little longer, but that look silenced her. "My lady went out to buy things."
"I'm going back to my room," Kaede said. "Call me when it's time to eat."
(End of Chapter)
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