After fully integrating the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, Kaede Kitahara finally understood just how vast the gap was between himself and a true, pure genius. This was genius among geniuses.
In the entire ninja world, the only one who could truly rival Uchiha Shisui in genjutsu talent was probably Uchiha Itachi.
Even without Kotoamatsukami, Shisui's mastery of genjutsu could still be called grandmaster-level, leagues beyond someone like Yuhi Kurenai.
It was just a shame his judgment had been so poor. Trusting Shimura Danzo had cost him everything.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
After finishing the hand seals, Kaede shouted, and in an instant, his entire room filled with countless images of himself.
These were not Multiple Shadow Clones. This was a ninjutsu formed by combining genjutsu with the Body Flicker Technique. The figures had no physical bodies and would not disperse even if attacked. Yet when they struck, it felt exactly like being hit by something solid.
This completely unreasonable phenomenon existed for one simple reason. The sensation of being struck was an illusion created by genjutsu, simulating the feeling of impact.
At its core, it was still just an application of chakra.
Of course, it had to be paired with extremely high-speed movement. Without that, it would be no different from an ordinary genjutsu.
"Not bad. Huge gains. Time to sleep."
Satisfied, Kaede withdrew the technique and turned in early.
Early the next morning, outside Kaede's house, Hyuga Keiko and Amakusa Ryuji were already waiting.
Kaede invited them inside. After eating their final breakfast together, the three set off.
At the gates of Konoha, Team Kakashi and the bridge-building expert Tazuna were already gathered, arguing noisily.
Uzumaki Naruto, in particular, was furious at Tazuna for looking down on him and kept shouting about teaching him a lesson, only to be restrained by Kakashi.
Uchiha Sasuke did not join the commotion. He carried his pack, his expression cold, though his emotions were anything but simple.
So the Land of Waves mission really existed.
Then that meant Zabuza would appear as well.
Hatake Kakashi also watched Sasuke and Naruto with mixed feelings. Right now, neither of them looked anything like future saviors, yet another brutal battle was about to begin.
From a distance, Kaede watched the scene and could not help smiling. Somewhere deep in his distant memories, there had once been a similar moment.
In truth, this was where the story of Naruto truly began.
The group traveled noisily for most of the day.
"Captain, someone's watching us from the shadows."
At some distance from Team Kakashi, Kaede and his group moved quietly along the tree branches.
Kaede had no intention of joining up with Team Kakashi. He simply followed at a distance.
This mission was essentially babysitting duty. He had no desire to steal the spotlight.
More importantly, some battles had to be experienced by Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke themselves. Only through that could they grow into future saviors.
The Otsutsuki Clan hung over his head like a blade, ready to fall at any moment.
He was only slightly older than the so-called Twelve Genin. That meant one day, he would inevitably face those aliens.
He could not afford to think, after I die, let the floodwaters rise.
It was not some saintly impulse. He understood all too well that if the Otsutsuki Clan succeeded, the consequences would be unimaginable.
They called themselves the clan of gods. Why would they care about the ants of the ninja world?
On a cosmic scale, they had probably seen countless planets destroyed.
When a human child pours boiling water into an anthill, do they care how the ants feel?
Destroying you has nothing to do with you.
If they succeeded, even if Kaede survived, he would be left on a planet drained dry by the God Tree. How was anyone supposed to live in a place like that?
The ninja world was special. It had been drained once a thousand years ago, yet a millennium later, its ecology had somehow survived.
Even so, it probably could not endure another time.
Kaede never intended to fight everything alone. He did not have that kind of strength, nor did he have a Sage of Six Paths father ready to hand him power-ups at critical moments.
Even Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke would eventually become relics of an old era, utterly powerless against enemies of a new age.
Uchiha Sasuke lost his entire family and only awakened a single tomoe.
Uchiha Sarada lost nothing but a friend being framed and awakened the Mangekyo right away.
Uchiha Sasuke would probably want to say, you're making me look stupid.
So faced with a future where the Otsutsuki ran rampant, all Kaede could do was protect the growth of these future saviors as much as possible.
After Naruto would come Uzumaki Boruto. The enemies of the new era would be left to him.
Every Otsutsuki who had appeared so far was a nightmare. Any one of them started at Six Paths level or higher, not to mention the legendary Otsutsuki God.
Just thinking about it was enough to give him a headache.
"Who is it?" Kaede asked.
"Activate!"
Hyuga Keiko shouted softly and opened her Byakugan. Instantly, two figures appeared clearly in her vision, lurking on the other side and staring intently at Team Kakashi.
"They're ninja from Kirigakure. No, missing-nin," Keiko said after noticing their headbands. "Their chakra levels look like ordinary Chunin."
"The Demon Brothers?"
Kaede was not surprised. In the original timeline, the Demon Brothers launched the first suicide ambush. It was the first real battle that changed Uzumaki Naruto.
Back then, Naruto had experienced true ninja combat for the first time and been scared stiff. He later stabbed his own hand with a kunai and swore never to freeze up like that again.
And sure enough, when they later faced Momochi Zabuza, Naruto was the first to react and come up with a plan to help Hatake Kakashi escape.
To Kaede, that was the heart of a born ninja. Who knew how long it had taken him just to get used to the battlefield?
In their first fight, Uchiha Sasuke easily countered the Demon Brothers, seemingly far stronger than Naruto. But that was misleading.
The real reason was simply that Sasuke was much stronger than Naruto at that point.
The Demon Brothers were Chunin-level, and Sasuke was not far below that himself, so he could handle them calmly.
But everything fell apart when they faced Zabuza.
Against the terrifying elite Jonin-level Zabuza, Sasuke's mindset shattered. He even considered suicide just to end it all.
In comparison, Naruto had the real iron heart.
No matter how overwhelming the situation, he never flinched. It was absurdly strong.
Later, whether facing the threat of never becoming a Chunin, standing against Nagato who could annihilate villages with a single strike, or enduring the Fourth Great Ninja War, he pushed forward step by step, almost never knowing fear again.
That kind of mental fortitude was the mark of someone destined for greatness.
"Should we take them out?" Amakusa Ryuji asked eagerly. He wanted to test the results of his recent training.
Lately, Kaede had trained them to the point of numbness.
In the past, Kaede would occasionally organize group training, but back then, Kaede himself had not been overwhelmingly strong. There were limits to how hard the training could be.
Recently, though, Kaede had become unfathomable. Even routine training pushed them to the brink of death, while Kaede still acted like he had not even warmed up.
The downside was nearly being trained to death.
The upside was obvious improvement.
At their age, they were already in a phase of rapid growth. Short-term intensive training, done right, showed results fast.
"I can take them out without alerting Team Kakashi," Hyuga Keiko said, equally eager.
"Don't act rashly," Kaede replied. "They're just two Chunin. Do you really think Hatake Kakashi can't handle them?"
"Our mission this time is to ensure Uzumaki Naruto survives. Two Demon Brothers aren't worth our intervention."
"You know who they are?" Keiko asked.
In the ninja world, there were countless ninja. Very few ever made a name for themselves. Ordinary Chunin were usually unknown outside their own villages.
"Yeah. The Demon Brothers. Former Kirigakure missing-nin. They were part of Zabuza's rebellion and followed him after the coup failed. Didn't expect to see them here. Looks like Team Kakashi's mission isn't simple. We might run into Momochi Zabuza soon."
Kaede explained casually, as if it were an afterthought.
"Momochi Zabuza? I've heard of him. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. A troublesome Jonin. In a smaller village, he could probably call himself Kage. We wouldn't stand a chance against him."
Keiko frowned, then looked at Kaede. When she said that, she had only considered herself and Ryuji, not Kaede, whose strength had surged recently.
Kaede smiled faintly.
"Relax. With me here, nothing will go wrong."
Kaede might still be lying low overall, unwilling to draw attention too early, but Zabuza was no longer a threat in his eyes.
He was not someone with pitiful chakra reserves like Hatake Kakashi. He had stamina and methods to spare.
"Besides, we're only protecting them from the shadows. On the surface, isn't Hatake Kakashi still there?" Kaede added with a small smile.
"True. We don't need to interfere. But what's the deal with that Uzumaki Naruto? Haven't there been rumors in the village that he's the Nine-Tails Demon Fox?" Ryuji asked.
He had heard those rumors as a child too. But they had never really meant much to him.
Back then, aside from Kaede, they had all been only three years old.
Who could possibly remember something like that?
[A/N: Enjoying the story? You can read more chapters early and support me here:patreon.com/Aeroscissors]