"That's a good name."
Kaede gave a faint smile, his gaze falling on Naruto.
Just like with Sasuke, he couldn't sense Ashura's chakra attached to him, but these two were indeed destined to be entangled in love and rivalry. Once Indra reincarnated, Ashura would inevitably follow.
In fact, during the past five months since Sasuke's birth, several others had been born as well. With the storyline already altered by his actions, Naruto might not even be Ashura's reincarnation anymore.
And likewise,
Sasuke might not be Indra's reincarnation either.
At least for now, Kaede couldn't confirm it. He'd have to wait until the two matured further before he could make a judgment based on their behavior and powers.
"Minato... how is he?"
Kushina looked at Kaede, her voice strained with emotion.
Kaede turned his head slightly toward her and calmly replied,
"To control the Nine Tails, he used the Reaper Death Seal. To protect the village, he made me the new Jinchuriki."
Even though Kushina had braced herself for the worst, she still bit her lip at the confirmation. Tears began to fall as she looked at the newborn Naruto lying nearby.
Sensing the life force gradually fading from her body, Kaede turned his gaze toward the window.
Truth be told,
Namikaze Minato had been a dutiful and loyal shinobi to the Konoha, but as a husband, he had failed his wife. At that moment, if he had sealed the Nine Tails back into Kushina, there was a chance he could have saved her.
But he chose instead to give the Nine Tails to Kaede, entrusting him to stop Obito and protect the village, choosing the village over his family.
Kaede didn't wish to pass judgment on that kind of decision.
Because it could be called right, or wrong. Both good and bad coexisted in that choice.
"Kaede..."
Kushina didn't dwell long in grief. After a few seconds, she lifted her head with difficulty and looked at him.
"Can I... ask you for one thing? Please take care of Naruto... or at least tell Kakashi about him... I beg you..."
She knew about the conflict between Kaede and Minato. But Minato was now gone, and she herself wouldn't live much longer. For Naruto's sake, she was willing to set aside her pride and plead with him.
Kaede looked at her for several seconds.
Then, he slowly shook his head.
"No."
"I already have enough people to look after. Your child is your responsibility."
Those words left Kushina with a sense of despair, but before it could take root, she saw Kaede suddenly raise a hand and reach toward her abdomen.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The next moment,
She felt his hand press against her stomach, and the life force that had been steadily ebbing away abruptly stopped.
It was as if a leaking balloon had its hole sealed up.
"This is..."
"Tsunade-sama is also one of my teachers."
Kaede withdrew his hand and looked at her.
"This is all I can do."
Kushina had a close relationship with both Kakashi and Tsunade. After thinking it over, Kaede decided to let her live. This would inevitably change Naruto's fate as well.
Kaede had no particular attachment to keeping the story unchanged. When his strength was still limited, maintaining the original timeline gave him better control over unfolding events. But now that he was strong enough, it didn't matter anymore.
He had no interest in watching the same old plot play out all over again.
Swoosh!!
After glancing at Naruto once more, Kaede's figure vanished from the room.
Kushina remained stunned for a while even after he left. Almost in disbelief, she checked her condition, and confirmed that the flow of her life force had indeed been halted!
Not only that,
The Nine Tails had not been sealed back into her.
"How could this be...?" she murmured. "Once a Jinchuriki loses their Tailed Beast, the life force drain is supposed to be irreversible. Has Tsunade-sama's medical ninjutsu really reached such a level?"
Her eyes were filled with disbelief. She could tell that the 'void' inside her, left behind by the extraction of the Nine Tails, was not simply sealed, but fully healed.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan,
And as a former Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails,
She knew better than anyone how miraculous this was.
Saved from the brink of death, overwhelmed with joy, she clutched the baby Naruto in her arms, tears streaming down her face, her heart filled with endless gratitude for Kaede.
=============
Saving Kushina hadn't been that difficult. He simply restored the 'void' in her body caused by the Nine Tails' removal back to its original condition.
Though she no longer housed the Tailed Beast, by restoring the damaged area, it was essentially as if she had returned to her pre-Jinchuriki state, like reverting from a wife back to a maiden.
Of course,
Kaede had only healed the 'void' itself, not her entire body.
Creak,
The main door to the living room opened.
Kaede stepped inside, immediately greeted by Kakashi with his ninja blade drawn, Rin already halfway into Three-Tails Chakra Mode, and Kurenai and Anko tense and ready with hand signs.
Seeing that it was Kaede, everyone finally relaxed.
Kakashi sheathed his blade and looked at him.
"How's the situation outside?"
Based on his understanding of Kaede, the fact that he returned so calmly likely meant the danger had passed.
What Kakashi wanted to complain about, though, was the massive chakra presence he had sensed just moments ago, it was unimaginably huge and terrifying.
And yet,
Kaede had still resolved it effortlessly.
He had to have resolved it easily, because his clothes weren't even torn. There wasn't a single wound or drop of blood on him.
Since mastering Sage Mode, Kaede's strength had reached such an absurd level that even Kakashi could no longer gauge it.
"No more immediate danger," Kaede said as he plopped onto the sofa and yawned. "Didn't think Obito's power had grown to that level."
"Obito?!"
Rin and Kakashi both shouted in shock, turning to look at each other with disbelief in their eyes.
The one behind all that chaos, the one who had just threatened the entire village,
Was Obito?!
How was that even possible?
"I didn't want to believe it either, but that's what it is. Feels like he 'ate' half of Madara or something. Otherwise, that level of power-up is just too ridiculous."
Kaede sighed.
He'd always looked down on people who pulled out cheats when they couldn't win.
Uchiha Itachi awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan at thirteen and instantly hit Kage-level. That was already outrageous enough, but Obito reaching Super Kage-level at thirteen? That was just cheating.
And then you have Naruto and Sasuke hitting Sage of Six Paths-level by sixteen… Honestly, these bloodline hacks were infuriating.
Especially when,
He himself was already in his twenties, and still only about half a step away from reaching the Six Paths level.
And everything he had achieved was earned through sheer hard work.
==========
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