Valley of the End.
Kaede stood atop the massive stone head of Senju Hashirama.
Across from him, on the head of Uchiha Madara's statue, there was no sign of Uchiha Obito. The ground in the surrounding area was a mess of destruction, and Obito's presence had completely vanished.
"Kamui combined with Reverse Summoning…"
"What a pain."
Kaede shook his head.
Reverse Summoning wasn't actually a very effective escape technique. At close range, using it served little purpose, and at long distances, it became a problem of timing, without communication, knowing when to activate it was nearly impossible.
But in Obito's case, he had White Zetsu, who could relay messages across great distances. Coupled with Kamui's near-absolute defense in its intangible form, Obito could easily buy enough time for the Reverse Summoning to activate from the other side.
In terms of raw power,
Obito, as he was now, was still far from reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
But in terms of survivability, even someone like Kaguya Otsutsuki would have a hard time dealing with him. With Reverse Summoning in the mix, very few techniques could actually finish him off.
Kaede himself was no different. Even if he faced Kaguya now, it wouldn't be easy for her to defeat him either. The only ability he genuinely had to be cautious of was the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"His survivability really is something else. I'd either need the power to stop time itself, or an attack strong enough to distort space like Might Guy… Or perhaps some kind of space-interfering jutsu…"
Kaede murmured internally.
Technically, soul-based secret arts or high-level genjutsu might also work. But he wasn't skilled in genjutsu, and his opponent was an Uchiha. Genjutsu wasn't a practical option unless he had Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, which might have an effect.
After contemplating for a moment, Kaede flickered out of sight, heading back toward Konoha.
The Nine-Tails was now sealed within him, and the Three-Tails was with Rin. If Black Zetsu wanted to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki, it would first need to find a way to defeat him, otherwise, it was all just empty talk.
And as time passed, Kaede would only grow stronger, whether through deeper mastery of his time-based abilities or further progress with the Eight Gates technique, his strength would continue to increase.
The shinobi world,
Was now essentially under his control.
Kaede quickly returned to Konoha. By then, the village's ninja had already begun cleaning up the battlefield, tending to the wounded, and assessing the damage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya had both been severely injured and had been carried off to the hospital. The current captain of the Anbu was in charge of coordinating the response at the scene.
"Kaede-sama!"
When they saw his figure returning from the distance, the nearby Konoha ninja all stopped what they were doing.
In that moment, regardless of who they were, even among the Anbu, most showed visible respect and awe. Everyone knew that after today's battle, the entire political landscape of Konoha would be irrevocably changed.
The power Kaede had displayed far surpassed that of the Third Hokage and Jiraiya. It was the kind of strength that could only be described as god-like within the shinobi world.
Even if Kaede did nothing from this point on, the major clans of Konoha and the heads of various powerful departments would likely come to pay their respects.
On paper, Kaede was still only an elite Jonin, holding no formal authority. But to many of the village's shinobi, he was already no different from the Hokage, especially now, after Namikaze Minato had given his life to seal the Nine-Tails.
To them, Kaede was the new Hokage.
Aside from a very small number of die-hard Sarutobi loyalists, nearly everyone had come to the same conclusion. And the reason was simple: only Kaede had the power to truly protect Konoha.
In the crisis they'd just faced, if Kaede hadn't been in the village, Konoha might have been wiped off the map. Only a shinobi who could defend the village had the right to lead it.
As for age,
And seniority,
Those things were meaningless in the face of Konoha's survival.
"Kaede-sama… That enemy…"
One of the shinobi, after bowing to Kaede, cautiously asked the question on everyone's mind.
"He escaped," Kaede replied calmly.
There was a collective intake of breath among the ninja nearby.
As expected, Kaede had won.
The enemy had fled in defeat.
But even so, knowing that such a terrifying enemy was still alive was like having a blade hanging over their heads. It was hard to feel at ease.
Still, amidst the fear, there was relief, because Kaede had defeated him. With Kaede around, they didn't have to fear annihilation.
And that only strengthened some people's desire to see Kaede become Hokage.
"Kaede-sama, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya-sama were both gravely injured and are currently being treated by the medical unit…"
A shinobi reported Hiruzen and Jiraiya's status to Kaede, watching him for a response.
Technically, Kaede had no official role in these matters. In fact, the Anbu captain and various department heads all held higher positions than him. But at this moment, all of them treated him as a superior.
"Tend to the wounded. Assess the losses," Kaede said as he walked into the village. "And tighten security, other villages may take advantage of the situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaede vanished from sight.
In truth, his instructions were almost identical to Hiruzen's last orders, but receiving them from Kaede gave the words a completely different weight.
The ninja who remained exchanged glances. They all understood what the other was thinking: after this incident, Hiruzen's faction would never again be able to challenge Kaede's authority.
=============
Somewhere in a quiet bedroom.
Kaede pushed open the door and stepped inside.
This wasn't his own room, it was the home of Namikaze Minato. Inside, on a small crib, lay two figures: a woman barely clinging to life, and an infant curled beside her.
"Minato…?"
Kushina's voice was faint.
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she hadn't died immediately after losing the Nine-Tails. Her powerful life force allowed her to hold on a bit longer, but only for a while.
A normal Jinchuriki would die instantly when the tailed beast was removed, like a balloon popping from the inside. An Uzumaki, however, was more like a ball deflating slowly, losing life little by little.
"It's me," Kaede said, walking to the side of the bed. His gaze fell on the infant beside her. "Have you picked a name yet?"
Hearing that it wasn't Minato's voice, Kushina's expression froze. A terrible premonition welled up in her chest.
"Kaede… is that you…?"
She looked down at the baby in her arms and forced a faint smile.
==========
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