Konoha Camp, South Side
The Canyon
Kaede's figure clung to the steep rock face, struggling to climb upwards with one hand.
Climbing with just one hand requires more than just arm strength; the power of his waist and hips is just as crucial. The intensity of this exercise is extremely high, especially when wearing full weight gear. Not only does he need to climb with one hand, but he must also control his chakra, allowing the energy to flow into the rock, dispersing and sticking to it.
If he doesn't manage this, the weight would likely crush the rock.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Kaede climbed with great difficulty until he reached the top of the rock face, where he switched to using his other hand to descend.
It had already been over a month since he arrived at the front-line camp. Apart from executing a mission with Tsunade and dealing with an elite Cloud Ninja team, he had spent most of his time training.
The fifth gate of the Eight Gates of Limit had already loosened to its limits, and unless something unexpected happened, he was about to break through today.
Today, he was exactly eleven years old.
However, his physical age had already surpassed fourteen, nearing fifteen. His height had reached 1.79 meters, and his appearance now resembled that of Naruto and Sasuke from the Shippuden era.
After descending to the canyon floor, Kaede took a brief rest before climbing again. Halfway up, he finally felt the shackles of the fifth gate completely break free.
"Finally..."
Kaede exhaled a long breath, letting go of his grip and stomping his foot on the rock, rapidly plummeting toward the canyon floor.
When he hit the bottom, he leaned against the rock face, panting heavily until his stamina recovered, and then stood up again.
He took two steps forward.
Buzz!
A silver light glowed.
It started faintly, but soon it blazed brighter, with streaks of lightning flickering through his silver hair.
After unlocking the third and fourth gates in succession, Kaede did not hesitate. He clenched his fists, shouted, and the violent lightning-chakra burst through the shackles of the fifth gate.
Boom!!
The intense chakra erupted, causing the earth beneath him to crack and split.
The silver light surrounding him grew even more intense, and as his arm rose, faint lightning arcs intertwined with the glow.
Under the surge of chakra, his clothes began to show signs of tearing.
Hiss... "That's really painful."
The intense pain made Kaede involuntarily hiss, even though he had built up considerable tolerance for pain. He could barely endure it.
After maintaining the state for a short time, he reversed time, returning to the state before opening the gates and gasping for breath.
"This is the fifth gate... It's definitely a lot stronger than the fourth gate. With this speed and chakra, if I run into Chiyo again, her puppets won't stand a chance, and she probably won't even have time to use her final move."
Kaede let out a sigh.
Without a doubt, he had now reached the pinnacle of the shadow level. There were very few in the ninja world who could pose a threat to him.
With this level of strength, plus his ability to reverse time, there were only a handful of people who could still challenge him.
Not returning to camp immediately, Kaede stayed in the canyon, repeatedly entering the state of the fifth gate.
The cellular activation technique he learned from Orochimaru and the medical ninjutsu from Tsunade both enhanced and dulled his senses. The pain of the fifth gate was excruciating, but with cellular activation and other techniques, he could suppress his pain.
Once the pain was dulled, he could endure it easily.
After solving that issue, Kaede began adapting to the fifth gate's state and further developing techniques in this form.
Previously, his strongest attack was the Radiant Flash, but now, when he put everything into it, the edge of the Kusanagi sword was capable of cutting through the air. It no longer ignited flames but instead unleashed brilliant silver light, like a crescent moon shining even brighter.
"A reinforced Moon Flash... No, this is an entirely different attack from Moon Flash."
Moon Flash was just a small crescent-shaped attack, while the strike under the fifth gate was a massive silver arc!
This attack reminded Kaede of a technique he had seen before. It was called the "Getsuga Tenshō" from Bleach.
"I wonder if this attack, with its overwhelming defense, will be able to withstand the Third Raikage."
…
Two days later
Inside Tsunade's Tent
"A Cloud Ninja team appeared inside the Land of Fire. Based on their route and intentions, they seem to be targeting our supply lines?" Kaede looked at an Anbu ninja who had come to deliver a message to Tsunade.
The Anbu ninja nodded. "Hokage-sama has already gathered a squad of fifty elite ninjas and requests that Lady Tsunade head there immediately."
Konoha's reconnaissance ninjas had spotted a Cloud Ninja team that had taken a detour behind them, consisting of about twenty to thirty members. Their objective seemed to be to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, ordered the complete annihilation of this intruding Cloud Ninja squad. He immediately gathered twice the number of forces and decided that Tsunade would lead the operation to ensure their complete destruction.
"I understand. I'll head out immediately."
Tsunade replied calmly.
The Anbu ninja nodded and left the tent.
Kaede looked at Tsunade and shrugged. "I feel like this mission should be mine, but you took it, Sensei."
Tsunade stood up, putting on her coat while casting a glance at Kaede. "You should avoid using your forbidden techniques too often."
When she was ready to leave, Kaede thought for a moment and called out to her.
"Wait."
"Hm?"
Tsunade paused and turned to look at him.
Kaede flipped his hand and seemingly pulled out a deck of cards from nowhere. After shuffling them a few times, he handed them to Tsunade. "For safety's sake, let's have a quick game before we go."
There was a rule that Tsunade would always lose when gambling, and whenever she won, something bad would inevitably happen. Kaede thought it best to take advantage of this.
"You little..."
Tsunade stared at him, a mix of amusement and frustration on her face, but she ultimately took five cards.
Kaede also took five cards. He glanced at them, noticing that four of his cards were sevens. He tilted his head and tossed them back into the deck, then looked at Tsunade's hand.
"Eh?"
Tsunade's cards were revealed, and Kaede was shocked to see she had a straight flush of 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace in the same suit!
With four sevens and a straight flush, there was no question Kaede would lose a hefty amount.
"Hm, it seems like this Cloud Ninja team has some serious problems. There's a great deal of danger in going after them. Sensei, maybe you should let Hokage-sama handle it instead."
"..."
Tsunade gave Kaede a sideways glance.
Although she felt a bit uneasy about having gotten a straight flush, how could she explain it to Sarutobi? Would she really tell him that because she had a straight flush, the Cloud Ninja team must be dangerous?
Such an absurd excuse would definitely make Sarutobi furious.
"If you really don't want to turn down the mission, for safety's sake, I'll join you, Sensei."
Kaede placed the cards back in the deck, offering his second suggestion.
Tsunade thought for a moment before deciding that it was unreasonable to rely on luck to determine the threat level of the Cloud Ninja team. That was just too far-fetched.
If Kaede wanted to join her, it would be fine, as it would just be an opportunity to stretch his legs, and there would be no need to use his power.
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