Kaede stiffened slightly as Sara held him tightly.
He thought for a moment.
Forget it.
After going through such a life-or-death ordeal, strong emotions were inevitable, she needed comfort. As a man, he should be gracious and let her have this moment.
Nearby, the guards of Rōran stood frozen, watching the enemy forces being defeated one by one. Then their eyes turned toward Sara, who was still holding Kaede.
Some guards tensed and started walking toward them, but stopped after a few steps, remembering the silver flash that had just swept through the battlefield to save them.
After a moment, one guard stepped forward hesitantly and said, "Your Majesty…"
"Ah!" Sara suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing what she was doing. She quickly released Kaede and staggered back two steps, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Freed, Kaede exhaled softly. He wasn't some emotionless killer, having a beauty in his arms, with her subtle fragrance, naturally made his mind whirl a bit.
He looked at Sara and asked first, "A lot seems to have happened in the two years I was gone. How did you learn ninjutsu?"
He had felt chakra flowing inside her earlier, and noticed her use of kunai.
"Ninjutsu? I learned it from your brother…" Sara looked away shyly and replied softly.
The guards exchanged glances. They were adults and understood the meaning behind Sara's expression and words, all eyes turning to Kaede.
But recalling that he had just saved them, their demeanor softened.
After a brief pause, Kaede learned from Sara roughly what had happened over the past two years.
Rōran was isolated deep in the desert, cut off from the shinobi world, so they knew little of what had transpired there.
The only thing she knew for sure was that Kakashi had left about three months after Kaede's disappearance, and now the ninja world seemed to believe Kaede was dead.
"There should still be a sand ninja left behind," Kaede mused, stroking his chin.
Rōran sat at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, so attacks by shinobi were common. Before, they relied on the power of the Ryūmyaku to resist, but now that power was gone, they couldn't hold off the attacks.
He'd wiped out the entire sand ninja squad at once. Those in charge would likely send reinforcements soon.
Leaving one behind to report back would be useful.
After thinking it over, Kaede decided to stay in Rōran for a few more days, to continue adapting to his newly acquired powers, and to see things through. He had to protect Rōran.
After all, it was because he absorbed the Ryūmyaku's energy that Rōran lost its strength to resist outside enemies. Otherwise, with Sara's control of the Ryūmyaku, no ordinary shinobi could have challenged them.
In the original story, Rōran's destruction was precisely because Namikaze Minato sealed the Ryūmyaku completely, cutting Rōran off from that power… It was a good deed on the surface, but ultimately led to Rōran's downfall.
In other words, Rōran was sacrificed for the stability of the shinobi world.
Having made up his mind, Kaede looked at Sara and said, "The sand ninja will likely return. I'll stay a little longer. Also… I want to check your ninjutsu progress. Kakashi's skills are average; learning from him probably won't get you far."
"Are you leaving?" Sara asked hesitantly.
Kaede nodded. "I'm a shinobi. I can't stay anywhere too long. You need to think it through."
He could feel Sara's feelings and had heard she'd been waiting for him to return, so he needed to respond somehow. But he couldn't stay in Rōran forever.
There were many other matters in the shinobi world he had to deal with.
Sara bit her lip, took a deep breath, and smiled brightly at Kaede.
"I am the queen of Rōran. You don't have to stay here all the time."
Kaede tilted his head, curious about Sara's father. Rōran seemed to have always been ruled by queens.
But he shrugged it off. No point dwelling on that.
Since Sara had made her feelings clear, he, as a man, couldn't act foolishly.
…..
Ten days later.
In the desert outside Rōran,
Kaede slashed down a sand ninja from the squad, leaving only one behind. He cast a cold glance at the fleeing ninja but did not give chase.
"Is that enough?" Sara approached, worried.
Kaede sheathed his Kusanagi sword. "Sunagakure won't easily invade here again. But other rogue ninja? That's uncertain."
With his reputation in the shinobi world, his return alone was enough to deter Sunagakure from attacking Rōran recklessly. But Rōran lay at the border of two great nations, so wandering ninja would inevitably pass through.
Chūnin and Genin-level threats were manageable.
Sara now possessed elite Chūnin-level skills, and the guards were similarly capable, able to handle some wandering ninja. But encountering a Jōnin was a different matter.
"Well…" Sara looked at Kaede worriedly.
Kaede smiled faintly and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. I just need to go talk with the Kazekage."
"Huh?"
Sara was stunned.
Talk with the Kazekage?
Though she didn't know much about the ninja world, she was aware of the five great nations and their villages. The leaders of the villages were called Kage.
The Kazekage was the head of Sunagakure.
"But aren't you a Konoha ninja? Kakashi said Konoha and Sunagakure are at war. How could…"
"That's true," Kaede smiled softly. "The war isn't over yet. But just because there's a war doesn't mean we can't 'talk.' Trust me, I'll take care of it."
Sara still didn't fully understand, but something about Kaede's words made her instinctively trust him.
She looked at him and asked, "Are you really going to leave?"
Kaede nodded, then smiled. "I'll come back often when I have time. But if you want to hold Rōran, you need to become a strong ninja."
"Okay!" Sara nodded firmly.
….
One day later.
Kaede left Rōran alone, crossing the desert and heading west.
His destination,
The Land of Wind, Sunagakure!
==========
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