Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Friends With The Demon Beast
Year 48 of Konoha.
On the streets of the village, Kitahara Kaede and Might Guy walked side by side. They had just finished their training session; sweat still clung to Guy’s forehead, yet his energy was inexplicably high.
"Kaede, what did you think of that move I just did?"
Kaede recalled the kick from earlier. "The Konoha Powerful Whirlwind?"
Guy immediately gave a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing a brilliant white. "Exactly! It’s a technique I’ve just mastered. More power, more speed!" He looked at Kaede with sparkling eyes. "Well? Do you feel the power of youth?"
"The lethality is impressive," Kaede evaluated.
Guy became even more ecstatic. "Really? Kaede, you truly understand youth!"
Kaede’s lips twitched slightly as he looked at the man, who seemed capable of doing ten more laps around the training ground on his hands at a moment’s notice.
Guy stepped forward a few paces, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "By the way, Kaede, I’ve made a breakthrough recently with the Eight Inner Gates my father passed down to me."
Kaede didn’t stop walking, but he shifted his gaze toward him. "Which gate?"
Guy puffed out his chest. "That’s a secret! But next time we spar, I’ll definitely give you a surprise!"
Kaede gave a noncommittal hum.
The Eight Inner Gates—he knew the ceiling of that technique better than anyone. Guy hadn’t reached his peak yet, but as long as he kept growing, that single kick in the future would be enough to make the entire shinobi world remember his name.
As they chatted and crossed a street corner, Guy suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Lord Minato is now the Jonin leader for Kakashi’s team."
Kaede’s pace paused almost imperceptibly. "Lord Minato?"
"Yeah!" Guy nodded.
Kaede looked down the street. If Minato had become Kakashi’s leader, it meant Team Minato had officially assembled. Kakashi’s trajectory hadn’t deviated. But what about the other two teammates? Would they still be Obito and Rin?
At the thought of Obito, Kaede’s eyes grew quiet.
’The most devoted man in the shinobi world,’ he thought. ’Kamui cannot hide his tears.’
Kushina had cared for him like family, yet he later assassinated her at the delivery room. Minato had taught him everything, and he turned around and sent his mentor to the grave. Although he was a pitiful soul who had been tricked and twisted by Madara, that logic of repaying kindness with betrayal was truly beyond comprehension.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from behind them.
"I’m doomed! I’m late, I’m late!"
"Coming through!"
A boy wearing orange goggles dashed past them, the Uchiha fan crest on his back particularly conspicuous.
Guy pointed at the retreating figure. "See? That’s Obito. He’s late. Again. And again."
Kaede watched the frantic figure depart and remained silent. Assuming Kaede didn’t know him, Guy helpfully explained.
"He’s Kakashi’s teammate, from the Uchiha clan. But he’s not like the other Uchiha; his grades at the academy weren’t great, and he’s always getting worked up by Kakashi." Guy added, "Oh, and there’s a girl named Rin on their squad too. She was in our class before; she’s very kind."
Kaede gave a soft response.
The roster hadn’t changed. Which meant the upcoming tragedies would likely follow the original path.
At the crossroads, Guy stopped. "Kaede, I have to head back and prepare." He clenched his fist, his eyes burning with determination. "I’ll be taking the Chunin Exams soon. I absolutely cannot let Kakashi, who’s already a Jonin, leave me in the dust!"
Kaede glanced at him. "Go on then."
As Guy prepared to leave, he suddenly blinked. "But Kaede, you’re so strong, and Lord Minato thinks so highly of you. Why haven’t you been promoted to Jonin yet?"
Kaede’s voice remained calm. "I don’t place much value on those things."
Guy looked at him with newfound respect. "As expected of Kaede! Your way of thinking is truly unique!"
Kaede didn’t reply further, and the two waved goodbye.
***
The weekend.
Kitahara Kaede and Tsunade were walking toward Kushina’s house. He had a box of sweets hanging from his left arm, fruit in his right hand, and was holding a half-eaten serving of takoyaki.
Tsunade walked beside him, her hands completely empty.
Kaede looked down at the takoyaki. "Lady Tsunade, if you couldn’t finish these, why didn’t you just throw them away?"
Tsunade glanced at him. "Wasteful."
Kaede looked at the remaining half-box. "So, making me carry them isn’t wasteful?"
Tsunade replied naturally, "You can eat them."
Kaede was silent for two seconds. "These are your leftovers."
Tsunade stopped walking and turned to look at him. "Are you turning your nose up at them?"
Kaede immediately corrected himself. "No."
The corner of Tsunade’s mouth quirked up as she continued forward. "Kushina said she has something important to tell us. Do you know what it is?"
"I don’t." Kaede looked ahead. "She only told me that I absolutely had to come."
When they arrived at Kushina’s door, it opened quickly. Kushina poked her head out, glancing first at Tsunade and then at the bags and the leftover takoyaki in Kaede’s hands.
A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. She had grown used to it; the last few times they met, the two of them had been in roughly this state.
She smiled and stepped aside. "You’re here! Come on in."
Tsunade entered with an impassive expression. Kaede followed, taking off his shoes and placing the items on the table.
Once the three of them were seated in the living room, Kaede looked at Kushina. "Kushina-nee, what is this important matter?"
Kushina immediately leaned in, her face glowing with unrestrained joy. "That method you mentioned last time—I tried it!"
Kaede realized what she meant. "Communicating with the Nine-Tails?"
"Yes!" Kushina nodded vigorously. "I tried not to clash with it, and I stopped trying to suppress it the moment I entered. Although that guy’s mouth is still foul as hell—he calls me ’little girl’ every chance he gets—the number of times he’s caused a scene has decreased significantly."
Tsunade’s gaze shifted. A problem that had plagued jinchuriki for years had actually been cracked open by a casual suggestion from Kitahara Kaede.
Kaede was also slightly surprised, but as long as it worked, that was all that mattered. Even just reducing the frequency of rampages was far better than blind suppression.
Kushina looked at him, her expression turning serious. "Kaede, thank you."
Kaede shook his head. "It was just a passing thought."
"Cut that out. Oh, right..." Kushina smiled mysteriously. "Wait here for a moment."
She stood up and hurried upstairs. Kaede looked at Tsunade, who also seemed curious.
Before long, Kushina returned with her hands behind her back. She stepped in front of Kaede and handed him an ancient-looking scroll. "I don’t have many treasures to give, but take this."
Kaede took the scroll and unrolled it with a look of confusion. The next moment, his gaze froze.
One-Series Lamp Array.
Binding Formation.
Even the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Kaede closed the scroll and looked up at Kushina. "Kushina-nee, this is too valuable."
Kushina crossed her arms. "I knew you’d say that." She didn’t give him a chance to refuse further. "This is the best thing I can offer. If you have this, you’ll become stronger and have a better chance of surviving on the battlefield."
Kushina looked at him, her tone decisive.
"So quit stalling. It’s settled."
Tsunade chimed in from the side.
"Here. Take it and start learning."
Kitahara Kaede gripped the scroll, his fingers tightening slightly.
Kushina and Minato were truly kind to him.
As he looked at the brightly smiling woman before him, he thought of the blood-soaked night of the future, and the warmth in his chest slowly faded.
Obito’s name echoed once more in his mind.
Kitahara Kaede didn’t say anything further.
However, his desire to change the fates of Minato and Kushina grew even stronger than before.
Unaware of his thoughts, Kushina waved her hand dismissively.
"You start reading. Tsunade-sama and I are going to play for a bit."
Tsunade looked at her. "Play what?"
Kushina pulled a deck of cards from a drawer. "President!"
Tsunade glanced around the living room. "President requires three people, and there are only two of us."
She paused, then joked, "It’s the middle of the day; where are we going to find a ghost to play with?"
Kushina gave a mischievous giggle. "Not a ghost."
The moment she spoke, two crimson chakra tails erupted from behind her, flicking irritably in the air.
A deep, rumbling voice resonated from within her.
"What is the meaning of this? Do you look down upon me?"
"Am I not a person?"
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Kitahara Kaede looked up. Tsunade’s expression was peculiar, while Kushina looked entirely justified.
"See? Three people. We’re all set."
Tsunade looked at the two tails and suddenly felt interested. "Deal the cards."
Kitahara Kaede shook his head with a faint smile at the absurdity of the game. He averted his gaze and reopened the scroll.
He began with the most basic technique: the Single-Lamp Array.
After reading through it once, Kitahara Kaede formed a series of hand signs. Detailed array patterns lit up around his feet, quickly closing into a perfect ring.
Success on the first try.
At the card table, just as Kushina slammed down a pair of cards, the tails behind her suddenly froze.
"That fast?"
She turned to look at Kitahara Kaede. "Kaede, is this really your first time learning sealing jutsu?"
Kitahara Kaede looked at the array on the floor. "Yes."
Kushina opened her mouth, stunned. "This talent is just ridiculous."
Tsunade looked at Kitahara Kaede, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "He’s always been like this."
Kitahara Kaede ignored the exclamations and continued his study, moving on to the Binding Arrays.
The placement of the sealing charms, the direction of the chakra flow, the rhythm of the array core’s suppression... these elements were rapidly dismantled and reassembled in his mind.
Further along, he reached the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Kitahara Kaede’s gaze lingered on that page for a long time. In his mind, he had already begun to calculate exactly where and how he would need to intervene to change the course of history.
The sound of cards slapping the table continued to fill the room. Kushina and Tsunade bickered occasionally, while the Nine-Tails let out the occasional cold snort.
Suddenly, a loud slap echoed from the table.
Tsunade slammed her cards face-down. "Kaede."
Kitahara Kaede looked up. Tsunade’s face was somewhat dark.
"Come over here and help me."
Kushina immediately protested. "Tsunade-sama, you’re just a sore loser!"
Tsunade pointed at the two tails behind Kushina. "Those two combined count as two people. I’m only one. This is unfair."
The Nine-Tails was furious. "I’m not helping!"
Kushina looked back stubbornly. "Then why were you peeking at my cards just now!"
The Nine-Tails’ voice grew even colder. "That was called tactical observation."
Looking at the chaotic scene at the card table, Kitahara Kaede couldn’t help but laugh. He put the scroll away and stood up.
"Coming."
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