Chapter 175: Chapter 175: The High-Priority Wanted Poster
Early the next morning, Kitahara Kaede made his way to the Konoha Hospital.
The door to the ward was halfway open. Guy was fast asleep, slumped by the bedside; he had clearly stayed there all night. Duy lay on the hospital bed, bandages wrapped around his leg and shoulder. Though his face was still somewhat pale, his breathing had stabilized.
As Kaede pushed the door open and entered, Duy opened his eyes.
Just as Duy was about to speak, Kaede raised a finger to his lips and pointed toward Guy.
"Don’t wake him up."
Duy glanced at his son and nodded silently.
Kaede walked to the bedside and gave his injuries a quick assessment. The damage from the Seventh Gate was significant, but with proper treatment and a period of honest recovery, it wouldn’t leave any lasting issues.
Relieved, Kaede lowered his voice. "I’m glad you’re alright, Duy-senpai. Please, get some rest."
"I understand, Kaede," Duy whispered.
Kaede nodded, picked up his scroll, and left.
Once outside the ward, Kaede bought some breakfast near the hospital—a bowl of hot porridge and a small plate of light side dishes. He carried the meal upstairs and pushed open the door to Tsunade’s office.
Tsunade was leaning back in her chair, rubbing her temples. She looked up at Kaede, her voice thick with the lethargy of someone who had just woken up.
"What are you doing here?"
Kaede placed the breakfast on her desk. "I figured you’d be too hungover to eat anything."
Tsunade paused. She had indeed drunk a bit too much last night, and her head was still spinning.
"Then why didn’t you stop me last night?"
Kaede set the spoon in place. "Uh... I’ll definitely do that next time."
Tsunade gave a soft huff and picked up the spoon. "Fine, I forgive you."
Kaede waited until she had taken a sip of the porridge before speaking. "Eat up. I’m going to turn in my mission report."
Without looking up, Tsunade simply waved her hand. "Go on."
After the door closed, Tsunade looked at the breakfast on her desk and smiled. The porridge was still hot, and it felt soothing on her stomach.
As Kaede reached the corner of the stairs, he ran into Yakushi Nonou. She was carrying a stack of medical records and stopped immediately upon seeing him.
"Kitahara-kun."
Kaede stopped as well. "Nonou-senpai."
Nonou looked at him, her expression far more solemn than usual. "I’ve heard about the orphanage funding."
Kaede wasn’t surprised. Nonou hugged the records tighter to her chest, her voice softening.
"That money is vital for the orphanage. In the past, whenever we applied for monthly funds, we had to play politics and appease so many different people. Now that the Hokage is personally allocating the funds, the children won’t have to worry about food or clothing anymore."
Kaede’s expression didn’t change at the mention of "many different people." He knew she was referring to Danzo.
"As long as it’s resolved," he replied calmly.
The gratitude in Nonou’s eyes deepened. "The military merit you gave up was enough to trade for a great deal more than this."
Kaede didn’t dwell on the point, simply saying, "It’s nothing. I was an orphan too; I can only help as much as I can."
Nonou fell silent for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Kabuto still remembers you. He asked me yesterday when the ’big brother’ who brought him back from the battlefield would visit the orphanage."
Kaede blinked, then replied, "I’ll go see him when I have some free time."
Nonou nodded, and after they exchanged goodbyes, Kaede continued downstairs.
***
In front of the Hokage’s office, Kaede knocked twice.
"Come in," Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice called from inside.
Kaede entered. Hiruzen was sitting behind his desk, pipe clenched between his fingers, with a mission report spread out before him. It was clear he had read it more than once.
Hiruzen looked up at Kaede with a gaze full of appreciation, mixed with a lingering hint of surprise. Kaede stepped forward and presented the sealing scroll with both hands.
"Hokage-sama, the spoils of the mission."
Hiruzen took the scroll and released the seal. Five ninja swords lay quietly within. The report had been detailed, but seeing the five blades with his own eyes felt different.
Kirigakure had taken a heavy blow. Five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were gone, and five of their blades had fallen into Konoha’s hands. Once news of this spread, the Land of Water would likely be too enraged to sleep.
Hiruzen closed the scroll and spoke slowly. "You have achieved an extraordinary feat this time."
Kaede didn’t rush to accept the praise. "Actually, the primary credit belongs to Duy-senpai. He arrived in time to stall the most dangerous opponents. I simply seized the opportunity to break them down one by one."
Satisfaction flickered in Hiruzen’s eyes. For a youth to achieve such a great victory and still remember his comrades showed a level of maturity that was even more reassuring than the victory itself.
"You aren’t greedy for credit, I see."
Kaede’s expression remained neutral. "I am simply reporting the facts."
Hiruzen didn’t pursue the topic further, but his evaluation of Kitahara Kaede rose another notch. Strong, composed, capable of fighting hard battles, and mindful of his comrades’ contributions.
Minato appreciated him, Tsunade treated him differently, and people like Kato Duan, Yuhi Shinko, and Yakushi Nonou had all given him high praise in different contexts. For a civilian orphan to reach this point spoke volumes about his character.
Hiruzen set his pipe aside and looked back at the report. "Genma’s report mentions that you used a Lightning Style technique to pierce a Kirigakure Jonin from a distance?"
Kaede had already prepared his explanation. "It’s a technique I developed myself. I call it the Chidori Sharp Spear."
Hiruzen looked up. Kaede continued in a steady tone.
"I concentrate high-density Lightning Style chakra in my hand and then extend it through shape transformation. The range isn’t vast, but the speed and penetration are sufficient."
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment. To achieve this at sixteen showed immense talent. Moreover, Kaede knew how to hide it. For a shinobi to conceal their edge was not a bad thing; as long as his heart belonged to Konoha, the more people like him, the better.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and tapped it lightly. "Kitahara Kaede."
Kaede looked up.
Hiruzen’s tone became solemn. "Go back and prepare yourself for the upcoming Jonin exams."
The office fell silent for an instant. Kaede responded quickly. "Yes, sir."
Hiruzen nodded. "You may go. Someone will notify you later regarding your mission rewards and the assessment of your military merit."
Kaede bowed and left the office. After the door closed, Hiruzen stared at the sealing scroll on his desk for a long time without speaking.
Konoha’s current generation truly had some exceptional seeds.
***
Land of Water.Hidden Mist Village.
In the meeting room, the Third Mizukage sat at the head of the table, his expression grim. Fuguki Suikazan and Juzo Biwa stood below him. Their injuries had been treated, but they still looked bedraggled.
The Third Mizukage looked at them, his voice low. "Tell me again."
The flesh on Fuguki’s face twitched. Suppressing his anger, he recounted the events once more.
"The initial infiltration into the Land of Fire went smoothly. However, as we approached the heart of Konoha, we encountered a three-man reconnaissance squad."
The Third Mizukage glared at him. "Three people?"
Fuguki’s expression soured. "At first, it was indeed only three young shinobi. Later, a Konoha taijutsu specialist arrived; he used some kind of forbidden jutsu and possessed immense strength."
Juzo Biwa interjected. "The most dangerous one, however, was one of the young shinobi."
He stopped there, his tone visibly darkening.
"He is incredibly fast, and his techniques are bizarre. He can extend Lightning Style from his hand like a long spear to pierce through his targets; the range is considerable."
The Third Mizukage did not respond immediately.
The high-ranking officials of the Hidden Mist Village sitting in the conference room looked grim. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been deployed, yet five of them were dead and five of their blades had been lost. This was far beyond a simple mission failure; it was a catastrophe.
The Third Mizukage pressed his palm onto the table, the force of the impact creating a dull thud.
"So, seven of you went out, five died in the Land of Fire, and five swords were taken by Konoha?"
Fuguki lowered his head, his face shifting between pale and ashen. Juzo Biwa remained silent.
The Third Mizukage looked at the two of them, his anger simmering deep beneath the surface.
"What is that boy’s name?"
Fuguki spoke up. "I don’t know his full name. I only heard his comrades call him Kaede."
At the far end of the meeting table, Terumi Mei frowned slightly. When she had heard the description of the Lightning Style, it had only felt vaguely familiar. But upon hearing the name, a memory surfaced.
’The person from my dreams also used Lightning Style.’
She couldn’t be certain yet. Lowering her eyes, she forced her thoughts back to the meeting.
The Third Mizukage had already made his decision.
"Investigate."
He turned his gaze toward the intelligence division. "Find everything you can on this Konoha ninja named Kaede, regardless of the cost. His age, his background, his specialty—I want to know everything."
The intelligence ninja immediately bowed. "Yes, sir."
The Third Mizukage then looked back at Fuguki and Juzo Biwa. "Furthermore, issue a gold-lettered bounty."
"Yes," they responded.
With a wave of his hand, the Third Mizukage dismissed them. "Meeting adjourned."
The officials rose and began to file out. Terumi Mei did not leave immediately. She waited until the others had departed before slowly standing up and following them out of the room.
Standing by the corridor railing, she gazed into the distance. The direction of the Land of Fire was swallowed by the thick mist, leaving nothing visible.
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