Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Holding the Line
Several weeks passed.
The clashes on the Kumogakure front had temporarily subsided.
When his afternoon training ended, Kitahara Kaede learned from Guy that Minato had returned to the village. Since Kaede needed first-hand frontline intelligence for his analysis, he turned and headed toward Kushina’s house.
...
Standing at the entrance of Kushina’s home, Kaede knocked on the door.
It was opened quickly. Kushina stood there wearing an apron, her red hair tied loosely behind her. She blinked in surprise upon seeing Kaede, then beamed a smile.
"Kaede! You’ve come at the perfect time; I’m just finishing up dinner."
Kaede glanced inside. "Then I’ll make myself at home."
Kushina waved him in as she walked back inside. "There are other guests here today. I’ll introduce you in a moment."
As Kaede took off his shoes, he noticed several extra pairs by the entryway. At this particular point in time, he couldn’t imagine any guests other than Minato’s team. Without a change in expression, he stepped into the house.
Halfway through the entryway, a clear, youthful girl’s voice drifted from the living room.
"Minato-sensei, is the front line really that dangerous?"
Her voice was tinged with curiosity and a hint of worry. Minato replied with a few gentle words. Listening to the conversation, Kaede’s suspicions were fully confirmed.
Entering the living room, his gaze swept across the sofa. A silver-haired youth wearing a black mask sat beside Minato, his forehead protector tilted to cover one eye.
Hatake Kakashi.
On the other side sat a girl with short, light-brown hair. She sat with poise and a gentle expression; when she saw Kaede enter, her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Nohara Rin.
Kaede’s gaze lingered on them for a moment. ’Why is it only Kakashi and Rin?’
’Where is Obito?’
Minato saw him and waved with a smile. "Kaede, come sit."
Kaede nodded and took the empty seat beside Minato.
Seeing this, Kushina said with a laugh, "You guys chat first; I’m going to check on the food." With that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.
Kakashi looked up at Kaede. His visible eye was calm, yet searching. The two had encountered each other in the village a few times, but they had never spoken formally. However, during this period, Kakashi had heard quite a bit about Kitahara Kaede.
Rin was also watching him. Unlike Kakashi’s taciturn nature, her demeanor was far softer.
Minato took the initiative to introduce him. "This is Kitahara Kaede. He’s your senior and exceptionally talented—he’s already a Jonin."
He looked at Kakashi and Rin, his tone carrying a note of approval.
Kakashi gave a slight nod. "Kitahara-senpai."
Kaede glanced at him. "No need to call me senpai. I’m not that much older than you."
Rin smiled. "Then I’ll call you Kitahara-kun."
Kaede nodded. "That works."
Just as he spoke, a sudden, hurried knocking sounded at the door. Before anyone could move to open it, a voice shouted from outside.
"Minato-sensei! I’m here!"
A helpless smile appeared on Rin’s face. "It’s Obito. I’ll get the door."
Rin walked over, and a moment later, a boy wearing orange goggles stormed into the living room.
"I’m sorry! I’m late!" Obito explained hurriedly while wiping sweat from his brow. "There was an old lady who needed help crossing the street, and I couldn’t just leave her!"
Kakashi didn’t even look at him. "You really need to find a new excuse."
Obito stiffened. "Kakashi, what’s that supposed to mean?"
Kakashi’s tone was flat. "Exactly what it sounds like."
Obito instantly exploded. "Why you...!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Rin quickly intervened. "Alright, Obito, just sit down first."
Hearing Rin’s voice, Obito’s aggression vanished instantly. He scratched his head and sat down obediently, stealing a glance at Rin.
Once he had settled, Rin pointed toward Kaede. "Obito, this is Kitahara-kun." She paused, her voice filled with admiration. "Like Kakashi, he became a Jonin at a young age, and he’s already a highly accomplished shinobi."
The moment Obito heard the name "Kakashi," his expression shifted. He looked at Kaede, then at Kakashi, with a look of intense rivalry practically written across his face.
Suddenly, he leapt to his feet. "Once I awaken the Uchiha’s Sharingan, I’ll definitely be stronger than both of them!"
Kakashi finally looked up. "You’ve been saying that for years."
Obito’s face turned bright red. "Kakashi!"
Rin hurried to push him back into his seat. Knowing he had been countered, Obito didn’t want to keep being shut down by Kakashi, so he abruptly changed the subject. He looked at Minato with a complaining tone.
"Minato-sensei, Kakashi is allowed to go to the front lines, so why are Rin and I still stuck in the village? Doing these small missions every day is so boring!"
The smile on Minato’s face faded slightly. "Obito, the battlefield is not a place to cure boredom."
Obito opened his mouth to speak, but Minato looked at him. His tone remained gentle, but it was far more serious than before. "Once your skills reach Kakashi’s level, I will naturally consider taking you to the front."
Obito immediately deflated.
Minato dropped the subject and turned to Kaede. "Kaede, you came here specifically today; is there something on your mind?"
Kaede shifted his gaze away from Minato’s team. "I want to know the latest situation on the Kumogakure front."
Obito, who had only just quieted down, immediately leaned in upon hearing the words "front lines." Rin also sat up straighter.
Minato looked at the group. "The combination of A and B is difficult to handle." He slowed his pace. "Kumogakure’s frontal push is powerful. In the last few encounters, they’ve been steadily compressing our defensive lines. Although things have paused for now, the pressure remains."
Kaede asked, "Are they trying to pin you down?"
Minato nodded. "That is their intention."
The living room fell silent. Minato didn’t go into exhaustive detail, but Kaede already had the answer he needed.
Kumogakure was tying up Minato. While Konoha seemed to have caught a break, the battle lines were actually overextended. If Iwa decided to strike, they would choose this exact moment.
After processing this, Kaede’s gaze shifted inconspicuously to Obito. Obito sat beside Rin, his face still wearing the frustration of a young boy. Impulsive, kind, and desperate for recognition.
Right now, he truly was just the "idiot" of Minato’s team who helped old ladies cross the street. But in Kaede’s mind, another face emerged.
The mask. The Nine-Tails’ attack. The Akatsuki. The Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was the fork in the road for the shinobi world’s history. Obito would be crushed by a boulder, taken in by Madara Uchiha, and step by step, become the idealist of the future.
’Should I save him?’
The moment the thought appeared, Kaede began to calculate the consequences. If he saved Obito, the subsequent plot would deviate significantly. His foresight would lose a massive chunk of its reference points.
More trouble still, Madara would certainly look for a new pawn. Black Zetsu might even set his sights on Kaede sooner.
Kaede did not like the future version of Obito. Nor did he want to push himself directly into the crosshairs of Madara and Black Zetsu for the sake of such a person.
Most importantly, he wasn’t yet confident in his ability to deal with Madara.
He couldn’t confirm whether the Rinnegan had already been transplanted into Nagato, or exactly how much of Madara’s strength remained. Even a Madara hooked up to life-support tubes was still Madara. Until he was certain he could handle the man, acting rashly would be too great a gamble.
Kitahara Kaede lightly touched the blue-and-black wristband on his wrist.
’Only act if you can bear the consequences,’ he thought. ’If you can’t, just watch for now.’
He would let Obito enter Madara’s orbit, just as history intended. He would wait for Madara to reach his own inevitable end, for the hidden threads to finally be revealed. Only then would he find the right moment to strike.
The kitchen door slid open, and Kushina stepped out carrying a tray of steaming dishes.
"Alright, enough of that talk for now. Time to eat!"
Kitahara Kaede pushed his calculations aside. He stood up, a gentle smile returning to his face.
"Let me help you," he said, walking toward the kitchen to take the plates from Kushina’s hands.
Laughter and chatter once again filled the living room.
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