My Foolish Little Sister

"Damn it, I'm challenging you to a duel!" Enraged and humiliated, Obito quickly polished off the rabbit's head, then pointed at Kaede and shouted furiously. Kaede had tricked him, and he was fuming like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Kaede glanced at him disdainfully. He'd embarrassed himself in front of the girl he liked plenty of times already. Why subject himself to more humiliation? "I don't have time to play with you, Obito. I've got a mission. Minato-sensei, Kakashi, Lin, I'll see you back in the village."

After saying goodbye, Kaede's figure flickered. In an instant, he vanished before their eyes.

"Th-that... isn't that..." Obito stared at Minato in disbelief.

Lin covered her mouth, as if she'd just seen something incredible. Even Kakashi, with his usual deadpan expression, narrowed his eyes.

"Minato-sensei, isn't that your Ninjutsu?" Kakashi asked calmly. They'd seen Minato-sensei use that Ninjutsu to disappear without warning, but they hadn't expected Kaede to know it too.

"Yep. It's the Space-Time Ninjutsu known as the 'Flying Thunder God.' Kaede's learned it too, and it looks like she's using it quite well. What a genius." Minato held back the flailing Obito and explained with a smile.

Kakashi and Lin understood.

Obito, however, complained loudly, "You're so biased, Sensei! You taught Kaede such an amazing Ninjutsu but won't teach it to me. It's not fair!"

As he spoke, he plopped down on the ground, folded his arms, and sulkily turned away.

"Idiot," Kakashi said.

"Obito, don't say that to Sensei. You'll make him unhappy," Lin said, lowering her head as she tried to reason with him.

Minato looked at the three of them seriously. "The 'Flying Thunder God' is a dangerous Ninjutsu that the Second Hokage classified as a Forbidden Jutsu. Learning it requires certain qualities. It's not that I won't teach it to you; it's just not suitable yet. You still need to build a solid foundation. Once you earn my approval, I'll consider it."

In his view, Kakashi had a chance of learning the Flying Thunder God. Obito still had a long way to go. As for Lin... Medical Ninjutsu suited her better.

"Really? You can't go back on your word, Sensei. It's a promise!" In an instant, Obito grabbed Minato's sleeve and looked at him expectantly.

"Uh... So you'll have to work even harder from now on, Obito!"

Under Minato's gentle guidance, this troublesome team gradually developed a friendship and bond of their own.

"Whew, I'm finally back." Looking at Konoha's gate, Kaede wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Using the Flying Thunder God over long distances, again and again, had taken a toll on her body. It felt like she'd been worn out after days of intense activity.

She buried the Kunai marked with her Thunder Technique somewhere safe, making sure no one would find it, then appeared at the gate. "Uchiha Kaede, returning to the village on orders. Please open the barrier."

During wartime, Konoha kept the barrier protecting the village active at all times. On top of that, the Military Police Force patrolled more frequently.

"Lady Kaede, you're back!" said one of the Uchiha shinobi guarding the entrance as part of the Military Police Force.

"Yeah, I'm on a mission." Kaede didn't recognize her fellow clan member, but still replied with a smile.

A shinobi from the Barrier Team quickly formed Hand Seals, opening a gap in the barrier to let Kaede through. "Lady Kaede, Lord Hokage's latest order is that all shinobi entering or leaving the village must register."

As he spoke, he handed her a register.

Wartime Konoha had taken on the appearance a military camp ought to have. Everything was run according to military protocol.

After completing the entry procedures, Kaede left the gate and used the Flying Thunder God somewhere out of sight, appearing on Kage Rock. Her Thunder Technique was marked there, and it was the closest spot to the Hokage Building.

To activate the Flying Thunder God, she had to sense her Flying Thunder God Formula. Within the village, her Formula was only marked on Kage Rock and at home. She couldn't very well mark the Hokage Building.

Furthermore, when powerful seals or barriers interfered with the user's senses, they couldn't detect their Formula, making it impossible to activate the Flying Thunder God.

"Knock, knock." She knocked on the Hokage's office door.

"Come in," the Third Hokage called from inside. She opened the door and entered.

"Lord Hokage, a confidential report from the front." Respectfully, she handed the Third Hokage Orochimaru's sealed message.

"Oh, it's you, Kaede. Looks like this mission suited you well." The Third Hokage smiled and joked with Kaede. Though they were at war, he had complete faith in Konoha. After all, Konoha had won every battle so far and suffered no defeats.

There had been almost no casualties, and the village's military strength remained intact.

Kaede played along with his joke. "It suited me perfectly. I can think of it as practice with the Flying Thunder God."

"All right, leave the report for now and go get some rest!" He had plenty of documents to deal with. Otherwise, he would've liked to chat with the young woman.

The Third Hokage was very pleased with the girl before him. Though she was an Uchiha, she had become Jiraiya's student. She gave him hope that the conflict between the Uchiha and the village could be resolved.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Being able to go home and rest during wartime was the envy of many.

Come to think of it, she hadn't been home in several months. First she'd set out with her team for the front, then she'd spent a long time facing off against the Sand Shinobi at the front line. Before she knew it, so much time had passed.

"I'm home!" she called as she pushed open the front door.

"Kaede..." Seeing her son standing in the doorway, Xiang's eyes reddened and she looked ready to burst into tears. No mother could help worrying when her child went off to war.

"Mother, don't worry. Your son is a powerful shinobi now." Kaede gently reassured her.

"Where's Father?"

"He went to the Military Police Force. He's busy patrolling, and I haven't seen him for several days," Xiang said, wiping her eyes. Having Kaede return home safely was a joy in itself.

"Ah, ah!" Quan, nestled in Xiang's arms, reached out for Kaede to hold her. She still recognized her older brother.

She was just learning to speak and could only say "Mama." Everything else came out as babbling.

Kaede dodged her hands. "Mother, I'm going to take a bath first." She was covered in the deathly aura of the battlefield and couldn't let Quan come into contact with such a foul presence.

After she finished bathing, she reached out to pick Quan up. The little girl kicked her legs and refused to come over. It seemed that even such a tiny child could hold a grudge.

Kaede was taken aback, then tapped her on the forehead. "All right, come here and let your big brother hold you. I know I was wrong. I won't do it again, I promise." Were kids in the Shinobi World really this precocious? She was barely more than a baby, yet she could already hold a grudge.

"Ah, ah..." Quan pursed her lips, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Was this girl trying to spit at me? She was, wasn't she?" Kaede asked Xiang.

Xiang helplessly wiped the drool from Quan's mouth. "Quan's been getting naughtier lately. I don't know who she learned it from."

Kaede gave Quan a dangerous look, then pinched her soft cheeks between both hands, stretching her face into an oval. "My foolish little sister, tell me who taught you this bad habit. This isn't how a proper young lady should behave."

Quan looked confused at first. Then she felt the pain in her cheeks, and tears welled up in her gentle eyes. "Waaah..." She burst into tears.

Kaede laughed loudly. "Little one, submit to your big brother's might! Heh heh." Around her family, she still had the same mischievous streak she'd had as a child.