You Are Late

After being discharged from the hospital, life returned to calm.

Kitahara Kaede did not stay idle.

The max-level talent brought him more than just learning speed; there was one fact he had confirmed the moment he first extracted chakra.

His chakra possessed all seven nature transformations.

Fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, yin, and yang.

All seven, complete.

In the ninja world, an ordinary ninja could consider themselves exceptionally gifted if they mastered two or three nature transformations in their entire lifetime.

As for having all seven attributes—in his memories, fewer than ten people in Konoha Village possessed such talent.

Therefore, Kitahara Kaede pestered his "father" to teach him ninjutsu again.

The Hagoromo Clan Head, worn down by his persistence, pulled out a C-rank Water Release—Water Wave, as well as a B-rank ninjutsu—Shadow Clone Technique.

Kitahara Kaede watched the demonstration for both techniques once.

Then, he performed them once himself.

He learned Water Wave in one go, and while his first attempt at the Shadow Clone Technique was unpolished, he still succeeded in casting it.

The shadow clones created by the Shadow Clone Technique had physical bodies; they could be touched, could fight, could act as substitutes to block blades, and could even think independently.

They were not the E-rank clones from the Ninja Academy that would dissipate upon a single touch.

The Hagoromo Clan Head fell silent for a moment.

After the incident with the Great Fireball, he had already mentally prepared himself for his son's talent.

But learning a B-rank ninjutsu after seeing it once was a level of comprehension only a jonin possessed.

Kitahara Kaede felt wonderful inside.

He wasn't happy because of the talent; he was happy because of the tangible gains.

In reality, he didn't even have a channel to learn ninjutsu.

C-rank ninjutsu were high-end goods beyond his reach, and B-rank ninjutsu were things he didn't even dare to imagine.

Learning them for free in the simulator—it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

But these were all on the surface.

Kitahara Kaede didn't tell anyone what he was truly pondering.

He was developing a technique.

To be precise, he was attempting to replicate an A-rank ninjutsu he knew of but had never witnessed with his own eyes—Lightning Release: Chidori.

He understood the principle.

High-concentration lightning-attribute chakra was focused in the palm, creating a cutting effect through high-speed oscillation.

Essentially, it was a short blade formed of chakra, possessing immense piercing power, capable of directly destroying internal organs and meridians.

There were two core difficulties:

First, the precision of the lightning-attribute chakra's nature transformation.

Unlike Fire Release, which was "released" and done, Lightning Release required maintaining high-frequency oscillation in the palm; once the chakra lost control, it would backfire on the user.

Second, compressing the transformed chakra into the palm without it dissipating.

Theoretically, since he had mastered all seven attributes, there was no barrier for him regarding lightning-attribute nature transformation.

But "no barrier" and "being able to do it" were two different things.

Every day after finishing his regular training in the back mountains, Kitahara Kaede would find a secluded corner to practice this alone.

He would extend his right hand, curl his fingers slightly, and channel chakra along his meridians toward his palm, performing the lightning-attribute nature transformation there—

The first few times, the chakra would explode the moment it transformed.

It wasn't a real explosion, but rather the chakra dissipating due to the instability of the nature transformation.

His palm would go numb, his fingertips would twitch, as if he had been shocked.

By the tenth attempt, a brief arc of electricity appeared in his palm.

The blue-white light lasted less than half a second before shattering.

But that half-second of light confirmed one thing for Kitahara Kaede—his direction was correct.

All he needed was time.

He didn't tell anyone about this.

Including Tsunade.

The only side effect was that his right palm often had red marks from being shocked, and it would occasionally twitch involuntarily.

He attributed this to "old injuries that hadn't fully healed."

Tsunade asked him once.

"Why is your hand shaking again?"

"Old injury."

Tsunade stared at his palm for two seconds.

Those red marks were not in the same location as the kunai puncture scars.

She didn't press him further.

Life at the academy continued as usual.

Kitahara Kaede sent out clones during class while his real body went to the back mountains.

Tsunade read medical introductory manuals during class, occasionally helping him cover for his absence.

Jiraiya slept during class.

The only thing that changed was where the three of them went after school.

Tsunade went to the medical classroom.

Every day after school, without fail, she practiced inside alone.

Kitahara Kaede would sometimes stop when passing by.

He wouldn't go in, but would stand outside the door, glancing through the half-open window.

Her hand hovered over a simulated wound, fingers slightly curled, green chakra seeping from her palm in a thin layer, covering the area.

At first, it wasn't very steady.

The chakra output would fluctuate, like a candle flame in the wind, flickering on and off.

When treating the incision, uneven healing marks would occasionally appear on the edges of the new tissue—it didn't affect functionality, but it wasn't perfect.

Tsunade did not accept imperfection.

She would restore the simulated wound and start over.

Once, twice, seven times, eleven times.

Until that layer of green light was as steady as if it were glued to the skin, without a single tremor.

Kitahara Kaede watched for a while, then left.

One day after class.

Tsunade walked to Kitahara Kaede's desk with a report card and slapped it down.

Medical Ninjutsu Basic Theory, full marks.

"You said it," she said, chin tilted slightly upward, "I learn everything fast."

Kitahara Kaede glanced at the score, then at her expression.

He remembered the little girl in the hospital ward clutching her skirt, saying, "Next time you get hurt, I can handle it myself."

Less than a year.

"Fast is fast," Kitahara Kaede pushed the report card back, "but when you practiced incision repair last time, your chakra output fluctuated three times."

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up.

"How do you know?"

"I was standing behind you watching."

"...You have nothing better to do, right?"

"I was passing by."

Tsunade snatched the report card back, folded it twice, stuffed it into her pocket, and turned to leave.

She muttered something, but Kitahara Kaede didn't hear it clearly; it was probably something like "meddlesome."

The next day, he passed by the medical classroom.

Tsunade was inside alone.

Chakra covered the simulated incision, the green light as steady as a pool of still water.

Not a single fluctuation.

Jiraiya also seemed to be taking things seriously; ever since the day of the back mountain drill, this guy had stuck to him like glue.

Every day after school, he would run laps on the track behind Kitahara Kaede, practicing taijutsu.

At first, he would collapse on the ground panting after fifteen laps; later, he could run twenty, and then thirty.

When he couldn't run anymore, he would lie on the grass, his face pressed against the dirt, muttering, "I just haven't finished warming up yet."

Kitahara Kaede never waited for him; he practiced what he needed to practice.

If Jiraiya got up and caught up, he caught up; if he couldn't, he would try again next time.

Orochimaru still didn't speak in class, and didn't speak after class.

He always sat in the corner by the window, reading books unrelated to the lessons.

Occasionally, when their eyes met in the hallway, he would give a slight nod.

That was all.

Another semester ended.

The grades were posted; Kitahara Kaede was first, Tsunade was second.

There was no suspense.

Tsunade stood in front of the bulletin board, staring at the grades for three seconds.

Then she reached out and punched Kitahara Kaede on the shoulder.

The strength was unlike that of an ordinary person; it hurt even through his clothes.

"I'll beat you next time."

"Okay."

"You say okay every time, you have no sincerity at all."

"Then what do you want me to say?"

Tsunade huffed and turned to leave.

She walked two steps, then looked back.

"In the final ninjutsu practical exam, I was only two points behind you."

"Mm."

"Just two points."

"I heard you."

Tsunade glared at him, and this time she really left.

Jiraiya squatted under the bulletin board, scratching his white hair, muttering, "I just didn't perform well."

No one responded to him.

[Timeline accelerating—]

[In the final two years of the Ninja Academy, your training focus shifted to actual combat and precise chakra control. Weighted cross-country running and free-hand rock climbing became daily routines. Shadow clone sparring made up for the lack of high-level training partners.]

[Your chakra volume and ninjutsu attainments are on par with a chunin.]

[Your secretly developed Lightning Release technique has made breakthrough progress. The arc in your palm has extended from three seconds to ten seconds, and its form has gradually condensed from scattered sparks into an unstable ball of light. There is still a distance to go before completion, but the prototype has appeared.]

[However, the bubble of peace is fragile after all. Following the passing of the "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama, the agreements between the Five Great Nations gradually disintegrated.]

[Cloud Village took the initiative to cause trouble. Rock Village and Mist Village broke out into conflict one after another. The First Shinobi World War broke out in full scale.]

[Your father, the Hagoromo Clan Head, followed the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, to the front lines.]

[The war was intense. Cloud Village split internally into a pro-war faction and a peace-seeking faction. The Second Raikage decided to cease fire and form an alliance with Konoha.]

[At the alliance ceremony—the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku suddenly launched an attack, killing the Second Raikage, and then led an elite force to hunt down the Konoha delegation.]

[The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, stayed behind alone to cover the retreat of his subordinates.]

[Your father chose to stand side-by-side with the Second Hokage until the very last moment.]

[In that battle—]

[The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was killed in action.]

[The Hagoromo Clan Head was killed in action.]

[You became an orphan.]

[That same year, you went to pay your respects at your father's grave. You met Orochimaru, also dressed in black. His parents had also died in the war.]

[He said to you: "Kaede, the fragility of life is sickening. I want to seek the truth of eternity."]

[You patted his shoulder without saying a word.]

[The major nations all suffered huge losses in combat power, and the First Shinobi World War subsided. Sarutobi Hiruzen succeeded as the Third Hokage.]

[At his inauguration ceremony, he said that famous quote that would span the entire history of the ninja world to all the villagers of Konoha—]

["Wherever the leaves of the Tree dance, the fire will burn. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village and let new leaves sprout."]

[To fill the talent gap brought about by the war, the Third Hokage implemented a new policy with bold strokes—the "Three-Man Squad" system.]

[One jonin mentor, leading three genin. The classic configuration of two boys and one girl, aimed at maximizing survival rates through complementarity (and love triangles).]

[This year, you are eleven years old.]

[The third chapter officially begins.]

Kitahara Kaede opened his eyes.

"You're late."

A familiar tone.

Kitahara Kaede snapped back to reality and turned his head.

Tsunade leaned against the wooden railing by the side of the road.

Two years had passed, and she had grown quite a bit taller.

Her golden hair was tied into a ponytail resting on her shoulder, and her features were beginning to transition from rounded, youthful softness toward sharper, more defined angles.

But her way of speaking hadn't changed at all—arms crossed over her chest, eyes slanted as she looked at someone, the corners of her mouth pulled slightly downward.

"Yeah, I'm late."

The corners of Tsunade's mouth twitched, a subtle expression that said, Since you admitted it, I can't even get mad.

She straightened up from the railing and looked him up and down.

Her gaze paused for a split second when it passed over his right hand.

That scar.

A puncture wound from palm to back, the mark left by a kunai that had been driven through and pulled out.

It had been four years; new skin covered the old injury, but the color of the scar tissue differed slightly from the surrounding skin, noticeable upon close inspection.

Tsunade took an extra look every time she saw it.

"Let's go." Tsunade turned around. "Sensei is waiting for us at the Third Training Ground."

She was already walking.

Kitahara Kaede followed.

After a few steps, he pulled something from the side pocket of his ninja tool pouch.

"Did you eat breakfast?"

Tsunade's footsteps faltered.

"Why are you asking that?"

"I guessed you didn't."

He held out a rice ball.

It was wrapped in bamboo leaves and still warm.

Tsunade didn't take it.

"I already ate."

"Every time you say you've eaten, you haven't."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Are you annoying or what?"

She snatched the rice ball, unwrapped the bamboo leaves, and took a bite.

She chewed twice, offered no comment, walked a few steps, and took another bite.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kitahara Kaede saw her cheeks puffed out, like a hamster guarding its food.

"Is it good?"

Tsunade ignored him.

"The corner of your mouth."

Tsunade blinked. "What?"

"On the right side, there's a grain of rice."

Tsunade quickly wiped it with the back of her hand, then glared at him.

"Can't your eyes look somewhere else?"

"I'm looking at the road."

"You're clearly looking at me."

"It's on the way."

The tips of Tsunade's ears turned slightly red, not obviously, hidden by strands of golden hair.

She quickened her pace, moving half a step ahead of him.

"Walk faster, we're going to be late."

"You're the one who's late."

"I was waiting for you!"