You're Late

After leaving the hospital, life returned to normal.

Kitahara Kaede didn't waste any time.

The maxed-out talent brought more than just a knack for learning. It also came with something he'd confirmed the first time he extracted chakra.

His chakra had all seven nature transformations.

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

All seven.

In the world of Naruto, mastering two or three nature transformations in a lifetime was enough to mark an ordinary ninja as exceptionally talented.

As for having all seven—the memories he had showed that fewer than ten people in Konoha possessed this talent.

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

The Hagoromo Clan Head had no choice but to give in. He brought out the C-Rank Water Release: Water Wave, along with a B-Rank jutsu: Shadow Clone Technique.

Kitahara Kaede watched demonstrations of each jutsu once.

Then he performed them himself.

He learned Water Wave in one try. His first attempt at Shadow Clone Technique was a little clumsy, but he succeeded.

The shadow clones created by Shadow Clone Technique had substance. They could touch and fight, take a blow in someone's place, and even think independently.

They weren't like the E-Rank clones at the Ninja Academy that dispersed at the slightest touch.

The Hagoromo Clan Head fell silent for a while.

After what had happened with Great Fireball, he'd already prepared himself for his son's talent.

But learning a B-Rank jutsu after watching it once—that was the kind of comprehension only a Jonin possessed.

Kitahara Kaede was pleased with himself.

Not because he was happy about his talent, but because he'd made a real gain.

In the real world, he didn't even have access to a way to learn ninjutsu.

C-Rank jutsu were advanced techniques beyond his reach, and he wouldn't even dare dream of B-Rank jutsu.

The Simulator let him learn them for free. He'd be a fool not to take advantage.

But that was all on the surface.

What Kitahara Kaede was really working on was something he hadn't told anyone.

He was developing a jutsu.

More precisely, he was trying to recreate an A-Rank jutsu he knew about but had never seen with his own eyes: Lightning Release: Chidori.

He understood the principle.

A high concentration of Lightning Release Chakra gathered in the palm, where rapid vibrations created a cutting effect.

At its core, it was a short blade made of chakra, with tremendous piercing power that could directly damage internal organs and meridians.

There were two main challenges:

First, the precision of the Lightning Release Chakra nature transformation.

Unlike Fire Release, which was simply released, Lightning Release had to be kept vibrating at a high frequency in the palm. If the chakra went out of control, it would backfire on the user.

Second, compressing the transformed chakra into the palm without letting it disperse.

In theory, he had a natural affinity for all seven elements, so the nature transformation required for Lightning Release presented no barrier.

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

Every day, after finishing his regular training in the woods behind the village, Kitahara Kaede found a secluded spot to practice this on his own.

He held out his right hand, fingers slightly curled, and guided chakra along his pathways into his palm, transforming it into Lightning Release Chakra—

The first few times, the chakra burst apart as soon as it transformed.

It wasn't a real explosion. The unstable nature transformation simply caused the chakra to disperse.

His palm went numb and his fingertips twitched, as if he'd been shocked.

On his tenth try, a brief arc of electricity appeared in his palm.

Blue-white light lasted less than half a second before breaking apart.

But that half-second of light confirmed one thing for Kitahara Kaede: he was on the right track.

All he needed was time.

He didn't tell anyone about it.

Not even Tsunade.

The only side effect was that red marks from electric shocks often appeared in his right palm, and every now and then it twitched on its own.

He chalked it up to "the old injury not having healed completely."

Tsunade asked him about it once.

"Why's your hand twitching again?"

"Old injury."

Tsunade stared at his palm for two seconds.

The red marks weren't in the same place as the scars from the Kunai wound.

She didn't press him.

Life at school went on as usual.

Kitahara Kaede sent a clone to class while his real body went to the woods behind the village.

Tsunade read introductory Medical Ninjutsu manuals during class and occasionally covered for him.

Jiraiya slept through lessons.

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 there alone.

Sometimes Kitahara Kaede passed by and stopped for a moment.

He didn't go in. He stood outside and peeked through the half-open window.

Her hand hovered over a simulated wound, fingers slightly curled. Green chakra seeped from her palm, a thin layer spreading over it.

At first, she wasn't very steady.

Her chakra output wavered like a candle in the wind, flickering on and off.

When she treated an incision, the edges of the new tissue sometimes healed unevenly—not enough to affect function, but still imperfect.

Tsunade wouldn't accept imperfection.

She would reset the simulated wound and start over.

Once, twice, seven times, eleven times.

She kept going until the green light was as steady as if it had been painted onto the skin, without the slightest tremor.

Kitahara Kaede watched for a while, then left.

One day after class,

Tsunade walked up to Kitahara Kaede's desk with a grade sheet in her hand and slapped it down.

Full marks in basic Medical Ninjutsu theory.

"You said it yourself." She raised her chin. "I learn everything fast."

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

He remembered the little girl in the hospital room, clutching her skirt as she said, "Next time you get hurt, I'll be able to treat you myself."

Less than a year had passed.

"You do learn fast." Kitahara Kaede pushed the grade sheet back to her. "But the last time you practiced repairing an incision, your chakra output wavered three times."

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up.

"How do you know that?"

"I was watching from behind you."

"...Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I was passing by."

Tsunade snatched back the grade sheet, folded it twice, stuffed it in her pocket, and turned to leave.

She muttered something, but Kitahara Kaede couldn't make it out. It was probably something like "meddlesome."

The next day, he passed by the medical classroom.

Tsunade was alone inside.

Chakra covered the simulated incision, the green light as still as a glassy lake.

It didn't waver once.

Jiraiya seemed to be taking things seriously too. Ever since the day of the training exercise in the woods behind the village, he'd stuck to Kitahara Kaede like glue.

Every day after school, he followed Kitahara Kaede around the track, training in Taijutsu.

At first, he collapsed after fifteen laps, panting on the ground. Then he managed twenty, and later thirty.

When he couldn't run anymore, he'd lie facedown in the grass, muttering, "This great Jiraiya just hasn't warmed up yet."

Kitahara Kaede never waited for him. He just kept training.

If Jiraiya got back up and caught up, so be it. If he couldn't, he'd try again next time.

Orochimaru still didn't speak during class or after it.

He always sat in the corner nearest the window, reading books unrelated to the lesson.

Every now and then, when he met Kitahara Kaede's gaze in the hallway, he'd give a slight nod.

That was all.

Another semester came to an end.

The grades went up, with Kitahara Kaede in first place and Tsunade in second.

There was no suspense.

Tsunade stood in front of the bulletin board and stared at the grades for three seconds.

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

Her strength was beyond that of an ordinary person. It hurt even through his clothes.

"I'll beat you next time."

"Okay."

"You always say okay. You don't sound sincere at all."

"What do you want me to say?"

Tsunade snorted and turned to leave.

After two steps, she looked back.

"I was only two points behind you in the final ninjutsu practical."

"Mm."

"Only two points."

"I heard you."

Tsunade glared at him, then finally walked away.

Jiraiya crouched beneath the bulletin board, clutching his white hair as he muttered, "This great Jiraiya just didn't perform well."

Nobody responded.

[Time acceleration in progress—]

[During the final two years at the Ninja Academy, your training focus shifted to actual combat and fine chakra control. Weighted cross-country runs and barehanded rock climbing became part of your daily routine. Sparring with Shadow Clones made up for your lack of skilled training partners.]

[Your chakra reserves and mastery of ninjutsu reached the level of a Chunin.]

[Your secret development of a Lightning Release jutsu made a breakthrough. The arcs of electricity in your palm lasted ten seconds instead of three, and gradually coalesced from scattered sparks into an unstable ball of light. You were still some distance from completing it, but the beginnings were there.]

[Yet the fragile peace was bound to shatter. With the passing of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, the agreements between the Five Great Nations gradually fell apart.]

[Kumogakure struck first. Battles soon broke out with Iwagakure and the Mist Village. The First Shinobi World War erupted in full.]

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

[The fighting reached a stalemate. Kumogakure split into factions favoring war and peace. The Second Raikage decided to make peace and form an alliance with Konoha.]

[At the alliance ceremony—Kinkaku and Ginkaku suddenly attacked, assassinated the Second Raikage, then led an elite force in pursuit of the Konoha delegation.]

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

[Your father chose to stand by the Second to the very end.]

[In that battle—]

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

[The Hagoromo Clan Head was killed in action.]

[You became an orphan.]

[That same year, you visited your father's grave. There, you met Orochimaru, dressed in black like you. His parents had also died in the war.]

"He said to you, 'Kaede, the fragility of life disgusts me. I'm going to seek eternal truth.'"

[You patted him on the shoulder without saying a word.]

[All the great nations suffered enormous losses in manpower, and the First Shinobi World War came to an end. Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeded the Third.]

[At his inauguration ceremony, he spoke to all the people of Konoha, delivering the famous words that would echo throughout Shinobi World history—]

["Wherever the leaves dance, there will be fire. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village and let new leaves grow."]

[To make up for the loss of talent caused by the war, the Third pushed through sweeping reforms, introducing the "three-man squad" system.]

[One Jonin instructor led three Genin. The classic arrangement of two boys and one girl was intended to maximize survival through complementary strengths (and love triangles).]

[You were eleven that year.]

[The third arc officially began.]

Kitahara Kaede opened his eyes.

"You're late."

A familiar tone.

Kaede came to and turned to look.

Tsunade was leaning against a wooden railing by the roadside.

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

Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail that rested on her shoulder. Her features were starting to lose their childlike roundness, growing sharper and more defined.

But her way of speaking hadn't changed at all—arms folded across her chest, eyes slanted as she looked at him, the corners of her mouth turned slightly down.

"Yeah, I'm late."

One corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched. It was a subtle expression that said, Now that you've admitted it, I can't even get mad.

She straightened up from the railing and looked him over.

Her gaze paused for a moment when it reached his right hand.

That scar.

A wound running through his palm to the back of his hand, left when a Kunai had pierced it and been pulled out.

Four years had passed. New skin had covered the old wound, but the scar tissue was just a little different in color from the normal skin, noticeable up close.

Whenever Tsunade saw it, she always looked twice.

"Let's go." Tsunade turned. "The teacher's waiting for us at the Third Training Ground."

She was already walking.

Kaede followed.

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

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

Tsunade's step faltered.

"Why are you asking?"

"I'm guessing you haven't."

He held out a rice ball.

It was wrapped in a bamboo leaf and still a little warm.

Tsunade didn't take it.

"I've already eaten."

"Every time you say that, you haven't."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Are you always this annoying?"

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

She chewed a couple of times without comment, walked a few steps, then took another bite.

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

"Is it good?"

Tsunade ignored him.

"Your mouth."

Tsunade paused. "What?"

"On the right. There's still a grain of rice."

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

"Can't you look somewhere else for once?"

"I'm watching where I'm going."

"You're obviously looking at me."

"Among other things."

The tips of Tsunade's ears were a little red, though the golden strands of hair falling over them mostly hid it.

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!"