第26章 十五年

[Chapter 3: Summary--]

[After your three-man squad's first battle in the Land of Birds, Hiruzen adjusted your mission authorization levels.]

[Missions below C-rank were never assigned again.]

[During the long peace following the First War, the five great nations maintained a fragile balance. Life in Konoha Village was peaceful, but no village ever complained about having too many capable newcomers. Your performance in the Land of Birds far exceeded that of your peers, and the reclassification report in your mission files drew the attention of the higher-ups.]

[B-rank commissions began appearing on the mission board. Escorts, reconnaissance, stronghold clearances—the difficulty climbed bit by bit. Sometimes the three of you worked together, and sometimes you were split up and assigned to other operation groups.]

[You completed a B-rank intelligence mission alone, infiltrating the border of the Land of Rain. No combat, no casualties, just a clean retrieval of information. Hiruzen wrote four words on the mission report: "Capable of great use."]

[You only realized the weight of those words later. In Hiruzen's teaching career, only one other person had received the same evaluation: Orochimaru.]

[Tsunade's medical ninjutsu improved rapidly in actual combat. After the Land of Birds, you were injured more often—not because the missions were more dangerous, but because your fighting style was too aggressive; you always liked to use yourself as bait. She scolded you every time she treated your wounds, but the green light from her hands never faltered.]

[The precision of her chakra control began to surpass every other medical ninja of her generation. Hiruzen privately commented that Tsunade's talent had already exceeded that of the current captain of the Medical Corps.]

[Jiraiya's method of progress was more in line with his own style.]

[One day after training, he pestered Hiruzen to teach him the Summoning Jutsu. Hiruzen couldn't refuse him, so he demonstrated it once, summoning Enma. Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and before Hiruzen could explain the principles and precautions, the guy bit his finger and started forming hand seals.]

[Then he vanished.]

[Performing a summoning without a contract either results in failure or being reverse-summoned to the beast's territory. Jiraiya belonged to the latter. He was transported to Mount Myoboku.]

[A few days later, Jiraiya stood at the main gate of Konoha, a small toad squatting on his shoulder, a blade of grass in his mouth, and a smug, punchable grin on his face.]

["The Great Me has returned!"]

[Tsunade beat him up.]

[You laughed, too.]

[In the third year, you took the Chunin Exams. You were the fastest of your cohort; all three of you were promoted.]

[On the day of the promotion ceremony, Hiruzen said nothing, simply patting you on the shoulder.]

[After becoming Chunin, you and Tsunade were frequently assigned to the same operation group. She smashed through the front, you cleaned up the rear, and occasionally Jiraiya's summoned beasts were inserted in between to block. It worked well on the battlefield, and it worked well in private.]

[She knew your combat habits. You knew when she was pushing herself. You handed her a Military Ration Pill before she even asked, and she applied her green light before you even had to speak.]

[Others saw it, and the rumors spread.]

[The parties involved said nothing.]

[Your reason for staying silent was simple—this story would have an ending. But you had to finish everything that needed to be done while doing your absolute best. Now was not the time.]

[In your second year as a Chunin, you led a team on an A-rank mission for the first time. You were tasked with clearing out a rogue ninja stronghold entrenched in the southwest corner of the Land of Fire. Intelligence indicated twelve people, but upon arrival, you found twenty-seven, including three Jonin-level threats.]

[The battle lasted six hours. Your chakra was drained, your ninja tool pouch was empty, and in the end, relying on a broken blade snatched from an enemy, you pinned the last man to the ground.]

[All four of you returned alive.]

[Hiruzen wrote a single line at the end of the mission report: "Zero casualties, mission complete. Recommend inclusion as a Jonin candidate."]

[When Jiraiya heard the news, he had a messenger toad deliver a message: "Wait until I learn Sage Mode, and I'll beat you first."]

[Tsunade said nothing. After work, she brought two bottles of wine to your door.]

[You drank a lot that night. She leaned on your shoulder, eyes closed, and muttered something.]

[You didn't hear it clearly.]

[In your fourth year as a Chunin, you and Tsunade were promoted to Jonin simultaneously. Jiraiya was half a year behind you. On the day of his promotion, he treated everyone to the most expensive barbecue, his face turning green when he paid the bill. Tsunade ate the most, and you paid half for him; he was moved for three seconds. Then Tsunade said that half counted as a debt to you.]

[After becoming a Jonin, S-rank missions began appearing in your file. Intercepting an assassination squad crossing the border during a blizzard in the northwest, wiping out all six. Infiltrating an intelligence stronghold in the Land of Rain, killing an S-rank wanted rogue ninja alone.]

[Every time you went on a mission, Tsunade checked your tool pouch. Whether you had enough Military Ration Pills, if you had bandages, if your explosive tags were expired. She didn't say why. You didn't ask.]

[You returned safe and sound every time. She scolded you every time, saying, "At least you know when to be sensible."]

[During a joint mission, the three of you coordinated to wipe out an elite enemy squadron infiltrating the Land of Fire. Thirty-two men, completely annihilated, with zero casualties on your side.]

[When the news reached Konoha, people began grouping your name with Tsunade and Jiraiya—the "Three Geniuses of Hiruzen."]

[You treated the title as a joke. Tsunade beat up the person who said it. She said that titles are earned through one's own strength, not by just filling a quota.]

[Nawaki.]

[Tsunade's younger brother, the grandson of the First Hokage.]

[The first time you saw him, he was just a little dumpling crawling on the floor. Tsunade brought him to see you, and the little guy slapped you in the face; Tsunade laughed until she was doubled over.]

[Later, as he grew a bit older, he started following you and Tsunade everywhere. When you went to the training ground, he brought a small stool to watch from the side; when you practiced ninjutsu, he secretly mimicked your stance behind you; when Tsunade went on missions, he would loiter at your house, pestering you to tell him about the outside world.]

[You watched him go from not being able to walk, to chasing Tsunade all over the streets, to entering the Ninja Academy, and this year—he finally graduated, becoming a Genin.]

[A twelve-year-old boy. Round face, short hair, grinning in a way that looked sixty or seventy percent like Tsunade when she was a child. He claimed he would surpass his sister, but in reality, he couldn't even manage three Shadow Clones.]

["Brother Kaede, do you think I can be as strong as my sister in the future?"]

["You can," you said.]

[He believed you, spinning around in joy.]

[Year 36 of the Hokage era.]

[The influence of the militant factions in the ninja villages of various nations was rising. The stable situation began to fluctuate, and conflicts escalated step by step. The ninja world was like a steel wire stretched to its limit; everyone knew that war only lacked a single spark.]

[You were twenty-six. Tsunade was twenty-five. Jiraiya ran back and forth between Mount Myoboku and Konoha, his summoning and Fire Style techniques practiced to the point where even Gamabunta had to nod in approval.]

[The three of you had each walked a long road. Having reached this point, you stood before the same crossroads.]

[Nawaki had just become a Genin. His birthday was coming up.]

[Chapter 4, commencing.]

Kitahara Kaede snapped back to reality from the fast-forwarding text.

Fifteen years of time, compressed into a few minutes' worth of information, flooded his brain, making his temples throb with pain.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes, waiting for the torrent of memories to slowly subside.

Twenty-six years old.

From the four-year-old young master of the Hagoromo Clan to a Jonin on the eve of the Great Ninja War, the simulator had unknowingly run for twenty-six years.

He had completed over a dozen S-rank missions, partnered with Tsunade for over a decade, and accumulated a considerable amount of strength, reputation, and connections.

And then what?

Kitahara Kaede closed his eyes for a moment.

The Second War was coming soon.

According to the timeline, Nawaki had just graduated, and his birthday was imminent.

In the original story, Nawaki died shortly after his birthday.

Although there was still a buffer period before the Second War officially broke out, it wouldn't be long.

He had to do two things within this timeframe.

First, keep Nawaki alive.

In the original story, Nawaki's death was the turning point in Tsunade's life.

Her brother died, and later her lover died, turning her into the "Legendary Sucker" who gambled everywhere and drowned her sorrows in alcohol.

If Nawaki lived, everything that followed would be different—no hemophobia, no leaving Konoha, no twenty years of decadence.

This was a judgment based on strategy.

But it was more than that.

Fifteen years.

No matter how much the time in the simulator was compressed, those memories were real.

He had watched Nawaki grow from a little dumpling crawling on the floor to the height of his waist, and then from his waist to being able to pat him on the shoulder.

When that kid pestered him for stories, when he giggled after being caught secretly mimicking his stance, when he earnestly asked, "Brother Kaede, can I be as strong as my sister in the future?"—

Those things were real.

Not system missions, not strategic maneuvers.

They were just fifteen years of accumulated, rock-solid care.

Second, complete the "White Moonlight" ending.

The more one experiences, the more painful the farewell.

He understood this logic clearly.

But as this thought crossed his mind, he noticed his chest felt a little heavier than before.

Kitahara Kaede opened his eyes and looked out the window.

Children were chasing each other in the street, and someone was pushing a cart selling dango.

It was so peaceful, it didn't feel like the calm before a storm.

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing those heavy thoughts, and began to consider practical matters.

Chidori Sharp Spear.

A technique he had spent over half a year replicating in the simulator—extending Lightning Style chakra from his palm to form a controllable, sharp blade. Its penetrating power was nearly double that of the prototype Chidori, and its attack range extended from zero to five meters, at the cost of triple the chakra consumption.

The Chidori had a "master" in the real world—Hatake Kakashi.

He couldn't use it openly; it was too eye-catching.

But the Chidori Sharp Spear was different.

This variant was developed by Uchiha Sasuke in the original timeline, and in reality, the Uchiha king of posturing was still over a decade away from being born.

He was using it a whole generation earlier than him.

As for patents... first come, first served.

Heh heh.

Who told you to be born so late?

Just as he was thinking this, footsteps sounded outside the window.

They were familiar—fast, heavy, and carrying a hint of impatience.

Then came a knock on the door.

Pa-pa-pa, three times, quick and loud.

Kitahara Kaede stood up and opened the door.

Tsunade stood on the threshold.