Fifteen Years

[Part Three: Summary--]

[After your three-person squad's first battle in the Land of Birds, Sarutobi Hiruzen adjusted the team's mission authorization level.]

[They were no longer assigned missions below C-Rank.]

[During the long period of peace after the First Shinobi World War, the five great nations maintained a fragile balance. Life in Konoha was relatively peaceful, but no village ever complained about having too many capable newcomers. The three of you had performed far beyond your peers in the Land of Birds, and the reclassification report in your mission files drew the higher-ups' attention to your team.]

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

[You independently completed a B-Rank intelligence mission infiltrating the border of the Land of Rain. No combat, no casualties—you brought back the intelligence cleanly. Hiruzen wrote four words on the mission report: "Fit for great responsibility."]

[You only later learned the weight of those four words. Throughout Sarutobi Hiruzen's teaching career, only one person had received the same evaluation—Orochimaru.]

[Tsunade's medical ninjutsu improved at an astonishing pace 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 using yourself as bait. She scolded you every time she treated your wounds, but the green glow in her hands never stopped.]

[Her chakra control precision began surpassing that of every medical ninja of her generation. Hiruzen privately remarked that Tsunade's talent had already exceeded that of the current captain of the Medical Corps.]

[Jiraiya's way of improving was more characteristically Jiraiya.]

[One day after training, he pestered Hiruzen to teach him the Summoning Technique. Hiruzen could not refuse him, so he demonstrated it once and summoned Enma. Jiraiya's eyes lit up after watching. Before Hiruzen could explain the principles or precautions, the guy bit his finger and began forming hand seals.]

[Then he vanished.]

[Forcibly using the Summoning Technique without signing a summoning contract either resulted in failure or a reverse summoning to the summoned beasts' territory. Jiraiya got the latter. He was transported to Mount Myoboku.]

[A few days later, Jiraiya stood at Konoha's main gate with a little toad squatting on his shoulder, a blade of grass in his mouth, and a thoroughly punchable grin on his face.]

["I'm back!"]

[Tsunade beat him up.]

[You laughed too.]

[...]

[In the third year, you took the Chunin Exams. The fastest among your generation, all three of you were promoted.]

[On the day of the promotion ceremony, Hiruzen said nothing. He merely patted your shoulder.]

[After becoming Chunin, Tsunade and you were frequently assigned to the same operation group. She smashed through the front while you cleaned up behind her, with Jiraiya's summoned beasts occasionally wedged in between to block attacks. It worked on the battlefield, and it worked in private too.]

[She knew your combat habits. You knew when she was forcing herself to hold on. You handed her a Military Ration Pill before she could ask, and she renewed the green glow over your wounds before you could say anything.]

[Others saw it, and the rumors spread.]

[Neither party made a statement.]

[Your reason for not making one was simple—this story would have an ending. But while you still could, you wanted to do everything that needed to be done as well as possible. It was not time yet.]

[...]

[In your second year as a Chunin, you led a team independently for the first time on an A-Rank mission. You were to clear out a rogue ninja stronghold entrenched in the southwest corner of the Land of Fire. Intelligence had indicated twelve people, but when you arrived, there were twenty-seven, including three with Jonin-level strength.]

[The battle lasted six hours. Your chakra was exhausted, your ninja tool pouch was emptied, and in the end, using a broken blade seized from an enemy, you nailed the last person to the ground.]

[All four of you returned alive.]

[Hiruzen wrote a line at the end of the mission report: "Zero casualties. Mission accomplished. Recommend inclusion among Jonin candidates."]

[Upon hearing the news, Jiraiya had a messenger toad bring back a message: "Once I learn Sage Mode, I'll be the first one to kick your ass."]

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

[That night, the two of you drank a great deal. Leaning against your shoulder with her eyes closed, she muttered something.]

[You did not hear it clearly.]

[...]

[In your fourth year as a Chunin, Tsunade and you were promoted to Jonin at the same time. Jiraiya followed half a year later. On the day of his promotion, he treated everyone to the most expensive barbecue, and his face turned green when it came time to pay. Tsunade ate the most. You paid half for him, and he was moved for three seconds. Then Tsunade said that half counted as money he owed you too.]

[After becoming Jonin, S-Rank missions began appearing in your mission file. You intercepted a cross-border assassination squad amid a blizzard on the northwestern border and wiped out all six enemies. You infiltrated an intelligence stronghold in the Land of Rain and independently killed an S-Rank wanted rogue ninja.]

[Before every mission, Tsunade checked your ninja tool pouch. Whether you had enough Military Ration Pills, whether you had brought bandages, whether your Explosive Tags had expired. She never explained why. You never asked.]

[You returned safely every time. Every time, she scolded you with, "At least you know better."]

[During one joint mission, the three of you worked together to eliminate an enemy elite company infiltrating the Land of Fire. Thirty-two enemies, all eliminated. Zero casualties on your side.]

[When the news returned to Konoha, people began mentioning your name alongside Tsunade's and Jiraiya's—"The Three Geniuses of Hiruzen."]

[You treated the title as a joke. Tsunade beat up the people who said it. She said titles were earned through one's own fighting, not by making up the numbers.]

[...]

[Nawaki.]

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

[When you first met him, he had been a little bundle crawling all over the floor. Tsunade brought him to see you, and the little guy slapped you across the face. Tsunade laughed so hard she doubled over.]

[Later, he grew a little older and began following Tsunade and you everywhere. When you went to the training ground, he carried a little stool over and sat nearby to watch. When you practiced ninjutsu, he secretly copied your stance behind you. When Tsunade went on missions, he refused to leave your home and pestered you to tell him about the outside world.]

[You watched him grow from someone who could not walk, to someone chasing Tsunade through the streets, to someone entering the Ninja Academy, and then this year—finally graduating and becoming a Genin.]

[A twelve-year-old boy. Round-faced, short-haired, and when he grinned, he looked sixty or seventy percent like Tsunade had as a child. He claimed he would surpass his sister, but in reality, he could not even handle three Shadow Clones.]

["Brother Kaede, do you think I can become as strong as my sister someday?"]

["You can," you said.]

[He believed you and spun around in circles with delight.]

[...]

[Year 36 of the Hokage.]

[The militant factions in the ninja villages of every nation were rising. The stable situation began to shake, and conflicts gradually escalated. The Shinobi World was like a steel wire stretched to its limit. Everyone knew war was only one spark away.]

[You were twenty-six. Tsunade was twenty-five. Jiraiya ran back and forth between Mount Myoboku and Konoha, and his Summoning Technique and Fire Release had reached a level where even Gamabunta had no choice but to nod in approval.]

[The three of you had each traveled far down your own paths. Now, you stood before the same fork in the road.]

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

[Part Four: Begin.]

Kitahara Kaede came back to his senses from the fast-forwarding text.

Fifteen years of time had been compressed into several minutes' worth of information and poured into his mind, making his temples throb.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes and waited for the flood of memories to slowly settle.

Twenty-six years old.

From the four-year-old young master of the Hagoromo Clan to a Jonin on the eve of a great shinobi war, the Simulator had unknowingly run for twenty-six years.

He had completed more than a dozen S-Rank missions, partnered with Tsunade for over a decade, and accumulated considerable strength, reputation, and connections.

And then?

Kitahara Kaede closed his eyes briefly.

The Second Shinobi World War was coming.

According to the timeline, Nawaki had only recently graduated, and his birthday was about to arrive.

In the original story, Nawaki died not long after his birthday.

Although there was still a period of respite before the Second Shinobi World War officially broke out, it would not be far off.

He had to do two things during this period.

First, keep Nawaki alive.

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

Her younger brother died, and then her lover died too. Only then did she become that "Legendary Sucker" who gambled everywhere and drowned her sorrows in alcohol.

If Nawaki lived, everything afterward would be different—she would not develop hemophobia, would not leave Konoha, and would not waste away for twenty years.

That was the judgment from a strategy perspective.

But it was not just that.

Fifteen years.

No matter how much time inside the Simulator had been compressed, those memories were real.

He had watched Nawaki grow from a little bundle crawling on the floor to waist height, then from waist height to someone who could pat him on the shoulder.

When that kid pestered him for stories, when he smiled foolishly after getting caught secretly copying his stance, when he solemnly said, "Brother Kaede, do you think I can become as strong as my sister someday?"—

Those things were real.

They were not system missions or strategy plans.

They were the solid, unyielding concern built up over fifteen years together.

Second, complete the "White Moonlight" ending.

The more one experienced, the more painful the farewell would be.

He understood that logic very clearly.

But when that thought passed through his mind, he noticed that his chest seemed a little heavier than before.

Kitahara Kaede opened his eyes and looked out the window.

Children were chasing and playing in the street, while someone pushed a cart selling dumplings.

It was so peaceful that it did not feel like the calm before a storm.

He shook his head, temporarily forcing down those heavy thoughts, and began considering the practical issue.

Chidori Sharp Spear.

It was a technique he had spent more than half a year recreating in the Simulator—extending Lightning Release chakra outward from the palm to form a controllable, sharp blade. Its piercing power was nearly double that of the original Chidori, and its attack range extended from zero to five meters, at the cost of tripling chakra consumption.

Chidori had an "owner" in the real world—Hatake Kakashi.

He could not openly use it. It would draw too much attention.

But Chidori Sharp Spear was different.

This variation had been developed by Sasuke in the original timeline, and in reality, that Uchiha show-off would not even be born for more than a decade.

He was using it a full generation before Sasuke.

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

Hehe.

Who told you to be born so late?

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

They were very familiar—quick, heavy, and carrying a trace of impatience.

Then came a knock on the door.

Bang bang bang. Three knocks, quick and loud.

Kitahara Kaede got up and opened the door.

Tsunade stood outside.