Picking up the mission to handle the Rōran situation, Kaede quickly set off.
This mission wasn't a solo trip, though. When Sarutobi Hiruzen asked if Kaede needed a team, Kaede thought it over and decided to take Kakashi along.
Not because he needed Kakashi's help, but because it was a perfect opportunity to teach Kakashi all the lightning release techniques he had mastered during this time.
After all, Kakashi was his brother.
At the very least, he wanted to nurture him into an excellent Sixth Hokage of Konoha.
"I left Father's ninja sword at the weapon shop. When we get back from Rōran, you can go pick it up yourself, I don't need it anymore."
Kaede tossed a small token to Kakashi.
Kakashi caught it and glanced at it before looking back at Kaede. "Why did you leave Father's ninja sword there...? Did you break it?"
Kaede smiled warmly at him. "You don't need to know all the details. Just remember to pick it up when we return."
"..."
Kakashi's expression stiffened, and he weakly nodded.
Kaede withdrew his gaze and said, "Now, onto training. This is the Lightning Release secret technique from the Third Raikage of the Hidden Kumogakure. I've basically completed it. Take a look, and if you have any questions, ask me anytime."
With that, Kaede pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Kakashi.
Snap!
Kakashi caught it with one hand.
Looking at the scroll, a serious look flashed in Kakashi's eyes. Although he had never met the Third Raikage, he knew well that anyone called the "Raikage" had unmatched expertise in lightning-style ninjutsu, far beyond his current level.
"The Third Raikage's Lightning Release secret technique..."
"Thanks, big brother."
Kaede patted Kakashi's shoulder and suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I asked you to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique from Jōnin Minato. How's that coming along?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Barely learned it, but can't really use it."
"Hm?"
Kaede looked surprised.
After listening to Kakashi's explanation, Kaede finally understood that his previous assumptions about the Flying Thunder God technique, a space-time ninjutsu, were mistaken.
The Flying Thunder God wasn't as difficult as he thought. Its essence was actually a self-applied form of "Reverse Summoning Technique." Even special Jōnin like Shiranui Genma, who once guarded Namikaze Minato, had mastered it.
But here's the catch: mastering it doesn't mean you can use it.
Shiranui Genma and others had to combine chakra from three people just to activate it, and they could only teleport one person, making it nearly useless.
Kakashi was in a similar situation, limited by insufficient chakra and unable to use it effectively.
More importantly, the technique wasn't instantly usable like it was for Senju Tobirama or Namikaze Minato.
The biggest challenges of the Flying Thunder God were sensing and identifying the exact "coordinate" locations.
According to Kakashi, he could only sense marks he left within a few hundred meters clearly; beyond that, the signals became very vague.
Also, if multiple marks were left simultaneously, it would confuse him, making it impossible to quickly and accurately determine which mark corresponded to which location.
Given all these limitations, Kaede judged that even if Kakashi's chakra reached the necessary level, he'd be better off using basic earth or water body flicker techniques for travel.
"I see..."
"Minato's strength lies in being able to leave an enormous number of Flying Thunder God marks at once, then instantly sense each one with pinpoint accuracy, even if they're spread across the entire ninja world."
Kaede murmured thoughtfully.
This was likely the so-called talent for space-time ninjutsu.
Even the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the technique's creator, admitted he wasn't as precise or fast with it as Minato.
In sensing spatial coordinates, neural reflex speed, and battle intuition... Minato pushed all these to near-human limits, giving him nearly broken-level combat ability, slicing through Jōnin like they were vegetables.
...
Rōran lay on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
Right in the middle of a desert.
Kaede and Kakashi pressed on, day and night, heading toward Rōran. Only during breaks for rest or meals did Kaede answer Kakashi's questions.
Of course, due to their difference in skill level, Kakashi had to sprint full speed just to keep up, leaving no time to train while traveling. Meanwhile, Kaede could train even while on the move.
Though Kakashi's explanation had revealed many limits of the Flying Thunder God, Kaede still learned the exact training methods from him and gave them a try.
After all, getting some exposure to space-type ninjutsu wouldn't hurt.
But training proved very difficult, almost the same as for Kakashi. Both inherited their constitution from Hatake Sakumo and had similar aptitude. Kakashi lacked a talent for space techniques, and Kaede's spatial aptitude wasn't strong either.
Realizing it might take months to master Flying Thunder God, Kaede decided to set it aside for now.
In that time, he could advance his lightning release technique to the Sixth Gate.
He figured he'd come back to it later when he had more free time. In close range, his speed was already nearly comparable to Flying Thunder God's teleportation.
He only wanted Flying Thunder God for a suitable "long-range travel" ability, so he could leave marks around the ninja world and avoid rushing everywhere.
As for practical combat use? Not very meaningful.
….
Two weeks later.
Kaede and Kakashi arrived at Rōran.
Seeing this town built in the desert center, made up of countless tall towers, Kakashi's eyes flickered. He instantly knew this wasn't a place ordinary people could have built.
"There's definitely some strange chakra here..."
Entering the town and heading toward its center, Kakashi became more alert.
Kaede nodded. "That's chakra from the Ryūmyaku. Come on, follow me."
Currently, Kakashi would be in danger facing a Mukade empowered by the Ryūmyaku. The Mukade was basically an immortal puppet, like a reanimated corpse, capable of unlimited resurrection and near-infinite chakra.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The two moved quickly toward the town's center.
They soon reached a large open square where numerous figures were bustling, seemingly holding a bonfire festival. Sounds of celebration filled the air.
But Kakashi quickly noticed that all the figures in the square were puppets controlled by chakra threads!
"This place feels really eerie..."
Kaede didn't reply, instead looking up at the tall building at the center.
There, a red-haired girl appeared on an outer balcony, surrounded by several guards. She waved faintly at the puppets below.
Then suddenly,
The girl seemed pushed from behind, stumbled forward, and the balcony she stood on collapsed like a poorly built tofu structure.
She fell from dozens of floors down toward the ground.
"No!"
Kakashi's face went pale as he dashed forward.
At the same moment, another figure with golden hair also charged out, meeting Kakashi halfway to catch the falling Rōran princess, Sara.
A ninja?!
Kakashi noticed the figure rushing over and instinctively thought the person was trying to kill the falling princess. He immediately threw his kunai to force the figure back.
The other figure also threw a chakra blade.
Clang!
Both twisted mid-air to dodge each other's attacks.
"Damn it!"
Neither managed to catch Sara while avoiding attacks.
Just as Sara was about to hit the ground, a shadowy figure blurred past at lightning speed.
Whoosh!!
Kaede caught Sara, gliding close to the ground in an arc, easing the impact of her fall, and gently landed on another nearby tower.
==========
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