After leaving Orochimaru's hideout, Kaede set out alone from the camp, heading toward the front lines in the Land of Wind.
However, this time he didn't rush straight to the battlefield. Instead, he traveled at a steady pace, training as he went, not too concerned with how fast he reached his destination.
By traveling at four times his normal speed, he could save several days for training.
During the three days he spent at the camp earlier, Kaede focused on adapting to the transition from using a short sword to a long sword. He practiced adjusting to the unique properties of the Tenbu-ryu sword technique, aiming to modify the Hatake sword technique to suit his own style.
The difference between a short sword and a katana was essentially one of size, not a complete change in form, but that size difference affected the force point.
The force points of a short sword and a katana were distinct.
using the same hand grip as a short sword to swing the katana felt awkward, and the resulting strikes lacked the power required. This necessitated adjustments to the technique.
…
In a dense forest somewhere...
"Though the difference seems slight, there's still a noticeable distinction, though improving it isn't as difficult as I thought..." Kaede muttered to himself as he gripped the Kusanagi Sword, performing basic sword swings.
During the three days spent in the camp, he'd managed to refine about 80% of the Hatake sword technique to match his new sword style. The further he went, the more difficult it became, but after leaving the camp, he spent two more days improving it to about 90%.
The remaining work was mostly about refining his proficiency, slowly advancing his skill with the most basic swings until they perfectly matched the sword's cutting capabilities.
Such repetitive practice was the easiest for Kaede.
Thanks to his time acceleration ability, he could train at four times the normal speed, allowing him to practice at a pace four times faster than most people. Two days of training equated to roughly eight days of normal practice.
When he first began training in Hatake sword technique, it took him about a month and a million sword swings to reach a decent level. Back then, his time acceleration was only 1.5 times, and his physical strength and chakra were limited, barely reaching the level of a low-ranking ninja. Now, however, he was vastly different.
A million swings.
At four times the speed, he'd be able to achieve the same result in less than a week.
Of course, that was a rough estimate, based on his average sword swing per minute. It wouldn't take that long, especially since he had already made some progress at the camp.
"Three thousand two hundred eighty-one, three thousand two hundred eighty-two..."
"Seven thousand seven hundred seventy-six, seven thousand seven hundred seventy-seven..."
"Twenty thousand... Hmm, what was I up to again? Forget it..."
Kaede quickly gave up on counting.
All he knew was that he had been repeatedly practicing the most basic sword strikes in this forest for three straight days, during which he ate two deer and three sheep. Eventually, his strikes became flawless, capable of achieving the same cutting results as Hatake sword technique.
Whoosh!
In his four-times-speed state, Kaede suddenly swung toward the distance.
The blade gleamed with a flash of white light, and a tree more than ten meters away was swiftly cut down the center, causing several other trees behind it to collapse with a loud crash.
"The power has increased by at least 20% compared to when I used White Fang," Kaede mused. "If I face Pakura again, I could break her Jutsu Defense head-on, no need for a prolonged battle or relying on time reversal..."
He exhaled deeply, a faint smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.
The fifth gate of the Eight Gates was still too far from his reach, but improving his strength in other areas was still a cause for celebration, after all, it was his attack power that had been enhanced.
For him, who was fast enough and could reverse time, defense and evasion were no longer an issue. Attack power was the most important attribute.
"It's time to go."
Kaede sheathed his Kusanagi Sword, gazing toward the direction of the Land of Wind. In the blink of an eye, he became a blur, darting through the trees toward the frontline camp.
…
In the Land of Fire...
In a dense forest.
Two groups of ninjas had clashed in the area, and a battle had erupted between them. one group was from Konohagakure, while the other hailed from Sunagakure.
"..." Yūhi Kurenai's face was strained.
She had come to this area for a reconnaissance mission, but didn't expect to run into the Sunagakure ninjas that had hidden here. While she wasn't in immediate danger, she was being tied down by one of their Jōnin.
Meanwhile, her team, which included three lower-ranking ninjas from her class and a special Jōnin sent to assist with reconnaissance, was facing another Sunagakure Jōnin.
Although it was four against one, the special Jōnin on Konoha's side was a scout-type ninja, not suited for direct combat. Yūhi Kurenai and the others were still only low-ranking ninjas, barely reaching the level of a Chūnin, so despite their teamwork, they were still at a disadvantage, barely holding their ground.
"This is troublesome..." Yūhi Kurenai's father, Kaede's old comrade, frowned.
He had two choices now: continue fighting and try to deal with the Jōnin in front of him, allowing him to rush over and help Yūhi Kurenai if he won, though it was hard to say which of them would fall first.
The other choice was to use a wide-area genjutsu to temporarily restrain the two Sunagakure Jōnin, ensuring Yūhi Kurenai's group could retreat safely.
"Let's retreat," he finally decided.
On one hand, Yūhi Kurenai was his daughter, and her safety weighed heavily on his mind. On the other hand, their mission was reconnaissance, not direct combat. This kind of fight was too early and too dangerous for Yūhi Kurenai and her team.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
After parrying an attack from his opponent, Yūhi Kurenai's father leaped toward his daughter's group, shouting, "Kurenai, Akimaki... retreat!"
"Understood!"
Upon hearing his words, Yūhi Kurenai's group quickly began to fall back. Yūhi Kurenai's father immediately formed hand signs, casting a wide-area genjutsu to disrupt the two Sunagakure Jōnin.
At this moment, Yūhi Kurenai, though already an excellent lower-ranking ninja, still felt overwhelming pressure facing a Jōnin. Even with her comrades, the stress was immense. A cut had torn her right shoulder, and blood trickled down. Had her teammates not intervened in time, the injury could have been much worse.
"She's just like her father... a Jōnin..." Yūhi Kurenai thought.
She took a deep breath, her back drenched in cold sweat. Facing that Jōnin earlier, her mind had been pushed to its absolute limit.
Her comrades were in the same boat. The strongest among them had sweat pouring from his forehead, clearly overwhelmed by the tension.
Suddenly, an unexpected thought crossed her mind.
She thought of Kaede.
Though they were classmates, if Kaede had been here, she figured, he wouldn't be as panicked as they were.
Just as her thoughts wavered, a sharp voice rang out from behind her.
"Kurenai!!!"
The voice jolted her back to reality.
In that instant of distraction, she felt a chill sweep over her right side. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow suddenly appear beside her. A kunai was aimed directly at her with deadly speed, it was one of the Sunagakure Jōnin!
This was bad!
A cold wave rushed through Yūhi Kurenai as she realized that at this distance, she couldn't dodge the strike. That moment of carelessness could prove fatal!
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