So fast!
That was Tobirama Senju's first impression.
So powerful!
His second thought. Even though he couldn't fully sense it, the chakra within Kaede felt immense, eerily similar to that of his older brother, Hashirama.
Flying Thunder God?
His third thought. It came as a question, but it was practically confirmation. That movement just now wasn't any ordinary high-speed technique. There had been no detectable signs beforehand.
Whether it was Earth-style or Water-style Body Flicker, there was always some trace to pick up on. But Kaede had appeared out of thin air. It had to be a space-time technique.
Even if it wasn't Flying Thunder God, it had to be something close.
These three thoughts flashed through Tobirama's mind in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, still locked in fierce combat with Obito, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.
"He finally made it."
If Kaede had arrived any later, Kurenai, Anko, or the others might have been seriously injured or even killed. Kakashi wouldn't have known how to face Kaede after that. After all, he was the overall commander here, this was his responsibility.
Obito glanced at Kaede, a complicated expression in his eyes.
Kurenai, on the other hand, looked at Kaede as if no one else existed.
Her gaze was fixed solely on him, completely ignoring the surrounding danger and reanimated Kage.
Softly, she said, "Once again… right at the last second."
Kaede glanced at her, then chuckled.
"No, this one doesn't really count. You could've handled that just fine on your own."
"Ahem."
Anko's voice chimed in from behind.
She leapt down beside Kaede, coughing lightly as she gave him a pointed look.
"Hokage-sama, could you maybe save the flirting for when we aren't surrounded by enemy Kage? Just a suggestion."
"Anko!!"
Kurenai's face flushed with embarrassment, and she shot a glare at Anko, who stuck out her tongue in return.
Even she had relaxed a little since Kaede's arrival. The tension and urgency that had kept her alert for so long seemed to ease in his presence.
Kaede gave Anko a sideways glance.
Too bad he didn't have a rice ball on hand, if he did, he would've gladly stuffed the whole thing in her mouth and said,
"That's enough out of you."
SWISH!
Just then, several chakra threads suddenly shot toward him from afar, instantly latching onto his body and connecting with his chakra.
At the other end of those threads was Chiyo.
Both of her hands were raised, with ten fine chakra strings, five from each fingertip, all embedded into Kaede.
"Has it been so long since you last fought that you've forgotten how to be cautious?" Chiyo said, eyes flashing.
"Standing there, chatting on the battlefield like nothing's happening… and you didn't even notice my chakra threads?"
Ten puppet control threads, all connected to Kaede.
Even a Kage-level shinobi would find it extremely difficult to break free from her control. With this kind of connection, she could manipulate him like a puppet.
But,
Chiyo's expression suddenly shifted.
She pulled sharply on the threads, but Kaede didn't budge an inch.
It was as if he had grown roots into the earth, utterly immovable.
No, that wasn't quite right.
More accurately, it felt like trying to move a mountain.
His presence was overwhelming, solid, and impossibly heavy.
"Impossible…"
Chiyo's eyes widened with disbelief.
At that exact moment, the Second Mizukage raised a hand in the distance. A droplet of water formed on his fingertip, condensed and compressed with chakra, and then fired like a bullet toward Kaede.
PAK!
Kaede casually raised his left hand and flicked a finger.
The chakra-infused water bullet was instantly deflected, exploding into a mist of vapor a few meters away.
Seeing this, the Second Mizukage narrowed his eyes.
"You're pretty capable, I'll give you that. Strong chakra too. But don't forget who you're up against, there are five former Kage standing right in front of you."
"First Mizukage, First Kazekage, Second Mizukage, Second Kazekage, Second Hokage… and the Third Mizukage as well."
"Seems like whoever brought us back is even more deranged than I thought."
Kaede flicked the Second Mizukage's bullet away with a finger, then finally shifted his gaze from Kurenai and Anko, turning toward the approaching Kage.
Buzz,
A faint golden light shimmered.
The Six Paths Sage robe materialized across his back, adorned with black magatama patterns. Below them, seven glowing spheres formed in a line, representing the first seven gates of the Eight Gates technique.
Kaede had entered his Six Paths Mode.
The sheer pressure of his chakra caused all the reanimated Kage, including the First Mizukage, to momentarily stiffen.
"That chakra…"
The Second Mizukage's eyes narrowed further.
"No wonder the younger generation trusts you this much. But still... you're standing in front of five Kage. So, how exactly do you plan to end this?"
Kaede looked at him.
Then,
In the next instant, the Second Mizukage's pupils contracted violently as Kaede turned into a streak of golden light, appearing right in front of him as if he'd just teleported.
Kaede raised his foot.
"Speed is power," he said calmly, locking eyes with the Second Mizukage.
"So tell me…"
"Have you ever been kicked... at the speed of light?"
Time froze.
Everyone's movements came to a standstill.
No one could track what Kaede had just done, only the faint trace of golden light remained in their vision.
Only when time was slowed down countless times could one barely see Kaede's foot, glowing with soft golden light, slowly approaching the Second Mizukage's face.
The Second Mizukage couldn't even raise a finger in defense.
All he could do was watch his pupils slowly dilate,
Even that dilation was sluggish, far slower than the speed of Kaede's movement.
BOOM!!
With an explosion of golden light, the Second Mizukage was launched backward.
His body shattered mid-air, exploding into countless fragments that scattered across the battlefield, completely disintegrating.
Only a stream of golden light remained, shooting off into the distance until it punched through the rocky cliff at the edge of Sunagakure.
BOOM!!
The beam pierced straight through the center of the cliff.
Cracks spread rapidly in every direction until the entire cliff face collapsed into rubble.
The First Mizukage, First Kazekage, Second Kazekage…
All the reanimated former Kage on the battlefield, everyone except Kakashi, Kurenai, and a few others,
All of them turned pale.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria