Kaede Kitahara spent the entire day wandering through Konoha's various training grounds. The high-end private facilities required membership, and even though he had money now—three million ryō from wiping out the bandits—he wasn't about to waste it.
A ninja's expenses were endless. New tools, better equipment, training materials… every step forward burned cash. That was why the major clans each ran their own monopolized businesses. They needed income to support their people.
By the time the day ended, Kaede hadn't gained much. Just a handful of lower-rank techniques.
Aside from the first one he copied, Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire, he managed to pick up a genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, the same illusion Hatake Kakashi had once used to show Sakura her worst fear.
He also copied a useful taijutsu, Leaf Gale. The move itself was simple, but in Rock Lee's hands it once beat Uchiha Sasuke senseless.
And the last one was a D-rank jutsu, Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu, a technique where the user hides underground to drag someone below the surface.
None of them were advanced, but for someone with very few jutsu like Kaede, it was a decent haul.
His strongest technique was still Flying Thunder God, but at this stage, he couldn't use it in real combat. He didn't have the innate talent for space-time ninjutsu and couldn't develop it further on his own. You either had that talent or you didn't.
Next was Rasengan. As an A-rank technique, its destructive power was impressive. Kaede planned to add Wind Release nature transformation to it, turning it into Wind Release: Rasengan, giving it both destructive force and razor-sharp cutting power. Its strength would increase several times over.
All of Uzumaki Naruto's later Rasengan variations were developed from that foundation.
Kaede reviewed his situation. He was missing a lot: a high-level genjutsu, a strong taijutsu, and some powerful ninjutsu. The ninja world revolved around those three pillars.
He only had a handful of ninjutsu, mostly ones he knew from Naruto's training path. Everything else, he lacked.
He estimated that based on his recent contributions, he'd be allowed to request one B-rank jutsu from the village. It was time to think carefully about which one.
After some thought, a genjutsu was the best choice.
He had the Sharingan, which naturally amplified illusions. He couldn't get Sharingan-exclusive techniques, but ordinary genjutsu paired with the eye's amplifying effect would still be far stronger than normal.
Even a B-rank genjutsu would hit like an A-rank in his hands.
He now had a chakra pool at three-card capacity, enormous even by Jonin standards. Chakra was born from physical and mental energy, meaning his spiritual power had also skyrocketed.
And that was the core of casting genjutsu.
After careful deliberation, he decided on Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death, the technique Kurenai Yuhi once attempted to use on Uchiha Itachi. It was a traditional Konoha illusion that made the opponent see themselves being bound by massive trees, disrupting their mind and limiting their movements.
Normally, it was used for gathering intel. Kurenai had tried it on Itachi, but Itachi reversed it with Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change.
It looked embarrassing, but only because the target had been Itachi. Almost anyone else would've been trapped instantly.
That evening, in the Kitahara household dining room…
"Kaede, you've been eating a lot lately. Are you hitting a growth spurt?" Fangko Kitahara asked. "I need to start cooking more."
She wasn't a ninja, so she couldn't sense his dramatic increase in power. Two major physical transformations in such a short time—the Uchiha bloodline, then the Uzumaki Sage Body—had completely remade him from the inside out.
Chakra didn't appear from thin air. It was formed by the blending of physical and spiritual energy. The outward result was a massive increase in appetite.
Good thing he'd paid one million ryō upfront as food money, or he really might have eaten the family into bankruptcy. He needed rich, heavy meals to fuel his growth.
"It's because Mom's cooking is getting better," Kaede said with a grin.
"Sweet talker," Fangko sighed helplessly.
After eating, Kaede used a shadow clone to clean up the dishes.
"A shadow clone? You're using such a high-level technique for chores?" Fangko said, exasperated. She wasn't a ninja, but living in Konoha meant she knew what shadow clones were. Even her husband had never been able to learn them.
And now her son was using one to scrub pots.
Kaede just laughed. Honestly, shadow clones were perfect for chores.
Later, after showering and heading upstairs, he opened his diary and began writing.
—
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha ancestral home, Uchiha Sasuke had just finished a full day of missions. In the family training yard, he formed hand signs with sharp precision.
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique."
A massive fireball blasted from his mouth, lighting the yard in a surge of orange flames.
Then he collapsed onto the ground, waiting for his chakra to regenerate.
Around him were the scars of training—taijutsu marks, shuriken gouges, fire damage.
"No… it's not enough… not even close."
Sasuke stared at his raw, scraped palms. The weakness gnawed at him.
How could he afford to be this weak?
Before, he only cared about revenge, but he had no idea how strong his targets truly were. He only knew they were powerful.
Through Kaede Kitahara's diary, he had finally learned the truth. Uchiha Itachi's overwhelming strength. Shimura Danzo's terrifying abilities.
Either one of them was far beyond his current reach.
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