Amakaze Kaede woke before dawn.
Not because of an alarm. Not because of nerves.
His eyes simply opened.
Three in the morning. The kind of hour where even insects sounded half-asleep.
Kaede lay still for a few seconds, evaluating his condition.
No soreness. No mental fog. Chakra circulation steady.
Good.
That nap had done its job.
Sparring with Uchiha Shiori was scheduled for tonight, so there was no rush. Which meant this quiet stretch of time belonged to experimentation.
Tenpūton was off the table.
He had only recently awakened it, and he had not yet studied the clan's recorded techniques. Trying to invent original jutsu on top of shaky foundations was a fast way to cripple growth.
Shōton, on the other hand, felt different.
The Peaceful Life System had fused the bloodline directly into his body. Using crystal chakra felt as natural as flexing a finger. No resistance. No lag.
Which meant it was perfect for development.
Kaede sat cross-legged on the floor and began cycling chakra through his hands.
Creating new techniques was… dull.
Hours of repetition. Constant failures. Half-formed constructs collapsing into useless shards.
Even after dozens of attempts, success was never guaranteed.
Fortunately, Kaede possessed something better than patience.
He possessed an unreasonable learning curve.
Whether one called it talent, luck, or cheating, the result was the same.
Progress.
By the time the sky outside began to pale, Kaede exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.
Good enough for today.
He washed, changed clothes, and stepped out.
The Amakaze household was quiet. No servants, no attendants. The clan could not afford that luxury anymore. Kaede hired cleaners occasionally, but day-to-day upkeep was minimal.
Which suited him fine.
A future clan head scrubbing floors every morning would be embarrassing.
Tonight's sparring location had been Shiori's idea.
The Hokage Rock.
High ground. Remote. Out of sight.
A normal training field inside the village would attract attention. Neither of them wanted rumors.
On the road, Kaede ran into several academy kids.
"Hey, Kaede! Why hasn't Kei-niisan been coming to school?"
"Yeah, did he get sick?"
Kaede smiled politely.
"He's busy."
That was all they got.
Explaining that Uchiha Kei had become the Third Hokage's personal apprentice would probably shatter a few fragile childhood worldviews.
Kaede considered whether he might run into Kosuke and the others, but passed the academy without seeing familiar faces.
So he took the long route.
Straight up the mountain.
Halfway through the climb, Kaede clicked his tongue.
"Without Flying Thunder God, everything feels slow."
Tobirama had once carried him up this slope in seconds.
Walking it yourself really changed your perspective.
By the time he reached the summit, dusk had settled in.
Konoha stretched beneath him, lanterns flickering to life like fireflies trapped in glass.
Beautiful.
Also exposed.
Kaede's instincts prickled.
Something felt off.
Not a clear danger. Just pressure. Like standing on thin ice without knowing where it would crack.
Footsteps approached from below.
Kaede turned, chakra quietly flowing.
Uchiha Shiori emerged from the shadows.
Short black hair. Calm face. Red eyes already faintly glowing.
"Sorry, Kaede. I'm late."
"It's fine. I arrived recently too."
She glanced around.
"Before we start… I wanted to ask. That philosophy you mentioned. Your version of the Will of Fire."
Kaede shook his head.
"Prototype only. Half-baked. Not something you can compress into advice yet."
Shiori accepted that with a nod.
Then her expression sharpened.
"Let's begin. I don't like the atmosphere here."
Kaede agreed.
Shiori's pupils spun.
Three tomoe locked into place.
She vanished.
Metal flashed toward Kaede's arm.
Kaede sidestepped, caught her wrist, and twisted.
Shiori used the momentum to flip backward, breaking free in mid-air and launching three shuriken.
"Shōton: Crystal Mirror."
A pale pink crystal pane materialized in front of Kaede.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The shuriken bounced harmlessly away.
"Shōton: Mirror Shadow."
Kaede dissolved into the mirror.
Shiori landed, eyes darting.
Nothing.
Sharingan active.
No chakra signature.
"Where did he go…?"
A bead of sweat slid down her temple.
Then she noticed movement inside the mirror.
Kaede emerged halfway out of its surface, torso outside, legs still inside crystal.
"Shōton: Hexagonal Shuriken Dance."
Dozens of crystal shuriken burst outward in spiraling arcs.
Shiori inhaled.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
A massive sphere of flame roared forward, swallowing the crystal storm.
Fire and crystal annihilated each other in midair.
Kaede did not advance.
He stayed half-submerged.
Annoying.
Shiori formed seals again.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Five small fireballs streaked toward the mirror.
Hidden within each flame: shuriken.
A classic Uchiha trick.
Kaede calmly retreated deeper into the mirror.
The flames struck.
Cracks spread.
But the mirror held.
Silence.
Shiori narrowed her eyes.
Then—
A kunai flew from nowhere.
Straight through Kaede's head.
His body went limp, dangling from the mirror.
Shiori froze.
Her breath caught.
"Kaede…?"
Sharingan scanned the forest.
Nothing.
No enemy.
No distortion.
Only Kaede's corpse.
Panic clawed into her chest.
Then she noticed something wrong.
The "blood" wasn't liquid.
It shimmered.
The body crystallized.
The entire figure turned into solid crystal.
The kunai embedded uselessly in its skull.
Shiori collapsed to her knees, gasping.
"…Clone."
The crystal body shattered and fell.
From the mirror behind her, Kaede stepped out.
Alive.
Uninjured.
Scratching his head.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
Shiori stared at him.
Then promptly punched his shoulder.
"Idiot."
Kaede winced.
Worth it.
But inside, his thoughts were racing.
That kunai hadn't come from Shiori.
Which meant…
They hadn't been alone on that mountain.