"Fast reactions too, huh..."
Kamoi grunted after several failed attacks, then slid his hand across the blade of his sword. Lightning crackled down the edge.
"In that case, try this!"
"Ninjutsu: Cloud Flow Slash!"
With a shout, Kamoi lunged forward, his sword arcing through the air with a trail of lightning. under the lightning's boost, his slash was noticeably faster than before!
The sudden increase in speed sent the blade straight for Kaede's head. His reaction time clearly wasn't enough to raise his White Fang dagger in time.
But—
At that moment, a strange light flickered in Kaede's eyes.
As if a phantom clock ticked forward by one beat.
Clang!!
Kaede's already fast arm moved even faster, ghost-like, as he brought his blade up just in time to block Kamoi's attack with a sharp metallic ring.
"Wha—?!"
Kamoi's pupils shrink in disbelief.
using Cloud Flow Slash, his speed should have been too fast for Kaede to react, let alone block!
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
After deflecting Kamoi's strike, Kaede vanished in a blur, stepping backward twice and escaping their encirclement.
Now at a distance, Kaede tightened his grip on White Fang and looked at the three Cloud ninja.
It's not the Lightning Armor Technique used by the Fourth Raikage, he thought silently, probably a weaker variant. If I had a Byakugan or Sharingan, I could've seen the chakra flow clearly.
Kaede had always been interested in Cloud's lightning ninjutsu. Seeing Kamoi use one had prompted him to fight while observing.
But without a chakra-vision dojutsu, deciphering the internal mechanics was hard.
He'd only gleaned fragments so far.
"Forget it."
"No point continuing like this."
He exhaled softly and looked at the Cloud trio again. This time, his eyes gleamed with cold resolve.
Chakra surged through his body.
"Eight Gates Release Technique—First Gate: Gate of opening... oPEN!"
Boom!!
Though nothing changed outwardly, Kaede felt his body grow lighter. Every muscle, every bone, was now capable of exerting its full power.
Activating the first gate took only an instant.
While Kamoi and his teammates were still stunned by Kaede's incredible speed, they attacked again, each bringing out their strongest techniques.
Whoosh!
Kaede flickered.
With the first gate open and his full speed unleashed, the Cloud ninja couldn't even see his afterimage. In a flash, Kaede passed by one of them.
"...What?!"
The ninja froze in place, his eyes wide with horror. He tried to look back at Kaede, but a sharp pain bloomed across his torso, a bloodline stretched from shoulder to waist.
Thud!
A corpse hit the ground, blood spraying everywhere.
Kamoi's eyes widened in disbelief.
No way, this speed...
Even if he advanced his Lightning Release to the second stage, he might barely reach this level. But that was Jonin-level speed!
Whoosh!!
As Kamoi stood frozen, Kaede struck again.
The second Cloud Genin panicked, slashing wildly with his kunai. But it wasn't enough. In a flash, Kaede passed him too.
only two nearly overlapping metallic clangs could be heard.
Thud!
Blood burst in the air. Another corpse fell.
Seeing both of his comrades slain by Kaede's terrifying speed, Kamoi's eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
No! This isn't Genin level!
He must be a disguised Jonin!
"Ninjutsu: Cloud Flow Slash!!"
Gritting his teeth, Kamoi activated his technique again, lightning crackling down his sword.
But across from him, Kaede also formed a seal and ran his fingers across White Fang's blade, lightning crackled across it too.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Slash!"
Whoosh!!
The two crossed paths in a flash.
Kamoi froze, the lightning on his blade fading. His sword had snapped in half, the tip clattered to the ground.
He turned slowly toward Kaede, disbelief in his eyes.
"You..."
Blood bubbled from his lips. He tried to speak again, but instead vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the barren earth.
…
Inside the Death Cavern control room…
Dead silence.
The Hidden Cloud Jonin, who had previously worn a proud smirk, now stood frozen with disbelief.
"How could this be..."
on the other side—
Konoha's Yuhi Kurenai, Yamanaka Inoichi, and the Chunin proctors all stared in shock.
Due to the projection quality, they couldn't see the full details, but it was clear Kaede had used a technique to increase his speed even more than when fighting the Mist ninja.
That terrifying speed had reversed the situation in an instant.
In a series of rapid strikes, Kaede had taken out two Cloud Genin and then defeated the last with a lightning-enhanced White Fang strike!
"As I thought..."
Orochimaru's eyes shimmered as he stared at the screen.
"But that kind of speed isn't natural. I don't recall the White Fang having such techniques... must be a forbidden jutsu."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, suppressing his own shock.
"He did say his motor reflexes are... 'unusual'."
unusual was an understatement.
Even through the screen, Kaede's speed was beyond what most Jonin could achieve!
No wonder he defeated an elite Mist scout.
No wonder even the prodigy Kakashi couldn't surpass his older brother!
"'unusual'..."
Orochimaru let out a twisted smile and repeated Hiruzen's words.
"Sometimes, unusual just means gifted. If this continues... that boy might surpass the White Fang."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
Not only did Kaede inherit Sakumo Hatake's bloodline, he also had an innate talent for speed.
If he could continue to grow—
He might very well surpass even the legendary White Fang.