Hearing Kaede's refusal, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't hide his disappointment. He had genuinely hoped Kaede would reclaim the Uchiha name. To him, that possibility had seemed entirely reasonable.
After all, who in the shinobi world didn't know the prestige of the Uchiha Clan? Who could resist the call of such a powerful legacy?
And yet, Kaede had.
Not only had he resisted, he didn't seem the least bit interested.
Kaede felt no sense of belonging to the Uchiha Clan, nor did he see its legacy as something he needed to uphold.
"Since we've come this far," Kaede said, setting his teacup down, "you're looking for the power to take revenge, right?"
"Yes."
Sasuke's eyes lit up as he nodded quickly.
"Then from now on, if you run into problems with your training, you can ask Kakashi-senpai—or you can come to me," Kaede said. "Especially when it comes to the Sharingan. I should be able to teach you quite a bit."
Truth be told, after the fall of the Uchiha Clan, most of their records had been swept away by Anbu and Root. Whatever remained had either been taken by Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Obito.
As a result, both Kaede and Sasuke—two Sharingan users—were forced to figure things out from scratch.
That included not just the Sharingan itself, but also the techniques that had been developed alongside it over centuries: Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu, swordsmanship, taijutsu—entire combat systems refined exclusively for their clan.
Without the Sharingan, these techniques were nearly useless to outsiders, which meant they were probably gathering dust somewhere deep within Anbu or Root's archives.
Even so, while the original records were gone, Kaede had pieced together plenty through his own training and battles.
"Thank you," Sasuke said.
Kaede glanced at him, noting how Sasuke lowered his head. He couldn't help but feel a trace of emotion. For the sake of revenge, Sasuke had learned to swallow his pride.
What Kaede didn't realize was that Sasuke only acted this way because he already considered him one of his own. Even if Kaede refused the Uchiha name, Sasuke still saw him as part of the clan.
Otherwise, he would never have lowered himself like this.
To Sasuke, this wasn't humiliation. It was simply seeking guidance from a stronger elder within his own family.
Kaede, on the other hand, had no interest in playing the role of some selfless mentor. What drove him was the looming future.
When it came to facing the Otsutsuki Clan, the number of people on their side who could truly be considered allies was pitifully small. Most of the strongest figures were either enemies or walking disasters.
Uzumaki Nagato. Six Paths Madara. Six Paths Obito.
One after another, they stood on the opposite side.
As for those on the side of justice… aside from Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, there were only the next generation—Uzumaki Boruto, Uzumaki Himawari, Uchiha Sarada—children who might not even exist yet.
Children of saviors, destined to become saviors themselves.
In this world, it seemed, the children of heroes were still heroes, while the children of sacrifices remained sacrifices.
If he could strengthen Sasuke and the others, Kaede was more than willing.
After all, most people in the shinobi world couldn't even be counted as useful allies.
The future couldn't rest entirely on their shoulders, but they would undoubtedly play a crucial role.
"Perfect timing," Kaede said, as if recalling something. "I recently learned a sword technique. I'll teach it to you."
He thought of the Thunder Breathing he had obtained the night before. Sasuke also possessed Lightning Release chakra, making him a perfect candidate.
Under Sasuke's expectant gaze, Kaede led him to the training grounds behind the Kitahara residence.
"This is a system you've probably never encountered before," Kaede said. "It's called a breathing style. By pushing your breathing to the extreme and combining it with chakra, you can greatly enhance your physical strength and combat ability."
A flicker of excitement appeared in Sasuke's eyes.
"This is one type of breathing style—Thunder Breathing. Watch closely. I'll demonstrate it once."
Kaede drew the Sword of the Thunder God and poured chakra into it. Instantly, a terrifying surge of energy burst forth.
Sasuke had seen that sword before. It was said to have once belonged to the Second Hokage, later taken by the missing-nin Rokusho Aoi. He had witnessed it during the battle in the Land of Waves, and now it had become Kaede's trophy.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
The moment Kaede spoke, lightning erupted around him, chakra manifesting outward. Before Sasuke could even react, Kaede had already vanished, streaking forward like a bolt of lightning.
A wooden training dummy over a hundred meters away was cleaved clean in two.
"So fast…"
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Even with his Sharingan active, he couldn't track that speed.
Before he could process it, Kaede had already returned to his original position.
The entire movement had taken only an instant.
A long scorched line marked the ground where Kaede had passed, the residual lightning crackling faintly.
"This is the first form of Thunder Breathing—Thunderclap and Flash. Its strength lies in speed and explosive power, but its weakness is that it's a straight-line attack, which makes it easier to counter. To compensate, additional forms were developed."
Kaede began explaining as he demonstrated each technique in turn.
"The second form, Rice Spirit. The third form, Thunder Swarm. The fourth form, Distant Thunder. The fifth form, Heat Lightning. The sixth form, Rumble and Flash. And the seventh form, Flaming Thunder God."
He moved through each form one by one, the techniques flowing seamlessly from one to the next.
Sasuke's breathing grew heavier as he watched.
This was a sword style unlike anything he had ever encountered.
"Once you've mastered all seven forms, you should be able to handle most situations," Kaede said. He then explained the different stages of the breathing technique and how to train them.
Sasuke truly lived up to his reputation as a genius. After only a few explanations, he had already memorized everything.
The modified breathing style was essentially a form of nintaijutsu. As one progressed through its stages, their combat ability would continue to rise, eventually reaching Kage-level.
With the mark and the Transparent World, it could even surpass that.
For Sasuke, this was an extraordinarily precious gift.
"Thank you, Captain Kitahara."
Sasuke bowed deeply, his voice filled with sincerity.
In his eyes, even though Kaede refused to reclaim the Uchiha name, he still cared about the clan and treated him with genuine goodwill. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shared such a valuable technique.
This was a sword style that could reach Kage-level—a foundation strong enough to build an entire clan upon, much like the Hatake Clan's kenjutsu.
And yet, Kaede had taught it to him without reservation.
We really are family…
For someone who had been left alone after the annihilation of his clan, that thought felt like a warmth spreading through his chest.
What he didn't know was that Kaede's true intention was far simpler.
There was still time. If Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto could grow stronger, then the chances of survival for this world would increase, even if only slightly.
The more Kaede learned, the more anxious he became.
To most people, the looming chaos of the shinobi world—and even the Fourth Great Ninja War that had already unsettled those who read the diary—was the greatest threat.
To Kaede, it wasn't.
At worst, people would just end up trapped in an illusion.
The real terror lay with the Otsutsuki Clan.
The shinobi world was special. A thousand years ago, a God Tree had already been planted here, its fruit harvested once. A thousand years later, it could happen again.
But no world could endure being harvested again and again.
If the Otsutsuki truly turned their attention here, the entire world could be destroyed.
Even from what Kaede remembered of his past life, every member of that clan was monstrously powerful. Any one of them could reach Super Kage or even Six Paths Level.
And beyond them…
There was the Otsutsuki God.
Even the Otsutsuki themselves spoke of that existence with fear.
There was no way Kaede could handle something like that alone.
"I'll go get you a sword," Kaede said, pulling Sasuke out of his thoughts. "A regular one will do for now, but later you should have a Kusanagi Sword forged specifically for you."
Strictly speaking, by Kaede's old-world standards, a single-edged blade like this would be called a saber. But in the shinobi world, they were simply referred to as swords.
And "Kusanagi Sword" wasn't the name of a single weapon—it was a category.
Although Sasuke was now an orphan, he was still the heir to the Uchiha Clan. As long as he didn't defect, everything the clan had left behind belonged to him in name.
While much of the clan's wealth—both visible and hidden—had already been divided among Anbu, Root, and other factions, even the remaining immovable assets were enough to make Sasuke unimaginably rich.
Compared to that, Kaede's own wealth was nothing.
After all, it was the accumulated fortune of an entire clan spanning centuries.
Before long, Kaede returned with a standard Kusanagi Sword and handed it to Sasuke, then began guiding him through the basics of Thunder Breathing.
Sasuke proved himself to be a top-tier genius once again.
After learning the principles and techniques, he managed to perform a rough version of Thunder Breathing's First Form—Thunderclap and Flash—in just a single day.
He still needed time to prepare before entering the breathing state, and both the power and execution were far inferior to Kaede's.
But for just one day of training…
His progress was already astonishing.