After Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Kinshiki were both effortlessly obliterated by Kaede, the ninja world entered a long-awaited period of peace.
Kaede obtained information about the Otsutsuki Clan from Kinshiki, and on one particular day, he left the ninja world. Using Yomotsu Hirasaka, he opened a gateway that led far beyond the stars.
After each jump, his chakra would be exhausted. He would then reverse time on himself to return to his previous state before making another jump.
Several days later, Kaede returned.
When Kakashi asked what he had been doing all that time, Kaede casually replied that he had visited the homeland of the Otsutsuki clan, punched every enemy he came across, and accidentally blew up their planet, so he didn't bring anything back.
Kakashi fell silent, deep in thought.
About a month later, at the age of twenty-eight, Kaede officially retired as Hokage. The position of Sixth Hokage was passed on to Kakashi Hatake.
Since everything had been prepared in advance, and Kakashi was already acknowledged as the strongest in the ninja world, his succession caused little stir.
Though many were reluctant to see Kaede step down…
They still accepted it. Kaede had completely handed over all authority to Kakashi and faded from the public eye.
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Several years later
In a quiet residence on the northern side of Konoha, Kaede sat on the porch, a small table before him. In his left hand, he held a cup of tea and took slow, measured sips.
Sitting across from him was a six- or seven-year-old boy with short, silvery-white hair.
"…So, all living beings are driven by the instinct to reproduce and seek mates. In both species where females pursue males and those where males pursue females, the superior individuals are always the most sought after. It's simply the result of natural selection."
"The more exceptional the individual, the more likely they are to pass on their genes, earning the 'right' to reproduce. Those who are lacking, on the other hand, are overlooked and gradually phased out. Their genes eventually vanish with time."
Kaede finished his tea in one gulp and set the cup down.
"So, the more exceptional someone is, the more attention they'll attract from the opposite sex. That's actually a mark of excellence. Humans are no different."
"So don't be troubled by being surrounded by admirers. That's something you should be proud of, it means you're doing something right."
The silver-haired boy seemed to understand. He nodded seriously.
"I get it now, Uncle Kaede."
"That's good."
Kaede smiled and stood up.
At that moment, Kakashi, now dressed in the Hokage's white robes, walked up from the yard. He immediately spotted his son sitting in front of Kaede.
Kakashi eyed Kaede suspiciously. "Big Brother… You didn't teach him anything weird, did you?"
"Of course not. Why would I?"
Kaede chuckled. "I was just showing him a new perspective. A different way to think about things. It turns troubles into something else entirely."
Kakashi continued staring, clearly unconvinced.
Kaede slipped on his wooden sandals and turned back into the house.
"Well then, Kuu's had enough fun for today. Take him home. And tell Ken to stop by more often when she's free."
Kakashi watched Kaede's retreating back in silence before turning to his son.
"So? What exactly did your Uncle teach you just now?"
Kakuki Kuu responded seriously, "Uncle said that the reason you wear a mask is because you lack self-confidence. He told me not to follow your example. I think he's right."
Creak… creak… creak…
Wearing his sandals, Kaede made his way up to the rooftop terrace.
He stepped to the edge and gazed toward the distant horizon. His eyes gleamed with a profound depth. If one looked closely, they would see within them the rise and fall of the sun, as though eons passed in the blink of an eye.
This was the power of Dial IV from the Illusory Clock, Precognition.
But not the kind of short-term prediction based on sensory perception.
This ability allowed him to see countless futures, stretching infinitely into the distance!
The future isn't a single line, it's a sea of sand.
More accurately, it's like an endlessly branching tree. Every small variation in the present leads to a dramatically different future.
Compared to the Observation Haki of the One Piece world, which only glimpses a few seconds ahead and offers just one future, the Illusory Clock's Dial IV reveals all possibilities.
In other words,
Kaede, just by standing here, could already see the very end of this world's timeline.
"…What an unpleasant power."
He slowly closed his eyes. The light in his pupils faded, and he let out a sigh.
He had unlocked this ability two years ago.
Ever since, whenever curiosity struck, he would use this power to glimpse the future, watching from above as time branched endlessly beneath him.
It was an overwhelming ability.
But precisely because of its vast scope, it had a terrible side effect: it gradually stripped him of his desire to care.
When you can see every outcome, every possible twist, life loses its mystery. The thrill of uncertainty, the tension of not knowing, gone.
"The more I use it… the more human emotions fade."
Even if he stopped using it now, the damage was done.
He had already seen far too much, decades ahead, centuries even, and little in this world still held his interest.
"If this continues… I won't be controlling time. I'll be trapped by it. Something has to change."
His eyes sharpened as he gazed into the sky.
When he unlocked Dial IV, he had also received a message, a fragment of memory left behind by the previous bearer of the Illusory Clock.
The power you possess, I call it the Sand of Time.
The Sand of Time grants twelve time-related abilities. When you unlock them all, you'll stand at the apex of time and all worlds.
In truth, by the time you've unlocked the third or fourth, you've likely already reached the peak of a world. Most never surpass five. So I've recorded this message for when you reach the fourth.
The Sand of Time allows travel between worlds.
But unlocking all twelve powers is not the end. It doesn't mean you've mastered time. You'll still be its puppet, your selfhood will erode as time flows through you.
I never found a way to resist it. I tried sealing my memories, restarting in a new world, reclaiming my past only after reaching its summit again… but that merely delayed the loss. Not cured it.
Unless I erase everything I've ever been… I'll never be free. But then, I wouldn't be myself anymore.
I couldn't find the answer.
So I left this message here while I still had a fragment of self left. If you're hearing this, then I've already failed… and the Sand of Time has cast me aside.
Even so, after so many worlds, so many joyful moments… I'm content.
Even the emotions of regret and reluctance are gone.
In the end, I feel that fading away wouldn't be so bad.
That… is the true terror of time.
So then, good luck.
I hope you truly master time… rather than letting it master you.
Kaede had remained silent for a long time after receiving this message.
Everything he had felt up to now only confirmed that the message was true.
"I don't know how much time you lived through…"
"But my time is just beginning."
"I won't surrender so easily…"
He murmured softly.
His gaze swept across Konoha, across the entire shinobi world, and finally, he looked skyward.
A soft golden glow lit up in his eyes.
The Illusory Clock appeared in his pupils, then projected outward, vast and imposing, as though it was covering the sky itself.
Buzz!!
A strange power spread.
Kakashi, who had just been asking what Kaede taught his son, froze in place.
Kurenai Yuhi, cooking in the kitchen, froze in place.
Mei Terumi, in the middle of a bath, also froze, water droplets halted midair.
The wind stopped.
Time… stopped.
Not just life, but all existence, body and mind alike, fell into absolute stillness.
Kaede's body also froze, but his consciousness remained free.
"Time freeze…"
"No… not time freeze. I've been removed from time itself."
He understood.
And then,
The Illusory Clock released a brilliant light, enveloping him like a giant hand pulling him out of the flow of the world.
Before him appeared a golden river, not made of water, but of spinning golden clocks.
He drifted down its current.
His body rapidly aged, then suddenly reversed, regressing all the way to infancy.
And finally,
The force surrounding him vanished.
He plummeted downward.
Golden spray scattered,
And Kaede disappeared into the River of Time.
THE END.....