Konoha Camp.
Inside one of the tents.
Kaede sat cross-legged on the bed, casually playing a game of Dou Di Zhu with Shizune and Yūhi Kurenai.
Strategy meetings? Way too boring. He'd already taken down the Third Raikage, so he couldn't care less about any "follow-up plans" regarding the Cloud Ninja. He simply used "post-battle recovery" as an excuse to skip out. Not like anyone dared to force him to attend anyway.
Dou Di Zhu was a game Kaede had taught Shizune and Kurenai. If there had been four players, they could've gone for a round of mahjong, but Tsunade was stuck in a meeting, and Rin was over on the Land of Water frontlines with Namikaze Minato. So the three of them settled for cards as a post-battle pastime.
Progress on unlocking the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates was still far off, at least a year away by his estimate. Honestly, cultivating the Sage Body might even be faster at this point. His chakra reserves had already surpassed those of an average Jōnin and were nearing the threshold required for Sage Mode training.
"Triple with a kicker, I'm out!" Shizune beamed as she tossed down her final hand.
Kaede studied his cards in silence for a moment before calmly laying them down.
"You've both done well. Shizune, even I didn't notice the marks you made on the cards... and Kurenai, your observation skills and card sense have just about caught up to mine."
"Eh?!"
Kurenai turned to Shizune in shock. "You marked the cards?!"
Shizune froze for a second, then cautiously looked at Kaede.
"When did you figure it out?"
"I didn't," Kaede replied with a faint chuckle. "Just had a feeling. You didn't seem confident, you looked a little guilty. It wasn't hard to guess you were cheating."
Kurenai huffed. "I knew something felt off… like you were seeing right through us!"
"It's fine," Kaede smiled. "I never said cheating was against the rules. In fact, consider it part of your shinobi training."
Just as Kurenai was about to say something else, a shadow stepped into the tent.
The moment they saw who it was, both Kurenai and Shizune immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a gentle smile.
"I just came to check on Kaede's condition. You two can leave us."
Not daring to disobey, they nodded and exited the tent.
Kaede remained seated, casually gathering the cards off the bed.
"Thanks for your concern, Hokage-sama. Something going on with the Cloud Ninja?"
"No, nothing like that," Sarutobi said, shaking his head.
"They've responded with a so-called peace proposal, but they're demanding we hand you over to them. Clearly, they have no intention of ending the war. If they want to continue the fighting, then so be it. Even if it means prolonged chaos and greater losses, we won't hand over a hero of Konoha."
That's an interesting proposal.
Someone else might have been moved by Sarutobi's words. But Kaede caught the subtle undertone.
First, Sarutobi presents the Cloud's demand. Then, he rejects it. But next comes the real message, "the war will go on, people will keep dying." A quiet suggestion that Kaede offering himself up might be the key to ending the conflict and bringing peace to the Land of Fire.
Given Kaede's current strength and status, no one could outright ask him to make that sacrifice. The only way this kind of thing could happen... was if he volunteered.
Now that's some Hokage-tier maneuvering.
No wonder this guy led the strongest Great Ninja Village in the Third War, only to fall to Orochimaru's invasion during a Chūnin Exam a few years later.
You've gotta be a spy from an enemy village who just never got recalled, and somehow ended up Hokage!
Right now, Kaede really wanted to pick up the Kusanagi Sword and cleave that old man's head off.
Did you think I'm as dumb as everyone else?!
"If sacrificing myself could really bring about peace, I'd be willing to become the bridge to it. But tell me, Hokage-sama... do you trust Kumogakure?"
Kaede looked at Sarutobi calmly, his tone light but direct.
The question struck Sarutobi silent. It went straight to the heart of the matter.
He couldn't ignore that point. He knew the Cloud Ninja weren't to be trusted.
"You're right," he finally said with a nod.
"Kumogakure can't be trusted. So there's no point in considering such an offer. Konoha has the strength and resolve to win this war."
Kaede's response made one thing very clear, this boy was no longer a pawn under Sarutobi's control.
Within Konoha's shadow network, even Danzō and Orochimaru operated under Sarutobi's watchful eye. But Kaede, with his strength and growing prestige, had already stepped beyond his reach.
This left Sarutobi conflicted. Kaede's independence was an obvious threat to someone with such a strong desire for control.
There were two paths he could take.
One, groom Kaede to become the Fourth or Fifth Hokage.
Two, start suppressing him immediately, making sure he never gains access to Konoha's inner power structure.
Honestly, Sarutobi preferred Namikaze Minato as Hokage. He knew Minato's only goal was Konoha's growth, not power or politics. That made him the ideal candidate.
Kaede, on the other hand, was Orochimaru's student.
If Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, then Kaede would almost certainly become the Fifth. Sarutobi had no desire to see that faction take over the village.
Then it hit him.
Kaede's younger brother, Kakashi, was Minato's student, and an exceptional ninja in his own right!
If Minato became the Fourth, and Kakashi was nurtured as the Fifth, that might just sway Kaede's stance in a more favorable direction.
And if, one day, the power of Konoha did end up in the hands of the Hatake brothers... well, that was a concern for two or three decades down the line.
"For now, I'd like you to head to the Land of Rain," Sarutobi suddenly said, switching topics.
"The Land of Rain?" Kaede raised an eyebrow.
Sarutobi began outlining the situation on the Land of Earth front. Hanzō of the Salamander had suddenly begin cooperating with Iwa ninja to launch surprise attacks on Konoha forces, worsening the situation.
"Didn't expect Lord Orochimaru and Danzō to be struggling..."
Kaede's expression turned thoughtful.
Don't tell me... Danzō set some kind of trap for him?
If that's the case, all the better. He could just take this opportunity to deal with Danzō once and for all. Clear out some of the rot in the open while he bided his time for the bigger threats hiding in the shadows.
He still wasn't ready to take on the puppet masters behind the scenes.
But as for the players out in the open?
It was time to start cleaning the house.