Among all the clans present, none reacted more intensely than the Uchiha and Hyūga.
The Hyūga clan head's expression shifted repeatedly, his brows twisting into a knot before finally relaxing again.
Uchiha Madara, by contrast, remained utterly still. His young clansman, Uchiha Kitajima, however, practically jumped in shock — his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
"C–Clan Leader... another eye-type Kekkei Genkai has appeared!" he stammered.
Madara gave him a single indifferent glance and said nothing.
That calm, measured response left Kitajima dumbfounded. He fell silent, but his thoughts churned with confusion.
How can he stay so composed? Does nothing ever surprise him?
---
Once Kaede's Eye of Time activated, his perception exploded a hundredfold.
Every movement, every twitch of chakra in the field was clear to him — even the faint heartbeat beneath the earth.
He scanned the surroundings for a few seconds, then his gaze lowered to the ground. A small, knowing smile appeared on his lips.
"Found you."
With a quiet murmur, Kaede raised his right hand and rotated his wrist.
A faint hum rippled through the air as a blue light flared from his palm, spreading in concentric rings across the soil.
The entire training ground fell silent. Every whisper, every breath vanished. Dozens of eyes widened in disbelief.
"Freeze."
The single word slipped softly from Kaede's mouth.
In the next instant, his hands formed seals — and his figure sank into the earth like liquid.
Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu.
The very same jutsu Senju Eiju had used earlier — but Kaede performed it more fluidly, more perfectly.
Moments later, the ground swelled. Two figures erupted upward in a burst of dust and soil.
Kaede landed lightly, setting Eiju down beside him.
Then he exhaled lazily, yawning as if nothing had happened, and walked toward Hashirama's side.
If this had been earlier, the onlookers might have criticized his nonchalance — but now, not one dared make a sound.
Everyone was still frozen in shock.
Eiju stood there like a statue, body stiff, eyes glassy, his mouth still curled in the proud smile from moments before.
It looked disturbingly eerie.
But none of the watching clan heads were fools. They could see what had really happened — and their stunned silence spoke volumes.
At last, Yamanaka Kyōsuke broke the quiet, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"T-This... this is... a space-time Kekkei Genkai!?"
His words set off an audible gasp. Even Elder Naoki, who had pushed for this duel, went slack-jawed.
"Impossible... that's impossible!" he muttered, his mind refusing to accept it.
Madara's expression hardened, a flicker of interest lighting his eyes.
"Space-time, huh... I wonder how it compares to my Sharingan."
The faintest spark of battle intent rippled through his aura.
In the shinobi world, space-time techniques were legendary — feared and revered alike.
After all, Tobirama's Flying Raijin Jutsu alone had proven what mastery over space could do — and even he had admitted it only scratched the surface of the true art.
Time itself, however… that was something beyond mortal comprehension.
The gathered clan heads murmured restlessly, but the ones most shaken were, without question, the Uchiha and Hyūga.
Uchiha Kitajima at least had Madara's composure to steady him — but Hyūga Sei was visibly pale.
He knew his clan's own dōjutsu — the Byakugan — excelled at detection and perception, but compared to manipulation of space and time?
It suddenly felt... insignificant.
---
"Well done," Hashirama said with a wide grin, giving Kaede a thumbs-up.
His joy was impossible to hide.
When Elder Naoki had first demanded this public duel, Hashirama's mood had soured beyond measure.
But now, watching his student crush the opposition before the entire assembly, he couldn't stop smiling.
One word described it perfectly: satisfying.
—
"Huh? What... how... how did you—why are you over there!?"
Eiju's confused shout echoed across the field.
Kaede's time freeze only lasted a few seconds — just long enough for him to slip underground, grab Eiju, and reemerge above.
To Eiju, the world had simply blinked out.
One moment, he was hiding beneath the ground; the next, he was standing motionless on the surface, utterly clueless.
Kaede didn't bother to explain.
Naoki hurried over, his face tight with unease. After a quick inspection, he let out a heavy sigh and led his shaken grandson away.
Once reality settled in, terror replaced pride in Eiju's eyes — the pure, instinctive fear of a power he couldn't understand or resist.
"Elder Naoki," Hashirama said warmly, though his tone carried a hidden edge, "your grandson's skill is impressive. To reach such a level at his age is... truly commendable."
Naoki's mouth twitched. The words sounded like praise, but to him, every syllable burned.
Impressive?
Perhaps — but could anyone compare to that boy?
Naoki's spirit seemed to deflate. He bowed deeply.
"The Hokage's judgement was right. I got too carried."
Hashirama smiled faintly. "Come now, no need for that. Let's consider the match settled."
He glanced toward the assembled clan heads.
"Besides, we still have more important matters to discuss."
The tension in the air shifted immediately.
The clan leaders straightened — everyone knew what was coming.
Hashirama turned and walked away first, Tobirama following closely.
One by one, the others filed out behind them, leaving only the younger shinobi behind.
The silence that followed was thick and awkward.
Kaede, however, seemed entirely at ease. He glanced at the children around him — the heirs of nearly every major Konoha family — and smirked.
"Let's see... that one looks exactly like Shikaku Nara's father. Practically carved from the same mold."
His eyes moved from face to face.
"Hm? And that brooding one — that's definitely Fugaku Uchiha's dad. He's got the same look — all stern and uptight."
"Hyūga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Sarutobi... wow, all the big names of Konoha gathered in one place."
The irony wasn't lost on him — here he was, the youngest among them, casually sizing up the future patriarchs of Konoha's most powerful clans.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Konoha Council Chamber, the atmosphere was far heavier.
Having witnessed the birth of a new Kekkei Genkai — one that could manipulate both time and space — the village's leaders were left reeling.
But they weren't fools. They all understood what had just happened.
This entire duel had been orchestrated.
Hashirama himself wouldn't strike fear into the clans directly — so he had used his student's power to do it for him.
A clean, brilliant display of authority.
Hashirama's voice broke the silence.
"Let's begin," he said, his gentle tone carrying an unmistakable weight.
"Konoha has existed for five years now, but our internal systems are still chaotic. Responsibilities overlap, jurisdiction is unclear — it's creating unnecessary friction."
He glanced meaningfully around the room. "I've even heard reports of clans clashing with one another. That cannot continue."
Hashirama might have been known for his warmth, but when it came to Konoha's stability, he was anything but lenient.
His words were soft, but every sentence carried a warning — and some of those warnings were aimed quite specifically at certain minor and mid-sized clans.
Notably, none of the major clans were named.
"Wouldn't you agree, Elder Naoki?" Hashirama asked suddenly, turning his gaze on the very man who had challenged him earlier.
"Y–Yes! Of course, Lord Hokage," Naoki stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead under Hashirama's piercing stare.
He understood perfectly — Hashirama was using him as the example, a convenient target to reassert the Hokage's authority after the public spectacle.
Still, he bowed deeply, accepting his role.
Hashirama's smile returned.
"Good. I'm glad we see eye to eye."
Then his eyes swept over the remaining clan heads.
In that moment, the warmth vanished from his face, replaced by the quiet, crushing presence of the God of Shinobi.
No one dared to speak.
And though the council had only just begun, everyone understood the unspoken message loud and clear —
Konoha was Hashirama's village.
And under his rule, order would not be questioned again.