From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time

As Jiraiya stepped into the tent, he cast a casual glance at Kurenai, Rin, and the others.

Then his gaze shifted to Kaede with a hint of annoyance.

Back when he was that age, he never had this kind of popularity. Girls were never flocking around him like this. At the time, nearly all the girls admired Orochimaru.

This scene reminded him far too much of Orochimaru back then, especially since Kaede was Orochimaru's student, which made Jiraiya glance sideways at him with some complex emotions.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

His own student, Namikaze Minato, was just as outstanding, not inferior to Kaede in any way.

"How's your injury?"

Jiraiya ignored the others as they greeted him, and directed his question straight to Kaede.

Though Kaede's official status was far below his, he was the hero who had killed Chiyo in this war. After sorting through the military reports, Jiraiya had made Kaede his first stop for a personal check-in.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Jiraiya. Lady Tsunade said it's nothing serious anymore."

"Hm, that's good to hear…"

Jiraiya nodded, then suddenly paused. Something didn't sound right. He looked at Kaede in surprise and asked, "Wait a second, what did you just call Tsunade?"

Kaede smiled lightly. "I asked Lady Tsunade to teach me medical ninjutsu. She agreed."

"…"

Jiraiya's expression stiffened slightly, his cheek twitching a bit unnaturally.

So now, two out of the three Legendary Sannin had taken this kid as a student. Fantastic. Not that he had any intention of competing with Kaede, but even if he wanted to now, it was far too late.

He wasn't worried about Orochimaru, but Tsunade… she was dangerous. Much more protective than Orochimaru. If she found out anyone had tried to suppress Kaede, she might chase them across half the country.

The son of White Fang.

Student of both Orochimaru and Tsunade.

Hero who slew Chiyo.

With all these titles stacked together, Kaede might still be under eleven years old, but his status was already far beyond that of an ordinary Jōnin. In fact, he was nearly at the level where he could speak to Jiraiya as an equal.

"I see…"

Jiraiya mulled it over for a moment, then changed the subject. "By the way, the village has officially promoted you to Jōnin. More specifically, a direct report Jōnin under the Third Hokage."

This announcement didn't stir much reaction from Rin or Shizune. To them, it seemed only natural that Kaede would be made a Jōnin. But Kurenai was clearly shaken.

A direct report Jōnin!

That wasn't just any Jōnin rank.

Her father was a Jōnin of Konoha, so she knew the nuances of the higher-ups. Some Jōnin reported to the Anbu, the Torture and Interrogation Corps, or the Military Police, falling under the authority of various department heads.

But a direct report Jōnin answered only to the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. No one else had the right to command them.

In other words:

Without Hiruzen's express orders, not even Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or even the Hokage's advisor Danzo could directly issue Kaede any commands.

"It's an honor to receive Hokage-sama's trust," Kaede replied with a calm smile.

This appointment hadn't come as a surprise. Given the strength Kaede had displayed, both Hiruzen and Danzo had no choice but to acknowledge him. And with his unique status as Orochimaru's student, assigning him to any particular department would be a poor fit.

A direct report Jōnin was the perfect role, technically above ordinary Jōnin in rank but without any actual command authority.

Just as others couldn't give him orders without the Hokage's say-so, he also couldn't mobilize other shinobi unless directly authorized.

"Well then, I'll leave you to rest," Jiraiya said, nodding before turning to leave the tent. The other ninja who had accompanied him also filed out silently, their expressions free of jealousy or resentment.

With Kaede's power and performance in battle, he had more than earned the title of direct report Jōnin, despite having completed very few official missions.

His position…

Was well deserved.

Only after Jiraiya's departure did the atmosphere inside the tent lighten considerably.

Tsunade had given off immense pressure; Jiraiya had been no different. The two of them were second only to the Hokage and the Elders in status, and Jiraiya, as commander of the front lines, stood far above them in rank.

"I can't believe you're already a Jōnin, Kaede," Kurenai murmured, turning to look at him in awe. "It's kind of surreal."

She had never doubted that Kaede would one day become a Jōnin, not even back at the Academy, but to reach it so quickly, in less than two years after graduating, was astonishing.

"It's not a big deal," Kaede said with a smile. "You'll become a Jōnin too."

Kurenai took a deep breath and nodded seriously. She had always aimed to reach that rank, her father was a Jōnin, and she didn't want to bring shame to his name.

Besides…

Kaede was already a Jōnin.

If she didn't catch up, the gap between their statuses would become too wide. At that point, it might be hard to even stay close to him.

Rin felt the same way. She too became determined to reach Jōnin. The only one who didn't seem too affected was Shizune, being Tsunade's student and having left the village with her, ranks like Genin or Jōnin meant little to her.

"Oh, right."

Just then, Shizune seemed to recall something. She carefully set down her cup, then leaned in and whispered something into Kaede's ear.

Kaede tilted his head to glance at her, then glanced at Kurenai and Rin. Suddenly, with a slightly exaggerated expression, he said, "I think I can move a little now. Can you help me up?"

"Mm…"

Shizune glanced nervously at Kurenai and Rin, then carefully helped Kaede to his feet.

Supported by her, Kaede slowly stood up from his bed. His muscles still ache all over, but with assistance, he could just about move around.

However, when Kurenai and Rin saw this, they immediately sprang into action.

"What did you just say, Shizune? Where are you taking Kaede?" Rin asked, her tone clearly suspicious.

"You don't need to know," Shizune replied flatly, helping Kaede walk out of the tent.

Kurenai and Rin exchanged a look. No way were they letting that slide.

They both followed right behind, and Rin quickly stepped up to Kaede's other side to help support him.

It was at that moment that she suddenly realized what Shizune and Kaede were probably going to do.

Her body stiffened slightly in embarrassment.

She glanced at Shizune, and saw her face was equally awkward.

Rin quickly turned to Kurenai and said, "Uh, Kurenai, how about this, you stay and help check if lunch is ready in the mess tent. Kaede's probably hungry. Shizune and I will take him over there and be back soon."

Kurenai paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. She felt like they were hiding something, but after a moment of thought, she nodded. Rin had a point, she was a little hungry herself, and Kaede probably needed food too.

Besides, if she helped now, maybe that awkward thing from this morning wouldn't happen again.

"Alright, I'll go get lunch ready. But you two be careful, Kaede's not supposed to move much for a couple more days."

"Don't worry," Rin said with a sweet smile. "We're both medical ninjas. Taking care of patients is what we do best."

Kurenai watched as they walked off with Kaede in tow, then turned to head for the mess tent.

Behind her, Rin's face was starting to crumble with tension. She kept her head down, avoiding Kaede's gaze, silently repeating to herself that she was a medical ninja, and helping a patient with basic 'needs' was part of her duty.

"You can go back, Rin. I'll handle this alone," Shizune said in a deliberately casual tone.

Rin stiffened. "N-No… I mean, look at Kaede, he's barely able to walk. It'd be too much for you on your own."

Kaede looked between the two of them, unable to help himself from commenting, "You know, you could just ask a guy for help."

"Ah… um… no, that's okay… We're medical ninja. This is no problem for us," Rin stammered awkwardly.

You really don't look like it's no problem… Kaede thought to himself with an inward sigh.

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