The Kaioken, a divine technique developed by King Kai, allowed Goku—with a battle power of around 8,000—to momentarily push beyond his limits and match Vegeta, whose power was roughly 18,000, not 40,000, during their first battle on Earth. It was this very technique that let Goku hold his own, despite the overwhelming gap.
With Kawaki Aoba's current level of physical strength and refined chakra control, if he could push Kaioken to even three to five times amplification, could he perhaps overpower someone as monstrous as Madara Uchiha, the wielder of Six Paths powers?
Moreover, he possessed Red Medicine, an advanced life-extension compound, possibly a synthetic derivative of Tsunade's medical techniques fused with Shinobi biotech. With that, the usual drawback of Kaioken—body strain—was partially mitigated.
Even Kaguya Otsutsuki... could she be challenged?
He shook his head violently.
What am I thinking? I can't get carried away. Not now.
Kawaki Aoba repeatedly rubbed his chest, trying to calm the surge of excitement in his heart.
Kaioken, as divine as it seemed, was still a self-amplifying ability—boosting raw power, speed, and reflexes in close-quarters combat. It was designed for direct combatants, not chakra-style ninjutsu specialists. Attempting to cast complex jutsu under Kaioken's stress was possible—but foolish.
Even with Red Medicine as a safety net, his body's durability was still the bottleneck. Sustained usage beyond Kaioken x3 could tear muscle or rupture chakra pathways. He wasn't Goku. Yet.
Still, even conservative use of Kaioken gave him a terrifying edge over most jonin-level threats.
The bigger issue wasn't Kaioken—it was Kawaki Aoba's current physique. It was far from optimized.
If I had Might Guy's body in his prime... the body that opened the Eighth Gate and nearly killed Six Paths Madara... combined with Kaioken...
The thought made him clench his fists.
Yes. That would be enough to breach the limits of the Six Paths realm.
He had a plan.
Beyond training, he needed to retrieve the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, from Iwagakure. Not to become a Jinchūriki in the traditional sense, but to harvest the bijuu chakra—refining it into the Saiyan bloodline he had begun to unlock.
Once complete...
Madara Uchiha? Kaguya Otsutsuki? Hagoromo? Let them block one of my Spirit Bombs first.
The thought alone filled Kawaki Aoba with such excitement that he impulsively reached out, grabbing Kurenai Yuhi around the waist.
"Ah!" Kurenai gasped in surprise. "Aoba, what are you doing? Put me down!"
He grinned mischievously.
"What am I doing? Helping you cultivate, of course. Your mental energy's been spiking—your body can't keep up. Let's go somewhere secluded and... stabilize it together. No resistance, Sensei. This is for your well-being."
"Wuwu—" Whether it was a soft sob or just embarrassment, Kurenai buried her face against his chest. But she didn't resist.
By nightfall, the pair finally emerged from the secluded grove—visibly exhausted.
Upon returning to Aoba's house, a strange scene awaited them.
Kurenai Yuhi—in an apron and holding a kitchen knife—emerged from the kitchen.
"Where have you two been? Why so late—"
Her words cut off.
She stared at the disheveled, sweaty pair—clothes torn, steps uneven. Her grip on the knife trembled.
"You… you…"
Kawaki Aoba blinked innocently. "Eh? Kurenai-sensei, is your hand hurting? I'll take over cooking."
Realizing the misunderstanding, he quickly clarified, "We just went to train! That's all. Intense training—our clothes got torn accidentally."
"Why is she limping?" Kurenai asked, coldly.
"Ah, that—my bad. I accidentally went too hard during sparring. She strained a muscle."
"Please don't be angry—just put the knife down first…"
After some awkward apologies, peace was restored.
Kurenai Yuhi sighed and finally said, "Go shower. Change. Then come down for dinner."
As they ascended the stairs, she grew uncharacteristically calm.
They're almost fifteen…
Time had passed in the blink of an eye. Sooner or later, they'd be grown. Talk of marriage wouldn't be far off.
By the time they returned to the dinner table, Kurenai Yuhi had finished preparing the meal.
Kawaki Aoba looked around. "Where's Kabuto?"
Kurenai shot him a sharp glare. "You remember him now? If I left him with you, he'd starve."
"I already took him to my house. His chakra control is exceptional—he's almost mastered Rasengan. Wasting that talent would be criminal."
"I've asked a trusted medical-nin friend to help guide him. He's going to be a great medical ninja."
"As for his long-term training—I'm sure you already have some plans?"
Kawaki nodded. "That's fine. Medical ninja training will form a solid base."
As they ate, conversation turned to Might Guy.
As Aoba suspected, Guy had been sent undercover—his identity hidden under an alias. Only the Third Hokage and Kurenai had contact with him. His mission? To infiltrate and observe Smoker's faction.
Unlike Itachi's high-stakes infiltration of Akatsuki, Guy's mission was low-risk. He was simply ordered to build trust and wait.
Aoba pondered aloud.
Compared to the Akatsuki—still a rumor at this point—Smoker and his crew were already active players in the ninja world. They needed a proper codename.
He made a mental note to consult his team and vote on the issue.
After dinner, Kawaki Aoba stopped Kurenai Yuhi, who was about to leave.
"Wait, Kurenai-sensei. I have something for you," he said.
Kawaki Aoba reached into his altar space and retrieved a peculiar fruit, handing it over. The fruit had a strange swirl pattern on its skin—unlike anything naturally occurring in the Shinobi World.
Kurenai accepted it, examining it closely with a puzzled expression. "What kind of fruit is this? I've never seen anything like it, not even in the Land of Rivers' exotic markets."
Kawaki Aoba explained, "That's called the Magnet-Magnet Fruit. It grants the power to manipulate magnetic forces at will. It's not Magnet Release like what you see in Sunagakure, but something far more potent. It's from a different world entirely."
"Wait, Kurenai-sensei, let me finish—"
But it was too late. Kurenai Yuhi had already taken a bite.
"Urgh." His face contorted with disgust. He almost vomited.
He glared at Kawaki. "What in the world did I just eat?!"
"I tried to warn you!" Kawaki waved his hand, helpless. "These fruits taste awful. You only need one bite."
"But now that it's in your system," Kawaki continued, "you should be able to feel the power awaken. Try it."
Still irritated but curious, Kurenai lifted his hand. A spoon from the kitchen flew into his grasp, drawn by magnetic force.
Amazed, he murmured, "This… isn't chakra-based. It's something else entirely."
While he couldn't yet determine its full potential, the sheer convenience and versatility already surpassed typical Magnet Release. Kurenai looked visibly pleased.
Empowered by this new ability, Kurenai left in high spirits.
Kawaki Aoba watched him go, letting out a sigh. This must be Kurenai-sensei's second 'career change.' From genjutsu specialist to taijutsu elite, and now a magnetism user? Maybe this fruit can help him reach Kage level.
But as Kurenai's figure vanished into the distance, Kawaki's eyes widened.
"Wait… he forgot something."
He turned around.
Sure enough, Kurenai had left without his daughter.
Worse, he had earlier taken Kabuto—the little brat—with him.
"Is he trying to leave the two kids alone on purpose? No way… Even as eccentric as he is, he wouldn't go that far."
He smacked his forehead. "No... he probably just forgot. The Devil Fruit excitement got to him."
Still seated at the table, Kurenai (the daughter) looked equally stunned. Her father had forgotten her. Again.
"I'll go wash the dishes," she muttered, blushing, and fled into the kitchen.
---
The next day at noon, Kawaki Aoba woke up later than usual. Years of battlefield conditioning had deprived him of many peaceful mornings like this. He felt truly rested.
After getting ready, he headed to the Anbu compound. To his surprise, the shinobi there treated him with extreme respect. It had become routine over the past few days.
Every afternoon, he reported in to study the intricacies of Hokage protection. The lessons were tedious and impractical for someone of his abilities, but it was part of his duty as the Hokage's personal guard.
Minato Namikaze, however, treated it seriously. With his natural charisma and diligence, Minato excelled at every role assigned to him.
---
Two weeks passed in a flash. During that time, the Five Kage had finalized the arrangements for the upcoming Summit through sealed correspondence.
This Five Kage Summit wasn't just to discuss Uchiha Madara's threat and Kawaki Aoba's "Smoker" persona—it was also meant to finalize a historic peace treaty.
Much like the First Summit decades ago, this treaty would be signed by all five major villages, shaken into diplomacy by the devastating battlefield at Kusagakure—scorched and torn for miles by a single confrontation.
The war had dragged on for years, but even during the chaos of the Third Shinobi World War, no one had seen a battlefield of that magnitude.
The pattern was clear: when an overwhelming force emerged—and that force wasn't aligned with a specific village—temporary peace would inevitably follow. Until, of course, someone decided to challenge the balance again.
Rumor had it the Summit was delayed for over a week due to the Tsuchikage's recovery. Whether true or not, it finally convened on this day—in the neutral Land of Iron.
---
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was escorted there with no incident. Despite the bounties placed on each Kage in the underground, no fool dared attack them.
They were greeted by the Land of Iron's samurai, led by their general, who guided the party to their lodgings.
There, Minato Namikaze was reunited with an old battlefield rival—Rasa, the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, master of Gold Dust and Magnet Release.
The two exchanged stiff but respectful nods. Their previous enmity was set aside in favor of diplomacy.
But what surprised Kawaki Aoba most was Rasa's personal guard.
It was none other than Yakura—the wielder of Boil Release, and in this timeline, apparently a former Sunagakure kunoichi. In the original events, she would have been sold off to Kirigakure. Now, she stood at Rasa's side.
Kawaki Aoba blinked. Was it because I nearly killed her last time that she gave up her arrogance?
If so, she owed him thanks. Though from her glare, it was clear she didn't see it that way.
Her killing intent was unmasked, but Kawaki was unfazed.
Specialized Kage-level or not, he mused, she's not a threat to me.
Only someone like Kawaki Aoba could think that way and still walk away unharmed. After all, in the shinobi world, true monsters weren't always born—they were made.
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