"KAEDE! Kushina's been kidnapped!"
Kaede Yoru stared at the breathless group of young ninja, who looked like they'd just sprinted a marathon. Suddenly, a wave of memories—some familiar, some totally alien—crashed into his mind. He froze, wide-eyed.
Wait.
This… this was the world of Naruto!
He was standing in the Hidden Leaf Village.
If his memory served him right, it had been less than ten years since the end of the Second Great Ninja War. Sure, there were still plenty of shady things happening under the surface, but on the outside? Peaceful times, the kind you only read about in history books.
And him? Kaede Yoru? Just your average Genin.
(Okay, maybe a bit below average, but let's not get into that.)
The group in front of him? His fellow rookie ninja.
At the front: Mikoto Uchiha (childhood friend, no big deal), Minato Namikaze (future Yellow Flash and all-around overachiever), and the Hyuga brothers (because every squad needs some Byakugan).
From his fresh batch of memories, Kaede realized Minato was the kind of genius who made everyone else look bad. Still a Chunin on paper, but already Jonin-level in reality. No wonder he'd be Hokage before he could legally rent a car - seriously, you have to be 21 in the US for that.
The Hyuga brothers? Also top of the class.
Kaede? Well, let's just say he was the kind of Genin who made you believe in the power of hard work… because he sure wasn't winning on talent.
Just as Kaede was piecing together his new life, a line of glowing text appeared in his mind's eye, like an RPG menu popping up mid-boss fight:
[SYSTEM BOOTING UP. Given current host situation, presenting three starter options!]
[Option 1: Be a couch potato. Stay out of the plot, avoid trouble. Reward: C-Rank Taijutsu – Leaf Great Whirlwind.]
[Option 2: Cause chaos, sabotage the rescue, join the bad guys! Reward: Mangekyo Sharingan.]
[Option 3: Leave the village right now and join the rescue for Kushina! Reward: Supreme Starter Pack!]
[Mission will be settled immediately upon completion!]
Kaede's jaw dropped.
A system? In the Naruto world?
He'd read enough fanfiction to know: systems might be late, but they never flake.
He considered his options:
Option 1: Couch potato life. Safe, sure, but the reward? Leaf Great Whirlwind? Wasn't that the move Guy-sensei taught Lee? Great if you wanted to kick trees, not so great for impressing anyone.
Option 2: Go full villain. Tempting, but let's be real—he'd get caught before he could even say "Dattebayo." The ANBU and Root would have him on a dissection table faster than you could say "Mangekyo."
Option 3: Supreme Starter Pack. Now that sounded OP. He didn't know what was in it, but it had to be better than the "Leaf Great Whirlwind." (Sorry, Guy-sensei.)
Plus, the system said all he had to do was leave the village and join the rescue. Easy, right? What could possibly go wrong?
Kaede Yoru grinned. Time to be a hero. Or at least, try not to die in the first chapter.
Mikoto Uchiha, looking guilty, muttered, "Those jerks kidnapped Kushina while the Uchiha clan was busy with our festival and the guards were spread thin!"
"I heard it was a Cloud Village spy planted in Konoha who took her!" someone added.
Minato frowned, looking like he was already planning three steps ahead. "I'll check Kushina's house for clues!"
And just like that, Minato was gone—leaving only a blur behind.
Body Flicker Technique. Show-off.
Everyone else just stared, half in awe, half in envy.
"So fast! That's the Body Flicker Technique!"
"I heard the Third Hokage taught him all his secret moves."
Kaede snorted. Please. That was the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God, not some basic jutsu. But hey, let them have their rumors.
He turned to Mikoto and the Hyuga brothers. "Let's go look too. Maybe we'll find something."
Mikoto shot him a look. "You? Seriously?"
Someone else snickered, "Kaede Yoru, just stay in the village. With your skills, you'll only slow us down."
"Yeah, the dead last wants to play hero? Good luck!"
Kaede rolled his eyes. Haters gonna hate. He focused his chakra to his feet and dashed toward the village gate.
He had to admit, D-Rank movement jutsu was basically jogging with extra steps. Compared to Minato, he looked like he was running in slow motion.
Soon, he reached the main road to the gate—only to see a crowd blocking the way.
No way he was getting out through the front. But wait—he remembered a side path, perfect for sneaking out - thank you, plot armor.
He doubled back, only to find someone guarding the path: a young Fugaku Uchiha, future dad of Itachi and Sasuke.
"Kaede Yoru, what are you doing here?" Fugaku asked, suspicious.
Kaede pointed. "Fugaku, look! Someone's over there!"
As Fugaku turned, Kaede bolted past him.
"Hey, don't go! It's dangerous outside—Cloud spies and all…" Fugaku called after him, but then noticed Mikoto and the Hyuga brothers heading his way.
"Whatever. If he wants to get himself killed, not my problem," Fugaku muttered, shaking his head.
In the blink of an eye, Kaede Yoru had scaled the wall and slipped out of the Hidden Leaf.
[DING! You have left the Leaf Village. Mission progress: 50%!]
Now what?
Just then, Kaede spotted a strand of wine-red hair on the ground.
"This is Kushina's hair!"
[DING! Clue found! Mission progress: 60%! Please continue investigating!]
Kaede grinned. Things were finally getting interesting.
And hey—at least he wasn't stuck learning Leaf Great Whirlwind.
Kaede Yoru frowned. Was this mission ever going to end?
In his mind, the system's little arrow popped up again—pointing northeast, as always.
He stared at the pitch-black forest ahead and hesitated.
Seriously, was this place always this dark?
Was there a two-for-one sale on extra darkness today?
It was giving him major horror-movie vibes...
He debated with himself: Should he keep chasing? Or just nope out and go back to being a background character?
I mean, he was just a Genin! And not even a cool one!
"Maybe I should just head home and become a professional benchwarmer," he muttered.
But then he glanced at his mission progress bar—already at 60%.
"Maybe if I find four more hairs, I'll actually finish this thing?"
Kaede gritted his teeth. He'd already come this far—no way he was quitting now.
He wasn't about to let his big moment end with a whimper.
Onward!
Meanwhile, back at the Leaf Village gate, a yellow blur shot through the darkness like someone had just hit the fast-forward button.
Minato Namikaze had arrived—aka, the guy who made everyone else look slow.
"Sakumo, any clues at Kushina's house?" Minato asked, barely out of breath.
Standing there was none other than the White Fang himself, Sakumo Hatake.
Minato whipped out a strand of wine-red hair. "This is probably Kushina's."
Sakumo summoned a ninja hound and let it sniff the hair.
The hound barked, nose pointing northeast.
"Kushina's scent goes northeast. It's faint, but it's there..."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "Sakumo, can we catch up?"
Sakumo stroked his chin like a true sensei. "Let's give it a shot."
He turned to the others. "Go report to Lord Hokage. Minato and I are going after them!"
With that, the two legends leapt into the night, vanishing like true anime badasses.
Back in the forest, Kaede Yoru, following the system's GPS, found another strand of hair!
[DING! Clue found! Mission progress: 70%! Please continue investigating!]
At this point, Kaede's inner Naruto nerd started to panic.
Wait, wasn't Minato supposed to find all these clues?
Was he about to break canon?
Was he about to butterfly-effect the whole Naruto timeline?
In the original story, Kushina left these hairs for Minato to find. By dawn, she was supposed to be at the border, Minato would swoop in, save the day, and win her heart.
But now, Kaede was picking up all the clues.
Would Minato even be able to find her?
Was he about to become the guy who accidentally deleted Naruto from existence?
While his brain was busy spiraling, Kaede found a third strand of hair.
Plot holes or not, he was now at 80% mission completion—just two more hairs and he'd be done!
No way was he stopping now.
Leaf Whirlwind? He'd rather learn interpretive dance.
Chasing the trail, Kaede reached the edge of the woods. He leapt onto a treetop, peering out over the plain.
His eyes widened.
A hundred meters away, a group of figures was fleeing toward the Hidden Cloud Village. At the back—a slim figure with a head of red hair.
Kushina!
Just as Kaede spotted her, he realized he'd been spotted, too.
"Who's there?!"
A cold, menacing voice rang out behind him.
Oh, great.
Before Kaede could even turn, a palm slammed into his back.
"Oh, come on—!"
He spat blood, pain exploding in his chest, feeling like his organs had just gone through a blender, and tumbled from the tree.
The attacker landed beside him.
Kaede saw the ninja's Cloud Village uniform and knew he was in trouble.
Standard-issue gear—at least a Chunin.
Great. Just his luck.
"A Genin brat? Looking for death," the ninja sneered, then—pop!—vanished.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Apparently, this guy thought Kaede was as good as dead and didn't even bother to check.
Kushina, hearing the commotion, turned back, her face going pale. She couldn't see who it was, but she guessed it was someone coming to rescue her.
Killed by the Cloud ninja!
"Hmph, stop struggling. Move!"
"See? Whoever comes to save you dies!"
"I mean, come on, a Genin trying to play hero? That's just funny."
Kushina heard this and nearly collapsed. Kaede's goofy smile flashed through her mind.
No way. There's no way that scaredy-cat Kaede would try something like this.
But she couldn't stop trembling.
Far off, Kaede slumped against a tree, gasping, his vision fading.
[DING! Kushina found. Congratulations, host, you have completed Starting Option Three. Reward: Supreme Starter Pack!]
'Open the Supreme Starter Pack! Hurry!' Kaede gasped.
He felt like he was about to die. His whole body was freezing, his eyelids heavier by the second.
Seriously, he'd almost gotten himself killed for a side quest.
Now, this starter pack was his only hope.
[DING! Would you like to open the Supreme Starter Pack?]
'Yes!'
A blinding light burst from the pack.
[DING! Congratulations, host! You have received the SSS-Rank Character Card: Hashirama Senju!]
[After fusing this card, the host will gain all of Hashirama Senju's ninjutsu, taijutsu, senjutsu, combat experience, and training talent!]
[Due to the massive difference in power, full fusion will take one year!]
[Would you like to begin fusion?]
'Fusion!'
Kaede's eyes snapped open. He was saved!
Hashirama Senju!
The First Hokage!
God of Shinobi!
Asura's reincarnation!
Insane healing, instant regeneration—Madara Uchiha once said, "On the battlefield, no one can kill Hashirama."
In an instant, Kaede's mind was pulled into a virtual space.
At its center stood a towering figure—Hashirama Senju himself.
Kaede's perspective merged with Hashirama's, as if he'd become the legendary ninja!
And facing him—Madara Uchiha, in his prime!
"Mokuton: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground rumbled and shook!
Countless saplings burst from the earth, growing at a wild, impossible speed, transforming into a dense forest in the blink of an eye.
Gnarled branches stretched out like living things, swallowing Madara whole!
This was Hashirama's terrifying kekkei genkai!
Kaede's eyes snapped open, feeling his body change at lightning speed.
The pain vanished.
The cold vanished.
Every pore in his body seemed to open up.
He was filled with power!
He could feel the energy around him being absorbed and turned into chakra at an insane rate!
He even felt as if he'd become one with the world around him—a strange, natural affinity.
In just a few seconds, Kaede had gone from the brink of death to full health!
And not just that—he could feel it, he could use that move from his mind: Mokuton: Deep Forest Emergence!
With a single thought, the sea of trees would descend!
This was Hashirama's terrifying bloodline limit!
And Kaede had inherited all of the God of Shinobi's combat experience!
Even in this first instant of fusion, Kaede felt his power multiply tenfold, a hundredfold!
And this was just the beginning—if he ever fully fused, who knew what he'd become?