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Konoha Hospital.
An institution built not with politics in mind, but compassion.
When the Warring States Period bled its way into every home, battlefield injuries became death sentences—not because of severity, but because there was no one left to heal. No trained medics. No field hospitals. Only suffering.
It was Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage himself, who vowed to change that.
During the founding of Konoha, one of his first major initiatives was the establishment of a hospital—an independent facility, governed outside clan politics, with full authority over medical affairs.
Though technology was still primitive and experienced medical-nin were few and far between, it was a beacon of hope. A beginning.
Even so, in the shinobi world of today, most regarded medical ninjutsu as a secondary pursuit. It lacked the prestige of destructive jutsu, and its path was often lonely.
Despite this, Hashirama believed healing to be as noble as combat. Perhaps more so.
---
Inside a private ward of Konoha Hospital…
A pale light filtered through the open window, casting golden patterns on the wooden floor. A small figure lay motionless on the bed—Hoshino Kaede, unconscious but stable.
Due to his status as the son of Elite Jōnin Hoshino Yota, the hospital gave him special attention. The director herself oversaw the treatment. He was even granted a private room, a privilege not extended to many.
After a full diagnosis, the conclusion was finally reached: chronic chakra exhaustion—the result of excessive energy use for a body so young.
Yota let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He'd feared the worst: a possible early onset of bloodline disease, like his father before him.
But the boy was simply overwhelmed. And that, at least, could be recovered from.
---
The Next Day…
Kaede's eyelids twitched slightly.
Then slowly, they opened.
Blurry vision gave way to clarity. The ceiling looked unfamiliar at first, but the sterile scent and the faint rustling of sheets brought it back.
"This is… the hospital?"
He sat up groggily, glancing around. Yes, he'd been here before—when he caught a fever as a toddler.
Bits and pieces of the previous day drifted back into his mind. The chakra refinement. The mysterious blue light. The strange clock.
"What the hell happened?"
He muttered aloud, touching his forehead.
"Did I… did I faint because of that light? Or… was it bloodline disease?"
The thought made him shiver. But then he shook his head, trying to be rational.
"No, that can't be it. Bloodline disease doesn't kick in so fast…"
Desperate to make sense of it, he applied every logical model he knew—even modern science—but nothing explained the event.
Still frowning, he decided to check his condition.
And that's when it hit him.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait… my chakra?"
He reached inward with his spiritual sense, and what he felt made his jaw drop.
The tiny thread of chakra he had painstakingly formed yesterday—small, faint like a silk thread—was now a stream.
Rich, steady, flowing.
"What the—?! I've jumped to a Chūnin's chakra reserve overnight?!"
He slapped his face. Hard.
Nope. Not dreaming.
A moment of panic came and went… and then joy exploded across his face.
"Hahaha! I've got a cheat code! I really have a cheat code!"
He grinned like a maniac, barely resisting the urge to dance on the hospital bed.
But then he caught himself.
"Okay, okay. Calm down. Don't get cocky. You've read enough manga to know that gods punish arrogance."
Still, he couldn't suppress the stupidly wide grin that tugged at his lips.
---
Creak…
The door to the ward opened softly.
A familiar voice, full of relief and concern, called out.
"Kaede! You're awake!"
It was Sakura Kinomoto, his mother.
Her eyes brimmed with emotion, and in a heartbeat, she rushed to his bedside and scooped him into her arms.
"Mom! I'm fine! I'm really okay!"
Sakura didn't care. She hugged him tightly, squeezing him so hard he thought his spine might snap.
After a few more moments, she pulled back, wiping her eyes. But her expression quickly changed.
She stared at Kaede's face.
"…Wait a second. Kaede, your eyes…?"
"Huh?" Kaede blinked.
"My eyes?"
He reached for the hand mirror on the nightstand and held it up.
His face was the same—round cheeks, a sharp little nose, thick dark hair like his father's. But his eyes…
They were no longer dark.
Where once were two deep black irises now shimmered a shade of blue so pure, so crystalline, it looked like the midday sky had taken residence in them.
Like sapphires lit by moonlight, they sparkled unnaturally.
Kaede's heart skipped a beat.
He stared into them, transfixed. He could feel something pulsing behind them—power.
This wasn't just cosmetic. These eyes held energy.
He quickly composed himself and gave the most convenient explanation.
"…Probably the Bloodline Limit awakening, Mom."
Sakura gasped, then nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. It matches the timing."
She leaned in, examining them more closely.
"They're beautiful… like something divine."
Her voice softened, pride creeping into her tone. "You really are my son."
Kaede felt a little awkward but touched nonetheless.
"…Where's Dad?"
Sakura stood. "The Hokage summoned him. Most likely because of what happened to you."
Kaede stilled at the mention of the Hokage.
Senju Hashirama.
The God of Shinobi. The man who stopped the endless clan wars. The founder of Konoha. A man so powerful that even Uchiha Madara once called him the only one worthy of being his equal.
In his past life, Kaede had revered Hashirama. Not just for his strength, but for his ideals—his belief in unity, in peace, in a better world.
To think that he now lived in an era where Hashirama was alive and ruling…
"How lucky am I…" Kaede murmured to himself.
---
At That Very Moment—Inside the Hokage Building…
Sunlight filtered through paper windows, casting a calm glow across the Hokage office.
Behind a desk stacked with scrolls sat a tall man with long, flowing hair and gentle eyes.
Clad in his iconic Hokage robes, Senju Hashirama exuded warmth, but there was no mistaking the quiet authority that radiated from him.
Beside him stood a younger man, sharper-featured, with narrowed eyes and an analytical gaze—Senju Tobirama, the future Second Hokage.
Though he hadn't yet hardened into the militaristic commander he would one day become, Tobirama still carried the air of a man who noticed everything—and forgot nothing.
Standing before them was Hoshino Yota, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight as a kunai.
"Yota," Hashirama said, his voice calm yet commanding. "You've raised a remarkable son."
Yota bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Hashirama chuckled. "There's no need to be so formal. It brings me joy to see young ones like your son already showing promise. Especially with… those eyes."
Yota's throat tightened.
"You mean the bloodline?"
Tobirama nodded. "Ayako's report confirmed that your son's coma wasn't caused by illness. It was the stress of an awakening."
Ayako—the head of Konoha Hospital—was a respected medical-nin from the Senju clan. Her word was rarely questioned.
"We don't know the exact nature of his Kekkei Genkai," Tobirama added, "but we'll observe it closely. For now, ensure he remains stable. Awakening is only the first step."
Yota bowed again. "Understood. Thank you both for your concern."
Hashirama smiled. "Take pride in your family, Yota. It's shinobi like you—and children like your son—that will shape the future of this village."
---
Back in the hospital…
Kaede looked out the window at the glistening rooftops of Konoha. His new eyes reflected the sunlight, glowing faintly in the glass.
He didn't know what exactly had awakened inside him.
But he knew this much: his destiny had changed.
And soon, the whole ninja world would fee
l it ticking closer.
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