In Sage Mode, Kenji could clearly sense the surge of vitality flowing through every cell in his body. Even his Wood Release chakra, which normally lay dormant unless actively channeled, had become noticeably more active and responsive. The enhanced cellular activity was remarkable.
It reminded him of Hashirama's legendary regenerative abilities.
According to historical records, even Madara had admitted that no one on the battlefield could truly kill Hashirama. The man's healing factor had been absurd, letting him recover from wounds that would kill any normal ninja instantly. Part of that came from his status as Asura's reincarnation, inheriting the Sage of Six Paths' immense life force through that connection. The "Sage Body" that gave him such overwhelming vitality. But it wasn't just genetics. The Senju clan's inherited techniques had also played a role in granting Hashirama those unique restorative properties.
Kenji's current abilities didn't match that level. He couldn't achieve instant regeneration like Hashirama had demonstrated. But his recovery speed in Sage Mode was still hundreds of times faster than normal.
"I need to find a way to learn Creation Rebirth from Tsunade," he muttered to himself.
The S-rank medical ninjutsu was notoriously difficult and came with serious drawbacks. It consumed massive amounts of chakra and apparently shortened the user's lifespan through accelerated cell division. But the results were undeniable. In the original timeline, Tsunade had been cut in half at the waist during the war and still recovered. The question was whether she had already developed it at this point in the timeline.
Thinking back to the source material, Orochimaru's reaction when he'd first seen Tsunade use Creation Rebirth suggested it had been new to him. That meant the technique was probably either recently created or still in development. He wasn't sure which.
Tsunade's version relied on the Yin Seal, using chakra stored over years of accumulation to fuel the regeneration. But he wouldn't need that limitation. With senjutsu chakra as a continuous supply, he might be able to achieve even better results. And as for the drawback of consuming life force through accelerated cellular division, he already had ideas about how to mitigate that.
"I should write to Aoi first," he decided. " And see what she knows. If Tsunade hasn't created the technique yet, I'll just wait a few years."
Once he mastered Creation Rebirth and combined it with senjutsu chakra, true limb regeneration might become possible. Maybe he could even modify his real limbs like his prosthetics. If he could heal, he could experiment, what was the worst that could happen? Losing function in his regrown limbs? Eh… he didn't mind. He could always attach his prosthetics again. There was no real loss.
Still, Sage Mode had its limitations.
He'd only been able to maintain it for three minutes during his test at the training ground. After that, his chakra reserves had been completely depleted, forcing him out of the enhanced state. As the natural energy dispersed from his system, the senjutsu chakra faded with it, and that overwhelming sense of power vanished like it had never existed.
"Losing that strength so suddenly takes some getting used to," he said quietly. The difference was jarring, like going from superhuman to merely human in an instant. "I'll need more practice to extend the duration."
The scroll he'd studied on Sage Mode had explained the mechanics clearly enough. Synthesizing senjutsu chakra consumed both physical and spiritual energy simultaneously, making prolonged use impossible for anyone. But proficiency improved efficiency. The better you understood the technique, the longer you could maintain it before exhaustion set in.
"Three minutes is still plenty though," he reminded himself. "As long as I don't get surrounded or trapped in extended combat, it's enough to eliminate most threats."
More importantly, even after exiting Sage Mode, he could still sense the natural energy around him. It didn't disappear from his perception completely. That meant once his chakra recovered enough, he could re-enter Sage Mode almost instantly. Within a second or two at most. That rapid switching capability was a massive tactical advantage. Most enemies wouldn't even realize he could turn the enhanced state on and off multiple times in a single battle.
---
When Kenji got back home, he immediately sat down at his desk and wrote a letter to Aoi.
His former student was currently training under Tsunade again now that the Suna front had entered ceasefire. The fighting wasn't completely over, but combat operations had ceased pending peace negotiations. That meant she had returned to her medical training, which put her in the perfect position to gather information.
He kept the letter brief and direct:
[Aoi,
I hope your training is going well. I have a question about medical ninjutsu. Are you aware of any techniques capable of complete tissue and organ regeneration? Not just healing existing damage, but regrowing lost structures from scratch.
If Tsunade has developed or is working on anything like that, I'd appreciate any information you can share.
Stay safe.
- Kenji]
He sealed the letter and set it aside to send through official channels the next morning. The village's courier system was reliable enough for non-sensitive correspondence.
Technically, he had partial solutions already. The puppet he'd constructed using Samehada tissue could stimulate cellular repair through chakra infusion, healing organ damage and accelerating recovery from injuries. But it couldn't regenerate entire limbs. That required something more powerful, something on the level of Creation Rebirth.
He'd just have to wait and see what Aoi could find out.
---
A few days later, as evening settled over Konoha, Kenji found himself sitting in Ramen Ichiraku with Honoka. They'd both ordered their usual, and steam rose from the bowls in front of them as they ate and talked about nothing in particular. Then the entrance curtain parted and Minato walked in with Kushina.
"Minato! Kushina!" Kenji waved them over immediately. "Sit with us!"
"Hey, what a coincidence!" Minato's smile was as friendly as ever, but something in his eyes looked off. He guided Kushina to the seats next to them.
"Mission finished?" Kenji asked, though he had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened. "Honoka mentioned you'd been deployed with a team."
"Yeah, we're back," Minato said quietly.
Kushina picked up the conversation when it became clear Minato didn't want to elaborate.
"One of his students died during the mission," she said softly. "Obito was killed in combat. That kid was always so clumsy and panicky about everything, but he had the biggest heart. Such a good boy. And now he's gone because of this damn war."
"Uchiha Obito?" Kenji kept his expression shocked, even though he'd already suspected this was coming.
"That's the one," Kushina confirmed. "Always shouting about becoming Hokage someday. He made me promise before he left that he'd come back without a scratch." She shook her head sadly. "And now..."
"How are Kakashi and Rin handling it? I know those three were close."
Minato's expression darkened further. "Rin's taking it hard. She and Obito grew up together, they were childhood friends. She's devastated. And Kakashi... He was injured in the fighting. He lost his left eye. Before Obito died, he gave Kakashi his Sharingan as a final gift."
"Obito gave away his Sharingan too?" Honoka looked up in surprise, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
Kushina immediately caught the implication. "'Too'? You mean another Uchiha gave away their Sharingan? To who?"
"Enma," Honoka explained quietly. "He died a while back. Before he went, he entrusted his Sharingan to Kenji."
"Enma as well..." Minato's eyes went distant for a moment, and he sighed heavily. "When will this war finally end? How many more people have to die?"
"Soon," Kenji said. "Suna's agreed to peace talks. That'll ease pressure on the other fronts significantly. We're close to victory now. Just need to push through the final stretch."
Minato nodded but didn't seem particularly comforted. The four of them fell into silence, eating their ramen without much appetite.
Teuchi seemed to sense the mood and didn't try to make conversation as he prepared their orders. Even the normally bustling shop felt subdued.
After they finished eating and paid, Kenji and Honoka said their goodbyes to Minato and Kushina outside the shop. The couple headed off toward their apartment, Kushina staying close to Minato's side and speaking to him in low, comforting tones.
Kenji watched them go.
Obito's "death" meant the timeline was proceeding roughly as expected, with some variations. Madara's plan was in motion. The old Uchiha would be grooming Obito right now, feeding him lies about the world and why it needed to be destroyed and rebuilt. Rin's death would be the catalyst that sealed Obito's commitment to that twisted vision.
Which meant he had a limited window to intervene. He needed to keep track of Rin.
"Come on," Honoka said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Let's walk around for a bit before heading home."
They wandered through Konoha's evening streets at a leisurely pace. The village was lively. Street vendors called out their wares, civilians chatted and laughed, children played in the fading light.
Kenji stopped by a ninja tool shop to restock his supplies. Kunai, shuriken, wire, explosive tags, blank sealing scrolls. The basics that every field ninja went through constantly. The shop owner recognized him and gave a small discount without being asked.
While he was browsing the weapon racks, Honoka ducked into a bookstore next door. She had a weakness for romance novels, the kind of melodramatic stories about noble ladies and forbidden love that he found incomprehensible but she devoured eagerly.
He finished his shopping and joined her in the bookstore, idly scanning the shelves while she picked through the latest releases.
One particular book caught his eye.
The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi by Jiraiya.
He picked it up and flipped through a few pages. The writing was earnest if somewhat crude, telling the story of a ninja who never gave up no matter what obstacles he faced. It was Jiraiya's first serious novel, inspired by his travels and the people he'd met. More importantly, this was the book that would eventually inspire Minato to name his son Naruto. The protagonist's name in the story.
On impulse, he bought it. It seemed appropriate somehow, like keeping a memento of something significant even if most people wouldn't understand why.
When they left the bookstore, the sun had fully set and lanterns were being lit throughout the village. The warm glow gave Konoha a peaceful atmosphere.
Kenji and Honoka walked together back toward their shared house. The streets were still busy with evening activity, and the air carried the smell of cooking food from various restaurants.
It was a nice evening. Calm, ordinary in the best possible way.
But beneath that peaceful surface, Kenji's mind was already working through the problems ahead. There was still so much work to do.