The sound was dreamlike, like an illusion, utterly unreal.
Kaede was completely unaware of it, focusing intently on refining his chakra.
After another half hour, exhaustion began to set in, forcing him to stop. When he opened his eyes, a dull soreness spread through his body, as though he had just run around Konoha a dozen times.
"Awake? The first stage of refining is mainly to get used to it. Once you can produce chakra steadily, you can move on to the next stage," Yota said, kneeling beside him and massaging his muscles with practiced skill.
"Refining should always be done in moderation. Overdoing it can harm the body. The reason I didn't let you start earlier was because you were too young. Most children begin after the age of five."
Kaede nodded slowly, realizing that while chakra refinement seemed simple, it carried significant risks.
"Dad doesn't expect much. If you can extract chakra within half a month, I'll be satisfied," Yota said with a faint smile.
He remembered how happy he had been when he first succeeded himself. Half a month was already impressive by ordinary standards. That level of talent could lead one to become a jonin one day, assuming nothing went wrong.
"Half a month? Uh... Dad, your expectations might be a bit off," Kaede said awkwardly.
"Hm?" Yota blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you... you couldn't do it?"
Seeing his son's uneasy expression, Yota's heart sank. His mind began to spin. Could it be that Kaede had no talent for ninjutsu?
He sighed heavily, his voice full of forced comfort. "It's alright. Even if you're not suited to being a shinobi, I'll protect you."
Kaede's lips twitched. What kind of logic is that?
Seeing his father's increasingly dramatic tone, Kaede couldn't take it anymore."I've already refined it."
"Oh, you've already extracted it... What?"
Yota froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening in disbelief. For a moment, he thought he was hearing things.
It had only been an hour since they began.
Seeing his father's stunned look, Kaede raised his hand and concentrated. A faint flicker of blue chakra appeared around him—weak and short-lived, like a candle flame—but undeniably real.
Yota's expression stiffened, speechless. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"Dad, are you okay?" Kaede asked softly, tugging at his sleeve.
Yota finally exhaled, a complicated look crossing his face."Ahem, since you've already refined chakra, I'll give you these ninjutsu scrolls in advance. Practice them when you have time."
Kaede's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to receive ninjutsu so soon."Thank you, Dad."
After thanking him, his expression turned hesitant, as though something was bothering him.
"What's wrong?" Yota asked, noticing his unease.
Kaede hesitated, then decided not to hide it."Just now, while refining chakra, I felt something move inside my eyes."
The moment he said that, the atmosphere turned heavy. Yota's expression darkened, his brows furrowing in thought. After a long pause, he sighed deeply.
"Really? It seems you've awakened a Kekkei Genkai."
Kaede froze. Kekkei Genkai? His family actually had one?
Judging by his father's calm reaction, it was clear that this wasn't the first time it had happened in their lineage. In fact, Yota's expression even carried a trace of reluctance, as if he didn't want to hear such news.
Kaede had originally planned to let his parents assume his eyes were some sort of bloodline mutation, but now it seemed that explanation wasn't necessary.
"Dad, has anyone in our family awakened it before?" he asked carefully.
Yota's eyes softened with nostalgia."Yes. Your grandfather awakened his Kekkei Genkai decades ago."
Kaede's pupils contracted sharply. So it was true—his family had possessed such power before.
But why had his father never mentioned it?
Almost as if answering his thoughts, Yota continued quietly."However, your grandfather's Kekkei Genkai only lasted a few years before he died of a blood disease. No one has awakened it since."
Kaede finally understood why he had never met his grandfather, and why his father avoided the topic.
The Kekkei Genkai came with a curse. Those who awakened it would soon succumb to illness—a punishment from fate itself.
With Konoha's current level of medical ninjutsu, such an illness was practically incurable.
"Kaede," Yota said seriously, looking him in the eyes, "if you ever feel unwell, don't hide it from me."
From those dark eyes, Kaede could see his father's sadness and fear.
"I just awakened it, Dad. You're worrying too much," he said with a reassuring smile.
That innocent, sincere smile eased Yota's anxiety a little.
"You…" Yota sighed, half smiling, half helpless. His son had always been unusually mature for his age.
He finally nodded. "Alright then. You practice for now. I'll go find your grandfather's notes. Maybe they'll help."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the house, leaving Kaede alone in the yard.
Kaede didn't open the scroll immediately. Instead, after making sure no one was around, he quietly moved toward the haystack and sat cross-legged.
A sudden feeling of weightlessness swept over him. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the courtyard.
Before him stood a massive, ancient clock—its bronze surface covered in rust, weathered by time yet radiating a heavy, mysterious aura.
Around him stretched only endless darkness. The clock was the only thing that existed.
With no other choice, Kaede stepped closer.
After careful observation, he noticed something strange. The clock's dial was divided into twelve sections. Except for the segment between twelve and one o'clock, the rest were pitch black, shrouded in shadow.
Curious, Kaede reached out and touched the dial.
In an instant, the entire clock burst into radiant light. The brilliance was so intense that he had to shield his eyes.
At the same time, a beam of blue light shot out from the only clear, glowing section of the dial—straight into his eyes.
He had no time to react. There was only a flash of light, then darkness swallowed him whole.
[System Synchronization Initiating...]