Morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a pale, soft glow on the floorboards and stirring up dust particles.
I stood in my small kitchenette, wearing nothing but my pants, with bandages wrapped tightly around my lower abdomen. They tugged a little when I shifted my weight, a dull reminder of how close I had come to not standing here at all.
I cracked eggs into a pan, the sharp sound breaking the quiet of the room. The smell of cooking quickly filled the space, something I was accustomed to from my previous life. I poured cereal into a bowl, added milk, and ate standing up, alternating bites between the eggs and cereal. It tasted fine enough, though the cereal could have been better.
I had slept well, the first time since waking up in this world that I had truly rested. Somewhere deep down, I had begun to think of Konoha as… home.
That realization made me slightly uneasy.
Not because Konoha was bad objectively, it was probably the best place to be in this world. Civilians lived normal lives, and children laughed in the streets. Even during a war that spanned multiple fronts, the village held together.
But it was still a shinobi village.
A place built on secrecy, obedience, and power.
I glanced down at the bandages again and tried to stretch. A sharp sting flared across my abdomen, not enough to make me gasp, but enough to remind me that ignoring medical advice was a bad idea.
"Yeah," I muttered to myself. "Not skipping that."
I rinsed the pan and bowl, left them in the sink, and started getting dressed. First, I put on my fishnet armor, sliding it carefully over my torso, followed by a dark, plain long-sleeved T-shirt, pants, and sandals. I checked the bandages one last time, adjusted them slightly, then grabbed my wallet, keys, and a set of kunai I hid in my sleeves.
Before leaving, I hesitated at the door and looked back at the apartment.
Then I stepped out.
The apartment building was already busy. Shinobi passed each other on the stairs, some armored, some half-dressed, and others clearly just getting off duty. I nodded to a few as I made my way down, receiving nods in return without any words exchanged.
Outside, the streets were alive.
Civilians moved between shops, children ran ahead of their parents, and vendors sold their wares. I could sense shinobi too, low-burning chakra signatures scattered everywhere, blending into the background. Guards, couriers, and off-duty shinobi trying to remember how to be normal.
I walked slowly. It took nearly an hour to reach the hospital, but I didn't mind, the movement helped loosen my muscles and ground me more.
The Konoha Hospital rose ahead of me, seven stories tall, its white walls catching the morning sun. I stepped inside, immediately hit by the smell of antiseptic.
At the reception desk, I leaned forward slightly. "I was told to come in for a checkup."
The receptionist glanced at me, then down at my abdomen as I gestured toward the bandages and said, "Laceration and chakra exhaustion."
She nodded briskly. "You can go to the second floor."
I hesitated, then cleared my throat. "Is it possible to see Shigure-san? She's a medic. We fought together on the Grass front. She treated me there and got me back to safety."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow, and I realized how that must have sounded.
"She's..." I added quickly, "a friend. I mean, a comrade. We were in the same cohort."
Her lips twitched with amusement. "Relax. I know Shigure-san. You can go up to the fourth-floor treatment rooms. She's stationed there."
I exhaled, tension bleeding from my shoulders. "Thank you."
The stairwell was quiet, my footsteps echoing softly as I climbed. By the time I reached the fourth floor, my abdomen ached dully, but it was manageable.
A boy older than me waved me over and pointed to a bed as I stepped into the treatment area. "Hey there, what's the issue?"
"I was asked to come for an examination."
I sat on the edge of the bed and removed my upper layers. He ran through preliminary checks, pulse and a quick inspection of my bandages as he removed them. His expression remained neutral as he assessed my injuries.
"Lacerations healing well," he said. "Still some chakra exhaustion. Nothing dangerous. Shigure-san will be here shortly."
"Thanks."
He moved on to the next patient, and I waited.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching.
I looked up.
Shigure stepped into the room wearing medic robes instead of her flak jacket. The change was striking. She looked calmer somehow, softer at the edges. Her hair was tied back neatly, and her sleeves were rolled up.
She smiled when she saw me.
"Basara," she said, genuine warmth in her voice. "How are you? You left yesterday without letting me know."
Shigure tilted her head slightly, studying me the way only a medic could, eyes flicking to my posture, breathing, and the way I favored my side.
"Yeah," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't know you'd still be here. I thought you'd be at home or something."
She hummed, unconvinced. "Mm... Lie down."
I obeyed without argument, easing myself onto the narrow bed. The sheets were crisp and faintly smelled of antiseptic.
Shigure placed her hands just above my abdomen, and I felt her fingers warm as green chakra bloomed to life on her palms.
Mystical Palm.
The sensation washed through me immediately, like warm water poured over my body. The tightness and sting in my injuries gradually reduced.
She worked in silence for a minute, her brows knitting in concentration.
"…Everything's healing well," she said finally. "Clean closure, and there's no internal bleeding. But you were close." She gave me a mischievous look. "Very close. Another inch or two down, and you'd have lost something important." She pointed down to my groin.
I tilted my head in confusion and pushed myself up slightly to see where she was pointing, squirming a bit. "Yeah... Lucky."
That would have sucked...I thought, breaking out in a cold sweat.
She snorted despite herself, but her expression quickly shifted back to professional concern. "Your chakra network, though… the exhaustion, the strain, it's already recovered far more than it should have. I expected lingering damage."
"I heal fast," I said quickly. It's probably because I'm a Senju.
She pulled her hands back, the glow fading. "Lucky," she repeated, looking at me oddly. Then, quieter, "Very lucky."
I sat up carefully. "Thank you for coming back for me in the forest. I don't think I would've made it otherwise."
She waved it off, but her smile softened. "That's what we do for people we care for, Basara. Don't make it bigger than it is."
The words settled in my chest in a way I didn't expect.
She stepped back and gestured toward the door. "You're cleared for light activity. No serious training. No pushing chakra to the limit. In a few days, you'll be fine."
I swung my legs off the bed. "Got it."
I got up and dressed.
As I reached the door, I paused. "Hey, about tonight. The get-together. You coming?"
Her lips curved upward as she tucked a few stray hairs from her forehead. "Yeah. Sayuri invited me. I'll be there."
I smiled. "Good."
I walked slowly down the stairs, noting with some surprise that the sting was mostly gone, just a tight pull when I moved too fast.
That's the power of Medical ninjutsu… I thought.
No wonder Konoha could fight three villages and keep going.
I left the hospital and headed away from the main roads, toward one of the outer training grounds I'd only used as a kid back in the academy. It was a place rarely visited, too far from the Academy and inconvenient for any squads.
Perfect.
I reinforced my body lightly, chakra humming just beneath my skin, and leaped from rooftop to rooftop, then into the trees. The town's static noise faded quickly. Soon, there was only wind, leaves, and my own breath.
The clearing opened ahead of me, ancient stone markers half-swallowed by roots, massive trees growing where structures once stood.
I scanned the area, senses stretching outward.
Nothing.
I couldn't feel any signature within a 50-meter radius.
Good.
I sat down at the base of a wide tree, crossed my legs, and rested my hands on my knees. For a moment, I didn't know what to do next.
Then I thought of the forest where I'd almost died.
Of the surge. The terror. The wood answered my call.
I closed my eyes and formed a simple Ram seal to help me focus my chakra.
I pushed my chakra outward, gently spreading it into the ground and the air around me. I didn't shape or mold it; I simply let it dissipate into the surroundings, focusing specifically on the flora around me.
At first, there was nothing. Then something shifted.
It wasn't like sensing people; I couldn't feel any signatures.
This was… different.
The ground felt alive.
I could sense the roots, the trees, the plants, and the water in the soil and air. Life layered upon life felt patient and ancient.
And behind it all, there was a presence. Vast in nature.
I inhaled sharply.
Ever since I had awakened that bloodline, a pressure had lingered at the back of my mind, an indescribable sense.
Now, it unfolded.
I could feel the trees.
Not individually or as objects but as a whole.
Their slow pull toward the sun, their roots drinking deep, their silent endurance.
It was overwhelming.
Suddenly, I understood why Hashirama loved trees.
I realized that if I wanted to, I could move them.
It felt… natural.
I stayed there, eyes closed, chakra spread thin and wide, not creating anything, just feeling.
The sun climbed higher.
I opened my eyes, feeling… better. Lighter. Not exactly rested, but as if I understood a little of nature itself, like something inside me had settled into place, acknowledging my presence in this world. My breathing was even. The dull ache in my abdomen remained, but it was muted, more a reminder than a warning.
I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the dirt from my pants. If I wanted to survive what was coming next, I couldn't rely solely on what I knew. Mokuton wasn't something I could practice openly, and even if it were, I didn't understand it well enough yet.
I had to train my Doton.
It had lagged behind Suiton, which had come to me easier than I expected.
Earth… earth was stubborn. I really didn't have any new ninjutsu to learn.
I thought back to the Iwa shinobi whose skin had turned to stone beneath my blade. Shaking my head, I realized I didn't know any techniques like that. I didn't know anyone who would teach me, even if I asked. Shinobi guarded their jutsu like family secrets.
Still, I crouched and brought my hands together.
Snake. Tiger.
I molded chakra carefully, slower than usual, and pressed my right palm flat against the ground. The soil was warm from the sun, the grains biting into my skin. I exhaled and let earth-natured chakra seep from me, flowing downward.
The ground responded.
I felt a faint tug, a resistance pushing back against my chakra like wet clay.
I tried to pull it up.
Stone crawled over my wrist in rough, uneven particles, jagged and unstable. The weight surprised me, dragging my arm down. I gritted my teeth and held the chakra around the rocks.
Then it crumbled.
Pebbles and dust fell away, leaving my arm bare again.
I stared at the stone for a long moment, then let out a quiet snort. "Figures."
Snake. Tiger. Ram.
Palm down. Release. Pull.
This time, the stone rose higher, almost reaching my forearm. It cracked under its own weight, fissures racing through it before collapsing again. The feedback stung, the chakra snapping back to me unevenly.
Again.
Hours passed in this way. Sweat soaked through my shirt, and my stomach growled loudly enough for me to curse under my breath. I didn't stop until the light began to shift, shadows lengthening between the trees.
By late evening, I managed to coat my hand with a thin, brittle layer of stone, holding it for a few breaths before it crumbled away. It wasn't armor; it wouldn't stop a blade. But it was something. It was progress.
Exhausted, hungry, and quietly satisfied, I wiped my hands on my pants and headed back toward the village.
I was getting stronger...