Yakumo Kurama

The onlookers were just as baffled. They'd only seen a huge hole in a ninja's body, one no one else could treat, and the hospital had even kicked the patient out.

But this boy had saved the patient in the blink of an eye.

The crowd murmured in amazement.

Watanabe Masa looked at the injured person being carried in again and was just about to say that if they were dead, they should be taken to the morgue.

Then he saw that the wound had completely healed!

The skin around it even looked better than before?

He stared in shock, unable to believe Kimura Takuya had actually healed such a terrible injury.

His expression twisted as if he'd swallowed a dozen flies.

He wanted to ask how Kimura Takuya had done it, but the boy ignored him completely, as though Watanabe wasn't even there.

The commotion at the hospital had naturally caught the attention of the Third Hokage, who was listening to a returning Anbu team report on its mission.

Before long, another Anbu arrived with a report.

"Third Hokage, about the hospital..."

"Oh? A newly graduated Genin borrowed someone else's chakra and used a technique to instantly heal a massive wound. His name is Kimura Takuya, right? I remember him."

The Third Hokage immediately ordered the Anbu who had brought the report to protect Kimura Takuya while keeping him under surveillance.

Then he turned to the Anbu reporting on the mission.

"Your captain was saved. I've heard the information you brought back. You may go. Head to the hospital and check on her."

"Yes, sir."

However, after leaving the Hokage Building, the Anbu ninja who had reported on the mission headed toward the hospital.

He passed by without going in, instead taking several detours on his way to the Root Base.

Root.

"Lord Danzo..."

"Oh? An unknown force in Amegakure? Nothing worth worrying about. But a technique that can instantly heal severe injuries is quite valuable. Root must get its hands on it. Go approach him, gain his trust, and bring him here."

"Yes, sir."

While Danzo plotted with the double agent in Anbu,

neither of them realized that inside the Hokage's office,

the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had watched their every move.

The Telescope Technique allowed its user to spy on others from a distance.

Danzo thought he had an informant placed beside the Hokage, but the man was there only because the Third Hokage had deliberately allowed it.

There were some orders that Hiruzen couldn't give directly as Hokage. By deliberately letting Danzo learn of them through his informant, he could get Danzo to handle the dirty work himself.

Konoha's favorite scapegoat was quite useful.

Keeping an old schemer like Danzo firmly under control took a few tricks.

While the Third Hokage was alive, Danzo never managed to stir up much trouble.

Many of Danzo's actions had been tacitly approved by the Third Hokage.

Otherwise, why would the Hokage let him establish Root, with its shadowy influence over Konoha?

Was it because of the Sharingan in his arm?

The Third Hokage knew about Danzo's arm. How could a Hokage not know what was going on when his old friend's arm was kept sealed all year?

It was possible he didn't know that the eye hidden beneath the bandages belonged to Shisui.

But he certainly knew Danzo had transplanted a large number of Sharingan.

The Third Hokage couldn't have paid no attention to the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. He only had to look into it a little to notice that a large number of Sharingan had gone missing.

If Danzo could think of transplanting them, why couldn't the Third Hokage?

But as Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't do something like that—not even mention it. He could only let Danzo do it himself, so the Sharingan could still be used in battle for Konoha.

That way, the village's other bloodline clans wouldn't fear that the Hokage planned to seize their inherited abilities and grow so terrified that they might even betray the village.

Konoha had many bloodline clans. The most famous, of course, were those with Wood Release, the Sharingan, and the Byakugan.

But there were also less well-known bloodlines, such as the Gekko Clan's Transparent Escape, the Yuhi Clan's Illusion Eye, which could enhance genjutsu, and the Kurama Clan's ability to make illusions real.

All in all, as the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Konoha had tens of thousands of ninja and a population of over a hundred thousand.

It had no shortage of unusual talents.

Just look at Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Only a little over ten years after the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, Konoha had already modernized.

That wasn't something one or two people could accomplish. It took a whole generation of talented people working hard.

By the timeline, those people were probably in their teens or twenties right now.

By the time of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, it would be their era.

Back to the Third Hokage.

When he saw that Danzo was targeting Kimura Takuya,

he rose from his seat and walked to the window, the pipe at his lips glowing faintly.

He exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"With Kimura Takuya's abilities, he should be able to cure that child. Someone, notify the Jonin Kurenai Yuhi to come here and have her bring her student."

"Yes, sir."

Before long, Kurenai Yuhi arrived at the Hokage's office with a little brown-haired girl.

"Lord Third Hokage."

"Kurenai, there should be a way to address this child's health problem. However, treating Kekkei Genkai Disease won't be easy. It may require long-term treatment."

"Really, Lord Third Hokage? No matter what, this is wonderful, Yakumo. There's hope for your health."

Kurenai hugged the frail Yakumo Kurama, overcome with emotion.

Yakumo still didn't know what was going on. What did Kekkei Genkai Disease mean?

Hadn't she just been told she was physically weak?

Was she actually sick? But if even the medical ninja couldn't cure her, who could?

Then she heard the Third Hokage mention a name: Kimura Takuya.

A genius medical ninja who had created a technique capable of instantly saving someone on the brink of death was actually her age?

She could barely even become a ninja.

The difference between them was just too great.

"In any case, Kimura Takuya is just as important as Yakumo, so I'd like you to train him as well."

What?

Kimura Takuya was going to be assigned to Kurenai-sensei's team.

Wouldn't that make him her classmate?

She'd have a classmate too.

She wondered what he looked like.

Yakumo Kurama watched the transfer order and file that the Third Hokage handed to Kurenai, her eyes full of anticipation.

She couldn't see...

She lowered her head and let out a quiet sigh, her face falling.

Kurenai accepted the order and file, assuring the Third Hokage that she would live up to his expectations.

The teacher and student left the Hokage's office.

Outside the door,

"Are you curious what your teammate looks like, Yakumo? He's a handsome boy."

Kurenai suddenly stopped and turned to Yakumo Kurama, speaking softly.

She opened the file in her hand and showed it to Yakumo.

Yakumo looked at the boy in the photo. He had short, neat black hair and deep black eyes, though his complexion was as pale as hers.

Could this boy really treat her condition? He looked sickly too. Would he be all right?

Yakumo shared her concerns with Kurenai.

Kurenai smiled, took Yakumo's hand, and led her out of the Hokage Building.

"It'll be all right. Anyone the Third Hokage holds in such high regard must be able to cure you. Let's go meet him."

Kurenai was naturally eager to meet and get to know someone the Third Hokage had placed on the same level as Yakumo.

With that, the two headed for Konoha Hospital.

At Konoha Hospital,

the injured kunoichi had woken up and was looking at her teammates beside the bed.

She could hardly believe she was still alive.

In the bed beside hers,

Kimura Takuya had claimed a spot by the window and was fast asleep.

When she learned that Kimura Takuya had saved her, she tried to sit up and thank him.