Finally Out of the Hospital

In a ninja hospital in Kirigakure, Kanna lay on his side, blankly watching the scenery outside the window. It was early summer, and the June weather made one feel instinctively lethargic, as if the very air exuded a lazy, languid scent.

However, looking down from Kanna's fourth-floor vantage point, this Kirigakure felt cold and desolate. The occasional passerby walked in a hurry, with very little smile to be found on their faces.

Kanna was lost in thought for a moment. He didn't know how much time had passed when a dark, heavy mass of clouds suddenly rolled in. Within a few breaths, the entire village of Kirigakure was shrouded beneath the overcast sky.

Watching the sunlight fade away bit by bit as the clouds blocked out the sun, a stifling sensation—like dark clouds pressing down on a city—slowly permeated the air. Kanna's brow furrowed slightly. For a patient like him, long confined to a bed, the sun, light, and freedom were the things he craved most. He had been in bed so long he felt as if he were starting to mold.

It had taken less than a minute to go from a clear, sunny sky to clouds blocking the sun. Although he had seen it more than once, Kanna still sighed.

The weather in Kirigakure was always so fickle; after all, it was an island nation built upon the sea.

Whoosh! Large, bean-sized raindrops began to fall, pattering against the ground, the heads of pedestrians, and the eaves of the buildings. Before long, Kanna caught the scent of earth and dust kicked up by the rain. He greedily took a deep breath, fumbled to sit up, tightened his hospital gown, and slowly shuffled to the window to pull the curtains shut with a swish. In an instant, the sound of the pouring rain was cut off. Kanna turned on the light, and the room was filled with brightness.

Usually, when it rains, one's mood involuntarily turns gloomy, let alone for a transmigrator like Kanna. As the saying goes, the scenery evokes emotion; a sense of desolation welled up in Kanna's heart, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

This place, this Kirigakure, was simply too cold. It was filled with an air of ruthlessness everywhere. He didn't like it here—he disliked it intensely. He wanted to go back, back to his original world, back to his old nine-to-five routine.

It had been a month since Kanna was hospitalized. During this time, he had repeatedly suffered from nightmares, dreaming that he was fighting enemies, only to find himself unable to recall the hand seals or chakra circulation methods for his ninjutsu. He would be decapitated or have his chest ripped open by others, and only after waking up in a cold sweat would he realize he was still in his hospital bed, followed by long bouts of insomnia.

It was painful, and it was terrifying.

They say that what appears in dreams is what is deepest in a person's heart or hidden in the recesses of their soul. Even though Kanna maintained a calm, unruffled appearance in front of Dr. Pu Jie, his parents—who had only visited once—and the many outsiders he encountered, those recurring nightmares made it clear to him that he actually had little confidence in his future. He was afraid; he was terrified.

Therefore, Kanna began to desperately absorb the memories within this body, forcing himself to understand the scientific perspective of this world. He endured the pain in his left chest to practice the twelve hand seals, feeling the wonderful sensation of the meager chakra flowing within him. It wasn't until he successfully performed his first ninjutsu in this world—the Transformation Technique—and laughed so hard he tore his stitches and required another surgery, that he finally found a shred of reality in this world.

I am not dreaming. I am truly alive. I can truly understand and use ninjutsu. At that moment, the feeling in Kanna's heart was incredibly complex, like the excitement of a child successfully building with blocks according to a blueprint for the first time.

It was as if a door to a new world had been opened. Kanna became even more devoted to his study of ninjutsu. Even just analyzing the memories of the original "Kanna" from the Ninja Academy felt novel and interesting. He threw himself into it, working harder and more earnestly than he ever had in his previous life.

And now, he was pondering a question.

"What is the essence of the Transformation Technique? An illusion? A physical change? Or something else entirely?"

It was impossible to understand, impossible to guess. This was ninjutsu: strange, bizarre, and varied. An ordinary person could spend their entire life and not even touch a corner of what ninjutsu had to offer. Looking at the history of the ninja world, it was estimated that only the Sage of Six Paths could truly comprehend the secrets of all ninjutsu. Even his mother had only surpassed the limits of "human" power; when it came to the understanding of chakra, the Sage was the first to analyze its essence.

This was a magical world. In some respects, it was purer and more exciting than Kanna's previous life. The strongest thing in this world was not power or wealth, but strength. As long as one had enough strength, one could follow in the footsteps of the Sage of Six Paths to create a new world and lead a new era. Kanna felt a sense of longing and envy for this, turning it into the motivation that supported him as he struggled on in this cold, lonely world.

There were no other patients. This entire floor had been reserved by Kirigakure for the candidates of this year who might be injured. Now, only Kanna remained. He had no companions, and since there were no major wars during this period, the wards weren't crowded, so he was here all alone.

With no family visiting and no friends to speak of, Kanna endured the loneliness and suppressed his longing for his past life while silently translating the formulas and techniques of the seven ninjutsu in his mind—well, seven, though the Shuriken: All-Out Throw Technique was really just a doodle, but learning it helped pass the time. He also grasped the ninja techniques from his memories of school, while learning the deep Buddhist meanings behind the twelve hand seals: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai (the Sage was once a monk, and these seals were still used by those who practiced Buddhism, containing certain Buddhist implications). He studied how different seals guided chakra through different meridians, the basic stances and variations of shurikenjutsu and swordsmanship, and the basics of tracking, anti-tracking, intelligence gathering, and counter-reconnaissance. He reviewed them one by one in his mind. Gradually, he forgot the time, his situation, and his past life, his mind completely immersed in the ocean of "ninja" knowledge.

It wasn't until the third month of his hospitalization, an afternoon in August with the sun shining brightly, that Kanna received notice: he was discharged.

Three months, ninety days. From a genuine Earthling and transmigrator, Kanna had initially adapted to life in the ninja world, adjusted to the fast pace of Kirigakure, and begun to show the demeanor of a ninja.

Steady, meticulous, calm, composed, and cautious. Kanna felt as if he had been reborn from the inside out. He had become more confident and stronger, beginning to become a qualified ninja!

Having faced a great change, reflected on his pain, and finally emerged like a butterfly from a cocoon, this was the current Kanna—a genin recognized by Kirigakure, who had recently received his ninja headband at a ceremony in the hospital ward.

Silently following behind his father, Kanna Tokiomi, who wore a stern expression, and his mother, Kanna Morishita Mai, who was awkwardly trying to break the tension, Kanna finally walked out of the hospital building where he had stayed for three long months. Standing under the scorching sun, he finally revealed a happy smile and breathed deeply.

The air no longer reeked of disinfectant, his vision was no longer filled with only white or cyan, and he no longer felt the cold liquid of medicine flowing through the veins in his arms. Even the sharp pain in his left chest triggered by the sudden movement didn't matter to him at all.

"Ah!"

He let out a roar, using all the strength in his body to announce his arrival to this world.

Then, the very next moment, he was scolded by his "father."

"What are you doing! This is a hospital! Keep it down!"

Noticing Kanna Tokiomi's ugly expression and the pointing of the people around them, Kanna simply acted as if he hadn't seen it.

Tomorrow, the day after, the future—what would be waiting for me?

A new world, a new future, I have arrived!