The world in a dream

By the time Kazemori Masaki woke, it was already evening. He stared blankly at the ceiling, his expression wooden, as though he had yet to fully wake up.

Just then, Satomi came in through the door. Seeing Kazemori Masaki's eyes open, she paused briefly before an involuntary smile of delight spread across her face. She hurried to his bedside and said, "Masaki, you're awake! Lord Hashirama really is amazing. He said you'd wake up soon, and you really did."

Kazemori Masaki slowly turned his head and stared at Satomi's face without saying a word. Unsettled by his behavior, she called out, "Masaki?"

"...Satomi?" Only after a while did Kazemori Masaki speak, and the look in his eyes became the one Satomi remembered.

"Yes, it's me." Satomi breathed a sigh of relief. A moment ago, Kazemori Masaki had felt like a stranger to her, but that feeling was gone now.

"I'm a little thirsty, Satomi. Could you get me some water?" Kazemori Masaki's voice was slightly hoarse.

Satomi nodded and went to pour him some water. Kazemori Masaki silently watched her retreating figure, his thoughts in turmoil.

The person he was now was not the Kazemori Masaki of the past, but a soul from another world. In the world he came from, the world where the original "Kazemori Masaki" lived had been nothing more than a manga. Yet, perhaps because their memories had merged, the experiences in Kazemori Masaki's memories felt so real that he could not think of them as fiction.

While Kazemori Masaki was lost in thought, Satomi returned with a cup of water. She held it out to him and said, "Here, drink."

"Ah, right." Kazemori Masaki answered instinctively, sat up in bed, and reached for the cup. Just as he was about to bring it to his lips, it shattered in his grip, spilling water down his front.

Satomi gave a small cry, then scolded him. "What are you doing? Why would you use that much strength just to drink some water? You had a fever not long ago."

As she spoke, she began removing Kazemori Masaki's clothes to change them, since wearing wet clothes was bad for his health. Although she was his fiancée, Satomi still felt a little shy. When she pulled his clothes off, however, she stiffened slightly and stared at his torso in disbelief.

Kazemori Masaki noticed her reaction and followed her gaze. Strange markings covered the left half of his body. He was certain he had never seen them before. Satomi seemed to know something about them, so he asked, "Satomi, what are these?"

His tone was completely natural, without the slightest hint of distance. Strictly speaking, this was his first time meeting Satomi, a person who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

"I... I don't know. Lord Hashirama said they were called Sage Markings or something. Lord Tobirama mentioned that these things appeared when someone reached some sort of sage realm." Satomi found nothing strange about Kazemori Masaki's tone. She shook her head, feeling a little frightened. Earlier, she had watched Hashirama personally remove these strange markings, so why had they appeared again?

Sage Markings? The sage realm?

Although the terms were rather obscure, Kazemori Masaki immediately realized what they meant. Wasn't this Sage Mode from the manga? Once someone entered Sage Mode, markings appeared on their face, but he had never heard of Sage Mode markings appearing on the body.

Wait, that wasn't entirely true. The Cursed Seal Orochimaru created was itself a form of sage transformation, and it did create markings on the body. But Orochimaru probably hadn't even been born yet, so how could something like that appear on me?

Kazemori Masaki was just as confused. Unconsciously, he pressed his hand against the edge of the bed. With a soft crack, the surface of the wooden bed broke apart, leaving him afraid to move another muscle. His mind had still been somewhat numb before, but now he was fully awake. He could also feel that his body's strength far exceeded anything he had imagined, to the point that he could not control it at all.

"Satomi, you said Lord Hashirama healed me. Could you ask him to come here now?" Kazemori Masaki had no idea how to solve this and could only turn to Hashirama Senju for help. His tone remained perfectly natural.

Satomi shook her head. "Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama called together the village's shinobi clan leaders to discuss some matters, so they aren't free right now. But Lord Hashirama said he'd come over as soon as he finished. It sounds like he has something to tell you."

"I see. Then all we can do is wait." Kazemori Masaki sighed and looked at Satomi. "Satomi, could you help me drink some water? In this state, I don't think I can safely hold anything."

Although Kazemori Masaki's senses were not particularly sharp, he could faintly feel changes taking place inside his body. His strength seemed to be growing, while the markings on his skin were gradually spreading. He had a few guesses about his current condition, but as he had said earlier, he had no way to deal with it himself. He could only leave it to Hashirama Senju.

"Well, I can." Satomi did not refuse. She poured another cup of water and sat beside the head of the bed, holding the cup, feeling both nervous and shy. Even though they were engaged, she and Kazemori Masaki had never been so intimate before. Back then, they had been more like childhood friends.

Satomi was, after all, a confident girl. After taking a few breaths, she calmed down, brought the cup to Kazemori Masaki's lips, and watched him slowly drink.

Satomi looked up at Kazemori Masaki's composed expression and quietly wondered when he had suddenly become so calm. The old Kazemori Masaki had been even more nervous than she was. Things that seemed trivial to Satomi would leave him terribly flustered.

After Hashirama Senju finished the discussion, he hurried to Kazemori Masaki's room, only to find Satomi feeding him porridge. He paused briefly, then laughed. "Haha, I didn't expect you two to be so close while I was away. Seeing how well you get along, it's time to think about getting married. At your age, you really shouldn't have put it off this long."

"It's not like that!" Satomi's cheeks instantly flushed as she protested, "Something's wrong with Masaki's body, and he can't move freely, so I'm helping him."

"Hmm? What's wrong now?" Hashirama asked at once.

Satomi quickly explained what had happened, then opened Kazemori Masaki's shirt to show Hashirama the markings. By now, they had almost reached his neck. As Kazemori Masaki felt his strength growing, a sense of discomfort had also quietly begun to emerge.

"Lord Hashirama." Kazemori Masaki looked at Hashirama Senju with a strange feeling in his heart. Personally, although he admired Hashirama Senju, he had never felt any genuine reverence for him. The original Kazemori Masaki of this world, however, had held that respect for Hashirama Senju. Now that their memories had merged, this world did not feel unfamiliar to him. After thinking it over, he decided to speak as people in this world did.

Hashirama's expression grew grave. "I knew your condition was serious, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. If I'd come any later, we would have been in trouble."

With that, Hashirama Senju reached out and pressed a finger against Kazemori Masaki's body, instantly pouring powerful chakra into him. Kazemori Masaki felt as though something inside him had been dispersed. The markings receded at an astonishing speed, and he felt his strength diminish. At the same time, however, his body gradually recovered, and he no longer felt the discomfort from before.

"Thank goodness. You're amazing, Lord Hashirama," Satomi said happily at the sight.

Hashirama Senju let out a breath and turned to Satomi. "Satomi, could you step outside for a moment? I have a few things to discuss with Masaki. Would that be all right?"

Satomi looked at Kazemori Masaki, then at Hashirama Senju. She knew he must want to talk about the markings, and it did not seem to be a minor matter. She nodded, bowed to Hashirama Senju, and left the room.

"Now, Masaki, let me explain what's happening to your body," Hashirama Senju said, looking at Kazemori Masaki.

(End of chapter)