*(A/N: The timeline settings in this story were carefully considered. There are many conflicting sources in the canon, so I chose the one that best fits the narrative. Please read with an open mind. Thank you!)
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Year 5 of Konohagakure's Founding
Konoha at this time was like a newborn child—freshly born, still fragile, and full of potential. The village was not yet prosperous; many things remained to be built from the ground up.
Yet, there was peace.
For once, the flames of war had not reached here, and people could finally enjoy the warmth of family.
Lying in his courtyard, Hoshino Kaede gazed up at the starry night sky, lost in thought. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Peace really is far better than chaos," he murmured.
"Even if there's still some unrest within the village, it's still a lot better than hiding from battle after battle."
The soft night breeze brushed against his cheeks. Kaede closed his eyes slightly, savoring the calm—
until a loud, furious shout snapped him back to reality.
"Hoshino Kaede! How many times do I have to call you? Come inside and eat!!"
Hearing his mother's angry voice, Kaede didn't dare hesitate for even a second. He scrambled up from the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes as he rushed toward the house.
"Coming, coming!" he called.
He set his sandals neatly aside and stepped inside barefoot—
only to find his mother, Kinomoto Sakura, standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
Kaede's survival instincts kicked in immediately. He flashed a sheepish grin.
"Mother dearest~ I know I was wrong…"
Her anger instantly deflated. No matter how she tried, she couldn't stay mad at him. She let out a soft "hmph," said a few curt words, and turned back to the kitchen.
Kaede exhaled in relief and obediently sat at the table like a well-behaved child.
Watching from the side, his father Hoshino Yota burst into hearty laughter.
"Well, well, even our little man has a side he's afraid to show. How rare."
Kaede buried his face in his arms with a groan.
"Dad, could you not rub salt in the wound…"
Yota chuckled, deciding to let up. Joking was fine, but teasing the boy too much wouldn't do. After a moment of thought, he said,
"After dinner, I'll teach you how to refine chakra."
Clatter—!
Kaede, startled and overjoyed, toppled right off his seat. But the pain barely registered—his eyes lit up in disbelief and excitement.
"Really?! Dad, you're not joking, right?!"
Feigning injury, Yota clutched his chest dramatically.
"Ah, so my own son doubts me… maybe I should just forget it, then—"
Before he could finish, Kaede shot forward and grabbed his arm.
"No, no! I believe you! You're the best, Dad—there's no one in the world like you!"
The onslaught of flattery worked like a charm. Yota looked downright delighted.
After all, whose heart wouldn't melt hearing that from their own child—especially such a precocious one?
He nodded approvingly.
"All right then, eat up first. We'll start afterward."
With that promise, Kaede inhaled his food like a storm. In just a few minutes, he was done and staring at his father with sparkling eyes.
"You really can't think about anything else, can you…" Yota sighed helplessly.
He called out to his wife, then took Kaede by the hand and led him to the courtyard.
Kaede sat cross-legged on the ground, his face solemn, as if preparing for a grand ritual.
Yota, on the other hand, sat lazily with a casual posture.
"This," Yota said, taking out a scroll, "is your father's own chakra refinement method. It's not inferior to what the great clans use. Remember to keep it safe."
His tone carried quiet pride, as if holding a priceless treasure.
And Kaede knew—it wasn't just talk. His father wasn't exaggerating. This method alone could rival those of the noble clans.
That was no small thing.
Konoha wasn't yet the tolerant village it would one day become.
Clan hierarchies were rigid. The noble families looked down on commoners, considering themselves a superior breed.
Ninjutsu was heavily guarded—so much so that even the weakest jutsu were nearly impossible for ordinary people to obtain.
The Chakra Refinement Method was the foundation of becoming a ninja.
Without chakra, there was no ninjutsu.
And thus, methods of refining chakra were incredibly valuable, often passed down strictly within clans, each generation perfecting their own techniques.
Though Yota was a jōnin of elite rank, his refinement method could easily stand alongside any clan's.
"I understand!" Kaede nodded eagerly, opening the scroll at once and studying it with rapt attention.
Yota didn't interrupt, only watching in silence, his mind filled with quiet concern.
I wonder how talented Kaede really is…
If his talent is poor… sigh…
A good refinement method could be taught, but talent—that was innate.
And in this world, talent was everything.
For example: a B-rank jutsu might take an average person dozens of tries to master, while a prodigy could do it after watching once. That kind of gap couldn't be bridged through effort alone.
Sometimes, endless hard work could close the distance—but often, that day would never come.
On the surface, Yota looked calm, but inside, he was worried.
The world was unstable. Conflict could erupt at any time.
If his son had no talent, danger would always be close behind.
Strength was the only true safeguard—just as it had been for him.
Kaede, of course, knew none of this.
He was fully immersed in the scroll, eyes gleaming.
"Hm… as expected. Compared to the rough public methods, Dad's version is so much more refined—every step is described in detail."
He paused, deep in thought.
"So this is the privilege of having a clan background, huh? No wonder Tobirama Senju tried to weaken the clans' influence and raise the status of commoners."
He sighed inwardly, a mix of admiration and relief.
"Good thing I have a father like this. Even if I'm not born into a major clan, being the son of an elite jōnin isn't bad at all. I really lucked out this time."
He smiled quietly.
Kaede wasn't from this world.
In his previous life, he'd been an orphan—an ordinary young man who died saving someone else.
He had thought that was the end of his good samaritan life.
But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself reborn in the world of Naruto, right at Year One of Konoha's founding.
Time flew by. In a blink, five years had passed. He had grown close to his new parents.
Hoshino Yota, his father, was, as Kaede could sense, an elite jōnin—and yes, sense.
Kaede was born with abnormally strong spiritual power, and deep in his mind lay a rusted clock—its purpose unknown.
But because of that strange clock, Kaede could see things invisible to others—
aura.
A person's aura had degrees of intensity, and the strongest he'd ever seen belonged to his father.
His mother, Kinomoto Sakura, had once been a tokubetsu jōnin, but after giving birth to Kaede, she retired to become a full-time housewife.
In all, Kaede was content.
He had a warm, happy family—his days filled with laughter and peace.
But deep down, he knew that the shinobi world would never stay calm forever.
So, from the age of three, he had begged his father to teach him chakra refinement—and finally, today, his wish was granted.
He cleared his mind, focusing all his thoughts inward.
Half an hour passed quietly.
Then, without warning, Kaede succeeded in refining a faint thread of chakra.
And at that precise moment—
The rusted clock in his mind gave a sharp click.