Kasi walked slowly away from the hospital. His steps were unsteady, and his breath came short, but he kept going. He found a quiet spot behind the building, near a small tree. The grass was warm under the sunlight. He sat down with his back against the tree and closed his eyes.
He needed to think.
He needed to understand.
He let his mind settle and tried to put his memories in order—his real memories and the strange new ones that came when he woke up.
In those foreign memories, he had seen something strange.
Images. Stories. A whole world told through a screen.
A show.
A show about ninjas. About the Leaf Village. About people he knew.
He saw Minato acting like the hero he truly was.
He saw Kushina smiling with that warm fire in her eyes.
He saw Kakashi, Jiraiya, the village, the missions, the war… everything.
But in those memories—
in that story—
**he was not there.**
Not even once.
It was a world almost the same as his…
except for him.
Kasi opened his eyes slowly. His hands had started to shake without him noticing.
"So… in that world, I didn't exist," he whispered.
He didn't know what this meant. Was it a dream? A world where he had died that night? Or a vision of what the world would have been if he was gone?
He didn't have the answer.
He stayed quiet for a long time. The wind moved the leaves above him. Birds sang somewhere nearby. Life continued, simple and gentle, not knowing the weight he carried.
After a while, he forced himself to think clearly.
*First,* he needed to confirm the truth.
He needed to be sure this world was the same one he saw in those memories.
But there was a problem.
His body.
He tried to clench his fist, but his hand trembled. His muscles were thin. His breathing was weak. He could barely walk, let alone fight.
No matter who he used to be, right now he was just a man who had slept for eight years.
He let out a slow breath.
"Before anything else… I need to get my strength back."
Before the coma, he had been strong. Maybe not as bright as Minato, but close. His skills were real. His power came from training, effort, and the Namikaze blood in his veins.
He had been easy-going back then because he could afford to be.
He was strong.
But now he was weak.
And this world would not wait for him to catch up.
He looked toward the village. People walked, lived, trained. Everything looked peaceful, but he knew this world was never truly safe.
"If I want answers…
He slowly stood up again, even though his legs shook.
"…I have to become strong again."
His path was clear now:
1. Rest and recover his body.
2. Train every day until he could move like before.
3. Then look for the truth—about Minato, about Kushina, about himself.
Kasi looked up at the sky. The clouds drifted slowly, like they had all the time in the world. But he didn't.
He took a slow breath, steady and calm.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "I will start training."
And for the first time since waking, there was something in his eyes again.
Not confusion.
Not fear.