"Happy birthday, Kabuto."
Natsume pced a small palm-sized cake in front of the boy and said, "The matron is too busy to get away today, so she asked me to give you her apologies."
"Thank you."
Kabuto adjusted his gsses, his expression calm—far too mature for his age. "There was chaos in the vilge recently. Many people were caught up in it. It's only natural that the matron, as a medical-nin, would be swamped."
"Go ahead, eat."
Natsume sat across from him, staring at Kabuto’s head of silver-white hair. A thought popped into his mind.
If the gender were swapped, he’d have ten thousand fans by now.
White hair plus a loli—it’s a top-tier combo for certain tastes.
Then again, maybe white hair plus a shota was its own genre of appeal.
You really can’t underestimate the human imagination.
Even if some of it’s... a little sketchy.
“You're seven this year, right?” Natsume asked.
“Mm.” Kabuto swallowed the cake in his mouth and nodded.
Natsume’s eyes flickered with thought. By his estimate, Kabuto should be at the age when he would soon encounter one of the legendary Sannin—Orochimaru.
Not long after that, Kabuto would be recruited for his outstanding medical talents, trained as a spy, and thrown into the shadows of the shinobi world.
But this time, things were different. Natsume had transmigrated into this world, and he’d been repeatedly warning Kabuto to keep his medical abilities hidden.
The flow of fate had already begun to change.
So where the hell was his reward?
Instinctively, Natsume gnced at his wrist.
There, invisible to all but him, was a mystical artifact called the Sacred Ring of Fate.
As long as he altered key moments in a character’s destiny, he’d receive rewards.
These "Fate Nodes" were pivotal turning points in a person’s life.
Take Kabuto, for example.
His first major fate node was the moment he crossed paths with Shimura Danzo and Orochimaru.
“I’m done!”
Kabuto wiped his mouth and stood up. “I’m heading out to train my medical ninjutsu. What about you?”
Though Natsume had told him to hide his gift, Kabuto hadn’t scked off in his training.
His talent was simply too strong to waste.
If he never met Orochimaru, and followed a normal path, he might have become the next Tsunade.
On the other hand, Natsume was a complete deadweight.
No talent in medicine. No talent in ninjutsu either.
Truly, a "double blessing" of mediocrity.
[Because of your actions, Yakushi Kabuto’s fate has changed. You’ve earned 99 Fate Points.]
Natsume froze. Then pure joy exploded across his face.
Hahaha! Finally, the golden finger is online!
“Go on, train. Don’t worry about me.”
He watched Kabuto leave, then turned and entered his room.
Ninety-nine Fate Points might not sound like a lot, but it was already a huge amount.
According to the rules of the Sacred Ring, the most you could get from a single event was 100 points.
How much you got depended on the importance of the person’s role in the original story.
Natsume himself was seven, a war orphan from the Third Great Ninja War, adopted by Yakushi Nono.
In the orphanage, the only major character whose fate he could alter... was Kabuto.
After three years of intentional effort, they’d grown close—good friends, even.
Otherwise, Kabuto wouldn’t have listened to him and kept his medical talent hidden.
Natsume turned the Sacred Ring. A glowing interface appeared before his eyes.
[Current Fate Points: 99][Fate Shop Unlocked][Newbie 90% Discount: Due to your Senju bloodline, you may awaken the Wood Release talent for just 10% of the cost.]
Without hesitation, Natsume made the purchase.
The 99 Fate Points vanished.
A wave of warmth surged through his body.
Oh yes. That hit the spot.
He exhaled, feeling refreshed in both body and soul.
With Wood Release, he now had the capital to survive in this dangerous world.
But just having the talent wasn’t enough.
Sure, the shop had Wood Release jutsu for sale—but collecting Fate Points was no easy task.
Natsume set his sights on Konoha.
The easiest way forward was to directly reveal his Wood Release talent.
Wood Release had a very special pce in the vilge.
Because it symbolized the invincibility of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Most likely, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would take him in and personally guide him.
Less likely, but still possible, was getting sucked into Root and brainwashed by Danzo.
But Natsume believed there was a third option.
Tsunade.
She was the princess of the Senju cn.
There was no way she’d ignore the second person to awaken Wood Release since her grandfather.
If he could get one of the Legendary Sannin to back him up, he’d be safe for a long time—plus, he could probably learn Wood Release jutsu from her for free.
A win-win.
No—he’d be winning twice.
Tsunade had left Konoha after the Second Great Ninja War and wandered the world.
But she wasn’t considered a rogue ninja.
She still loved the vilge deeply.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t return ter to become the Fifth Hokage.
The original manga didn’t say whether she ever returned temporarily before that.
But with the Nine-Tails Incident just recently passed, and the funerals of the Fourth Hokage Minato and Kushina about to be held...
There was a good chance Tsunade would return.
Natsume had to take that chance.
He couldn’t contact her directly.
But Yakushi Nono could.
Konoha’s medical system had flourished thanks to Tsunade’s suggestions.
Medical squads and hospitals had been established.
Tsunade once taught in the medical corps.
Nono was one of her students—their retionship wasn’t bad.
Natsume’s pn was to let her discover his Wood Release, then have her get in touch with Tsunade.
Of course, that required some finesse.
It was almost showtime.
Night.
After a long, exhausting day, Yakushi Nono returned to the orphanage.
The Nine-Tails' rampage had left Konoha’s hospital overwhelmed, and they were critically short on medical-nin.
She had no choice but to lend a hand.
Though tired, she still had work to do—making sure the children went to bed.
First stop: Kabuto’s room.
The light was still on.
She knocked softly and asked, “Still reading?”
“Matron, you’re back!”
Kabuto beamed. “I’m reading the Beginner’s Guide to Shinobi Case Studies you gave me.”
“Sleep soon,” she said with a gentle smile.
Kabuto wasn’t a fast learner, but he was dedicated.
Obedient, responsible.
Among all the children, he was her favorite.
“Just one more chapter. Half an hour, I promise.”
He raised a finger, bargaining.
“You really are a handful,” she said with mock helplessness, but her expression was full of warmth.
She closed the door and headed to the second room.
If Kabuto was the obedient good kid, then Natsume was the too-mature-for-his-age type.
Only seven, yet he spoke and acted like an adult.
Maybe that was why he’d become the “boss” of the orphanage kids—making her job much easier.
She opened the door—and immediately frowned.
His face was pale, hair messy, clean clothes stained with dirt, and there were torn sleeves where thorns had ripped through, revealing swollen skin underneath.
“Matron.”
Natsume quickly gave her a sheepish grin. “I tripped and fell.”
“I want the truth.”
Nono narrowed her eyes, crouched down, and grabbed his arm.
“Hiss—ow!”
Natsume sucked in a sharp breath.
“Now it hurts, huh?”
Nono pced her hand over the wound, letting a gentle green glow pulse from her palm.
A warm current spread through his arm, easing the pain.
Natsume sighed in awe. Medical ninjutsu really was amazing.
“All done. Be careful next time.”
She stared at him with her dark gray eyes. “Now, tell me what really happened.”
Natsume hesitated, then said slowly, “Matron... I think I might’ve awakened some kind of special talent.”
Awakened? Talent?
Nono’s eyes widened. As an elite shinobi, she immediately thought of kekkei genkai—bloodline limit techniques passed down through certain cns.
Sometimes, they could awaken spontaneously.
“Let me see,” she said, almost breathless with anticipation.
If Natsume really had a bloodline limit, it could mean a future as a ninja.
For an orphan, that was a path of hope.
Natsume held out his right hand. Chakra surged, and thorny vines burst from his palm.
But due to his poor control, the vines scattered in all directions after a few seconds.
One of them sshed across his arm again, leaving a fresh scratch.
“Wood Release?!”
Nono’s eyes went wide, her voice ced with disbelief, awe, and something far more complicated.