The steady beeping of medical equipment slowly filtered through Kaede's consciousness. His head felt like it had been used as a target practice tool – not that he knew how it felt to be a target dummy. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the same hospital ceiling from earlier, though the light streaming through the windows had dimmed quite a bit suggesting that at least some time had passed.
He lowered his head to repress the constant headache he had been feeling for quite some time, but he quickly realized that his entire head was covered in bandages, making him feel like a discount mummy!
Looking around he saw a pink-haired boy—his brother Kizashi Haruno, sitting on a chair nearby and dozing off. He was slouched in what had to be the most uncomfortable position possible in the visitor's chair. His pink hair stuck out at impossible angles, and there was a small drool stain on his collar.
A smile appeared on Kaede's face looking at the scene. In the original Naruto manga, there wasn't much information about Kizashi. The information he had was that Kizashi was a civilian and used to run some kind of business, what kind of business? He had no f*ing idea. All he knew was that there was no mention of a character named Kaede Haruno in the manga, so he either died before the start of the manga or was someone so insignificant that no one remembered his existence.
His expression grew serious as he thought more and more about his situation. Even though it was not easy to believe, he had read enough fanfics to know that he just got a once-in-a-lifetime lottery.
After about thirty minutes of quiet contemplation, Kaede decided it was time to test his new body. He wiggled his toes experimentally, marvelling at how they responded. 'Finally. Take that, Room 207!'
Pushing himself up carefully, He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The floor felt cold against his feet, sending a shiver up his spine. 'Okay, standing. I've seen people do this. Can't be harder than chakra control, right?'
Wrong.
His first step was more of a stumble, his second a wobble, and his third... well, the floor came up to meet him with unnecessary enthusiasm. The resulting crash was loud enough to wake not just Kizashi, but probably half the hospital wing.
"Wha- Who- I wasn't sleeping during guard duty!" Kizashi jerked awake, nearly falling out of his chair. His eyes focused on the empty bed, then dropped to the floor. "Kaede! What are you doing down there!? Are you ok?"
A nurse burst through the door, took one look at the scene, and almost screeched in horror. "Please tell me that you didn't get any new injuries!"
"N…no, I didn't get any new injuries…and I was just..." Kaede started, his face pressed against the cool hospital floor, "...inspecting the cleaning standards. Very thorough job, by the way."
The nurse tried to maintain her professional demeanour, but a small smile cracked through as she and Kizashi helped him back onto the bed. "Well, Of course you were. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with trying to make a break for it?"
"Break for it? Me?" Kaede put on his best innocent face — which, given he was currently five years old, was probably pretty effective. "I just wanted some fresh air. Also, everything's kind of... fuzzy in my head. I can't remember about how I got here."
"Memory loss is common with head injuries," the nurse explained, checking his bandages. "Though your brother could help by sharing some stories. It might jog your memory."
"Is that really true? Will Kaede be ok?" Kizashi asked and his face lit up with a smile when the nurses nodded.
"Oh! Oh! Let me tell you about our family's shop! We make the best ninja gear in the civilian district. Well, Mom and Dad do. I mostly just model the vests and make Dad laugh with my jokes."
"Your jokes or your modelling?" Kaede couldn't help but quip.
"Hey! I'll have you know I'm very smart! Remember last week when I was showing off the new chunin vest design and it only had three holes? That's a personal best!"
The nurse coughed to hide what sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
Kizashi continued, sitting beside and rubbing his brother's bandaged head. "You've always been ninja-crazy, you know? Always trying to copy their moves. Last month you spent three days practicing hand signs until your fingers cramped. Mom found you sleeping with your hands still stuck in the Tiger seal!"
"Did it work?" Kaede asked, genuinely curious about his previous self's attempts.
"Well..." Kizashi scratched his head, "you did manage to set your sleeve on fire once, but we're pretty sure that was because you were practising near the fireplace."
As his brother talked, Kaede noticed the way Kizashi's hands kept fidgeting under the bed sheet, betraying his lingering worry.
Then Kizashi's expression grew more serious. "A few days ago, we were playing with Shin and Kenji on the hill near the training grounds. A group of ninja passed by, jumping through the trees after completing their mission. Before any of us could stop you..." He swallowed hard, the memory clearly disturbing. "You climbed up one of the trees and jumped to another branch, trying to imitate them. But it was too brittle, and..."
His brother's voice cracked slightly. "You fell. Hit your head pretty bad. The medical-nin... they weren't sure you'd..." He trailed off, then forced a smile. "But you're awake now! That's what matters!"
"You really scared us," Kizashi said softly, his usual joking tone absent. "When you fell... I've never run so fast in my life. Though I did trip over my own feet twice getting to you, so maybe I should practice running before criticizing your tree-jumping technique."
The nurse, who had been quietly checking Kaede's vitals, spoke up. "The doctor will want to examine you tomorrow morning. For now, rest." She fixed him with a stern look. "And no more floor inspections, young man. We mop twice daily, I assure you."
After she left, Kaede settled back against his pillows, feeling the strange warmth of chakra flowing through him. It felt like having a cup of hot tea inside every part of his body, which was... weird, but not unpleasant.
"Hey, Nii-san?"
"Hmm?" Kizashi had already started dozing off again.
"I think I unlocked my chakra."
"Of course, of course- wait, what!?"
Kaede smiled at his brother and showed his hand. A blue, fog-like energy was coming out of it. "Uh... I think I unlocked it during the fall."