Kasi decided to keep his awakening a secret.
For now, no one needed to know he was awake. The world had moved on without him, and before stepping back into it, he wanted to understand it—on his own terms.
He used a simple transformation jutsu. Nothing elaborate. Darker hair. Brown eyes. A few faint scars across his face. Just enough to make sure no one would look twice at him… or see Minato Namikaze's younger brother.
That night, he slipped quietly out of the hospital.
No one noticed.
He headed straight toward the Forest of Death.
It was dangerous, yes—but it was quiet. Isolated. Exactly what he needed. He planned to stay there for a month, long enough to rebuild his body and regain what he had lost.
The first few hours were rough.
His movements felt dull. Heavy. Each step reminded him how long it had been since his body had been pushed. He expected soreness. Fatigue. Time.
Instead—
His recovery was fast.
Too fast.
With every passing hour, his muscles responded more cleanly. His breathing steadied. Strength returned at a pace that didn't make sense.
What he had planned as a month of recovery ended in two days.
By the third night, he stood still in the heart of the forest, listening to the wind move through the trees. His chakra flowed smoothly, quietly—stronger than he remembered. His body already felt close to its peak.
"…This isn't normal," he muttered.
As he moved again, something else became clear.
His reactions.
Before, he had always been just a step behind Minato. Close—but never quite there. Now, his body responded the instant his mind decided. No hesitation. No delay.
It felt sharp. Light.
Familiar.
Kasi stopped and let out a small breath—almost a laugh.
"Maybe…" he said softly, "…it's time I try that jutsu."
The Flying Thunder God.
Minato's technique. The one that made him the Yellow Flash. Kasi had studied it before, understood it in theory—but he had chosen another path. Lightning release. Different strengths. Different focus.
That technique demanded perfect control. Calm thought. Instant reaction.
Everything he felt right now.
He looked down at the marking tag in his hand.
"Let's see if I can walk the same road, brother."
Silence.
Then he shook his head.
"No… not yet."
He slipped the tag away.
Right now, there was something more important.
Those memories.
That other world—fictional, yet painfully accurate. A story that somehow knew everything that had happened… while pretending he never existed.
He didn't know how it was possible.
But deep down, he already believed most of it was true.
Maybe not all of it.
But enough.
Kasi turned toward the distant lights of Konoha, barely visible through the trees. His expression stayed calm, but something heavy settled in his chest.
"I'll confirm it first," he said quietly.
"Then… I'll decide what comes next."
With that, Kasi moved deeper into the forest, his presence fading into the night—leaving behind only the whisper of wind… and the faint crackle of lightning