Kaito Akaden Chapter 144

Kaito Akaden Chapter 144

Kaito nodded and asked, "When can we start?"

"Not so fast, brat," Tsunade interrupted. "I can't have you leave on a training trip right now. The village is in a precarious spot. We just cleaned up after that incident, and we have missions piling up. I can't spare you going off to Shikkotsu Forest for training just yet."

Kaito tilted his head. "Huh…"

Tsunade nodded again. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Right now, I need every Jonin in the village to take on high-level missions. The village took a hit, morale is shaky, and as the new Hokage, I have to rebuild trust and stability."

Kaito's brow furrowed. "Huh… but I'm a Chūnin, not a Jonin."

She cut him off with a wry grin. "A Chūnin, huh? Well, that's about to change. As one of my first acts as Hokage, I'm promoting you to Jōnin. You're far too skilled to remain a mere Chūnin. I need you on higher-level missions, so congratulations," she added with a smirk, crossing her legs. "You're a Jōnin now, as of today."

…

The sun hung high over Konoha, bathing the bustling streets in bright, warm light. Villagers hurried about, stopping at market stalls, chatting in small groups, and greeting passing shinobi. It had been six months since Tsunade had taken office as the Fifth Hokage, and the village had largely recovered from the earlier attacks. Morale was high, and the plan to better integrate the Uchiha clan into the main divisions of Konoha was going smoothly. People seemed happier these days, and there was a lighter atmosphere with Tsunade as their hokage.

Inside the Hokage's office, the mood was a bit more serious. Kaito stood next to Hotaru, both looking a little worn from their latest mission. They had just returned to the village after a full week away, and their clothes still showed signs of travel—dust clung to their boots, and there was a tiredness around their eyes.

"Lady Tsunade," Hotaru began politely, bowing her head. "We managed to retrieve the hostage without them getting hurt, and we escorted her to the hotel where she'll be staying."

Tsunade, sitting behind her desk, nodded. She had a thick file open in front of her. "That's good to hear," she said, scanning what looked like a mission report. "The Daimyo of the Land of Bears will be happy to hear that his niece is safe. Well done, both of you." She placed the report on top of another stack of papers and gave a small smile. "You two have been on a roll. You have the highest mission completion rate since I took charge."

Kaito let out a low grumble under his breath and muttered, "Because you are a slavedriver you keep sending us on back-to-back missions…"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "Did you say something, brat?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was firm, but not entirely unkind.

Kaito straightened, quickly masking his annoyance. "No, nothing," he said, trying to sound more cheerful. "I said that we're happy to serve you."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, smirking just a little. "Good to hear," she replied, looking at some documents on her desk. "Now, I have another mission for you two. There's a huge backlog right now, and we're short on people to handle them."

Hearing that, both Kaito and Hotaru paled, alarm flitting across their faces. They had barely caught their breath from the last mission. Hotaru glanced worriedly at Kaito, then took a tiny step forward. "Lady Tsunade," she began nervously, "may we… may we take a break before leaving on another mission?" She swallowed hard, her hands fidgeting at her sides.

Tsunade sighed dramatically and put on a mock frown. "Ah, I was just about to assign you to another mission," she said, her voice full of feigned disappointment. She even placed the back of her hand against her forehead for effect. Then, after a long pause, she waved her hand in resignation. "Fine, fine. You both can take a break. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

Hotaru wasted no time in bowing. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" she said quickly. She nudged Kaito, urging him to follow, and began moving toward the door in a hurry, eager to escape before Tsunade decided to pile on more work.

But as Hotaru reached the threshold, she noticed that Kaito wasn't with her. Turning, she saw him still standing in front of Tsunade's desk, looking thoughtful. His eyes were focused on the floor. "Kai-kun?" she asked, confused.

Tsunade, who had picked up a few papers to continue working, looked up again. "What's up, brat?" she asked, her tone blunt but curious. "Need something else?"

Kaito slowly scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. He forced a small smile. "Yeah, I have a request," he said quietly.

Tsunade's eyes flickered with interest. She set the paper in her hand on the desk, leaning back in her chair. Her face turned serious, and she crossed her arms. "A request, huh?" she said. "I hope it's not something that could kill you, like the last time you wanted to learn Senjutsu."

Kaito raised his hands quickly. "No, no, nothing like that," he said. "This is about… Kakashi."

"Kakashi?" Tsunade repeated, leaning forward slightly. "What about him?"

Taking a breath, Kaito lifted his gaze, meeting Tsunade's eyes. "Could you remove Kakashi from ANBU?" he asked. His voice carried a hint of urgency, and it was clear this request mattered to him.

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up in confusion. "Why would you want me to do that?"

Kaito's expression grew more serious. "I don't think ANBU is helping him," he said. "He should never have been put there in the first place. I once asked Dad why he placed Kakashi in ANBU, and he told me he really hadn't known how to deal with Kakashi after… well after Rin died."

Kaito sighed, looking down at the floor. "The Third Hokage recommended it as a way to keep Kakashi busy, but it wasn't the right call. Dad regretted it. He told me he planned to remove Kakashi from ANBU and train him personally—like he did before—after Naruto was born. But… ya know what happened."

Sighing, Kaito ran a hand through his hair. "Kakashi had a difficult life—first his father, then his team, one by one. He's gotten into this mindset that if he gets too close to people, he'll end up losing them, ya know? Mom's been trying to help him—inviting him over for dinners at our place, setting him up on dates, and all that—but he's always away on missions. He's blocking out his social life, trying to drown himself in work so he's too busy to focus on what's happening around him. He's my friend, and I want him to be happy, ya know? I think taking him off ANBU and making him spend more time with his friends will help him."

Kaito had wanted to ask Tsunade this before, but with how busy he'd been over the past six months, it slipped his mind. And what he said was true: Kakashi was being self-destructive. Ever since Kaito told him that the masked man was Obito, Kakashi had become more focused and kept on training—but at the same time, he'd gotten more depressed and withdrawn.

Hotaru looked sad upon hearing that.

Tsunade pushed her chair back and stood, walking to the front of the desk. She leaned against it, crossing her arms under her chest as she studied Kaito's face. "That's a good reason." she said, closing her eyes briefly. "But Kakashi is very important to the ANBU. I get what you're saying, though. The kid has emotional baggage from the Third Shinobi War, yet another thing that bastard caused, sending children barely old enough into combat."

 She paused, thinking about the scars from the Third Shinobi War and the number of children who had been forced to grow up too quickly. She let out a tired breath and massaged her forehead. "I'll think about it, kid. I understand your point, but I can't just pull him out without planning." She opened her eyes again, then arched an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything about your other friend, Itachi."

Kaito shrugged. "Itachi's different," he explained, voice quieter now. "He's better suited for ANBU than for normal squads. He likes pushing himself, and ANBU is an environment where he can do that in a controlled way. Itachi also… well, he's not in that same dark place Kakashi is. To be honest," he added, sighing, "I don't think kids should graduate early in general, ya know? It causes all sorts of problems later."

Before Tsunade could reply, the office door burst open. It slammed against the wall, and everyone turned just in time to see Kushina stride in, her long red hair swaying. She was dragging Shizune by the arm, and Shizune seemed torn between embarrassment and a sense of duty.

"Hey, Tsuna-nee!" Kushina said loudly. "Come on, let's get going already, you know!" She flashed a big smile, clearly in a rush.

Shizune, looking apologetic, gave Tsunade a quick bow. "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade," she said, still trying to keep up with Kushina's pace. "She just… wouldn't take no for an answer."

Kushina blinked in surprise when she realized Kaito and Hotaru were in the room. "Kai-kun! Hotaru-chan!" she shouted, letting go of Shizune to rush forward. She swept both teens up in a tight hug. "You're back! I missed you two!"

Kaito managed a smile, returning the hug. "Hey, Mom," he said, his tone softening at her enthusiasm.

Hotaru giggled, hugging Kushina in return. "Good to see you too, Aunt Kushina," she said kindly.

Kushina let go, stepping back to look at the pair. "Did you just get back? Oh my, you both must be starving. You look so thin!" She glanced between them, her warm eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, we just arrived," Kaito said, rubbing his neck. "But, Mom, what are you doing here?"

A cough from Tsunade snapped Kushina's attention back to the Hokage. Tsunade looked annoyed, arms folded. "Kushina," she said, "I was still working, you know."

Kushina scratched the back of her head, laughing sheepishly. "Ah, sorry, Tsuna-nee," she said. "You were taking so long, and I got tired of waiting."

Shaking her head, Tsunade sighed. "Fine," she said, straightening up from leaning against the desk. "I was getting tired anyway." With a shrug, she formed a quick seal, creating a Shadow Clone that took her spot in the chair. The clone picked up a pen and began signing documents, letting the original Tsunade escape. "All right, let's go," she said, turning to leave.

Kushina brightened, then looked at Kaito and Hotaru with a grin. "How about you two come with us to the hot spring?" she asked. "I used to go right after missions, and it helped me relax so much. After a whole week out there, you must need a good soak!"

Hotaru put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "If… if I won't be intruding, I'd like that," she answered quietly. She glanced at Kaito to see what he would say.

Kaito shook his head. "You guys go ahead," he said. "I'm hungry, so I might look for something to eat first."

"Come on, Kai-kun!" Kushina said, throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. "You should relax once in a while, you know!." She leaned in, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Besides," she teased, "you might get a peek at Hotaru-chan… or maybe you prefer an older woman like Tsuna-nee or Shizune, hmm?"

Kaito's face turned red. "Mom!" he hissed, eyes wide. "I'm not a pervert," he whispered, trying not to let Hotaru overhear. "I'd never do that."

Kushina just giggled, clearly enjoying how easy it was to fluster him. "Well, then it's settled!" she declared loudly, pulling him by the shoulders. "We're going to the hot springs!"

Ever since Kushina noticed he wasn't making any moves on Hotaru, she'd been trying to get a reaction out of him whenever possible, seizing every opportunity to tease him at every turn.

Hotaru couldn't help but giggle as she watched the mother-and-son duo. She knew Kushina liked to tease Kaito about her and about everything else. With a light shrug, she followed them out of the office.

Tsunade watched them leave and let out a long sigh, rolling her eyes a bit. "Might as well go with them before they get too far," she told Shizune, who nodded quickly. They both left the office, leaving the Shadow Clone behind to tackle the stack of paperwork.

….

Soon, they arrived at the hot springs. The building itself was tucked behind tall wooden fences, with a sign at the front marking the separate entrances for men and women. The smell of hot mineral water drifted in the air. It was calm and inviting, a perfect place to unwind after a string of tough missions.

Outside the entrance, they split up by gender. Hotaru and Kushina—along with Tsunade and Shizune—went to the women's section. Before they disappeared through the sliding door, Kushina couldn't resist one more jab at her son. She called over her shoulder, "Don't you dare peek, Kai-kun!"

Kaito groaned, his face heating up again. "Mom…" he muttered under his breath.

Then he stepped into the men's section alone. The locker room was quiet, a gentle hush broken only by the faint drip of water from somewhere in the back. Kaito glanced around and saw no one else there. He released a soft breath and moved to one of the wooden benches.

Sitting down, he covered his face with his hands for a moment, thinking about how chaotic the day had been. He'd gone from finishing a mission to asking Tsunade about removing Kakashi from ANBU, then straight into a hot spring outing with his mother, teammates, and the Hokage. He felt a bit overwhelmed, though a part of him was relieved to finally have a break.

Standing up, he mumbled, "I'm already here. Might as well soak for a few minutes."

He reached down to grab the collar of his shirt. However, as he started to pull it over his head, he paused suddenly. A memory popped into his mind. Slowly, he lowered the shirt back down, his brows drawn together in anger.

"That bastard…" he muttered, anger flashing in his eyes.

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