Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 187

Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 187

Author's Note:

Hey guys!

Sorry for the delay—I needed to map out the timeline to make sure the story lines up with my ideas properly. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

He smiled, remembering. "He could use all his jutsu without even using hand signs. He had me doing his training routine—it was tough, ya know? I barely made it to the end of the day."

Naruto chuckled lightly, then asked, "And that last jutsu you used—was that from your eye? It looked kinda like Dad's Hiraishin… or more like Sasuke's Rinnegan ability, ya know?"

Boruto shook his head again. "Nah, that's a fūinjutsu Kaito created. He calls it Instant Swap. It's like a mix between Shunshin and the Replacement Jutsu, but it uses seals."

He gestured with his hands as he explained. "You mark an object, kind of like how the Hiraishin works, then you can swap places with it. Kaito said he made it in case he couldn't learn the real Hiraishin. It works on the same idea but is way easier to learn… at least, that's what he told me—ya know?"

Hinata frowned a little and spoke up. "Boruto… why are you calling him Kaito? Isn't he supposed to be your uncle? You should show some respect. He trained you and taught you a lot."

Boruto scratched the back of his head again, looking a little embarrassed. "Eh… sorry, Mom. I just got used to it, ya know? I met him when he was thirteen. It felt weird calling him uncle when he was barely older than me—ya know?"

Naruto let out a small laugh. "Heh… I guess that makes sense."

…

ANB YEAR 9

The noon sun hung high over the Hidden Leaf Village, its warm rays filtering through

the dense forest surrounding the village. A flock of birds flew overhead, their formation shifting as they made their way south. At the village's main gate, the large doors stood wide open. inside the guard booth, Kotetsu and Izumo sat slumped at their desks—bored out of their minds.

Kotetsu let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms high above his head before flopping face-first onto the desk. "Ugh… I'm gonna pass out if nothing happens soon."

Izumo, head resting in his left hand, glanced sideways at him. "You're getting a little too relaxed, don't you think?"

Still face-down, Kotetsu groaned. "It's been so quiet lately… it's actually getting boring."

"Maybe so," Izumo replied, shifting slightly in his seat, "but that doesn't mean we let our guard down. You never know what might happen next. Only by staying fully alert—"

Kotetsu groaned louder and sat up, waving his hand dismissively. "Come on, man, you can't live like that! You'll give yourself a heart attack. Relax a little."

Just then, a red blur landed in front of them, crouched slightly as two more figures dropped beside him.

Kaito rose, grinning, and gave an exaggerated bow. "Ah! I humbly greet the great, mighty eternal gatekeepers of Konoha! Please—do grant us humble travelers permission to enter."

Kotetsu groaned again.

Kaito stood upright, smirking.

Beside him, Kakashi gave a lazy wave. "Yo."

Hotaru simply smiled politely at the two guards.

Kotetsu scowled. "Haha, laugh it up, Kaito. One of these days, we're gonna stick you in this booth and see how funny it is."

Izumo crossed his arms. "And don't forget—even you need our approval to enter the village. So watch it, buddy."

Kaito just grinned and casually held up a stamped form. "You mean this approval?"

The two guards froze. Their eyes shot to the desk—empty. Their faces paled. Izumo scrambled through his drawers. "Where's the—?!"

Kotetsu joined him, flipping through stacks of papers."Don't tell me—"

Kaito held up the missing stamp between two fingers, spinning it smugly. "Looking for this?"

"Hey!" Kotetsu shouted, snatching it back. "Give that back!"

Izumo crossed his arms and frowned. "Yeah, what you did was forgery. We could report you to the Hokage and get you in serious trouble."

Kaito shrugged with a grin. "Well, good luck proving it."

Kotetsu huffed. "You're lucky you're the Hokage's favorite, ya know..."

Izumo muttered something under his breath, clearly still annoyed.

Kakashi sighed, finally stepping forward. "Kaito, stop messing with them already." snatching the paper from Kaito's hand

He turned to Kotetsu and Izumo, holding out the form. "So… are we cleared to enter the village?" he asked, handing it to Izumo.

Kaito groaned. "Man, you're no fun, Kakashi."

Hotaru giggled beside him.

Izumo checked the documents while mumbling, flipping through the papers to confirm everything.

While he worked, Kaito casually leaned against the guard booth and looked over at the two guards. "So… what time does your shift end today?"

Kotetsu glanced at him. "Huh? Around five. Why?"

Kaito nodded. "Cool. I was thinking—how about a five-a-side match around six?"

Kotetsu's eyes lit up. "Five-a-side football? Yeah, I'm in."

Izumo handed the paperwork back to Kakashi, frowning. "I don't know…"

Kotetsu nudged him. "Oh come on, Izumo. It's not like we've got anything better to do tonight. It'll be fun—like last time!"

Izumo deadpanned. "The last time, we got bullied on the field. You call that fun?"

Kaito grinned. "Aw, come on, Izumo. It'll be fun this time—I swear. How about this—no chakra allowed?"

Izumo blinked. "No chakra allowed, huh..."

Kotetsu nodded eagerly. "See? Come on, Izumo. It'll be fun."

Izumo sighed and finally gave in with a small nod. "Alright, fine. But who else is joining?"

Kaito pointed his thumb toward his companions. "Hotaru, you're coming, right?"

Hotaru nodded with a smile. "Yeah, sounds fun. I'm in."

Kakashi gave a lazy wave. "No thank you, You guys have fun."

Kaito leaned in close to Kakashi and whispered something under his breath—too quiet for anyone else to hear.

Kakashi's eyes widened. Then narrowed. His head snapped toward Kaito. "You wouldn't dare."

Kaito leaned back, arms crossed, smug as ever. "Wouldn't I? There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Kakashi stared at him for a long moment, then let out a resigned sigh. "Alright… I'll join. But you give me your word that doesn't get out."

Kaito raised his palm. "It's a promise—ya know."

With a soft exhale, Kakashi turned and started walking away toward the village. "Come on, we still need to report to the Hokage."

Kaito fell into step beside him, glancing back toward the gate. "See you guys at six on the field—ya know!" he called.

Kotetsu waved from the booth. "Yeah! Six sharp! We'll be there!"

Hotaru caught up to them, leaning toward Kaito as they walked. "Ano… what did you blackmail Kakashi-senpai with?" she asked curiously.

Kakashi side-eyed them without saying a word.

Kaito chuckled, hands behind his head. "Ah, sorry Hotaru. I can't say. I made a promise—ya know."

They strolled leisurely through the streets of the village, making their way toward the Hokage Tower. As they passed a tea shop, a loud, energetic voice called out to them. "Hey there! Kakashi! Kaito! Hotaru-san!"

The three of them stopped and turned. It was Guy, waving enthusiastically from a table where he sat with Kurenai, Anko, and Asuma.

Kakashi walked over, and Kaito and Hotaru followed behind. "Oh, hey there Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, Anko," Kakashi greeted.

Kaito gave a lazy wave. "Yo."

Hotaru bowed slightly. "Hello."

Guy beamed. "Come! Join us for some dango!"

Kakashi shook his head politely. "No thanks, Guy."

Anko leaned forward with a grin, biting into a skewer of dango with frightening force. "Hey there, gaki. You too, princess."

Hotaru gave a small smile, trying not to glare.

Kurenai tilted her head. "You three just come back from a mission?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. We're on our way to give our report to the Hokage."

Kaito looked at Guy with a grin. "Hey, Guy-san. You wanna join us for a five-a-side football game later? Around six?"

Guy's eyes lit up instantly. "Football?! YOSH! What a youthful activity! I shall join to fan the flames of my youth!"

He turned dramatically to Kakashi. "Kakashi, my eternal rival—are you joining as well?!"

Kakashi let out a long-suffering sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I'm in."

Kaito turned to Kurenai and Anko. "You guys coming too?"

Kurenai shook her head politely. "No thank you. I've already got plans for later."

Anko shrugged, chewing on a skewer of dango. "Eh, I don't know. Might show up if I'm free." She paused, eyes flicking toward him. "You inviting Tenzo?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, if he's available. You know how ANBU hours are." As he spoke, he casually reached over and took one of her dango skewers.

Anko froze mid-bite, her eyes narrowing as she slowly turned her head to him. She stood up. "Who said you could take one of my dangos, gaki?" she growled, glaring at him.

Kaito, completely unfazed, raised an eyebrow. "Like that time you stole mine? Bought two dozen, ran off, and left me with the bill—don't think I forgot, ya know."

Anko huffed but sat back down, half-smirking. "Touché."

Meanwhile, Asuma had been watching Kaito intently from across the table. Kaito had noticed but kept ignoring it. 'Why's he staring like that?' he thought. 'Don't tell me he's out for revenge for dragging Hiruzen's name through the mud… Troublesome.'

Asuma leaned forward slightly, his voice serious as he asked, "Are you Kaito Uzumaki?"

The question made the entire table fall silent. All eyes turned to Kaito.

Kaito turned toward him, keeping his face neutral. "Yeah… that's me."

Asuma stood up and walked over, stopping just in front of Kaito.

Anko tensed. "Asuma..." she said cautiously.

Guy's stance shifted, ready to step in if needed.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Something you need, Asuma-san?"

Asuma looked him in the eye, then nodded slowly. "You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that. Not many would challenge the Hokage's authority. I just wanted to meet the kid my old man talked about." His expression softened into a small grin.

Kaito blinked, surprised. 'Huh… guess he's a pretty chill guy. Still… what exactly did the hiruzen tell him about me?'

He let out a chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Oh? Thought I was about to get chewed out, ya know."

Asuma chuckled, reaching for another skewer of dango. "Save it for the field. If you still need players, I'm in."

Kaito nodded. "Sure. Just check in with Guy-san—he knows the spot."

Kakashi slipped his book back into his pocket and stood up. "Well, we should get going. Gotta report to Lady Tsunade. See you all later."

Guy pumped a fist in the air with a grin. "Yosh! My flames of youth will blaze bright tonight!"

Kaito and Hotaru nodded, quickly catching up with Kakashi as they left the shop and headed toward the Hokage Tower.

…

Kaito walked lazily behind the group as they made their way toward the Hokage's office.

When they reached the secretary's desk, Kakashi stepped forward and asked, "Shizune, is Lady Hokage free right now?"

Shizune looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "Ah—Kakashi, Kaito-kun, Hotaru-chan. Yes, Lady Tsunade is free right now. Come on, I'll take you to her."

She stood and walked around the desk to lead them down the hallway.

As they approached the office, Kaito raised an eyebrow. He could sense a familiar chakra signature from inside. 'Huh… why is Mom here?'

Shizune opened the door to the Hokage's office and stepped aside. "Lady Tsunade, Team Kakashi is here."

Inside, Tsunade looked up from behind her desk, a bento box in hand. "Ah, you three are back."

Shizune nodded and quietly closed the door behind them as she left.

Kushina, who had been seated across from Tsunade, lit up the moment she saw them. In a flash, she was at Kaito's side, hugging both him and Hotaru tightly. "Kai-kun! Hotaru-chan! Welcome back, ya know!"

Kaito hugged her back with a smile. "Hey, Mom. What are you doing here?"

Hotaru chuckled warmly. "It's good to be back, Lady Kushina."

Kushina let go of them and grinned. "I was bored at home, so I brought lunch, ya know." Then she turned to Kakashi. "Good to see you too, Kakashi."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head with a sheepish eye-smile. "It's good to see you too, Kushina-nee."

Tsunade set her bento down with a sigh and cleared her throat. "Kushina, could you let them give their mission report?"

Kushina smiled sheepishly. "Ah—right!" She walked back to her seat and sat down.

Tsunade looked expectantly at Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded. "Right, Lady Hokage," he said, then began giving his debrief.

Kaito paid him no mind, wandering over to where Kushina sat and settling onto the armrest of her chair.

Kushina smiled warmly and held out her chopsticks, offering him a piece of ebi tempura. "Here, Kai-kun. Eat, ya know."

Kaito leaned in and took a bite without hesitation.

As Kakashi continued his mission report, Tsunade tried her best to stay focused—but her left eye twitched as she watched Kushina casually feeding her son in the middle of a debrief. They were completely ignoring the rest of the room.

Kakashi finished, his own left eye twitching slightly. "That's all, my lady."

Tsunade sighed, finally tearing her gaze away from Kaito and Kushina. "I see." She picked up her bento again. "So… the Hidden Cloud is probing our borders?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. My guess is they're testing how we'll respond."

Tsunade nodded again, thoughtful. "Then we'll need to increase patrols at the land of lightning's border. Alright, if that's everything, you're free to go."

Kakashi gave a respectful nod and bow. "Then I'll take my leave."

Before he could turn away, Kushina beamed. "Hey, why don't you three join us for lunch?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "No, thank you, Kushina-nee. I've got somewhere to be."

Kushina nodded, then looked to Kaito and Hotaru. "What about you two? I brought enough for everyone, ya know."

Kaito shrugged from where he sat beside her. "Might as well."

Hotaru glanced at Tsunade. "Ano… if you don't mind, Lady Hokage?"

Tsunade swallowed a bite of rice and shook her head. "I don't mind. I actually wanted to speak with you anyway." She gestured to the chair in front of her. "Sit."

As Hotaru moved to sit, Kaito looked back at Kakashi and called out, "Don't forget, Kakashi—six o'clock."

Kakashi waved as he headed for the door. "Yeah, yeah. I won't."

Just as he opened the door, Kaito added with a smirk, "Oh, and say hi to Kahyō for me."

Kakashi froze mid-step, slowly turning back. "Kahyō? I… don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, sure." Kaito grinned, tossing him a small scroll. "But next time, maybe use a privacy seal when you're with her. Haku looked traumatized, ya know."

Kakashi caught the scroll midair, stared at it… Then let out a long sigh.

Kushina beamed at him. "I'm happy for you, Kakashi! Don't forget to invite me to the wedding—ya know!"

Kakashi choked on air, mumbled something that vaguely resembled "Yes, ma'am," and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Hotaru, now seated across from Tsunade, accepted a bento box from Kushina with a soft smile. "Thank you, Lady Kushina. Um… what is it you wanted to speak with me about, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade set her own bento aside, opened a drawer, and pulled out a folder. She handed it to Hotaru.

Hotaru opened it and blinked in surprise. Inside was a formal evaluation file with her name on it. She looked up, confused. "This is…?"

Tsunade nodded. "Your sensei, Kaito, Kakashi, and your father have all recommended you for jonin promotion." She tapped the folder. "That's their assessment of your skills and qualities. I've read it—and I agree. I think you're ready."

Hotaru's eyes widened. She quickly stood and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade waved her off. "Don't thank me yet, kid. You've got one more hurdle. You'll be leading a team of chunin on an A-rank mission. That'll be your jonin assessment. If you pull it off, the rank is yours. You've got a month to prepare."

Hotaru nodded firmly. "I'll do my best!"

Kaito leaned over and side-hugged her. "Give 'em hell."

Hotaru flushed a little and smiled. "Thanks, Kai-kun…"

Kushina grinned as her gaze drifted between the two of them. "So… when are you two finally going to start dating, ya know?"

Hotaru nearly dropped her cup. "W-We—Lady Kushina, I—I mean—!"

Kaito shrugged casually. "Eh, maybe in the next few years—ya know?"

Hotaru's cheeks turned bright red as she looked at him."Kai-kun…"

Kushina gaped. "Next few years?! Kaito, don't joke about her feelings, ya know!"

Tsunade snorted. "Kid, you'd better move faster. A good girl like Hotaru won't wait forever."

Kaito raised his hands in defense, his expression serious despite the teasing. "I'm not joking. I'm not as oblivious to her feelings as you think, ya know." He smiled and added, "Plus… I like Hotaru too. And I know I'm lucky she likes me. I mean—how many guys get to fall for their best friend, ya know?"

Hotaru blushed even harder, quickly ducking her head to look at her bento box, trying to hide the growing smile on her lips.

"But," Kaito continued, "I think we're still young, ya know. Maybe when we're older."

Then, looking at Hotaru, he asked gently, "Are you okay with that?"

Still rosy-cheeked, Hotaru smiled and nodded as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah… I'm okay with that."

'As long as it's you, Kai-kun,' she thought quietly.

Kushina sighed, half-teasing, half-relieved. "Ah, I'm finally relieved, ya know. I was starting to think you swung the other way with how long you kept ignoring Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru stifled a giggle behind her hand.

Kaito's eye twitched. "Mom…"

But just then, his expression shifted. His eyes widened slightly as the memories from one of his shadow clones hit him.

Without another word, he stood up abruptly. "I have to go. I'll see you guys later."

Before anyone could respond, Kaito vanished, teleporting away.

Tsunade stared at the now-empty spot where he'd been. She pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, exasperated, "What now…?" Then she turned to Kushina with a sigh. "I really hope your son doesn't bring me another headache. I swear, he's going to be the death of me one day."

…

In the safehouse—once used by Minato to shelter Kushina, Naruto, and Kaito during the Nine-Tails attack—two of Kaito's shadow clones stood over a desk, closely examining the results of their latest experiment.

On the desk, a pig lay still, alive but frozen in place under a stasis seal.

Just then, the original Kaito landed silently on a mat behind them, crouched low. He stood up and walked over to the desk, eyes narrowing as he looked at the setup.

"You're sure the results are accurate?" he asked.

One of the clones nodded.

"Yeah. We double-checked everything. V25's a success. Why are you even asking? You already got our memories, right?" He handed over the diagnostic report he was holding.

Kaito nodded. "Yeah… still gotta see it with my own eyes." Kaito took the report and skimmed through it, nodding slowly.

The other clone, standing near the pig, spoke up. "We've got one more tag left. You can see it for yourself."

The clone by the pig nodded back, pulling out a kunai. He muttered quietly, "Sorry," and stabbed the pig cleanly in the side. The pig didn't flinch—the stasis seal held it frozen in time.

The second clone stepped forward and quickly placed a seal tag onto the pig's head. Both clones immediately backed away.

Kaito raised his hand, forming a half-Tiger hand seal. He activated the seal.

The tag glowed a vibrant green.

Kaito felt it immediately—the flow of Sage chakra surging from the seal and into the pig's body. The energy pulsed steadily, wrapping the animal in a gentle warmth.

Within seconds, the pig's wound began to close. Flesh knitted together. Vital signs stabilized.

And—most importantly—it didn't turn to stone.

The pig stirred slightly, fully healed, completely intact.

Kaito stared at it, frozen.

Then he suddenly leapt into the air. "Yatta!" he shouted, eyes wide with pure joy. "It finally worked!"

He grabbed both clones by the shoulders and started bouncing in place. "It worked—it actually worked! Twenty-five tries, and we cracked it! Ya know!"

This was it. The 25th iteration of the healing seal he'd been designing to heal his mother. Every version before this had failed—every subject turned to stone the moment Sage chakra entered their body.

But this one… this one succeeded.

Kaito finally calmed down and released the clones, breathing deeply.

One of the clones looked at him seriously. "So… next stage is human trials?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah… but first, we need new tags. These ones aren't reusable. We'll have to make four of them."

The other clone let out a small sigh. "So we're looking at another four months then. What should I do with the pig?"

Kaito glanced over at the now-conscious animal and smiled softly. "Set him free—ya know. He deserves that much. Let him live the rest of his life in peace."

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