Kaito chapter 39
Feeling a wave of emotion, Kushina got up from her seat and hugged Kaito tightly. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered.
After a moment, she released him and ruffled his hair playfully. "Okay, I'll allow you to graduate early. But only if your friends are graduating with you."
The rest of the night passed by in a blur as they discussed Kaito's plans. But one thing was for sure - he was determined to become stronger and protect his family at all costs.
…
The sun had just risen, casting a warm glow over the village of Konoha, life in the Uzumaki residence was bustling with activity. It was the 10th of October, a day that held both significance and sadness for the family. One year had passed since the Nine Tails attack and the death of Minato, but it was also the birthday of their son Naruto, who was turning one.
But before celebrating, there was an important visit to be made. Kaito emerged from his room dressed in black funeral attire, ready to pay respects to his father at the Konoha cemetery. His mother Kushina was already waiting for him in the living room, also dressed in somber black garments.
"I'm all set mom...are you ready yet?" Kaito asked, joining her in the living room.
"I think so... just need this cute little thing," Kushina replied, holding up baby Naruto who was clad in a small suit of black.She nuzzled her face against his, making him giggle in delight.
With Naruto giggling in her arms, After locking up their home, they made their way to the Konoha cemetery where Minato's grave lay. Today was made into a holiday in Konoha so that everyone could mourn and remember those who had fallen in the tragic event.
It had been over two and a half months since Kushina had agreed to let him graduate early with his friends. Kaito's prediction had come true - he, along with Itachi and Hotaru, had been offered the chance to skip years at the academy and be promoted to the graduating class for this term. To no one's surprise, they were all at the top of their class; Kaito and Itachi sharing the first place spot, with Hotaru close behind in second.
However, with this promotion came some unexpected disadvantages. For one, they were no longer allowed to skip class as they pleased. Kaito was especially restricted in this aspect - when he was at school, he had to leave his clones behind to continue their training. And since he couldn't skip the academy anymore, Kaito saw it as a waste of time; instead, he used the class time to study medical ninjutsu - a subject not taught at the academy.
Surprisingly, the teachers didn't seem to mind - after all, Kaito had the joint highest score in the class. Hotaru also took advantage of this extra time by sending a shadow clone to train with Kaito's clones. Despite the setbacks, they were determined to make the most of their accelerated education and become even stronger ninjas.
Kaito had received the scrolls on medical ninjutsu from Kakashi during one of their intense training sessions. It had only been a week since he was given the opportunity to skip a grade,
As they finished their sparring session, Kaito dropped to the ground, panting heavily. He looked up at Kakashi with a hopeful glint in his eye, waiting for his evaluation. "So how did I do?" he asked between breaths.
Kakashi studied him for a moment before answering, "You managed to incorporate those water style ninjutsu into your fighting style quite well. Your speed and taijutsu have also improved significantly. I would say your skills are somewhere between high-chunin and borderlining jonin." With that, Kakashi turned to walk away.
Satisfied with his performance, Kaito sat up and called out to Kakashi as he started to walk away. "Hey, Kakashi..."
Hearing his name, Kakashi hummed in response and turned back to face Kaito.
"Do you know medical ninjutsu?" asked Kaito eagerly. "Could you teach it to me?"
Kakashi paused for a moment before replying, "I'm not very good at medical ninjutsu...but I can get you some scrolls on it."
The next time they met, Kakashi had brought scrolls containing information on medical ninjutsu techniques, theories, and books on the matter. Kaito was determined to learn this branch of ninjutsu so he could find a way to cure his mother, Kushina. He didn't want to rely solely on Tsunade, as there was no guarantee she would heal her.
In addition to studying on his own, Kaito had also tasked his shadow clones with learning medical ninjutsu. With their combined efforts, progress was being made quickly. However, despite reading through the theory scrolls multiple times, Kaito hadn't yet attempted to use the Shōsen Jutsu technique.
As he sat in class reading the medical books, Hotaru and Itachi were curious about his new focus of study and would often ask him questions about it during their breaks in class.
In addition to his foray into medical ninjutsu, Kaito had recently accomplished the feat of extracting water from the air. However, it required a significant amount of time and concentration, and he was still far from filling even a single cup. Currently, he could only manage a few drops per hour, but progress is progress.
With his newfound ability to extract water from the air, Kaito had entrusted the third step of water nature manipulation to his clones. As for himself, he had moved on to working on his second nature transformation - lightning release.
Kakashi had taught him the first step - crinkling a leaf - which proved to be much more challenging than the water nature exercise. When Kaito asked Kakashi about it, he had explained, "It's because lightning is your secondary nature. It won't be as easy as your primary nature water...and wind would be even harder as it is your tertiary nature. The less aptitude you have for a certain nature, the more difficult it will be."
On this particular day, Kaito was training alone while his friends Hotaru and Itachi were busy with their respective clans. As usual, he was at the training ground frequented by him and Kakashi. He was in the midst of his dodging exercises when he suddenly felt the presence of someone watching him.
Quickly removing his blindfold, Kaito called out, "I know you're there," pointing towards a specific direction. It was subtle - they were actively suppressing their chakra - but Kaito's heightened senses allowed him to detect their presence nonetheless.
Kaito's eyes snapped to attention as a man with a bandage covering his left eye emerged from the shadows. He immediately went into high alert mode, recognizing the man as Danzo Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi's boyfriend and a highly influential figure in the village.
"You detected my presence, impressive," Danzo remarked with a calculating gaze. "You have quite the potential."
Kaito played it cool, acting as if he didn't know who Danzo was. "Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
Danzo's lips curled into a sly smile. "Who I am is not important. But I've been keeping an eye on you," he replied, his tone dripping with secrecy.
This only made Kaito more wary. "Watching me? Why?" he questioned, his mind racing with possibilities. he thought to himself." Could Danzo have been spying on him, his mother and Naruto?"
As if reading his thoughts, Danzo calmly stated, "I have something that could help your mother. A special medicine that only I possess."
Kaito's mind immediately jumped to the legendary Hashirama cells, known for their healing properties. He knew that Danzo had been trying to obtain them for years, but had yet to succeed in obtaining stable cells. Even if they could cure his mother, Kaito couldn't trust someone like Danzo.
"What do you want in return?" he asked cautiously.
Danzo merely nodded, his smirk growing wider. "You must join me, become my ally."
Kaito knew exactly what Danzo meant by "join me." He was referring to Root, the secret organization that served under Danzo's command. The idea of joining such a ruthless group made Kaito uneasy.
"Join you?" Kaito repeated incredulously.
Danzo's smirk turned into a cold frown. "Yes, join me and help me achieve my goals. In return, your mother will be saved."
Kaito shook his head, his resolve firm. "I can't trust you. I don't even know you… So No thank you," he stated firmly.
Danzo's expression hardened as he replied, "I see. It was a mistake to offer you this opportunity. You are not worthy of it." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves,
Later that day as they sat down for dinner, Kushina noticed that Kaito was uncharacteristically quiet. Concerned, she asked, "What's wrong, Kaito-kun? What's on your mind?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kaito proceeded to tell her about the person he had met and the offer he had been given. His words were laced with uncertainty and hesitation.
Kushina's expression turned grave as she warned him, "Don't trust that man, Kaito."
Curious, Kaito asked if she knew who he was. With a furrowed brow, she revealed her suspicion that it was Danzo - one of the elders of Konoha known for his shady dealings.
Later that week, during a sparing session with Kakashi, Kaito shared his encounter with Danzo. Without hesitation, Kakashi urged him not to trust the man and explained how he and Minato never saw eye to eye.
Kaito had confided in Kakashi because he wanted to ensure that others knew about Danzo approaching him. He couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that lingered whenever he thought about their meeting.
Currently, Kaito walked slowly beside his mother, their feet crunching on the gravel path as they made their way to the Konoha cemetery. It was a somber day, marked by a memorial event held by the village to remember the tragic events that had occurred. As they reached the entrance of the cemetery, Kaito's gaze fell upon the rows of gravestones and he couldn't help but feel a heavy weight in his chest.
Together, Kaito and his mother walked towards the Hokage stone at the back of the cemetery, where they placed their offerings. Kushina knelt down in front of the stone, her hand gently caressing the carved name of her late husband. "It's been a while, Minato," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "We really miss you."
She then turned to face Naruto, who was being cradled in her arms. "Naru-chan, want to say hi?" she asked softly, holding him up towards the picture of his father. "He can be a handful sometimes, you know... Today naru-chan is turning 1," she continued, tears forming in her eyes. "We're having a small party to celebrate."
Kaito stood beside them, listening to his mother speak. He glanced around and noticed that people were staring at them, some with curious gazes while others glared at them. Kaito couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under their scrutiny and wondered why they were looking at them like that.
Feeling the need to also pay his respects, Kaito stepped forward and placed his own offering on the stone. "We miss you, dad," he said quietly before stepping back.
As they stood there in silence for a moment longer, Kaito couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. But he pushed it aside as he remembered his mother telling him about how his father would have loved to meet baby Naruto and how they were having a birthday celebration for him today.
As they walked away from the somber surroundings of the cemetery, Kushina's eyes lit up. "Let's go get Naruto his first taste of ramen!" she declared, pulling Kaito along towards Ichiraku Ramen. Kaito couldn't help but sweatdrop at her enthusiasm, knowing that Naruto had inherited his mother's love for ramen.
However, as they made their way through the crowded streets, kushina noticed some people openly glaring at them. she shifted uncomfortably and finally kaito asked, "Mom, do you know why some of them are staring at us like that?"
Kushina shook her head. "I don't know, let's just ignore them," she replied with a forced smile. But Kaito's mind was racing, wondering if Danzo or someone else had done something to cause this hostility towards them. He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as they continued towards Ichiraku Ramen, wondering what could be causing these glares. "Did Danzo do something?" he thought to himself.
Kaito was aware that Danzo refrained from taking any action until Naruto reached the age of four, As they approached the ramen stand, two chunin stepped in their path, blocking their way.
the Chunin's voice boomed through the streets as he shouted at Kushina, his finger pointed accusingly at her. "You...it's your fault, isn't it? The Nine Tails attack." He sneered at her, not even attempting to hide his disgust. "And you have the audacity to walk around as if it never happened."
Kushina stood frozen, her trembling hand reaching to push her son Kaito behind her. She stammered, unable to form a coherent response.
As they passed by, one of the passing shinobi spoke up. "Hold on a minute. Show some respect. Lady Kushina is the wife of the Fourth Hokage."
the other Chunin sneered and retorted, "Hokage's wife or not, she is still the reason for the attack on the village. She probably seduced the Hokage. She's nothing more than a whore-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Kaito had already punched him, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
He quickly turned his attention to the other chunin and delivered a swift kick, followed by a series of punches that knocked him unconscious.
Meanwhile, the Chunin who had called kushina a whore was just recovering from Kaito's punch when the latter proceeded to beat him mercilessly."Never... talk... to... her... like that... ever again... you ungrateful piece of shit!" Kaito punctuated each word with a punch, filled with anger and protectiveness towards his mother.
Tears welled up in Kushina's eyes as she begged Kaito to stop. "Kaito...please..." But before anything else could happen, a wave of intense pain washed over her and she dropped to her knees.
Kaito immediately rushed to her side, taking his crying brother Naruto from her arms and cradling him gently. "Mom...are you okay?" He looked at her with concern and worry in his eyes.
Kushina could only nod weakly as she struggled to catch her breath, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. In that moment, all Kaito could do was hold onto Naruto and offer comfort to his mother, as they both endured the pain and judgment of others.
As the chaos settled, a Konoha police officer approached the scene and upon seeing a bloodied chunin, he immediately questioned, "What happened here?" The shinobi who had defended Kushina quickly explained the events that had transpired. Nodding in understanding, the officer declared, "We will take it from here," and proceeded to arrest the chunins involved.
With her pain now subsiding, Kushina turned to Kaito with a reassuring smile and said, "I'm okay...baby." Kaito nodded.
The officer approached them and asked, "Do you need any assistance, ma'am?" Kushina shook her head and replied, "No, it's fine. Are we allowed to leave?" The officer responded with a nod, saying, "Hai, you are free to go." The tension lifted as they were given permission to depart from the chaotic scene.
After finally soothing her pain, Kushina tenderly cradled Naruto in her arms and gently cooed to him, "It's okay, Naru-chan...it's all okay now." The three of them made their way back home in a heavy silence, both lost in their own thoughts and emotions.
Once they arrived, Kaito spoke up to comfort his mother, "Don't think about those ungrateful idiots, Mom." With a small smile, Kushina ruffled his hair and planted a kiss on his forehead, "I won't...especially since I have my little protector right here with me." Kaito couldn't help but blush at being called that.
"Let's get started on the cake," he said eagerly, breaking the somber mood. "It's Naruto's birthday, ya know."
"Hai," replied Kushina as she shifted Naruto in her arms. "Let's make the best cake for our naru-chan."
Together, they worked on making a delicious cake for the small celebration later that night. Mikoto had arrived with her two sons Itachi and baby Sasuke, while Kakashi also joined in on the festivities and brought a stuffed animal for Naruto.
As everyone settled into bed for the night, Kaito couldn't help but worry. "I'll have to increase the number of clones watching over Mom and Naruto just to be safe," he thought.
He knew it was Danzo who had caused all this chaos. "I know it was you who did this...and most likely because I rejected your offer," he seethed as he stared up at the ceiling. "Just you wait, you arrogant shit...I'll make you regret ever crossing us." But for now, there wasn't much he could do except keep a close eye on his family.
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