Kaito Chapter 54
Kaito, his body moving at top speed, flicked through the streets towards the Hyuga compound. With each step, his mind raced with thoughts and theories. "It makes sense now, thinking about it," he mused to himself. "In the original timeline, there were so many plot holes. How did the Kumo shinobi infiltrate the Hyuga compound without anyone noticing? And how did they manage to kidnap Hinata without prior knowledge of the layout?" He clenched his fists in frustration.
"And it seems like he had help from inside the village...from Danzo." As he leapt and weaved through the trees, memories flooded his mind. "But didn't that all happen on Hinata's third birthday and the day Neji received the Caged Bird Seal?" Kaito pondered. "Did my interference with Yugito alter the timeline?" The questions raced through his mind as he hurried towards the Hyuga compound, determined change the outcome.
....
The silver glow of the moon illuminated every corner and crevice of Konoha's streets, casting a tranquil aura over the usually bustling village. The biting chill of winter hung in the air, creating an eerie stillness that enveloped the surroundings. In this quietness, a figure moved through the Hyūga compound with deadly precision, making sure to leave no trace of his presence.
Clad in all black, the intruder wore a cloth mask that covered his face, concealing his identity from any potential onlookers. the intruder crept towards a specific bedroom in the house of Head of the Hyūga Clan.
Inside the room, a young Hyuga peacefully slept, unaware of the danger lurking in her midst. The intruder entered carefully, his mind already racing with anticipation. "The intel was accurate," he thought to himself with a sly grin.
Moving closer to the girl's bed, he reached into his pocket and produced a cloth laced with a strong drug. With practiced precision, he placed it over her mouth and nose, causing her to jolt awake in a panic. Before she could react, the powerful sedative took hold of her senses, darkening her vision and rendering her helpless.
As she fell into a deep slumber, the intruder quickly bound her hands and legs, muffling any sounds with a cloth over her mouth. With utmost stealth and caution, he carried the now bound girl out of her house and through the Hyuga compound grounds, determined not to leave any traces behind as he made his escape.
....
Kaito raced through the village with all the stealth he could muster, as he leapt from tree to tree. His destination was the Hyuga compound, and he knew he had to reach it quickly and quietly. It took him around 15 minutes of swift movement to finally reach the perimeter of the compound, all while maintaining his stealth.
As he neared the Hyuga compound, Kaito slowed down and focused on sensing for any signs of the Kumo jonin and 'Root' Anbu. He could feel their presence around the perimeter, and his heart dropped at the thought of what he might find inside. Sure enough, as he entered the compound grounds, he could sense several dead Hyuga guards. "That makes sense," he thought grimly, "as their Byakugan would have alerted them to an intruder. Most likely the 'Root' shinobi that killed them."
Kaito's senses also caught another presence - one that made his blood run cold. The Kumo jonin was making his way out of the compound, carrying a limp figure in his arms. "Hotaru," Kaito whispered, recognizing his teammate's unique chakra signature even in her unconscious state. "He kidnapped Hotaru?" His mind raced through various possibilities as he came to a conclusion - "Hinata is still young, so she must be with her parents."
In the canon timeline, it was supposed to be Hinata who was kidnapped by the Kumo jonin instead of Hotaru. With a determined look in his eyes, Kaito created a shadow clone and dispersed it, sending information about their current situation to his other clones that had gone to get help.
Using his kagura's mind eye ability, Kaito could sense that Hiashi was still fast asleep in his bed. "That's probably for the best," Kaito thought, "He'll likely kill the intruder and cause the same event as in the canon timeline... It's better to deal with him outside of Konoha."
Kaito knew that capturing the Kumo jonin alive was crucial. He sensed the jonin making his way out of the Hyuga compound and heading towards the village. With stealth and precision, Kaito followed from a distance of three kilometers.
Not long after, the 'Root Anbu' also trailed after the Kumo jonin. Kaito couldn't help but think, "Danzo, that selfish bastard, probably wants to recruit Hotaru into his Root organization. He'll use this situation to destabilize Hiruzen's position as Hokage and increase tension between villages... That cunning bastard will then claim the Hokage title by proving Hiruzen incompetent."
As they traveled, Kaito went through all possible reasons as to why Danzo would orchestrate the hyuga affair. After fifteen minutes, the Kumo jonin picked up speed as he made his way out of the village and into the surrounding forest.
Kaito couldn't help think. "There's no way he can make it in or out of Konoha without alerting our barrier division. unless he has help form within the village" The village was surrounded by a giant, dome-shaped barrier that could sense any movement in or out of Konoha - only visible to those with Dojutsu, further proving that Danzo had a hand in this.
...
As one of Kaito's shadow clones made its way towards the Nara compound, it moved swiftly and silently through the darkened streets. The clone had been given strict instructions to remain undetected, and it took approximately 35 minutes to reach the compound without drawing any attention.
The Nara compound sat on the opposite end of the village from Kaito's home, a sprawling estate that served as the heart of the clan's operations. Konoha was a large village, approximately 60 km in diameter, with various clans and ninja living within its boundaries.
As the shadow clone neared his sensei's home, it quickened its pace with urgency. Reaching the front door, it knocked loudly and called out for Shikaku sensei. The knocking stirred Shikaku from his sleep, and he grumbled irritably as he made his way to answer the door.
After several minutes of persistent knocking, Shikaku finally opened the door to reveal a very annoyed man with sleepy eyes. "You better have a good reason for disturbing me at this hour," he muttered.
Without wasting any time, the clone urgently explained the situation. "Sensei, it's urgent. One of the Kumo jonin has kidnapped Hotaru."
Shikaku's expression turned serious upon hearing this news and seeing the urgency in his clone's face. "Troublesome," he muttered under his breath. "Give me a minute."
He disappeared back into his home while Kaito's clone waited anxiously outside. After a short while, Shikaku emerged dressed in his ninja gear and said firmly, "Lead the way and explain everything." As clone lead the way.
...
As Kaito's shadow clone arrived at the Nara compound, another clone made its way to the apartment complex where Kakashi resided. Using their stealth and agility, they quickly scaled the walls until reaching Kakashi's room.
the clone repeatedly knocked on his window, Kakashi lazily opened it and yawned, "Hey, hey...stop that. Why are you here anyway?" He was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt and baggy grey pants, his iconic mask covering most of his face.
The Kaito clone wasted no time in explaining the urgent situation, "Kakashi, I need your help. One of the Kumo jonin has kidnapped my teammate, Hotaru, the heiress of the Hyūga clan." Kakashi's expression turned serious as he listened to Kaito's explanation. Without hesitation, he grabbed his ninja pouch from his desk and leaped out the window, gesturing for Kaito to lead the way and elaborate on what had happened.
...
The clone nodded, his movements fluid as he led the way. He jumped effortlessly onto a nearby rooftop and gestured for his sensei to follow. As they made their way through the village, the clone turned his head towards his sensei and explained the situation. "Mom told us that she was kidnapped by Kumo when she was young," he started, "and our boss had a bad feeling about the recent Kumo envoy. So, he had us shadow clones keep an eye on them." The clone paused, scanning their surroundings before continuing. "A few minutes ago, one of my clones sensed that the Anbu stationed to observe the envoy were killed. The killers were wearing Konoha's Anbu uniform and took their place. Soon after, one of the Kumo diplomats left a shadow clone in his place and snuck into the Hyuga compound. The 'fake' Anbu also followed him." Shikaku's expression grew grim as he processed this information. Kaito didn't mention 'Root' Anbu because it was supposed to be a secret, and he didn't want to explain how he knew about it to his sensei.
"Troublesome," muttered Shikaku under his breath. He turned to the clone and asked, "You said us, are a shadow clone?"
The clone nodded. "Hai, the original has gone after Hotaru and sent us to get help from you and Kakashi."
Shikaku's expression remained serious as he questioned further. "Troublesome. Which way did they go?" and created a shadow clone
The clone pointed in a direction and Shikaku nodded. "Dispel yourself and relay my orders to the original. He is not to engage with Kumo or the anbu, but just follow them. Understood?"
Kaito's shadow clone hesitated but ultimately nodded before disappearing.
Shikaku's shadow clone changed direction towards the center of the village while the real Shikaku rushed towards where Kaito had pointed. Just then, an explosion rang out from outside Konoha in the same direction they were heading.
"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered again, picking up his pace to save his students.
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