Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 165
Hinata fiddled with her fingers. "I-It's… well, um…"
They chatted for a while, with Kaito mostly asking about her training and Hinata occasionally asking about his missions.
Then, suddenly—
Kaito's head snapped up, his senses tingling.
He had felt it. Someone was watching them.
Hinata flinched at his sudden movement. "A-Ano… Kaito-sempai? What's wrong?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the direction of the presence, scanning the dark forest. He couldn't see anything, but something was there.
Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and entered his imperfect Sage Mode.
His senses expanded instantly. He could feel everything—Naruto, Itachi, Hotaru, Hana, and Izumi, all with their respective groups.
But nothing else.
Hinata's worried voice broke his focus. "A-Ano… what's wrong?"
Kaito opened his eyes, looking at the exact spot where he had sensed the presence before it vanished. "It's nothing, Hinata. Just a rabbit, that's all."
But in his mind, he wasn't convinced.
'I know there was someone watching us. Maybe Zetsu? No… if it was Zetsu, I would've sensed him in Sage Mode.'
His gaze flickered back to Hinata, a new thought creeping into his mind.
'Could it have been him?'
His eyes narrowed as he looked up at the moon, deep in thought.
…
The sun shone brightly over the forest, casting dappled light through the thick canopy. It was early afternoon, and the humid air made the long trek feel even more exhausting.
Kaito yawned lazily as he walked ahead of the group. This was the third day of the training exercise, and while he wasn't exactly tired, the slow pace was getting a little dull.
They were heading back to the Hidden Leaf Village at a relaxed pace after successfully retrieving one of the hidden scrolls from the Stone Face of Warudakumi. The mission's goal was simple—bring the scroll back to the village. The first team to return with their scroll would win.
From the back of the group, Shikamaru let out a groan. "Man, how much longer are we gonna keep walking before we reach the village?" His voice carried that familiar tone of exhaustion, his face set in a grumpy scowl.
Kaito stopped and turned to face them, glancing over the group. "If we keep this pace, we'll be there in about an hour," he said casually.
He noticed right away that both Shikamaru and Sakura looked dead on their feet, clearly drained from walking all day. The only one who didn't seem fazed was Hinata, but that made sense—she had been joining Naruto and Karin in training with him from time to time.
Kaito scratched the back of his head before shrugging. "Well, might as well take a break for a few minutes. Besides, it's almost lunchtime, ya know?"
Shikamaru immediately sighed in relief before dropping to the ground, sprawled out on his back as he stared up at the sky. "Man… I should've come up with an excuse to skip this stupid exercise. What a drag…"
Sakura flopped onto the ground as well, her expression visibly relieved.
Hinata quietly sat beside her, folding her hands in her lap as they naturally formed a small circle in the clearing.
Kaito sat down with them, leaning back on his hands. "You guys better get used to this," he said, smirking. "Once you graduate, this is gonna be your life most of the time—walking for hours on end during missions."
He pulled out a scroll from his pouch, unrolling it on the ground before pressing his hand to the seal. In a small puff of smoke, a few bowls of food appeared, still warm and smelling delicious.
Shikamaru sighed again, shaking his head. "Tch. Troublesome…"
Kaito ignored him and handed everyone a bowl. "Here, katsudon. My mom made it, so dig in."
Hinata accepted the bowl from Kaito with a small bow. "Ano… Kaito-sempai, aren't we supposed to make our own food?" she asked hesitantly.
Kaito nodded as he handed over the last bowl. "Huh? Yeah, but you guys look exhausted. I doubt you have the energy to hunt and cook lunch right now." He smirked. "Besides, I've already taught you how to do that, and you've been doing it for the past three days. I figured we could treat ourselves to some good food, ya know?"
Sakura took her bowl as well, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sensei." She had taken to calling him that after he asked her to stop using "sama" when addressing him.
Just as he was about to hand Shikamaru his bowl, he pulled it back slightly and tilted his head. "Unless… you three want to make your own meal?"
Shikamaru sat up immediately and took the bowl from Kaito's hand without hesitation. "Troublesome…" he muttered under his breath before digging in.
Kaito unsealed a bowl for himself and continued, "And this also demonstrates the practicality of my stasis storage seal."
Sakura took a bite and hummed in delight. "This is really good… and how is it still hot?"
Shikamaru, still chewing, lazily gestured toward the scroll. "Like he said, the seal keeps whatever's stored in it in the exact same condition as when it was sealed."
Kaito nodded as he took a bite of katsu and rice. "Yep. Time doesn't flow inside the seal, so food doesn't spoil or lose its heat. That's why it's still warm."
Sakura looked intrigued. "That seal sounds really useful… I wonder where I can get one?"
Kaito shrugged. "You can buy them in the village at weapon shops. They're usually expensive, but I'll give you guys one, ya know? Think of it as a memento."
Hinata swallowed her bite before glancing at the seal in Kaito's hand. "Ano… does the seal work on people?" she asked hesitantly.
Kaito looked at her, tilting his head. "You mean injured people?"
She nodded.
Shaking his head, he replied, "No, you can't seal living beings inside a scroll. They'd die." He paused, then added, "But there is a seal that does something similar. Well… not exactly the same, but close. It keeps an injured person from dying by slowing down their vital functions and blood flow—basically putting them in a stasis state. Depending on the injury, the seal can keep them alive long enough to get to a medical ninja."
He leaned back slightly. "It just finished the testing phase, and soon, it'll be a mandatory addition for critical missions."
Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow… that seal could be a game-changer!"
Shikamaru nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah. Having something like that would give Konoha an edge over other nations."
Sakura grinned. "I bet Lady Tsunade was the one who created it! Man, she's so amazing."
At that, Kaito's eye twitched slightly. Tsunade's getting the credit for my seal? Seriously?
Hinata fidgeted slightly, looking between Sakura and Shikamaru. "Ano… I don't think Lady Tsunade was the one who created it," she said quietly.
Both Sakura and Shikamaru turned to her in surprise.
Even Kaito blinked, caught off guard. Wait… did Hinata figure it out?
Hinata immediately ducked her head under their stares, her fingers fidgeting slightly with the edge of her sleeve.
Sakura tilted her head, confused. "Huh? What do you mean, Hinata? It has to be Lady Tsunade! She's the best medical ninja in the world! Back me up here, Shikamaru. It's gotta be her, right?"
Shikamaru frowned slightly, thinking it over. "Well… it makes sense that the creator would need both sealing and medical knowledge." He then turned to Hinata. "So, if not Tsunade, who do you think made it?"
Hinata hesitated for a moment before glancing at Kaito. "Ano… it was either Kaito-sempai or Aunt Kushina," she answered softly.
Kaito's eyes widened slightly. How the hell did she figure that out?!
There's no way Hotaru could've told her… and even she doesn't know I made that seal. Damn, Hinata's really sharp…
Sakura turned back to Kaito, staring at him with wide eyes before shifting her gaze back to Hinata. "Wait… you think Kaito-sensei created the seal?"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Kaito, looking thoughtful as he pieced things together.
Kaito, however, ignored the scrutinizing look and instead focused on Hinata, tilting his head in confusion. "Huh? What makes you say that, Hinata-chan?"
Hinata fidgeted slightly, her fingers curling around the edge of her sleeve. "Ano… I know that you can use medical ninjutsu, and you and Lady Kushina are really good at seals—probably the best…" She hesitated, gathering her courage before continuing. "A-And… my sister and father told me that you were the one who saved Mother when she gave birth to Hanabi-chan. They said that if it weren't for you… she would have d-died that day. Even when the doctors couldn't save her, you did."
Kaito blinked, then nodded as realization dawned on him. Oh, so that's what gave it away…
Grinning, he leaned back slightly. "Well, you're absolutely right, Hina-chan. I did create the seal."
He reached into his pouch, pulled out a scroll, and unsealed a small box of cinnamon rolls with a soft poof. Smirking, he held it out to her. "Here, this is your reward for guessing correctly, ya know."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly, surprised. "Ano… for me?"
Before she could take one, Sakura pouted as she eyed the cinnamon rolls. "Hey! How come only Hinata gets cinnamon rolls? That's not fair!"
Shikamaru frowned but didn't say anything, though his eyes flickered toward the sweet treats with mild interest.
Kaito shook his head, feigning disappointment. "Both of you didn't have faith in me. Only my kohai here believed I was the one who created the seal, so she deserves a reward." His smirk widened slightly as he teased them.
Sakura groaned. "But—but we don't know you like she does!"
Hinata looked between Shikamaru and Sakura before offering the box of cinnamon rolls. "Ano… I don't mind sharing."
Sakura's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Hinata nodded, and Sakura beamed. "Thank you, Hinata!" she said happily as she took one.
Kaito just shook his head, smiling as the three of them shared the food, chatting casually as they enjoyed their break.
After finishing their meal and resting for a few more minutes, Kaito stretched and stood up. "Alright, we should get going. If we tree-hop, we can reach the village before sunset, ya know."
The three academy students nodded in unison. "Hai!"
With that, Kaito leaped onto a tree branch, leading them toward the village.
As they neared the village, Kaito suddenly paused on a tree branch and raised his fist—a silent signal for the others to stop.
Hinata, Sakura, and Shikamaru immediately halted on nearby branches, looking toward him.
Kaito's eyes widened slightly as he focused on what he was sensing. 'Wait… those two just appeared out of nowhere. Where did they come from?' His gaze sharpened in the direction ahead. 'But their chakra signatures… they feel familiar.'
Shikamaru tensed, his eyes scanning the area. "What's wrong? Is it enemy ninja?"
Hinata looked at Kaito with concern, while Sakura nervously glanced around, trying to spot any threats.
Kaito didn't answer immediately. Instead, he quickly created a shadow clone and left it with the three.
"Wait here. I'll be back."
Without another word, Kaito body flickered toward the unfamiliar—but familiar—chakra signatures.
…..
Near the Village Hidden in the Leaves Suddenly, a bright yellow light burst In the Sky over the forest, illuminating the treetops below.
From within the light, two figures tumbled down toward the earth.
One was a man clad in gray with a cloak, his body falling backward toward the ground.
The other was a blond-haired boy, around Kaito's age, with bright blue eyes. Unlike the man, he flailed wildly as he plummeted, yelling—
"AHHHHH!"
Both of them crashed into the dense forest below.
The man landed hard on his back with a grunt. "Uhhah—!"
The boy, however, had the misfortune of landing face-first into the dirt.
Groaning, he pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Ow… ahhh…"
Beside him, the man let out another grunt as he sat up, clutching his left eye.
The boy quickly crawled over, concern flashing across his face. "Sasuke! Are you okay?"
Sasuke, still breathing heavily, grit his teeth. "My chakra… Urashiki took most of it."
The boy glanced around the unfamiliar forest, his brows furrowed. "I don't sense Urashiki anywhere… but where are we?"
Sasuke, still catching his breath, pushed himself up into a kneeling position. "We need to check the area nearby."
The boy looked down at the strange turtle-shaped device in his hand, frowning. He tapped it a few times before shaking it. "What did this thing do?" Then, turning to Sasuke, he asked, "You think this thing is the reason we're here?"
Sasuke gave a tired nod. "Probably… yeah."
A Few Meters Away Perched atop a tree branch, Kaito observed the scene with narrowed eyes.
'That's definitely Sasuke… I can sense his chakra. He looks older… and his left eye—it's a Rinnegan.'
His gaze shifted to the blond-haired boy beside him. 'And that kid… his chakra feels similar to Naruto's. It's faint, but I can sense a trace of Kurama's chakra in him.'
His thoughts raced as he tried to piece it together.
'Is that Naruto's kid—Boruto? But what are they doing here? In the past?'
Kaito quickly flipped through his mental archive, trying to recall any reason why they would appear in this timeline.
Wasting no time, he reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a notebook—the one where he had written down everything he remembered about the original timeline.
He flipped through the pages quickly, scanning each entry for anything relevant.
Then—he found it.
A page detailed a critical event:
"Sasuke and Boruto travel to the past to save Genin Naruto from an Otsutsuki."
Kaito's eyes darkened. 'An Otsutsuki…? But this shouldn't happen for another six years.'
His gaze snapped back toward the duo.
'Something's wrong. This is too early.'
Without hesitation, Kaito flickered into the clearing, landing just a few feet away from them.
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