Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 167
Then, turning to Sasuke, he added, "As for you, we'll say you're his sensei. Both of you are traveling performers. I'll handle things when we meet Lady Tsunade."
Sasuke nodded. "That should work."
Kaito then looked at them both seriously. "Are you sure you're strong enough to face this guy? From what I saw earlier, you don't seem all that strong. You were drained, and I was going easy on you… especially you." He pointed at Boruto.
Boruto bristled at the remark. "Tch! You just caught us off guard! I could take you on anytime!"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… I don't think so."
Boruto gritted his teeth, annoyed. "Why, you—!"
But before he could finish, they walked into a clearing where three kids stood alongside Kaito's shadow clone.
Kaito waved them off with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, you three. I had to check on them," he said, jerking his thumb toward Sasuke and Boruto while scratching the back of his head.
Shikamaru sighed lazily. "Man, you scared us there. I thought we were about to face enemy ninja or something."
Sakura pouted. "Yeah, sensei! Don't scare us like that!"
Hinata, ever the calm one, softly interjected. "A-Ano… he was just making sure they weren't a threat to us."
….
Kaito yawned and gestured for everyone to follow. "Come on, we're walking back. We're already close to the village."
As they walked, Shikamaru glanced at Kaito with a lazy expression. "So, what got you so worked up? And who are they?"
Kaito introduced Sasuke and Boruto before explaining their cover story to him.
Hinata, walking beside them, frowned slightly. "A-Ano… but if they're not enemies, why did you fight them?"
Kaito glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Were you using your Byakugan?"
Hinata nodded hesitantly.
Kaito chuckled and patted her head. "Nice job, Hina-chan. Good awareness." Then, he sighed. "Well… it was because of me. But I can't really say much. You know, ninja stuff."
Hinata nodded, trusting his judgment.
Meanwhile, Sakura kept sneaking glances at Sasuke.
Eventually, Sasuke, noticing her staring, turned to her. "What?"
Sakura's face flushed red, and she quickly looked away. "N-Nothing!"
Boruto, walking alongside Kaito, raised an eyebrow. "So, what were you guys doing outside the village? Aren't they still in the Academy?"
Kaito glanced at him before explaining. "It's a simulated mission. We had to retrieve a scroll hidden on the Stone Face of Warudakumi."
Boruto blinked. "So… basically a field trip?"
Kaito yawned, stretching his arms. "Something like that."
Soon, they arrived at the village gates, where Iruka was already waiting for them.
"Good, you guys are finally here," Iruka said, crossing his arms.
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Are we the last team to come back?"
Iruka nodded. "Yeah. The first team returned two hours ago."
Kaito scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "Ah… my bad, ya know." He gestured toward Sasuke and Boruto. "We got a little sidetracked."
Then, turning to Shikamaru, Hinata, and Sakura, he gave them a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, guys. Looks like we're the last ones back."
Shikamaru sighed and waved him off. "I don't care. I'm just glad this whole thing is over. So, goodbye—I'm going home to sleep."
Without another word, he started walking toward his house—only for Iruka to grab him by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"Not so fast, Shikamaru. We still have the closing ceremony at the Academy."
Shikamaru groaned. "Can't I just skip it?"
Iruka shook his head firmly. "No."
While Iruka dealt with the students, Kaito walked over to the gate guards to sign in their return.
Standing there were Izumo and Kotetsu, both looking as tired as ever.
"Yo, Kaito," Izumo greeted with a grin. "Been a while."
Kaito grinned back. "Yeah, haven't seen you guys in a while. Were you on a mission or something?"
Izumo sighed, shaking his head. "Nah. Lady Tsunade had us helping at the Hokage Tower."
Kaito smirked. "Hah! I was starting to think you guys had finally given up on being the Eternal Guards of Konoha."
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "Hah hah, very funny, Jonin-sama." He mockingly bowed.
Kaito chuckled. "Just saying, ya know."
Kotetsu nodded, letting out a tired sigh. "We've been stuck at the Hokage Tower ever since Lady Tsunade took office. All she had us doing was paperwork—endless paperwork. It was hell, I tell you. Hell. We finally managed to convince her to give us back our guard duties last month." He looked close to tears by the end of his sentence.
Kaito's eyes welled up in sympathy. "I feel you, bro. I feel you." He released Kotetsu and Izumo from a tight, consoling hug. "She had me doing her paperwork for an entire month, and even when it was over, she never told me—so I just kept doing it, ya know!"
Izumo's bottom lip trembled. "You too, huh?" He dabbed at his eyes, trying not to cry.
Observing this, the rest of the group collectively sweat-dropped.
Sakura looked baffled. "Why are they crying like that? It's only paperwork… right?"
Hinata tilted her head. "A-Ano… is paperwork really that difficult?"
Shikamaru, arms crossed, gave a knowing sigh. "I get it, honestly."
Boruto just shook his head. "Man… what is wrong with these guys?"
Iruka cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Umm, Kaito-san? We really need to get to the Academy."
At that, the three men ended their dramatic moment and composed themselves. Kaito wiped away his tears and pretended as though nothing had happened. "Right. Time to check in."
Izumo flipped through the registry book, then nodded. "You're cleared."
Kotetsu glanced at Sasuke and Boruto. "And these two?"
Kaito pointed. "The blond is Boruto, and the dark-haired one is Ichigo."
Izumo jotted their names down. "Have either of you been here before?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No. It's our first time."
Kotetsu handed them each a slip of paper. "You'll need to fill these out. Anyone entering Konoha must register. If you fail to do so, you'll be arrested and sent to our Torture and Interrogation department."
Sasuke skimmed through the document, while Boruto frowned at his own. "Huh?"
Kaito offered an explanation. "It's a security measure for the village. Everyone wanting entry gets registered, and their chakra signature is tagged and sent to the Barrier Division. That way, the police can monitor potential troublemakers. The paperwork is just for your permit."
This system was one of many improvements made to Konoha's barrier after Lady Tsunade took office, thanks to Kushina—and it had been Kaito's idea.
Suddenly, someone called out, "Kaito-kun!"
Kaito turned, blinking in recognition. "Oh, Shisui… it's you."
Shisui, dressed in a Konoha Police uniform with his forehead protector covering his left eye, walked over. "It's been a while, Kaito-kun. How have you been? Did you just get back from a field trip?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah, we just arrived. What about you—heading out on a mission?" He raised an eyebrow at Shisui's uniform, since he hadn't seen Shisui since the Uchiha incident a year and a half ago. Tsunade's constant stream of missions and Kaito's lack of free time made their encounters rare.
Shisui chuckled. "No, I just finished my patrol duty and came to check in with the gate guards."
Kaito nodded, smiling. "Oh, that makes sense."
Just then, Iruka cleared his throat again. "Kaito-san, I don't mean to rush you, but we have to go. The parents are already waiting for their children at the Academy."
Kaito scratched the back of his head. "Right, right… sorry."
Then he turned to Shisui. "Hey, Shisui, can you do me a favor?"
Shisui, having just signed the patrol book, glanced up. "Huh? Sure, I don't mind."
Kaito gave Shisui a warm smile. "Could you escort these two"—he gestured to adult Sasuke and Boruto—"to the Hokage's office and wait for me there? I need to take them to meet Lady Tsunade. I'll be there as soon as I'm done at the Academy. Normally, I'd just use a Shadow Clone, but I'm really tired. I'm worried my clone might just fall asleep, ya know? So… can you help me out?" He ended with a sheepish grin.
Shisui glanced at Sasuke and Boruto, who had just finished filling out their paperwork. "Hmm. Sure, I don't mind. But… who are they?"
Kaito scratched the back of his head, still smiling. "Well, the blond kid is Boruto, and the dark-haired guy is Ichigo. It's… classified for now, ya know?"
Though he looked a bit skeptical, Shisui nodded. "All right. I'll take them to the Hokage's office."
Kaito clapped his hands together. "Thank you, Shisui! I'll treat you to a meal later."
Suddenly, chakra chains erupted from Kaito's back and wrapped around Hinata, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Iruka, startling them into exclamations of "Hey!", "What—?", and even a little "Eek!"
Before any of them could react, they vanished as Kaito teleported them using Hiraishin.
Boruto stood there slack-jawed. "H-Hey, where'd he go? I didn't even see them move!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'So that kunai wasn't just for show…' he thought.
Izumo chuckled, settling back into his seat. "Well, that's Kaito for you."
Kotetsu nodded in agreement. "Man, that technique looks so cool. Wish I knew how to do it."
Boruto turned to them, still shaken. "What was that jutsu? He just… vanished."
Shisui gave a light laugh. "That's the technique that made the Fourth Hokage so famous." Glancing at Boruto and Sasuke, he jerked his head toward the village. "Come on—I'll be escorting you until Kaito gets back."
His words snapped Boruto out of his stupor, and the two followed Shisui's lead.
…
The Academy's training ground was filled with students, teachers, and parents eagerly waiting on the sidelines for the closing ceremony to begin.
Students stood lined up in their respective teams, with their team captains at the back. Itachi, Izumi, Hotaru, and Hana each stood behind their own groups, while the Academy instructors waited at the front with a microphone, watching for the last team to arrive.
Suddenly, Kaito appeared beside Itachi, his team and Iruka still dangling from his chakra chains.
Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he said, "Sorry we're late, guys."
Naruto, who was standing near Itachi, blurted out, "Kaito-nii! You're finally here! Where were you? We've been waiting for more than thirty minutes, ya know!"
Kaito offered a small, apologetic grin. "Yeah… sorry about that, Naruto." Then he gently set everyone down and retracted his chakra chains.
Shikamaru let out a "Troublesome…" under his breath as he moved into line with the rest of the students. Sakura and Hinata followed suit.
Iruka dusted himself off and joined the other teachers. The ceremony officially began.
Kaito tuned everyone out, his eyes focused on Naruto. His thoughts wandered to how he could keep Naruto, Kushina, and Karin safe when Urashiki arrived. He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed when the ceremony ended, and parents were allowed to collect their children.
He snapped back to reality when Kushina shook his shoulder, breaking through his reverie. "Kai-kun, are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
Kaito looked at his mother and gave a tired smile. "Ah… yeah, Mom. Just tired, ya know."
Standing beside Kushina were Naruto and Karin.
Naruto peered up at him. "Are you upset that Karin's team got first place?"
Kaito blinked, then looked at Karin. "Your team won? That's great, Karin. So, what did they give the winning team?"
Karin offered a shy smile. "Um… thanks. We get a month's worth of free ice cream…"
Kushina placed a hand on her eldest son's face, noticing how tired he seemed. She frowned. "You're pushing yourself too hard, Kai-kun. You should rest."
Then, with a gentle smile, she added, "Come on. lets get back home, you can rest while I get dinner ready then you can go straight to bed."
Kaito shook his head. "You go on ahead, Mom. I need to stop by the Hokage's office first before heading home."
Kushina frowned, concern evident in her expression. "Is everything okay? Is Tsunade-nee pushing you too hard?"
Kaito smiled reassuringly. "No, it's nothing like that. Actually…" He paused, as though something had just occurred to him. "I almost forgot to ask—do you mind if a couple of people join us for dinner tonight?"
Kushina blinked. "Huh? No, of course not. Are you bringing friends over? Or is Tsuna-nee coming by?"
Kaito rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… you could call them 'friends.' And, uh, one of them might be staying with us for a week or so. They're from out of town, ya know."
Kushina looked confused but nodded anyway. "Sure…"
Just then, Izumi, Hana, and Hotaru came by, practically dragging a reluctant Itachi behind them.
Hana spoke up, her tone accusing. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What's going on?"
Hotaru let out an exasperated sigh. "Did you forget already?" She shook her head, clearly annoyed.
Hana crossed her arms. "You promised us you'd join us. We were all going out to eat after the mission."
Kaito blinked, then rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, right… I kinda forgot. But I can't make it right now."
Izumi frowned, folding her arms. "Why not?"
Kaito let out a small sigh, sounding apologetic. "I've got to meet with the Hokage. Sorry."
Hana's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're not just making that up, are you?"
Kaito raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I swear I'm not. There's something important I need to take care of at the Hokage's office. How about this—we'll go out tomorrow for dinner, my treat?"
Izumi and Hana immediately brightened. "Really?" Izumi asked. "You're not just saying that?"
Kaito gave a firm nod.
Hana grinned. "Then it's settled! Tomorrow at Yakiniku Q—your treat!" She practically salivated at the thought.
Kaito sweatdropped at her enthusiasm, thinking to himself, 'What did I just get myself into?'
…
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade sat in her chair, elbows resting on the desk, idly twirling a pen between her fingers. Her sharp gaze fell on the three people standing in front of her.
"So…" Tsunade began, eyeing them with a skeptical look. "He's your long-lost cousin from your father's side…" —she gestured at Sasuke— "…and this is his sensei? They're traveling performers who came here to check if he had any relatives in Konoha. That about right?"
Her sharp gaze shifted to Kaito, who stood at the front of the group, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah…" he admitted, a sheepish smile on his face.
Boruto shuffled uncomfortably under Tsunade's stare, while Sasuke remained still, his face unreadable.
Tsunade raised a brow, leaning back in her chair, unconvinced. "And you just happened to run into them while heading back to the village? Convenient." Her eyes narrowed further. "And you're sure he's your cousin… just because his chakra signature feels similar to yours, Naruto's, and your father's?"
Kaito gave a nervous nod. "Umm… yes, that's right."
She stared at him for a long moment. She knew he was hiding something—but after a sigh, she finally leaned back with a tired groan. "Look, I don't really care about the full story. Just make sure they don't cause any trouble. If they do, you're the one who's gonna answer for it."
She waved a hand dismissively. "I've got paperwork to get back to. You're dismissed."
Kaito grinned, relief washing over his face. "Thanks, Grandma Tsunade! I promise they won't cause any problems. You can count on me, ya know!"
Tsunade didn't even look up as she waved him off again, already diving back into her stack of documents.
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