Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 208
Kaito shrugged. "Probably thought she was overworking me, ya know. But forget me—what about you? What've you been doing?"
Hotaru folded her hands neatly in front of her kimono. "Father's had me managing more of the clan duties. He says it's time I start taking on more responsibility."
Kaito gave her an approving glance. "That's a big step. He must really trust you."
Hotaru lowered her gaze, her lips curving faintly. "I hope so…"
They stood in silence for a moment as another guest approached. Kaito accepted the gift, offered his thanks, and then, almost on impulse, glanced at Hotaru again.
"Eh… you know," he started, scratching his cheek, "wanna go out for dinner or something? Ya know?"
Hotaru froze, her eyes widening. "Are you… asking me out on a date?"
Kaito shrugged, playing it off with a calm tone. "Well, sure—if you want it to be, ya kno—"
"Yes," Hotaru said quickly, cutting him off.
Kaito blinked, surprised. When he turned to her, she was already blushing furiously.
"Ano… I should go wish Shizune-san," she blurted, bowing her head before darting off toward the hall.
Kaito watched her go, then chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Heh… guess that worked out better than I thought."
…
The afternoon sun streamed through the living room window of the Uzumaki house, casting a warm golden glow across the floor.
Kushina stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, her right foot tapping impatiently. On the couch and coffee table beside her sat several neatly stacked bundles of folded clothes, like a miniature shop display.
Kaito stepped out from his room, tugging at the collar of a new haori. It was dark blue with white trim, layered neatly over a fitted black shirt, with grey slacks completing the look.
"Alright, Mom. How's this?" he asked, standing in front of her with a deadpan expression.
Kushina hummed, appraised him top to bottom. "Good, good… turn around for me, Kai-kun."
Kaito groaned but spun on his heel slowly, like a mannequin.
Kushina nodded approvingly. "Mm, right. This look suits you well."
For a second, Kaito thought he was free—until Kushina suddenly clapped her hands, snatching another bundle from the pile. Her eyes sparkled. "Good. Very good. Now go try this one."
Kaito dropped his head into his hands with a low groan. "Why? You just said this one looks good! Why do I have to try on more?"
"Because you need to look your best, ya know!" Kushina scolded, wagging a finger at him. "This is your first date with Hotaru-chan. First impressions matter."
Kaito stared at her, utterly deadpan. "I've known Hotaru since we were three. Pretty sure she's got a solid impression of me by now. And we've been at this for an hour already, ya know."
Kushina's foot kept tapping, but a mischievous smile tugged at her lips. "Exactly. Which means we've still got time to find the perfect one."
Kaito groaned. "Can't we just stop here, Mom? Please?"
Yesterday, right after Shizune's wedding reception ended at noon, Kushina had practically dragged him to the shops the moment he admitted he'd asked Hotaru on a date. She'd bought him a mountain of clothes, and now—thanks to her—he was trapped in an endless parade of outfits.
"Nope!" Kushina's grin widened as she shoved the next outfit into his arms. "Now march back in there and change—"
Knock, knock.
Kushina froze mid-speech and looked toward the door, brow furrowing. "Huh?"
Kaito, relieved for the interruption, rushed over and slid it open. Standing there was an ANBU operative.
"Uzumaki Kaito. You've been summoned to the Hokage's office," the operative said curtly before vanishing in a flicker.
Kaito's grin spread wide as he turned to his mother. "Well, Lady Tsunade wants to see me. Gotta go."
Kushina's expression dropped instantly. "But we haven't tried the rest yet!"
Kaito winced, hating to see her disappointed—then smirked as an idea hit him. With a puff of smoke, a shadow clone appeared beside him.
Kaito grabbed the clone by the shoulder and shoved him toward Kushina. "He'll take over the fashion show while I see what Lady Tsunade wants."
The clone's eyes widened in horror. "Wait—don't leave me here! Oi!"
But Kaito was already slipping on his sandals, waving lazily. "Good luck, ya know." And with a flicker, he was gone.
"Traitor!" the clone yelled after him.
Kushina ignored it, eyes sparkling as she grabbed the poor clone by the wrist. "Come on, Kaito-kun, let's try the next one! This one will look so handsome—"
"NOOO!" the clone howled as Kushina dragged him back toward the pile of clothes.
…
Kaito landed lightly on the ledge outside the Hokage's office window. Peering inside, he saw Tsunade reclining against her chair with a faint scowl, while Shikaku stood opposite her, arms folded, clearly in the middle of a discussion.
kaito knocked on the window then slid the window open and poked his head in. He gave them a lazy wave. "Yo, Lady Tsunade, Sensei?"
Both Tsunade and Shikaku turned toward him at the same time, catching him halfway as he vaulted into the office.
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "For heaven's sake… can't you use the door like a normal person?"
Kaito shut the window behind him, grinning. " Who ever said I was normal, ya know?."
Shikaku gave him a nod in greeting, though his sharp eyes flicked briefly over Kaito's outfit with a raised brow. He chose not to comment
Tsunade muttered under her breath, "Stupid redheads…"
Kaito cocked his head at the two of them. "So, what's up? You want me on a mission?"
Tsunade shook her head and crossed her arms leaning back on her chair. "No, we wanted an update on the spy situation. Were you able to find more of them?"
Kaito crossed his arms and shook his head. "No, nothing. I think they noticed those clones went missing and stopped sending more." while he thought.' well Losing ten of them might've been enough to scare them off for now.'
shikaku rubbing at his stubbled chin. "I see… that means the enemy's already aware we've discovered them. All the more reason to be cautious. Until the new barrier's up, you should keep running routine sweeps around the village"
"Yeah, already on it, Sensei." Kaito nodded. "I've got a clone using senjutsu to keep tabs on the entire village right now." He gave a small grin. "Oh, and Mom says we can have the barrier updated in a week or two."
Tsunade raised a brow. "A week or two? Didn't you say before it'd take at least a month?"
"Well," Kaito scratched the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. "That was when I thought we'd have to create a whole new barrier from scratch. But according to Mom, the current one was built to be modular—designed for upgrades down the line. So instead of making something brand new, we can just expand the existing barrier beneath Konoha and add the ability to detect those spies. She figures it can be done in a week or two. Three at most if something goes wrong."
"That's good. The faster we get the barrier up, the sooner we can breathe easy." Tsunade gave a firm nod, then reached for a book on her desk. She handed it across to Kaito. "Alright, here. Take a look at this."
Kaito raised a brow as he took it. The cover was plain, stamped with the leaf insignia. "Huh… the academy's history book on Konoha?"
Revised for the upcoming school year," Tsunade nodded in confirmation. "Go on, see if you can spot what's been changed."
Flipping through the pages, Kaito skimmed until his eyes caught on a familiar passage—or rather, the absence of one. then gave a short snort "Heh. You removed the part where the Third declared himself the strongest Hokage in history."
Tsunade snorted, crossing her arms. "He never was. That line about 'boosting morale'? Utter nonsense. It misleads the our shinobi and delibretly smeers our history by tarnishes my grandfather's name. Hell, Minato was stronger than him even before he took the hat."
Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm honestly surprised it took you this long to cut it out, ya know."
"Been busy cleaning up all the other messes he left behind." Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a sigh, "Keep flipping. Look at the latest additions."
Kaito flipped to the last section of the book, his eyes landing on a bold title: The Uchiha Clan Incident. His brows rose as he read aloud a few lines, then looked up at Tsunade. "You added this into the academy history book?"
Tsunade nodded without hesitation. "Yep. It's part of Konoha's recent history. Why do you look surprised? You were the one who suggested it in the first place."
Kaito rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually do it, ya know. I figured you'd sweep it under the rug—him being your sensei and all."
Tsunade snorted, her eyes hard. "I stopped considering him my sensei the day I learned what he let happen."
Kaito fell silent for a moment, flipping further through the revised chapters. Line after line laid out the so-called Professor's failures and the deeds of his council. His brow arched, and a sharp whistle slipped past his lips. "You… completely defamed all of them. Koharu, Hiruzen, Homura and danzo, ya know."
"Serves them right," Tsunade said coldly, her jaw tight. "For everything that bastard allowed to happen under his watch."
Kaito continued flipping through the pages, his eyes skimming over the text. Though the book didn't go into detail. it painted a picture how Danzo had used the chaos of the Nine-Tails' attack to defame the Uchiha, spreading rumors that painted them as traitors. The stated motive was clear: Danzo's envy of the Sharingan and his obsession with harvesting the clan's eyes for his own power.
Further along, the book explained how the Uchiha Incident was prevented by the combined efforts of Kaito uzumaki, Itachi uchiha, and the fifth hokage Tsunade. It didnt go into detailed how the crisis had been resolved, in the aftermath, the Fifth Hokage established a new position: the Sōnin.
The text outlined the purpose and significance of the role. It emphasized that the position had been created as both a safeguard and a gesture of trust—a token of goodwill and loyalty toward the Uchiha clan. The pages went on to detail the authority and responsibilities of the Sōnin, its power as a counterbalance within the village's leadership, and its permanence in the political structure of Konoha.
Kaito's eyes scanned the next section. The Wrongdoings of the third Hokage. It listed the Third Hokage's incompetence, how Danzo and the elders—Koharu and Homura—took advantage of his weakness, and the shadowy things they did in the name of Konoha. Flipping further, Kaito found an entire segment detailing Danzo's crimes.
Not every detail was there, but the highlights were damning enough: his collaboration with Orochimaru, the Hyūga–Kumo incident where he tried to have the heir kidnapped, leaking intel to enemy villages, sabotaging missions.
And finally, the conclusion: Koharu and Homura executed for their involvement, Danzo declared a rogue shinobi with a kill-on-sight order, and Hiruzen retired under house arrest. His failures were laid bare, though the text still noted his contributions during his tenure.
Kaito finally lifted his gaze from the pages, tapping the book with one finger. "I didn't think you'd actually put this in the history book. But… I'm glad you did. Still, don't you think this will affect the rest of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, ya know? One individual's actions shouldn't drag down everyone else."
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms folding beneath her chest. Her tone softened slightly, though the steel never left her eyes. "You're right. That's why we made sure the clans themselves aren't mentioned by name. This isn't about punishing families—it's about showing that even a Hokage is held accountable for his actions."
Shikaku, who had been silent until now, exhaled slowly and gave a small shrug. "There wasn't much point in keeping it secret anyway. You and Lady Tsunade already made most of this public when she took office. This way…" He nodded at the book. "…it becomes a lesson, not just gossip. Future shinobi will understand what happens when power goes unchecked."
Tsunade nodded. "This will also help with the Uchiha clan's relationship with the village."
Kaito groaned, pointing at a line in the book. "Yeah, but did you really have to put my name in it?"
Tsunade smirked. "It'll boost your reputation. When you take over as the Sixth, you'll thank me."
Kaito sighed, handing the book back. Ha. Joke's on you. When Dad comes back, he can wear the hat. I won't have to be the Sixth. A small smirk tugged at his lips at the thought.
Aloud, he asked, "So, how do you think he'll react once this book gets published?"
Accepting the book, Tsunade grinned wickedly. "Not too well, I hope. I expect he'll storm in here ranting that this will 'tarnish morale' or some nonsense."
Kaito chuckled. "Call me when that happens. I want to be there."
"Will do," Tsunade said with a snort. Then her eyes flicked over his clothes. "By the way—why are you dressed like that?"
Kaito glanced down at his neat haori and slacks. "Eh… Mom had me trying out outfits."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Huh, why's that?"
Kaito scratched the back of his head. "No point hiding it. Knowing Mom, the whole village will know by tomorrow anyway. I'm going on a date with Hotaru tonight."
Tsunade blinked, then grinned wide. "So you finally asked her out, huh?"
Shikaku let out a quiet chuckle. "About time, she's had a crush on you since you saved her from the Kumo and Root."
Tsunade leaned forward, smirk growing. "So when did you ask her?"
Kaito sighed, rubbed his face. "Yesterday."
"Figures," Tsunade said, laughing. "That's why you were grinning like an idiot all day."
"Ha ha, very funny. Laugh it up," Kaito deadpanned, shooting her a flat look.
Shikaku smirked faintly. "Didn't think you'd ask her out so soon. Thought you'd wait another year or two."
Tsunade snorted. "Please. He practically drools every time he sees her, especially when she's wearing something new."
Kaito groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Mom told you that, didn't she?"
Tsunade's grin only widened.
Kaito exhaled heavily. "Well, if that's all, I'll be leaving."
And before either of them could answer, he vanished in a flicker.
Tsunade snorted to herself, setting the book aside. "The kid's smitten with her."
Shikaku gave a lazy shrug, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. "It's good for him. She keeps him grounded."
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