As soon as Hashirama passed away, the other nations began sharpening their blades. Like wolves sensing the fall of an lion, they encroached—hungry, unrestrained. War resumed with renewed ferocity. The only difference from the chaotic Warring States Period was that the disorganised melee had been replaced with the coordinated chaos of the Five Great Nations.
If only Hashirama had heeded Madara's grim warnings—had ruled with the iron force of a unified vision—the present might have been different. Perhaps there would have been peace forged in dominance, not paper treaties.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. Even here, in the hollow purity of Naruto's spiritual world, he could feel the resistance—the golden pulse of Asura's chakra, gentle and bright, weaving through Naruto's very soul like protective vines. That influence was strong. Too strong. As long as it remained, Naruto would never see the truth. Never feel the burn of his rightful anger.
He sighed. A sharp, tired breath laced with irritation.
"System," he muttered, voice low and restrained. "Is there a way to isolate Asura's influence on Naruto?"
[Scanning Naruto's body attributes...]
Name: Naruto
Bloodline Limit:Shinka no Karada (進化の身体)
Ninjutsu: Three Body Jutsu (basic);...
Chakra: Early stage of Genin (quality), early stage of Jonin (quantity)
Combat Strength Assessment: Genin
Special Items:
Asura Chakra Group (Requires the power of the Six Paths of Yang to activate. Grants initial strength of the Six Paths.)
Nine Tails (Incomplete) (Requires Nine Tails' approval. Grants mid-tier Kage strength)
Located in the Asura Chakra group. Extract?]
"This simple?" Kaito's brow lifted, an amused breath escaping his nostrils. "Extract."
[Starting extraction...]
Instantly, the white emptiness of Naruto's spiritual space darkened—not with gloom, but with intensity. A faint golden sheen began to settle, coating the air itself. At first, it seemed like a fine mist, but Kaito looked closer. It wasn't mist.
Golden threads.
Delicate, impossibly thin filaments laced the space, gleaming like spider silk under the sun. They moved, flowing, reacting to Kaito's presence. The spiritual dimension shimmered as a dense knot of chakra coalesced before him, pulsating softly like a captured star.
A fist-sized orb, glowing warm gold.
[Extraction complete!]
"Impressive," Kaito muttered, lips curling into a smug, satisfied smirk.
Naruto blinked in confusion, eyes wide as he stared at the glowing orb floating in front of them. "What is this?!"
Kaito stepped closer, his voice calm but laced with weight. "This... is a special energy inside you. If you absorb it, you could instantly surpass a Kage in strength."
Naruto's jaw dropped. His fists clenched in excitement. "Really?! If I take this in, can I become Hokage?! Will the village finally recognise me?!"
Kaito chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Later. We'll talk about that later. For now..."
His tone shifted.
"Tell me again: do you hate the villagers who shunned you, despised you, bullied you since you were a baby?"
Naruto blinked. He had answered this before, hadn't he?
He opened his mouth—but paused.
A storm passed through his expression: joy, confusion, pain. That sunny disposition cracked, darkness spilling through the seams.
"It's strange... I didn't hate them before," he said slowly, voice trembling. "But now... now I want to teach them a lesson. I want to... I even want to... kill them!"
Kaito didn't flinch. He smiled instead, a cold yet approving curve of the lips. "Don't be surprised. This is your true feeling."
Naruto recoiled slightly. "True feeling?"
Kaito nodded, voice as steady as steel. "This golden chakra enhances your talent and potential... but it comes with a price. It rewrites you. Those years of cruelty, neglect, loneliness—they should have darkened your heart. But you stayed kind. Too kind. That wasn't a strength. That was this chakra... erasing your rage, burying your pain, replacing your real emotions with Asura's peace."
Naruto stared at him, lips parted. His young mind struggled to wrap around the implications.
"You're still a child," Kaito softened slightly. "You don't need to understand everything. Just know—starting now, your thoughts are your own."
Naruto looked down at his small hands, curling his fingers slowly.
"If I'm me now," he asked hesitantly, "who was I before?"
"A puppet," Kaito said plainly. "A puppet being manipulated."
Before Naruto could react, Kaito changed gears.
"Want to know your background?"
Naruto blinked. The question caught him off guard. "My background...? The Third never told me... people just call me demon fox or orphan..."
Kaito's smirk returned. "Then I'll tell you now."
Naruto's eyes brightened like the sun breaking through thunderclouds. "Really?! Then... who are my parents?!"
Kaito tilted his head slightly, feigning thought. "They were famous," he finally said. "But also stupid."
Naruto's mouth twitched. "Huh? What kind of answer is that?!"
Kaito's tone turned serious. "Better if you see it for yourself."
His Mangekyou Sharingan bloomed into existence—swirling red and black—and Naruto's world melted into illusion.
Flashes of the Nine-Tails attack. Screams. Fire. The night Minato and Kushina gave their lives.
While Naruto stood frozen inside the illusion, Kaito turned his attention back to the glowing chakra orb.
"System," he whispered, eyes gleaming. "Can you separate Asura's consciousness from the chakra?"
The system didn't reply.
Instead, the golden orb began to change.
Tiny, glass-like threads unravelled, coalescing beside the chakra into a second light group. This one was translucent, ethereal.
"Beautiful," Kaito whispered, eyes filled with curiosity and hunger.
He recalled the panic of the Uchiha Clan Massacre—how the system saved him. Back then, there was no time to explore. Now, he could finally marvel at its obedient precision.
"This system," he grinned, "is the perfect Goldfinger for someone as perfect as me."
[Reminder: The creator of this chakra light group—responsible for its reincarnation—can still observe its movements. Please proceed cautiously.]
[Complete removal of the chakra will alert the creator due to sudden changes in Naruto's body.]
Kaito's pupils sharpened. "So, even Hagoromo has his secrets."
He asked quickly, "If I absorb part of Asura's chakra, will the Sage of Six Paths detect me? Or the system?"
[Negative. The system's existence is undetectable. The host's actions are untraceable.]
With a satisfied breath, Kaito divided the chakra into two portions. The larger he extracted and sealed into a scroll. The smaller remained for Naruto.
"I'll deal with this later," he muttered, storing the scroll.
While Naruto remained locked in an illusion, Kaito got to work.
He hid Asura's will deep inside Naruto's spirit, far beyond his conscious reach. Using every sealing technique he had ever learned—and layering them with system protection—he buried it beneath Naruto's awareness.
The influence of Asura was now locked away.
Then Kaito eyed the chakra. Smaller now. Contained.
"You were my childhood idol," he said softly, almost to himself. "But I have no problem destroying even gods. Serve me, and I may elevate you. Oppose me... and I will erase you."
"Dad! Mom!" Naruto's scream tore through the silence. His eyes flew open.
Kaito's expression shifted. Calm. Ready.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Is it real?! Is the Fourth Hokage really... my father?!"
"Yes," Kaito confirmed. "What you saw—that was your birth."
Naruto looked haunted. "If he's my father... why? Why did they treat me like this?!"
Kaito's voice turned heavy. "Because they know nothing. They're pawns. Let me explain what happened after the Nine-Tails attack..."
He laid out the entire conspiracy. The sealing. Hiruzen's control. Danzo's sabotage. The orphanage. The whispers. The brainwashing.
Naruto's denial cracked like glass. "No! The Third cared for me! He brought me ramen! He... he..."
"Wake up!" Kaito's voice was thunderous. "I've removed the fog from your mind. How long will you lie to yourself?!"
He stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage. If he wanted you to be known as the Hokage's son, no one would have dared stop him. But to them, your worth as a Jinchuriki far outweighed your right to be loved."
Naruto shook violently. "You're lying!"
But he wasn't.
Something within Naruto shattered. His breath came in short gasps. The chakra around him trembled—and then surged.
A dark, burning aura erupted.
"Kyuubi? Trying to get out now?" Kaito smirked, voice calm even as the pressure increased.
Mangekyou eyes spun again.
In a flash, they stood in a sewer—damp, cold, metal grates echoing underfoot.
Behind the bars loomed the Nine-Tails.
Kaito scoffed. "Tsk tsk. Is this the mighty Nine-Tails? Caged like a rabid dog."
The beast's red eyes flared. "You dare speak to me like that?!"
The chakra pressure hit like a wall. Hot. Suffocating.
Kaito waved a hand dismissively. "Big talk."
But inside, he acknowledged the power. Even half-sealed, this was a force beyond nearly any other.
"Unfortunately for you," Kaito whispered darkly, eyes gleaming, "you've met me."
He unleashed the full force of his Mangekyou Sharingan.
The Nine-Tails flinched.
"You think those cursed eyes can control me?!"
Kaito stepped forward, each word a blade. "Let's see how you fare against real power."
The two titans stared.
Then, the Nine-Tails lowered its head. Not in defeat, but in recognition.
"Very well. For now... I'll cooperate. But don't confuse that with submission."
Kaito grinned. "That's all I need. Remember—your power is mine to command."
He turned to Naruto, still stunned.
"You hold immense power now. But strength alone isn't enough. It's the will to use it that defines you."
Naruto's breath steadied. He nodded.
"I... I understand."
Kaito gave a rare, genuine smile.
"Good. Now, let's get you back on track... to becoming the Hokage you deserve to be."