Kaito's enrollment ceremony was, in its own way, educational.
At the very least, Team 10 from Konoha sat on the school grounds in stunned silence for nearly an hour afterward.
Presumably contemplating the meaning of life.
And it wasn't just Konoha's group—Kaito also filmed separate versions for shinobi from Takigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and more.When communicating with the elders from their own village, they would engage in an intense round of greetings centered around the other person's family members, with the family tree serving as the radius.
To say it's somewhat cruel—in the eyes of many, the Kage of their village is the most respected existence. Forcing them to do such things is worse than killing them.
Some realized the disgusting nature of the methods and outright refused. But the clan leader standing on the rooftop immediately resorted to fists and kicks as "education." Those who couldn't endure quickly gave in, sobbing as they joined the video recording.
Others would rather die than comply...
They kept insisting they would never betray their village, never betray the Kage in their hearts—their bones were unbelievably hard.
Uchiha Kaito was all too familiar with this situation. In his past life, he had often watched anime, and if one paid attention, they'd know exactly how to deal with such stubborn people.
For those with unyielding resolve, he simply pulled out a kunai, pressed it against their comrade's neck, and delivered a "righteous persuasion," giving them exactly ten seconds.
If they didn't do as he said...
They'd have to watch their comrade die before their eyes.
When everyone witnessed Uchiha Kaito's methods, they were utterly stunned—including Shikamaru, whose brain nearly overheated from thinking, yet he still couldn't come up with a solution to this predicament.
If they obeyed Kaito's demands...
When the Third Hokage received the recording, he might still have doubts about their defection. But after watching the full half-hour of footage, any lingering doubts would vanish—and their lives upon returning to the village would never be the same.
What?
Claim they were forced?
Shikamaru could guarantee that saying so would only make their deaths more gruesome. Because if word got out, the village would accuse them of disloyalty—how dare they fail to die for their village?
But if they didn't obey Uchiha Kaito...
Asuma-sensei had already experienced such treatment.
Back then, Kaito had hung him from a 300-meter-tall tree, sawing at the rope with a rusted blade.
Shikamaru couldn't even imagine how shattered Asuma-sensei's mentality must have been, watching the rope fray bit by bit while being powerless to save his subordinates.
In the end, they had no choice but to comply.
Uchiha Kaito collected the recordings with great satisfaction. When he saw Asuma collapsed on the ground, he couldn't resist taunting him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"So this is what the once-unrivaled Twelve Guardian Ninja—Asuma—looks like in Amegakure?"
"But you weren't like this back in the Land of Fire, were you?"
"Oh, and I've already sent the recording to your father..."
"Do you think he'll be able to handle watching it?"
Asuma's eyes had been lifeless, but upon hearing these terrifying words, he jolted up from the ground, desperately pleading with Uchiha Kaito.
"No!! Please...!"
"I—I'll defect! I'll really defect!"
The scene left everyone present in complete silence, their gazes shifting uneasily, not a single person daring to speak.
Even Konan and Nagato, observing from the rooftop, had their expressions darken.
"Huh?"
"What's with those looks?"
The observant Uchiha Hikari naturally noticed their discomfort but found nothing wrong with Kaito's methods.
Wasn't this kind of approach perfectly normal for shinobi?Why did the group's gazes at Kaito carry an indescribable strangeness???
Uchiha Hikari was utterly perplexed.
Konan's expression shifted several times before she finally acted after half a minute. After exchanging a glance with Pain, signaling him to leave, her face flushed slightly as she spoke.
"Hikari, have you noticed your disciple reading... inappropriate books lately?"
"The kind that..."
"The kind only sold to adults in bookstores..."
Struggling with the topic, Konan couldn't find the right words and could only hint vaguely at Hikari.
"?"
Uchiha Hikari frowned deeply, a big question mark popping up in her mind before she tilted her head, eyeing Konan with curiosity.
"Books... have categories?"
Faced with the antique's slow reaction, Konan pursed her lips, completely at a loss on how to continue.
Remembering her own teacher, she suddenly pointed toward the bookstore.
"Go ask the bookstore owner about Jiraiya's books..."
Konan then shot a glare in Kaito's direction.
"And remember to give that brat a good beating."
Perhaps embarrassed by the conversation, Konan dispersed into countless paper sheets and fled the scene.
"What the..."
Hikari muttered, clearly dissatisfied with Konan's evasiveness.
Nevertheless, she followed Konan's advice and teleported to the bookstore to find Jiraiya's works...
"Mark my words!"
"The technique I used isn't called 'Foot-Stomping Shuriken Technique'!"
Meanwhile, Kaito was correcting Asuma's earlier mistake. Holding Asuma by the collar with one hand, Shikamaru and the others watched helplessly nearby.
"It's the Sword Control Technique! Got it?"
Asuma nodded obediently several times, finally understanding...
The brat's vendetta stemmed from him shouting 'Foot-Stomping Shuriken Technique' back in the Land of Fire. Who knew the inherently wicked Uchiha kid would hold a grudge over it?
"Kaito, let it go. Spare Asuma-sensei..."
Ino cautiously tried to mediate.
Honestly, she was a bit scared to even speak to Kaito now.
"Fine."
"I'll let it slide today, but I've already sent the recording to the Hokage..."
As Kaito spoke, a sonic boom suddenly erupted nearby, followed by a furious roar.
"Uchiha Kaito!!!!"
"What the hell have you been up to!!!!"
"Ah!!"
"You little bastard!!"
When Uchiha Hikari appeared on the scene, her entire face was red with rage. Kaito had never seen her this furious before and instinctively wanted to dodge—until he noticed the copy of Icha Icha Paradise in her hand...
He chose to take the beating obediently.
Team 10 watched Kaito getting thrashed by a woman with amusement, though Ino's eyes held a trace of concern.
Shikamaru glanced at his teammate, smirking slightly.
"Oh?"
"So the invincible Uchiha Kaito..."
BOOM—
Another sonic boom cut him off.
Shikamaru barely started mimicking Kaito's behavior when Uchiha Hikari kicked him away, sending him flying into the sky like a ragged doll.
"Shut it!!"