Kaito spat out a mouthful of black smoke, flashing a row of painfully bright white teeth.
"Can you… let go of me first?"
"You're still… electrified…"
Right now, he looked no better than Sasuke—charred black from head to toe, hair standing straight up, every breath tasting like burnt metal and scorched dust.
That village-wide short circuit…
He genuinely hadn't seen it coming.
In the violent surge of sparks and arcs, he'd taken the shock right alongside Sasuke.
And honestly?
Kaito couldn't understand Sasuke's excitement at all.
What exactly was there to be happy about?
Kaito's original goal had been painfully simple: raise Sasuke's tolerance so he could handle Lightning Release better later.
Instead, the kid had started screaming—
"I think I know how Lightning Release works!"
You and I combined have zero Lightning Release knowledge. We're surviving purely on Kaito's leftover electricity trivia from a previous life.
Know what, exactly?
You know a damn thing?
Kaito badly wanted to roast him—but the moment he saw Sasuke bouncing around wildly, shadowboxing with both fists and shouting noises that barely qualified as language…
He swallowed every insult back down.
…Forget it.
Let him vent.
"Kaito! I really get it now! The secret of Lightning Release…"
"It's… discharging electricity!"
"You told me before, at home—about that thing that stores electricity… what was it called again…?"
Kaito thought for a couple seconds.
"Capacitor?"
"Yes! Yes, that!"
Sasuke punched the air even harder.
"Capacitor! Capacitor!"
"I'M the capacitor!"
Then—like he'd been possessed—he spread his legs into a horse stance, elbows tucked tight to his waist, face twisted in pure agony.
It looked less like training…
…and more like a kid desperately trying not to lose a battle against his own bowels.
"AAAHHH…"
Kaito stared.
Hair still sticking straight up.
Face still blackened.
For one haunting moment, Kaito genuinely wondered if he'd reincarnated into the SaiKaito universe by mistake.
"HNNNGH—HA—AAAH!"
Sasuke's voice roared like a revving engine—violent, primal, completely unhinged.
Kaito felt zero aesthetic appreciation.
Only the overwhelming certainty that his little brotherrrrrr had transformed into a living piece of abstract art.
Then—
A sharp whoosh sliced through the air.
Kaito sensed danger and reflexively Kaitoked a kunai from his pouch.
But the sound that followed wasn't metal.
It was a foot.
And a father.
"Why are you shrieking like a damn demon in the middle of the night?!"
Fugaku—still in his sleepwear—slowly lowered his size-43 foot.
Sasuke had been launched so cleanly he didn't even get a chance to scream.
He just…
…flew.
…hit the ground.
…and immediately entered a peaceful, sugary coma.
Fugaku looked satisfied.
Almost impressed.
He didn't ask follow-up questions.
He didn't check if Sasuke was alive.
He simply turned his gaze toward Kaito—
And froze.
Because Kaito was standing there… wrapped in half-burnt sunflowers like some cursed scarecrow.
The exact same sunflower madness Sasuke had pulled earlier.
Only worse.
Much worse.
Fugaku's face darkened.
His brows tightened, loosened, then tightened again—as if ten different emotions were fighting for control.
No one could truly understand how mentally exhausting it was…
…to realize both your youngest sons were idiots in completely different directions.
"Now. Immediately."
"Go home."
Fugaku glared at the only child still upright—the scorched one with hair pointing toward the heavens—killing intent rolling off him like heat from a furnace.
Kaito unconsciously shrank his neck.
In front of Fugaku, even breathing felt like a crime that required permission.
Tonight's massive blackout really had been an accident.
Who the hell knew…
…that one rotten utility pole could knock out half the village?
Kaito knew he'd messed up—but deep down, he still cursed Konoha's infrastructure.
This junk should've been replaced years ago.
It was basically an assassination attempt disguised as public works.
He jogged over to Sasuke, tapped his nose, confirmed that Fugaku hadn't kicked him into the afterlife, then quickly hoisted him onto his back.
And obediently followed behind Fugaku.
Fugaku didn't speak.
He only swept Kaito with a glance and kept walking.
But Kaito noticed it—
When Fugaku turned away, he let out a long, quiet exhale.
Anger, yes.
But also… relief.
Also worry.
The three of them walked in a straight line under the moonlight.
Their shadows stretched far across the road.
Fugaku's shadow was the longest—so long it swallowed most of his sons' silhouettes.
Moonlight coated Fugaku's shoulders, but barely reached the children behind him.
And somehow, in that moment…
Fugaku looked taller than usual.
Yet also… slightly hunched.
Kaito's nose stung.
His throat tightened.
"I'm sorry, Fathe."
"I didn't mean to cause you trouble."
No response.
Kaito lowered his head and kept walking.
Sasuke slept soundly on his shoulder, even smacking his lips once or twice.
Then—
Fugaku's pace slowed slightly.
"…As long as you're both safe."
"…It's not trouble."
His voice was calm, almost flat.
But the edge had dulled.
The storm on his face wasn't gone… but it wasn't raging anymore.
"And one more thing."
"I'll find proper Lightning Release instruction for you."
"Stop feeding your brotherrrrrr idiotic ideas."
At the gate, Fugaku shot Kaito a look and tilted his chin toward the house, ordering them inside.
He himself didn't move.
He stood there like a wall, with no intention of going back in.
"Fathe…"
Kaito didn't enter.
He turned back seriously.
"…Is there anything I can help with?"
For the first time that night, Fugaku actually laughed.
A quiet, fractured sound—like something that slipped out before he could stop it.
When the smile faded, his usual sternness returned…
…but his eyes glistened faintly.
"Just don't destroy the shinobi world."
With that—
Fugaku turned and walked toward the Hokage Tower.
Kaito stood at the gate for a long time, watching his father's back vanish into the night.
Only then did he open the door and go inside.
But Fugaku's words didn't calm him.
They did the opposite.
They hardened his resolve.
Saving his family… saving the Uchiha…
Thee was only one road left.
Destroy the shinobi world.
Of course—
Destroying it required strategy.
Right now, the village wanted to cut down the Uchiha.
The clan was itching to explode.
Why?
Because everything was too peaceful.
Too full.
Too comfortable.
Kaito's idea was simple:
Create a powerful organization. Declare war on Konoha.
Force the villages to need the Uchiha at the critical moment—so they couldn't afford to crush them internally.
In short—
Walk the Akatsuki path.
Walk Obito's road.
And leave them nowhere left to retreat.
So the real question became—
How was he supposed to build a powerful organization…
…and declare war on Konoha?
A sharp crackle suddenly snapped behind him.
A violent numbness surged up Kaito's spine—
Electricity.
His thoughts shattered.
His body reacted faster than his brain.
He instinctively hurled Sasuke off his back like a sandbag.
"AAAAAH!!"
Sasuke slammed into the ground and exploded awake, rage igniting instantly.
He flipped up, pointing at Kaito and shouting:
"UCHIHA Kaito! ARE YOU SICK?! I WAS SLEEPING AND YOU—"
He froze mid-sentence.
His eyes widened.
His anger evaporated.
"…Wait."
"…Whee am I?"
Kaito didn't answer.
He stared at Sasuke like he was looking at a ghost.
Slowly—dangerously—Kaito's voice dropped.
"You…"
"What was that just now?"
"…Why are you sparkling?"
"Why…"
"…is electricity coming out of your body?"
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