Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 205
Kaito sighed but nodded. "True. That's why… if Naruto and Sasuke don't get that power-up, then we shut down Black Zetsu and Madara before they can revive Kaguya. If we cut it off there, we buy ourselves time to plan for Isshiki later."
His expression hardened, but then softened again as he exhaled. "And if we fail to do that… I have a failsafe. I'm not sure if it'll even work, but… It's our last resort against Kaguya."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
Kaito hesitated, then admitted quietly, "I'll try to recreate the Six Paths power… artificially."
Minato blinked, shocked. "…How is that even possible?"
"In theory? Yes," Kaito said, his voice steady but tinged with doubt. "If we combine all the tailed beasts' chakra together and then add senjutsu on top of it… in theory, we can recreate the Six Paths Senjutsu. The same power Naruto got from Hagoromo in that timeline."
Minato studied him closely, the disbelief plain in his eyes. "And you think that's possible?"
Kaito let out a shaky breath. "I don't know, Dad. It's only a theory. That's why…" His voice softened, raw with vulnerability. "That's why we need you, Dad. I don't know if I can really do this on my own, ya know."
…
Minato stood in thought for a long moment. Then he reached out and placed a hand gently on Kaito's head. His voice was soft but steady. "You've been through a lot over the years, Kaito-kun. I can tell you're carrying more than you've told me. But you won't have to face what's coming alone anymore."
Kaito blinked, his throat tightening, but then he smiled faintly and wiped his eyes. "…Thanks, Dad."
Minato gave him a small nod. "Now… how are we going to do this?"
Kaito straightened. He pointed toward the Karma scroll spread on the table. "We have to transfer your soul into the Karma and then mark him. If my calculations are right, it should only take about a week for the Karma to reach one hundred percent."
Minato rubbed his chin. "If we're doing this… how are we going to explain me being back?" he looked up and Kaito. " I assume you've already thought of it."
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. We'll have to convince Lady Tsunade, Shikaku-sensei, and Fugaku-sama that your reappearance is due to temporal displacement when I was experimenting with the Hiraishin, got pulled into that timeline, and that you were pushed into our timeline when I interfered with another timeline's events. We can tell them I interfered during the masked man's attack on Konoha."
Minato nodded, rubbing his chin. "Like the timeline trying to correct itself… and as a result, it sends both of us here."
"Exactly," Kaito said. "As for the rest of the village, we'll use a cover-up story. That you never died — you were in a coma after the Nine-Tails attack, and the Third announced your death to protect you. Only a select few knew the truth: me, Mom, Lady Tsunade, Shikaku-sensei, and Fugaku-sama. With their cooperation, it'll be easier to make it believable."
Minato folded his arms, thinking it over. "That could work. But your plan has a problem, Kaito-kun. You said the Third was impeached. I assume he's still alive. If so, we might have to tell him the time displacement story, too."
Kaito shook his head immediately. "We won't have to tell. because we need to keep your return a secret."
Minato frowned lightly. "Why?"
"Because the masked man is still out there," Kaito said seriously. "If he finds out you're back, he might panic and do something reckless… like reviving Madara right now. That would accelerate their whole plan before we're ready."
Minato nodded. "I see. Then it's best I stay hidden. That gives us more time to prepare."
Kaito nodded back. "That's right. For now, we'll only tell Lady Tsunade, Shikaku-sensei, and Fugaku-sama. That way, we can keep you a secret while also giving you a new identity for the time being. Of course, we can tell Mom, Naruto, and Karin the truth. Well, Mom gets the truth. For Naruto and Karin, we stick to the coma story."
Minato smiled faintly, then tilted his head in confusion. "Karin?"
"Right… I forgot to tell you." Kaito rubbed the back of his neck. "Karin is an Uzumaki I rescued from Kusagakure. She's around Naruto's age—maybe a bit older. I knew her from the other timeline. She and her mother both had the Heal Bite ability. Her mother was used by Kusa to heal their shinobi."
Kaito's face fell as he looked down. "I'd forgotten about them until it was too late. By the time I remembered, her mother was already dead. Kusa was about to use Karin the same way they used her mom, but I got there just in time. She's been living with us since then. She's become like a daughter to Mom… and a sister to me and Naruto, ya know."
Minato's expression softened. He reached out and rubbed Kaito's head. "Kaito, you can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. You can't change every single event. If you could do that, you'd be a god. You did well saving Karin-chan. That's what matters now."
Kaito nodded slowly, sighing. "…Thanks, Dad."
He hesitated, then his expression turned serious again. "There's something else you have to know."
Minato's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is it?"
Kaito met his father's gaze. His voice was low. "The masked man who attacked you and Mom that day. it's… Obito."
Minato's eyes widened in shock. "W-what… O-Obito?"
Kaito nodded, his jaw tight. "Yeah. The masked man is Obito Uchiha—the same Obito that was assigned to your squad. He didn't die that day. After he was crushed by the boulder and buried by the rubble, he was saved by them." Kaito gestured toward the row of Zetsu slumped against the wall. "They brought him to Madara. Madara healed him using part of a Zetsu's body."
Minato stared at Kaito, disbelief and sorrow flashing in his eyes. "But…If that's true… then why didn't Obito return to the village? It was his dream to be Hokage. Is he being controlled by Madara and Zetsu? Otherwise, why would he—" Minato's eyes widened further, the realization striking. "…Is it because…?"
Kaito nodded. "It was Rin's death that pushed him. He was there when it happened, Dad."
Minato's head lowered, his fist clenching tight at his side. His voice was quiet. "…I see. So it was my fault."
Kaito shook his head sharply. "No, Dad. You couldn't have done anything. This was Madara and Black Zetsu's plan from the beginning."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "…What do you mean?"
"Obito had already recovered by that point. He wanted to come back to the Leaf," Kaito explained. "But Madara didn't allow it. They kept him there, waiting to execute their plan. They waited for the perfect moment — for when you weren't available."
Minato's eyes widened. "Then Rin…"
Kaito's voice hardened. "Rin's death was orchestrated, Dad. To awaken Obito's Mangekyō."
Kaito nodded. "Why else would Rin jump in front of Kakashi's Chidori? I know what she told him about the Three-Tails, but Dad… she knew you and Mom were the best seal masters in the world. Why insist on dying like that?"
Minato's eyes narrowed, the pieces clicking together. "…Unless she was being controlled."
Kaito nodded grimly. "She was. They put a control seal on her heart when they kidnapped her. Madara was pulling Kiri's strings at the time. They waited for the perfect moment, when you were tied up on a mission, to kidnap Rin. Then they let Obito find out where she was. He escaped, raced to the spot… only to arrive the moment Rin was pierced through the chest by Kakashi Chidori."
Kaito's hands balled into fists. "All of it was Madara and Zetsu's plan. To break Obito. To awaken his Mangekyō. And once he did… he lost himself. He stopped seeing reason and went along with Madara."
Minato nodded slowly, his expression grim. "…I see."
"Like I said, you couldn't have done anything, Dad," Kaito said firmly. "Unless you knew everything, Obito was already in their sights. They'd been scouting for candidates with the potential to awaken the Mangekyō for years. They took him the moment they had the chance. Everything else was just the result of that."
Minato closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "…I see. Then his attack on your mother and the village is because he blames me for what happened to Rin."
Kaito nodded silently.
Minato gave a small, sorrowful nod of his own, accepting the weight of it.
Kaito's fists clenched. His voice cracked, heavy with restrained anger. "I want to kill him… I just want to kill him for everything he's done, ya know. For hurting Mom, for hurting you, and for hurting Naruto."
"I understand how you feel, Kaito-kun." Minato opened his eyes again, calm but with a heavy weight in them. "But Obito was my student… my responsibility. If he's truly fallen this far, then it's on me to help stop him."
Kaito sighed, shoulders tight, then gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. I'll let you deal with him, Dad. But if he tries to hurt Mom, Naruto, Hotaru, or anyone I care about—he's dead."
Minato gave a short nod. "That's fair."
Kaito's expression hardened. "Either way, we can't deal with him right now. We need Obito to start the Fourth Shinobi War… and to revive Madara."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "The Fourth Shinobi War?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. In the other timeline, he started it to capture Naruto. But because of that, all the villages came together. They formed the Shinobi Alliance to fight against him and Madara. That war… it led to something none of the villages ever had before—an era of peace. Because they finally understood each other. They fought side by side."
Minato's gaze lowered, his expression thoughtful. "…True peace, huh."
Kaito nodded. Then, almost offhandedly, he added, "Oh—by the way, Kakashi knows about Obito."
Minato's eyes lifted slightly. "…Kakashi knows?"
Kaito nodded. "I told him. Not everything—just that I sensed Obito's chakra in the masked man's Sharingan. Then, when they came face to face, he confirmed it. No one else knows. Not even Mom."
Kaito nodded. "I told him. Not everything—just that I sensed Obito's chakra in the masked man's Sharingan. Then, when they came face to face, he confirmed it. No one else knows… not even Mom."
Minato's expression softened, though sorrow lingered in his eyes. "…How did he take it?"
"At first, not so well," Kaito admitted. "He took it personally—convinced it must've been because of Rin. But in the end, it gave him a purpose, ya know. A reason to stop Obito himself. And now… Kakashi's finally starting to live his life. He even has a girlfriend."
Minato blinked, almost disbelieving. "…Kakashi has a girlfriend?"
Kaito grinned. "Yeah, her name's Kahyō. She's from the Yuki clan. He met her during our mission to Kiri. We'd split up to cover more ground. After I rescued the Yuki people, I tried to contact him, but he didn't respond to my comm-seal. I had given Kakashi my Hiraishin marker earlier, so when he didn't reply, Tenzo and I teleported to him..."
A laugh slipped from Kaito as he shook his head. "…and we caught him right in the middle of a make-out session. I swear, I've never seen him move that fast before."
Minato gave a quiet laugh, the sound lightening the heavy air between them.
"He's still scared to get too close to her," Kaito continued, "but I've already talked to her about his trauma… about losing everyone he's ever cared about. She told me she'd be patient with him."
A faint smile touched Minato's lips, the tension in his face easing for the first time since hearing Obito's name. "…Good. Kakashi deserves that much."
They stood in silence for a while, letting the moment settle.
Then Kaito sighed. "We've got a lot to catch up on, Dad. But we should do that after you're revived."
Minato nodded. "Right."
"Before that," Kaito said, raising his fist, "I need to talk to Kurama-san."
Minato looked confused at first, but then he nodded and tapped his fist to Kaito's outstretched hand.
In the next moment, Kaito found himself standing inside Minato's mental space, with his father in front of him. Behind Minato stood the enormous nine-tailed fox. Kaito tilted his head back, his eyes widening as he looked up at the massive beast before him.
The Nine-Tails sat on his haunches, his eyes fixed on the two of them.
Kaito blinked, muttering under his breath, "Huh… you're a lot bigger than the you inside Naruto."
Minato explained, "I sealed most of his chakra inside me. Otherwise, Naruto's body wouldn't have been able to contain that much chakra."
Kaito bowed slightly. "It's good to finally meet you, Kurama-san." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well… we've met before, but that was the other you." He lowered his head, his tone steady. "I'm sorry for what my parents put you through over the years. I won't say what they did wasn't wrong. But please understand… they were placed in situations out of their control, raised on stories and warnings about you. They only knew what they'd been told."
Kurama stared at him for a long moment before exhaling, lowering his massive head onto his crossed paws. "…That's the first time I've heard a human apologize. You're an interesting kid."
Minato bowed as well, his voice low and steady. "I also apologize. I wasn't aware of your true origin or that you weren't simply evil. Still… it doesn't excuse my behavior toward you in the past. I hope we can come to an understanding in the future."
Kurama snorted, eyes narrowing. "Hmph. You humans always think less of us."
Minato gave a faint smile, shaking his head. "I'm still surprised you even have a name. I always thought you were just… 'Nine-Tails.'"
Kaito raised his hand, counting them off on his fingers. "All the bijū have names, Dad. Shukaku—the One-Tails. Matatabi—the Two-Tails. Isobu—the Three-Tails. Son Gokū—the Four-Tails. Kokuō—the Five-Tails. Saiken—the Six-Tails. Chōmei—the Seven-Tails. Gyūki—the Eight-Tails. And lastly… Kurama, the Nine-Tails."
Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Tch. Don't go casually sharing my name, kid."
Kaito smiled sheepishly and scratched his cheek. "Right… sorry about that, ya know."
Then his expression sobered. "Oh—and I'm not the one the Sage talked about. The person he told you and the other tailed beasts about? That's Naruto. He's the one who'll know all your names. The one who'll unite you."
Kurama's gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing. "…So what you've said is all true then, kid?"
Kaito nodded without hesitation. "Yes. And if we're to have any chance, we need your cooperation, ya know."
Kurama huffed. "…Fine. I'll give you my chakra. But how are you going to get chakra from the others?"
"Can't you ask them?" Kaito asked. "I know you can contact the others in that space you all share."
Kurama huffed. "Tch-You even know about that."
Then shook his head. " All I can do is tell them the situation and ask them to give you some of their chakra when you meet. Unless…you become my jinchūriki, you won't be able to meet them through me."
Kaito rubbed his chin in thought. "…I see."
Minato frowned slightly. "Then why don't I seal Kurama in you? That way, you'd have access to that space and be able to receive the chakra."
But Kaito shook his head immediately. "No, Dad. You need Kurama-san with you. If Naruto doesn't get the power-up from Hagoromo, then you'll need Kurama-san's help. I'm sure you can stop Madara before Kaguya gets revived."
He turned back toward the massive fox. "So I'll just have to find the others myself. Kurama-san, please tell them about our situation—but don't share everything. And ask them not to spread it further. The last thing we need… is more changes to the timeline, ya know."
Kurama grunted and dipped his head. "Hmph. Very well."
Kaito lifted his palm, showing the diamond-shaped mark. "I'll seal your chakra here, along with mine and nature chakra." He looked up at the fox seriously. "I'll need as much as you can give."
Kurama lowered his massive fist, pressing it to Kaito's palm. The moment they touched, the chakra surged like a flood into the seal.
He let out a slow breath and nodded. "Thank you, Kurama-san." He glanced up. "Will the chakra be able to regenerate?"
Kurama nodded. "Yes, as long as you have some of it, if you use it all, it won't be able to regenerate."
Kaito gave a short nod. "…Understood." He turned to his father. "Dad, you'll have to release Kurama-san. We'll reseal him into you after you've been revived."
Then he looked back at Kurama. "Can you take on a smaller form? If you appear full size, it will be hard to hide you."
Minato nodded in agreement.
Kurama grunted. "Yes. I can."
Kaito exhaled. "Good. Then let's get this over with, ya know."
With that, he exited Minato's mental space.
Both opened their eyes at the same time and gave each other a short nod.
"Alright," Minato said, forming hand signs. "Let me undo the seal." He extended his hand, and boiling red chakra poured out, spilling onto the floor in front of him.
The mass of chakra condensed until it took the shape of a chibi Kurama—no taller than a ten-year-old kid.
Kurama stretched his body with a satisfied groan. "Hah… it's been a while since I was outside. I think I'll go see the world again."
"As long as you don't get caught," Kaito warned, folding his arms. "I'll have one of my clones take you out. But you should transform yourself to look like a regular fox."
Kurama snorted. In a puff of smoke, the tiny form shifted—fur smoothing, tails vanishing—until a sleek red fox stood in his place, eyes still sharp but body unassuming.
One of Kaito's shadow clones stepped forward. "I'll take you out. Just hold on." He placed a palm on Kurama's back, and both vanished.
Kaito turned back to his father, walking over to the scroll. "Place your hand here, Dad. Channel chakra into the seal." He pointed to the circle on the seal.
Minato set his palm down and focused. The seal flared white before shifting away, crawling across the scroll and onto the Zetsu lying on the bed.
As the seal activated, Minato's Edo Tensei body began to crumble. Bits of ash peeled from him, falling piece by piece to the floor.
The seal branded itself into the Zetsu's chest, settling into the shape of a semi-circle no larger than a coin.
Kaito glanced back at his father just as Minato lifted his hand from the scroll.
Minato smiled gently. "Then… I'll see you soon, son."
His body gave one final shudder before crumbling completely into dust, scattering across the floor.
Kaito stood silently, staring at the pile of ash and the lifeless White Zetsu body lying pale and empty on the floor.
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