Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 218
He added, "Also—once you're fully revived, we'll need to catch you up on everything that's happened since you died. And you both need to understand this: Nawaki and Dan are dead. Your new identities will be different people. So don't go talking to anyone from your past."
Dan nodded. "I understand."
Nawaki thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh… okay, I guess."
They each placed their hands on the scrolls. The seals glowed, pulsing softly as the imprinting process completed.
A moment later, their Edo bodies began to crack and crumble.
Dan looked at Tsunade with a gentle smile. "I'll see you in a week."
Nawaki gave her a wide grin. "Yeah! See you in a week, Nee-chan!"
Their bodies fully disintegrated into dust, leaving the seals glowing faintly on the scrolls.
Kaito looked at Tsunade. "I'll let you alter Dan-san's appearance however you want, ya know," he said, stepping over to Nawaki's scroll to start adjusting the physical template before imprinting the karma onto the Zetsu vessel.
But before he could begin, Tsunade reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
Kaito turned, confused. "Huh?"
She didn't answer—she leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead.
Kaito froze, stunned. Before he could say a word, she removed her necklace and slipped it around his neck.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Kaito stared down at the necklace, blinked once—then his eye twitched.'…Am I cursed now?'
…
The afternoon sun hung high over the forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf, its warm light glinting off the blankets of winter snow. The trees stood tall beneath their white coats, the cold air crisp and still.
On the outskirts of Konoha, two red-haired boys darted through the branches, moving at a leisurely pace toward the main gate.
One of them was Kaito, his red scarf snug around his neck and his black jacket billowing behind him as he leapt from branch to branch, the front left open to show a white undershirt. He wore black shinobi pants.
Beside him, a shorter boy with red hair followed. He wore a worn green shirt, grey pants, and carried a bag slung over his back. He looked about twelve.
As the familiar walls of Konoha came into view, Kaito glanced back.
"Alright, we're close now," he called over his shoulder. "You remember your cover story, right?"
The kid crossed his arms with an annoyed huff. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. My name's Naoki. Mom died when I was seven, I don't know who my dad is, I've been wandering ever since, and you found me in some town in the Land of Rivers."
Kaito nodded. "Good."
They landed on the path just outside the gates—Kaito first, Naoki right beside him.
Naoki stared up. "Wow… that's the village gate? It looks bigger than I remember."
Kaito's eyebrow twitched. "…You remember?"
Naoki coughed quickly. "I mean—bigger than I imagined."
Kaito exhaled through his nose. "Come on."
Naoki hurried after him.
They reached the guard booth just as a merchant caravan was being cleared. Kotetsu stretched as he finished the final checks, turning to his partner for the day.
"All good," he said.
The woman stamped the entry form and handed it to the caravan driver. "Here you go, sir. Welcome to Konoha."
The man accepted it with a grateful nod and returned to his wagon.
Kotetsu let out a long sigh and dropped into his chair, folding his hands behind his head. "And that's the last of them."
The woman beside him smiled. "You've been working hard all day, Kotetsu-senpai."
Kaito lifted a hand as he approached the booth. "Yo, Kotetsu," he called, spotting the familiar face. He expected Izumo to be beside him—but instead, there was a girl around Kotetsu's age, brown hair tied long down her back, wearing a standard Konoha chūnin uniform.
Kotetsu glanced over and waved. "Oh—hey, Kaito. Back from a mission?"
"Yeah, just wrapped it up, ya know," Kaito said as he reached the counter.
"A solo mission, huh? That's rare," Kotetsu remarked.
Kaito nodded, then raised an eyebrow at the girl before teasing, "So where's Izumo? Last I checked, he wasn't a girl—unless you guys decided on changing that, ya know."
He handed over his mission form.
Kotetsu let out a dry, sarcastic laugh as he took the papers. "Ha. Ha. Very funny, Kaito." He jerked a thumb toward the girl. "Izumo's out on a mission. Just me today. This is Hinami—she got assigned to take the shift with me."
Hinami offered a small, polite wave. "Nice to meet you."
Kaito returned the nod. "Likewise."
Then his eyes widened. "Huh? Wait—since when do the two of you do missions separately? I thought you were attached at the hip or something, ya know."
Hinami covered her mouth, giggling softly.
Kotetsu's eye twitched. "We are not attached at the hip."
"Could've fooled me, ya know," Kaito hummed.
Kotetsu clearly chose to ignore the jab as he finished scanning the form. "So, what do you need?"
"I need a new entry form for him," Kaito said, jerking his thumb toward Naoki.
Naoki lifted a hand. "Hello."
Kotetsu finally took a proper look at the kid and squinted. "Who's the kid?"
"This is Naoki," Kaito said. "I ran into him on my mission."
Kotetsu's eyes flicked between them. "Huh… is he an Uzumaki? He's got the same red hair as you and Lady Kushina."
Kaito nodded. "Yep. He's an Uzumaki. That's why I brought him back—he'll be joining Konoha, ya know."
Kotetsu nodded slowly. "I see… Well, welcome to Konoha, kid." He stamped the entry forms and handed them to Kaito.
"Thank you," Naoki said with a small bow.
Kaito accepted the stamped forms, then leaned across the counter a little closer to Kotetsu, lowering his voice as if he were about to share some top-secret intel.
Kotetsu instinctively leaned in too, confused. "What is it?"
Kaito jerked his chin subtly toward Hinami, a grin tugging at his lips. "So," he whispered, just loud enough for Kotetsu to hear, "you gonna ask her out or what, ya know?"
Kotetsu went bright red. "W–What—?!" He shoved Kaito back, flailing. "H-Hey! Don't say stuff like that out loud!"
Hinami looked over, blinking. "Ask what?"
Kaito laughed, stepping away from the booth. "Nothing~. See you later, Kotetsu."
He beckoned for Naoki to follow him.
Naoki gave Kotetsu and Hinami one last curious look, then trotted after Kaito as they headed into the village proper, leaving Kotetsu sputtering behind them.
…
After parting ways with Kotetsu and Hinami, Kaito and Naoki walked deeper into the village, letting people get a good look at the newly found red-haired boy.
Naoki's eyes were everywhere.
"It's different from before," he murmured, pointing at a building. "That wasn't there… or that one…"
Kaito sighed. "What did you expect? It's been over thirty years—things change, ya know."
They continued down the street, and Naoki instantly fixated on the food stalls.
He darted to the nearest one. "Wah—what is that?!" he gasped, pointing at a skewer, eyes shining. "It smells so good!"
Kaito followed with another weary sigh—only to find Naoki already holding a bag stuffed with grilled chicken-and-onion skewers.
"That'll be 250 ryō, kid," the stall owner said.
Naoki froze, face blank. "…Uh. Didn't think about money."
Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose. "Obviously not, ya know."
He paid.
They walked on, and Naoki immediately stopped again at a taiyaki stall.
Kaito paid.
Then at a dango stall.
Paid again.
Just as the dango vendor handed over the bag, Kaito heard a familiar voice behind him. "Kai-kun!"
He turned to see Hotaru stepping out of the café beside the taiyaki stall. She wore a light blue sweater, black pants, and a sling bag over her shoulder, hands resting on the strap.Her expression brightened when she saw him.
"Oh—hey, Hotaru," Kaito said.
"You just came back from your mission?" she asked, walking over.
Kaito nodded. "Yeah." He held out the dango bag. "Want some?"
Naoki—standing on Kaito's other side—looked up, saw Hotaru… and froze.
Then promptly choked on his dango, coughing violently and thumping his chest, but Kaito ignored him completely.
Hotaru glanced past Kaito at the dying boy and tapped Kaito's shoulder. "Um… is he okay?"
Kaito waved dismissively. "Eh, he's fine, ya know. So—what are you doing here?"
Hotaru started, "Oh, I came here—"
At that moment, Hana and Izumi stepped out of the same café. Spotting him, Hana called out, "Oh—Kaito?"
Seeing the three girls together, Kaito gestured casually toward the dango stall. "You want some? I'm buying, ya know."
Naoki, meanwhile, finally managed to dislodge the dango and was now bent over wheezing loudly—but Kaito still didn't acknowledge him.
Hana and Izumi walked over, joining Kaito and Hotaru.
Hana was the first to notice the extra presence. "Huh? Who's the kid beside you?"
Hotaru's gaze drifted to his hair. "Is he from your clan?"
Izumi tilted her head, openly curious. "Another Uzumaki? Wow."
Hana let out a low whistle. "How many of them have you dragged back now? Five? Six? At this rate, you might as well open an orphanage."
Kaito sighed. "Yeah, yeah. This is Naoki Uzumaki," he said. "Met him during my mission."
He turned to the boy. "These are my friends—Hotaru, Hana, and Izumi."
Hotaru gave a shy wave. "Nice to meet you."
Naoki stared at her like he was witnessing the divine.
"Y-You're really pretty."
Hotaru's cheeks immediately flushed.
Hana and Izumi both snickered.
Kaito's eye twitched. He smacked Naoki lightly on the back of the head.
Naoki rubbed the spot. "Hey—what was that for?!"
"For hitting on my girlfriend, ya know."
"Girlfriend?" Izumi repeated, eyebrows rising.
Hana turned fully toward Hotaru, eyes narrowing. "Since when?"
Naoki looked between Kaito and Hotaru like Kaito had just claimed he invented flying. "No way. There's no way she'd go out with you."
He pointed between them, exasperated. "Just look at her and then look at you! There's no way—she's way out of your league!"
Kaito's eye twitched violently. "Why you little—"
Hotaru, red to the tips of her ears, raised her hands. "W-Well… we've… kind of been dating for about a month and a half."
Naoki's jaw dropped. "W-What? Really? But—how?" He looked between Hotaru and Kaito repeatedly, like the world no longer made sense.
Hana's jaw dropped, too. "A month? You guys have been dating for a month already?"
Izumi rounded on Hotaru, scandalized. "And you didn't tell us?"
Hotaru flailed helplessly. "We only went on one date! We… wanted to take things slow…"
Hana crossed her arms. "You went on a date and didn't tell us?"
Kaito snapped his fingers as he'd just remembered. "Oh—right. We've only been on one date so far. How about we go out again tomorrow, ya know?"
Hotaru's blush deepened even further. "…Tomorrow?"
Izumi and Hana exchanged a look—some silent, unmistakable agreement passing between them.
Izumi immediately grabbed one of Hotaru's arms. "She's coming with us."
Hana hooked her arm around Hotaru's other side. "We need to discuss a few things."
Hotaru squeaked as she was dragged away. "W-Wait! I still need to—"
Izumi waved back. "Yeah, sorry, Kaito! We're borrowing your girlfriend!"
Hana added, "Don't worry—she'll be there for your date tomorrow."
Kaito raised a hand casually. "Have fun, ya know."
Naoki watched them disappear around the corner, staring longingly at the empty space Hotaru had occupied moments ago.
Kaito side-eyed him. "Don't even think about it."
Naoki pouted.
They turned away from the café and the stalls, heading toward the looming silhouette of the Hokage Tower as the winter sun dipped lower over the village.
…
Kaito and Naoki made their way up the steps of the Hokage Tower.
As they reached the reception area, Naoki leaned in and whispered, "Is she Nee-san's student?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. And remember our plan, ya know."
Naoki nodded back.
Kaito stepped up to the desk. "Hey, Shizune-nee. How are you doing, ya know?"
Shizune looked up from the stack of documents she'd been sorting. Her expression brightened immediately. "Oh, Kaito-kun, you're back. Are you here to hand in your mission report?"
"Yeah," Kaito said. "And I also brought someone with me."
Shizune's attention drifted to Naoki.
Her eyes locked onto the red hair—and she froze. "…Ah…" A tiny breath slipped from her. "Is he…?"
Kaito nodded once. "Yeah. I'll explain inside."
Shizune tore her gaze away from Naoki with effort. "R-Right. I'll inform Lady Tsunade."
She stood, smoothed her skirt out of habit, and tapped lightly on the Hokage's door. A muffled response came from inside.
Shizune turned back. "You can come in."
They entered Tsunade's office, Shizune following behind them.
Naoki took one look at Tsunade—and stopped dead.
"M-Mom?" His voice cracked, soft and trembling. His eyes misted as if he'd just seen a ghost.
Shizune's eyes shot wide. "Mom?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, playing along. "…What?"
Kaito gave Naoki a sidelong glance, matching the act.
Naoki quickly shook his head, covering his eyes with his arm as his shoulders trembled.
After a moment, he wiped his eyes and lowered his arm. "I'm sorry… You looked a lot like my mother."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a photo—the one they prepared for this exact reason. It showed a transformed Tsunade with red hair and slightly altered facial features, holding a five-year-old version of Naoki.
Naoki told them a fabricated story about how he had been raised by his mother until she died of illness when he was seven, and how he had been on his own ever since.
Tsunade said quietly, "I see… I'm sorry to hear that."
Shizune stepped closer and gently patted Naoki's shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay."
Tsunade asked, "So what's your name, kid?"
Naoki grinned. "Naoki. And apparently I'm an Uzumaki—according to him." He jabbed a thumb at Kaito.
Kaito sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I tested him—he's an Uzumaki, ya know."
Tsunade nodded once.
Kaito went on to explain how he'd found Naoki. who was using the Transformation Jutsu to pickpocket travelers in the Land of Rivers, and how the brat had even tried to pickpocket him. Kaito shot Naoki a stink eye.
Naoki chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "I said I was sorry…"
Kaito gave him a flat look. "You're terrible at it, by the way, ya know."
"It worked on other people…" Naoki muttered.
Tsunade absorbed that, then turned back to the boy. "So, Naoki… do you want to join Konoha?"
Naoki nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! He said I can even become a shinobi!"
Tsunade nearly winced but forced a nod. "…Yes. If you want to."
She continued questioning him about the details of his life until he met Kaito.
After several minutes, Kaito sighed. "Anyway," he said, "my house doesn't really have room for him to stay, ya know. We're full as it is. I was hoping you could arrange somewhere for him to live until we sort out something permanent."
Tsunade leaned back slightly, fingers drumming once against the arm of her chair, then said, "He can stay with me."
Shizune blinked. "Are you sure, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade shrugged. "Yeah, I live alone anyway. And it'll just be temporary until things are arranged. Plus, I'm part Uzumaki too, so letting him stay for a while won't be much of an issue."
Naoki bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Nee-chan, for your generosity and kindness."
Then he burst out, "You know… I heard people talking! I shouldn't have listened to those old guys saying the Fifth Hokage was supposed to be some mean old lady! But I didn't expect Nee-chan to be the Hokage. You look so young and beautiful and kind!"
Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose.
Shizune let out a nervous laugh.
Tsunade's eye twitched.
After a long exhale, Tsunade turned. "Shizune, can you get the forms for his citizenship and all that?"
"Yes, right away, Lady Tsunade," Shizune said before slipping out, leaving only the three of them in the office.
The moment the latch clicked, Naoki let out a loud sigh. "Acting is really hard…"
Kaito shot him a glare. "That's because you're overacting. You almost blew our cover, ya know."
Naoki crossed his arms defensively. "Well, she believed it, didn't she?"
He looked toward Tsunade. "So… what now?"
"Same as we discussed," Tsunade said. "You'll be enrolled in the Academy. The new batch will be graduating soon, so I plan to place you into a team."
Naoki groaned. "Ugh, do I really have to go to the Academy?"
"Yes," Tsunade said firmly. "You can make friends, build connections—and it gives you time to train."
Then she turned to Kaito. "I want you to train him until graduation."
Kaito's expression went flat. "Why me? You can train him yourself, ya know. I already know exactly how annoying he is."
Naoki jerked upright. "Oi! I'm right here!"
He pointed between them. "Yeah—and why him? He's only a little older than me. You want this guy to train me? Seriously?"
Kaito crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.
Tsunade sighed. "I'm busy," she said pointedly. "Paperwork. Missions. Meetings. I don't have time to train you, Nawaki."
She looked down at Naoki. "Believe it or not, the kid beside you is stronger than even me. He's Konoha's second-strongest shinobi."
Naoki slowly turned toward Kaito, eyes widening. "…Seriously?"
Kaito grimaced. "You don't have to say it like that, ya know."
Kaito gave her a look. "I'm tired too, ya know. Remember—I'm the one who finished all the paperwork you left, and I have things to do as well. Why not have Kakashi or someone else do it? Better yet, why not have Kenji -san train him? He's a jōnin too, ya know."
Kenji is Dan Kato's new identity.
Tsunade shook her head. "And he can't. Kakashi's on a mission."
Then she shot Kaito a look. "And Daichi training Naoki would raise more questions. Since he's an Uzumaki, you training him won't raise any suspicion. Just train him alongside the others."
Kaito grumbled under his breath. "You just like dumping work on me, ya know."
Tsunade smirked faintly. "I'm the Hokage. Delegating is what I do."
Naoki snickered quietly—until Kaito shot him a sharp warning glare.
Kaito turned back to Tsunade. "By the way—you owe me 35,000 ryō, ya know."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"Ask him. He keeps spending money every few seconds," Kaito said, pointing at Naoki.
Naoki looked sheepish, scratching the back of his head.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Lady Tsunade? I have the forms," Shizune called as she opened the door and stepped inside.
Tsunade nodded.
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