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Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade and Jiraiya met and immediately began exchanging detailed intelligence about their recent activities.
Meanwhile, Kaito silently appeared at the doorstep of Minato's house and gently knocked.
"Kaito?" Kushina opened the door. "What brings you here? Come in!"
"Where's Minato?" Kaito stepped inside.
"Upstairs, helping Naruto with his homework," Kushina replied with a smug grin.
"Uh…" Kaito's expression froze for a second before smoothly shifting into a smile. "Seems like your discipline is working wonders, Kushina-nee."
"Hmph, go ahead and laugh," Kushina huffed as she headed toward the kitchen. "I'm making lunch. Go on up if you need him—you're staying to eat with us."
"No need, I'm a clone," Kaito declined firmly.
"Tch, suit yourself." Kushina was visibly displeased.
"Hahaha, I'll head up then."
Kaito quickly made his way to the second floor.
"Kaito, you're here."
Minato was sneakily standing outside Naruto's room, waving at him.
"What's going on with you?"
Kaito eyed Minato's disheveled appearance with surprise.
"It's nothing," Minato forced a smile and hurried over. "You need me for something? Let's go right now!"
"Go?"
Kaito peeked into the room and saw Naruto, wearing a headband, slumped in the middle of a pile of scrolls. His eyes were glazed over, his expression completely blank—as if his soul was about to leave his body.
"Go where?" Kaito turned back to Minato. "I didn't come to take you out."
"No, you definitely need me for something!"
Without waiting for an explanation, Minato grabbed Kaito's wrist and dragged him downstairs at lightning speed, shouting, "We're heading out for a bit!" before Kushina could even respond. He practically bolted out of the house.
"Alright, alright."
Once they were on the street, Kaito quickly shook off Minato's grip.
"You—just a while ago, you were desperate for me to summon Kushina-nee for you," Kaito teased. "Now you're fleeing your own home. Getting tired of domestic life already?"
"Spare me the sarcasm," Minato sighed. "Naruto and Kushina are driving me insane."
"Ah, the sealing techniques again?" Kaito started walking toward the Hokage Building.
Minato nodded with a pained expression. "Kushina insists that since Naruto carries the Uzumaki name, he has to master sealing techniques."
"So when she couldn't teach him properly, she dumped the responsibility on you?" Kaito understood immediately.
"Exactly," Minato said, torn between laughter and frustration. "She said since I'm not Hokage anymore, I have nothing better to do at home anyway."
Kaito shot him a sidelong glance. "Honestly… compared to you, Naruto's the one who's really suffering. And you just abandoned him back there."
"Naruto's still young," Minato replied with a benevolent smile. "Youngsters need more training—it's good for them."
"Sure, if you say so." Kaito shrugged.
Minato coughed awkwardly before changing the subject. "Anyway, what did you come to see me for?"
"Tsunade-sama's back," Kaito said. "We're heading to the Hokage Building to discuss the upcoming war."
"War?"
Minato paused, then quickly grasped the situation.
"The enemy is Akatsuki?" he asked. "Did something happen at the Five Kage Summit? You already know, don't you?"
"Yeah." Kaito didn't beat around the bush. "Nagato showed up and declared war on the Five Kage."
Minato wasn't overly surprised.
"From what Kakashi reported earlier, Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori were killed by Tsunade-sama. At this point, Akatsuki shouldn't have any manpower left."
"With the power of the Ten-Tails, Nagato doesn't need subordinates anymore," Kaito said calmly.
"The Ten-Tails…" Minato touched his stomach. "I've already talked to Kurama about this."
Kaito turned to look at him.
"Naruto and I can't get too close to the Ten-Tails," Minato said. "Otherwise, Kurama might be extracted."
"Expected." Kaito continued walking.
"So Naruto and I will probably have to sit out this war," Minato said regretfully.
Kaito neither agreed nor disagreed. "Given Naruto's personality, stopping him won't be easy."
"That's why I wanted to ask for your help." Minato looked slightly embarrassed but quickly steeled himself. "I don't mind, but if Naruto loses Kurama, he'll die. Kushina and I can't bear the thought of him facing that danger."
"We'll discuss this later. As long as you're all in agreement, I can help." Kaito looked up.
By now, the two had arrived at the Hokage Building.
With Minato present, they passed through without issue and reached the Hokage's office.
"Lord Fourth, Lord Kaito."
Shizune, standing guard outside, greeted them respectfully.
"Shizune." Minato reverted to his usual cheerful demeanor. "Is Tsunade-sama inside with Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Come in." Tsunade's voice came from inside.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Minato pushed the door open. Inside, Tsunade and Jiraiya were seated on the sofa in the reception area, deep in conversation, while Kakashi and Tokuma stood nearby.
"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama." Kaito followed Minato inside. "Kakashi, Tokuma."
"What brings you two here together?" Jiraiya waved them over.
"I asked Minato to come along." Kaito took a seat beside Tsunade. "There are some things we need to discuss in advance."
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya." Kakashi tactfully excused himself. "Tokuma and I will take our leave."
"Mm, go get some rest." Tsunade waved them off. "We'll call you if needed."
The two quickly left the office.
Once the door closed again, the remaining three turned their attention to Kaito.
"Go on." Tsunade leaned back lazily on the sofa, crossing her legs. "I could use some rest too."
'Your current body doesn't even need rest.' Kaito held back the retort and got straight to the point.
"The war is about to begin," he said. "Even though Nagato holds the power of the Ten-Tails, the major villages will still have to bear the brunt of the initial battles."
"Are you saying you won't be contributing?" Jiraiya frowned.
"Correct." Kaito nodded. "I have to make my move at the right time."
"But…" Jiraiya hesitated. "Just how strong is the Ten-Tails? If we can't hold out, there'll be heavy casualties."
"I'll be monitoring the battlefield the entire time," Kaito assured. "At least until Nagato decides to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki."
*****
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