Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 174
Anko rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful.
Kurenai nudged her gently. "I think you should give it a shot, Anko," she said with a smile.
Kaito waved a hand. "You don't have to answer now. Just drop by the house tomorrow. Talk to Mom—get her opinion or whatever. I'm just asking you to give the guy a chance."
Anko finally nodded. "Alright… I'll think about it."
Kaito nodded. "Oh—before I forget, he has Wood Release."
Anko raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Is that some kind of dirty innuendo?"
Kaito blinked. "No—he literally has the Wood Release kekkei genkai. And no, he wasn't born with it. It was… 'given' to him by you know who."
His voice dropped slightly at the end, eyes meeting hers. He figured she'd understand. Anko's expression darkened immediately.
"He's like me, then?" she asked quietly.
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. His past's not too different from yours. But you should talk to him about it."
Anko was silent for a moment, then stood up. "Alright. I'll think it over."
She glanced back at Kaito with a smirk. "It was nice seeing you again, brat. I'll drop by the house tomorrow."
With that, she turned and left, Kurenai following behind after flashing a brief smile at the group. The mood slowly began to settle again around the table.
…
The noon sun hung high over the Hidden Leaf Village, casting soft shadows across the training grounds.
Kaito's shadow clone stood over both Boruto and Naruto, arms crossed.
"Get up," the clone said flatly.
Naruto groaned but sat up, brushing grass off his clothes. "Ugh… do we have to?"
Boruto, still sprawled on the ground and panting heavily, muttered, "Can we just take a small break, man?"
Kaito's clone nudged him lightly with his foot. "Even Naruto got up—and he's way younger than you. Man up, Boruto."
Naruto looked up at the clone and added, "Though, Big Bro… maybe we can take a break? All we've been doing for the past few days is train, ya know…"
Kaito's clone sighed. "I suppose we can take a break—it's lunchtime anyway," he said, turning his head slightly as he sensed someone approaching.
Boruto and Naruto both looked up to see Kushina walking into the training field, smiling warmly. Beside her, another of Kaito's clones followed closely, carrying a large picnic basket. She walked over and sat down exactly where the original Kaito usually did.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yatta! Food! I'm starving, ya know!" he shouted, jumping up and sprinting toward his mother without hesitation.
Boruto, still on the ground, gave Naruto a look of disbelief. "I don't get it… how does he still have so much energy?"
Kaito's clone just shrugged before dispelling itself in a quiet poof.
It had been a full week since Boruto arrived in their timeline, and just as long since Kaito had begun training him. The week had been intense—physically and mentally exhausting—and Kaito wasn't letting up anytime soon.
To ensure everyone's safety, Kaito and Kushina had made the decision to pull Naruto out of the academy for a month. They knew it was risky to let him remain there—especially with the threat of Urashiki looming. Kaito doubted that the Otsutsuki would wait for school to let out before making a move. If anything, he expected Urashiki to attack the moment he arrived.
Unfortunately, the turtle Kuratsuki hadn't given them a specific date for Urashiki's arrival—just "a few days." That vagueness meant they had to prepare for the worst at any time. The excuse they gave the academy was clan training, which was well within the rules. Clans were allowed to personally train their heirs, and no one questioned it
The reason they gave the academy for pulling Naruto out was simple: clan training. It was a valid excuse—one fully supported by the village. After all, prominent clans were allowed to personally train their members whenever necessary, especially heirs.
Alongside that decision, Kaito had also suggested to Kushina that Karin stay somewhere else for a while—at least until the whole Otsutsuki situation was resolved. With Urashiki possibly arriving any day, keeping Karin nearby would only increase the number of targets and make things far more difficult to manage. Even for Kaito, protecting everyone at once wasn't guaranteed.
Since Karin and Hinata had become good friends, and Kaito himself shared a strong relationship with the Hyuga clan, he had personally gone to the Hyuga compound to speak with Hiashi, Hotaru, and Hitomi. He asked if they would allow Karin to stay at the clan head's house for a few weeks.
They agreed but, naturally, wanted to know why.
Kaito knew he had to give them something. He explained that he had received information suggesting someone was after the Nine-Tails' chakra sealed within Naruto. There was a real possibility of an attack happening right in the village. If Karin stayed with them, she would be in danger—and so would his mother and Naruto.
He also asked them to keep this information quiet for now, revealing that he hadn't informed the Hokage yet.
When Hiashi asked why, Kaito answered honestly: "Because it's still just speculation. I'm not even sure how accurate the information is yet, and I don't want to worry the Hokage over something that might turn out to be nothing."
Hiashi had nodded, understanding the weight of such decisions.
Before leaving, Kaito also asked Hotaru if she could assist with training both Karin and Kimimaro during the month.
Kahyo had agreed to help train Haku, since they were from the same clan and could better understand each other's abilities. And for Guren, Kaito had asked Tenzo to assist, reasoning that Crystal Release, being an elemental kekkei genkai, was at least structurally similar to Wood Release in how it worked with nature transformation.
Speaking of Tenzo, things actually seemed to be going pretty well with Anko. After their conversation at the barbecue shop, Anko had shown up at the Uzumaki household early the next morning—looking unusually bashful.
Kaito was in the kitchen, standing at the stove, wearing the apron his mother had gotten him, the one that proudly read 'Best Son in the World' across the front. With practiced ease, he folded the omelet in half and placed it onto a growing stack on the serving plate beside him.
He turned off the heat and carried the plate over to the dining table where Kushina sat, calmly sipping her morning tea.
"Thanks, Kai-kun," she said warmly as he set the plate down in front of her.
Naruto and Karin had already left a few minutes ago, heading to the academy with one of Kaito's shadow clones escorting them. The house was quiet… for now.
Kaito began untying his apron just as Boruto shuffled into the room, yawning, eyes half-lidded and scratching his rear absentmindedly.
Kushina smiled gently. "Good morning, Boruto-chan."
Boruto gave a lazy nod and dropped into the seat across from her. "Morning… What's for breakfast?"
Kaito hung the apron neatly on the stand, then walked over and sat down next to him. He slid a plate across the table—omelets and rice, freshly made.
"Eat up fast," Kaito said. "We're going to start training as soon as you're done."
Boruto grumbled something under his breath but picked up his chopsticks anyway.
Kaito looked over at his mother. "Mom, I've been thinking," he said, voice low. "I really think we should pull Naruto out of school for at least the next month. Until we deal with this Urashiki guy."
Kushina paused mid-sip and frowned. "You really think it's necessary, ya know?"
"If Urashiki attacks Naruto at school," Kaito continued, "that'll put the other kids in danger too. I doubt he's gonna wait until classes are over to make a move."
Kushina frowned deeper, clearly torn. "But I don't want Naru-chan falling behind on his studies, ya know…" She turned to Boruto. "Boruto-chan, don't you know exactly when he'll show up?"
Boruto shook his head, his mouth still half full. "Nope. The turtle only said, 'in a few days.' Didn't give a real date."
Kushina nodded, her expression growing serious. "Right… then we'll have to pull Naruto out of the academy. If he stays, it could put the other children in danger."
Kaito nodded in agreement. "I was also thinking of asking Hiashi-sama—"
He was cut off by a sudden knock on the door.
"Huh? Who could that be this early in the morning?" Kushina asked, half-rising from her seat.
"I'll get the door, Mom," Kaito offered quickly, already stepping out of the kitchen. "Though… I didn't think Anko would be here this early."
Boruto looked up from his food, confused. "Huh? Anko-sensei?"
Kushina tilted her head. "Anko-chan? What's she doing here? Did she need something?"
Kaito scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "Right… I forgot to tell you yesterday. We ran into Anko at Yakiniku Q, and I kinda asked her if she'd consider going out with Tenzo. I also told her she could talk to you if she wanted any advice about it. Sorry about that, ya know."
Kushina blinked, then nodded with a soft laugh. "Oh, she's here for that? I'm fine with it, ya know."
Kaito stepped out of the kitchen to answer the door.
After a moment, Kushina turned back to Boruto. "So, Anko-chan was your sensei?"
Boruto nodded, picking up another bite of omelet. "Yeah… she was my sensei at the academy. Though… she's kinda different here. For one, she's way thinner in this timeline."
Kushina chuckled lightly. "Really? Well, everyone's different depending on the time and place, ya know."
…
Walking out of the kitchen and toward the front door, Kaito opened it to find Anko standing there, looking… surprisingly nervous.
She offered him a bashful grin. "Hey. Is your mother in?"
Kaito nodded and stepped aside to let her in. "Yeah, she's in the kitchen. You're a bit earlier than expected."
Anko shrugged casually. "I was free this morning, so I figured I'd just come by."
Kaito nodded and led her down the hall to the kitchen.
Inside, Kushina looked up and smiled warmly. "Anko-chan, good morning! Come sit with us and have some breakfast," she said, gesturing to an open seat at the table.
But Anko didn't move. She stood frozen in the doorway, staring directly at Boruto, who was quietly finishing his breakfast.
Kaito noticed and raised a brow. "Huh?"
Anko turned slowly to Kaito, blinking in disbelief. "Am I going crazy, or did Naruto grow up overnight? I could've sworn he wasn't that big the last time I saw him." She pointed directly at Boruto.
Kaito sighed. "I guess you didn't really notice him last night. Anko, this is Boruto. He's, uh… complicated," He motioned for her to sit down and began explaining everything in detail, the cover story they had come up with.
By the time he finished, Anko sat down beside Kushina, holding a cup of tea in her hands and looking at Boruto with mild suspicion. "So… this kid's supposedly a distant cousin of the Fourth Hokage, came to the village looking for family, and is staying here for a few months?" She glanced at Boruto with a raised eyebrow.
Kushina nodded calmly. "That's about right."
Anko looked at Kushina and said bluntly, "Ehhh… don't take this the wrong way, but… I think the Fourth cheated on you."
Kushina let out a tired sigh. "I thought that at first too," she admitted. "But I know my husband. Minato would never do that." She looked toward Boruto for a moment, then added, "And Kaito-kun already tested Boruto-chan. His match with Minato was less than fourteen percent. That's way too low for Minato to be his father. He just looks like Minato because the Namikaze genes are ridiculously dominant. Just look at Kai-kun and Naruto-chan—it's the same thing."
Anko nodded slowly, not entirely following all the talk about genes and percentages. "Right… I'll believe you."
Kushina, clearly wanting to change the subject, smiled gently. "So, what brings you here this early, Anko-chan?"
"About that…" Anko glanced between Kaito and Boruto, fidgeting slightly.
Kaito immediately understood. He stood up from the table. "Right. I think we should get going, Boruto."
Boruto nodded, stretching. "Yeah, just give me a sec—I've gotta get changed."
Kaito looked over at his mother. "Call my clone if you need anything, Mom."
With that, both of them left the kitchen.
Later that day, Kaito received the memories from his shadow clone.
Apparently, Kushina had introduced Tenzo to Anko not long after he and Boruto had left. At her request, Kaito's clone had teleported to Tenzo, who was currently on guard duty for Naruto. It was Team Ro's assigned rotation that day.
The clone appeared behind Tenzo with a casual, "Yo."
Both Tenzo and his ANBU partner jolted in surprise. Tenzo was so shocked he lost his footing and fell off the tree branch he'd been standing on.
Kaito landed smoothly in front of him, grinning. "Hey there, Tenzo."
Tenzo jumped to his feet, scowling. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?!"
Kaito just scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "But it's fun, ya know? Besides, I came to get you for something important."
Tenzo grumbled under his breath, muttering something about "redheaded brats."
He straightened up and gave Kaito a firm look. "Look, Kaito—I'm on duty. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait."
But before he could turn away, a chakra chain shot out and wrapped around his wrist.
"Hey—what the…?" Tenzo started, looking at Kaito in surprise.
Kaito shook his head, smirking. "Sorry, can't wait."
He turned to the other ANBU nearby. "Hey dude, I'm borrowing him for a few seconds. I'll bring him back."
And with that, the shadow clone vanished in a flash, teleporting away with Tenzo.
Kaito's shadow clone arrived near the Uzumaki residence, Tenzo still wrapped in chakra chains.
as soon as they arrived Kaito released him.
Tenzo let out an exasperated sigh, brushing himself off. "Really, Kaito? Was that necessary?" he grumbled. " whatever this is, can't it wait?" he asked, giving him a flat, deadpan look.
Kaito shook his head. "Nope. The boss made a promise—to help you find a hot girlfriend. So he's fulfilling it, ya know."
Tenzo blinked. "Wait—what now?"
Kaito started walking toward the house. "Just come with me. She's inside with my mom. Take off that mask and follow me. I had to cash in a favor she owed me just to get you this date. If you screw it up, that's on you. I did what I could."
Tenzo quickly caught up and grabbed Kaito by the shoulder. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded, practically shaking him.
Kaito stopped him. "Exactly what I said."
Tenzo looked genuinely anxious. "I can't just… meet someone like this! What if I mess it up?"
Kaito let out a breath and gave him a solid pat on the shoulder. "Relax. Just be yourself, Tenzo. She's around your age, and trust me, you two have more in common than you think. She's got a similar past to yours, too. Don't try too hard—just talk to her like you would with a friend."
Tenzo stared at him for a moment. "Huh… you're giving me dating advice now?"
Kaito just shrugged. "Life's weird like that. Now hurry up."
Apparently, the date had gone surprisingly well. According to Kushina, Anko had been interested in Tenzo—and even said she wanted to see him again. It looked like Kaito's matchmaking plan might've actually worked.
…
Kushina walked in, smiling as she approached. One of Kaito's shadow clones followed beside her, carrying a large picnic basket.They made their way toward the base of a tall tree, where the real Kaito sat cross-legged in deep concentration.
He was completely still, His face bore the distinctive markings of Sage Mode, and Katsuyu rested quietly on his shoulder, observing.
Kaito hadn't fully perfected Sage Mode yet, but he was getting closer. The slimy sheen that once coated his skin had nearly vanished, and he could now maintain the mode for a solid five minutes—an impressive improvement from just weeks ago.
Kushina gently placed the basket on the ground and sat down beside him.
"It seems you're getting better at it, Kai-kun," she said looking at the marking on kaito face.
Kaito slowly opened his eyes and released the nature energy, the sage markings fading as he returned to his normal state. He let out a steady breath. "I'm not there yet, Mom."
Katsuyu gave a soft hum from his shoulder. "You've made great progress, Kaito-kun. You're able to enter Sage Mode much faster now, and your control has improved significantly."
"Thank you, Lady Katsuyu," Kaito said with a respectful nod.
Kushina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, listen to Lady Katsuyu, Kai-kun. Don't sell yourself short. Your father only mastered senjutsu after he became Hokage. Achieving something like this at your age? That's incredible, ya know. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Kaito gave her a quiet nod, accepting her encouragement.
Just then, Naruto came sprinting over from the other side of the field, beaming. "Mom! You're a lifesaver—I'm so hungry, ya know!"
Kushina laughed and patted the spot beside her. "Come sit down, Naru-chan."
She opened the basket and began pulling out the bentos she'd packed for them all.
Boruto followed soon after, limping slightly and groaning as he dropped down beside Kaito. "Man… I feel sore all over, ya know."
Kushina handed him his bento with a gentle smile. "Here you go, Boruto-chan. Eat up. You're gonna need your strength for later, ya know."
"Thanks, Oba-chan," Boruto muttered, accepting the box. He shot a tired glance at Kaito and grumbled, "I still don't get why you're making me relearn everything from scratch, ya know. I can already use most of these jutsu just fine."
Kaito took a bite of his shrimp tempura, chewed thoughtfully, and after swallowing, said, "I've told you before—learning something is different from mastering it. Remember what they say—'You shouldn't fear the man who practices…'"
Before he could finish, both Naruto and Boruto chimed in together, "...a thousand different kicks, but fear the man who practices the same kick a thousand times!" Naruto grinned proudly as they said it, while Boruto exaggerated the delivery with a dramatic tone.
Naruto looked over at Kaito with a wide grin, clearly pleased with himself. Kushina chuckled and gave him a light pat on the head.
Boruto groaned. "Yeah, yeah—you've said it like, a thousand times already. I bet you just made that quote up yourself," he muttered, stabbing at his bento with his chopsticks.
Kaito sighed and gave Boruto a calm look. "You have a habit of skipping steps when you're learning something. Sure, that can help you pick things up faster—but when you skip the process, the end result is weaker. To make up for it, you end up pouring more chakra into your jutsu. Three or four times more than necessary."
Boruto grumbled under his breath, taking another bite. "Easy for you to say. All you do is sit around and do nothing..."
"I'm not doing nothing," Kaito replied flatly, nodding toward his shoulder. "I'm learning Senjutsu from Lady Katsuyu."
Katsuyu gave a tiny bow. "Hello, Boruto-kun," she said politely.
Boruto blinked and looked at them both, confused. "Senjutsu? What's that?"
Kaito let out another sigh and leaned back on one hand. "Well, you might need to learn it in the future anyway, so listen up. Senjutsu is what you get when you successfully balance nature energy with your own chakra. Nature energy comes from everything around us—it's the life force of the world itself. You can't usually sense it unless you train for it."
He continued, "When you mix it properly with your chakra, your physical abilities—your punches, your durability, your ninjutsu—everything gets a massive boost. Think of it like a ten-times multiplier on your base power. The better you are at controlling it, the more you get out of it."
Both Naruto and Boruto looked at him, eyes wide in awe.
Naruto nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. "Big bro, you have to teach me that! It sounds so cool, ya know!"
Kaito smiled. "Yeah, I was already planning to teach you eventually, Naruto. But not yet—probably in a few years."
Naruto pouted. "Ah, come on, Big Bro! Do I really have to wait that long?"
Katsuyu's soft voice cut through the excitement. "Senjutsu isn't as easy as it sounds, Naruto-kun. If you can't control nature energy properly… it could kill you. You'd need a large chakra reserve just to survive it. Even if you can balance the energy, it still puts a lot of strain on your body."
Kushina nodded in agreement, her expression serious. "It's not as easy as Kai-kun makes it look, ya know. Only a handful of people in history have ever managed to learn it—the First Hokage, your father, Jiraiya, and now your big brother. Everyone else who tried... mostly died."
Naruto gulped, his enthusiasm deflating fast. "Y-Yeah… I think I'm good for now, ya know."
Boruto nodded beside him. "Yeah, that doesn't sound cool anymore. Think I'll pass."
Kaito shook his head, resting his bento on his lap. "I still think you should try to learn it someday. When you get back, ask your father for the Toad Contract. He probably inherited it from Jiraiya."
Boruto blinked. "Huh? Can't I just ask Garaga to teach me?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Garaga. He's my snake summon."
Kaito looked at Boruto like he'd just grown a second head. "Why the hell did you sign the snake contract? That's literally the worst place to learn senjutsu! And how the hell did you even get it? I thought only Orochimaru had access to that. Last time I saw that creep, I nearly killed him."
Boruto looked offended. "Hey! Garaga isn't that bad! We sorta came to an understanding, ya know?" Then his expression shifted, a bit defensive. "And what was that about Orochimaru-san? He's not like that. He's... my best friend's parent."
Kushina blinked, stunned. "Orochimaru... a parent? That's something I never thought I'd hear in my lifetime."
Kaito crossed his arms, his voice cold. "I don't know what the Orochimaru from your timeline is like, but here? He's one of the worst people you'll ever meet. He experimented on children. Killed hundreds—maybe thousands. And he's still conducting experiments even now. He's on Konoha's rogue ninja list for a reason."
Kaito remembered the reports from the future. He knew Orochimaru had somehow gotten off scot-free after the Fourth Shinobi War and had later created Mitsuki—if he recalled the name right—through artificial means.
He sighed, tone serious. "I don't know why you signed the contract with the snakes, but if you ever plan to learn senjutsu, don't go to them. When you return, ask your father for the Toad Contract, or ask Lady Tsunade for the Slug Contract. From what I've heard, the Great Snake Sage at Ryuchi Cave doesn't teach you—he injects you with nature energy and sees if you survive. If you don't, they eat you."
Boruto paled a little.
"As for the toads," Kaito continued, "they've got a special staff to knock you out if you start turning into a stone toad. And Lady Katsuyu? She can reabsorb the excess nature energy from your body and stop you from turning into slime."
Katsuyu nodded gently. "That's correct. There's a reason only Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest have produced senjutsu users. Ryuchi Cave has never produced one. Not a single survivor."
Boruto gulped and gave a stiff nod. "Y-Yeah… okay. I get it."
But before another word could be said, Kaito suddenly tensed, he quickly stood, drawing a kunai and scanning the skies.
Everyone froze.
Then, a voice echoed across the field, smooth and taunting. "My, my… it seems my plans really have been knocked off-kilter."
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