Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin (Kaito)

Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 162

Kaito turned to Tsunade. "According to Mei, Yagura's personality completely changed a year after he became the Fourth Mizukage. That means he's been under genjutsu for about six years now."

Jiraiya exhaled, shaking his head. "Six years… That's long enough to reshape an entire nation."

Shikaku frowned. "If that's the case, then Kiri's instability isn't just a consequence of poor leadership—it's deliberate sabotage."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We can't do much about the Mizukage right now without starting a war. All we can do is closely monitor Kiri."

She then turned to Kaito, her voice tired. "Alright… I'll allow the Yuki Clan to join Konoha under the conditions you set." She sighed. "I assume you've already thought of a way to get them here without causing a major incident?"

Kaito grinned at her. "Thanks, I knew you'd agree! Tenzo and Kakashi were saying you were heartless and wouldn't agree to giving asylum to the Yuki Clan—"

Tenzo went pale. "W-We never said that, my lady!" he stammered, then turned to Kaito with a look of betrayal before grabbing him by the head. "HEY! WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

Kaito just laughed, trying to pry Tenzo's hands off him.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "This kid is going to be the death of me…" she muttered under her breath.

…

The sun hung high over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, casting its warm glow over the Hokage's office.

Inside, Kaito was finishing up the last bit of paperwork for the day. He signed the final document with a relieved sigh, placing it neatly on the growing stack. Stretching his arms above his head, he grinned.

"Finally! I'm done! I'm free for the rest of the day, ya know!" he said, feeling triumphant.

Just as he was about to celebrate his small victory, the door creaked open, and Tsunade strolled in with a smirk.

"Good, you're done, brat," she said, her tone laced with amusement.

Kaito's stomach dropped. That smirk... it never meant anything good. Before he could tell her he was officially off duty and make a run for it, another familiar figure entered the room.

Shizune walked in, balancing a massive stack of paperwork in her arms.

Kaito's eyes widened in horror.

Throwing his hands up, he groaned, "Oh, come on! You gotta be kidding me, ya know!"

Shizune, unfazed by his outburst, walked over with a bright smile. "There's a lot more paperwork today, more than usual," she said cheerfully, setting the heavy stack down in front of him.

Kaito could only watch in despair as she picked up the completed documents he had just finished.

"Since you're already done with the first batch, we need this new set completed by the end of the day," she added sweetly before walking off with the signed papers.

Kaito slumped back in his chair, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

Tsunade casually made her way to the sofa, plopping down and crossing her legs. Taking a swig from her sake bottle, she snorted.

"You better get to work, kid. If you want to be done by noon, you better start now—unless you wanna be stuck here till evening," she chuckled.

Kaito let his head drop onto the desk with a loud thud.

"Is saving people such a crime…?" he mumbled in defeat.

It had been a month since he rescued the Yuki Clan members, and Tsunade granted them asylum in Konoha.

As per Kaito's suggestion, the official story was that the Yuki Clan had sought refuge in Konoha, with Kahyo leading them. The tale spun was that Kaito's squad had coincidentally run into them near the border of the Land of Fire, where Kahyo formally requested asylum.

To cover their tracks, Kaito had used his shadow clones to create false trails in Kiri, making it seem as though the surviving clans had taken multiple escape routes to avoid their fate at Yagura's hands. This ensured that even if Kiri investigated, they wouldn't be able to pinpoint what truly happened.

With Tsunade's approval, the Yuki Clan was given what remained of the former Senju compound—or at least, what was left of it. Over the years, during the Third Hokage's tenure, parts of the Senju compound had been slowly absorbed into the village, repurposed for various administrative and training facilities. The Nine-Tails attack had further reduced what remained, leaving the land in disrepair.

Tsunade had chosen to keep the house she grew up in, but the rest of the land was given to the Yuki Clan. While the plot of land wasn't massive, it was enough for a small clan to settle in. However, since the Senju estate had been abandoned for years, most of the buildings were in poor condition. Understanding this, Tsunade hired a renovation team to restore the structures and make them livable again—a process that took about a week.

While waiting for the renovations to finish, the Yuki Clan stayed in four temporary houses that Tenzo built nearby using his Wood Release. Their acceptance into Konoha came with conditions, as expected. First, all Yuki Clan children were required to enroll in the Konoha Academy. Depending on their individual talents, they would either be trained as shinobi or given administrative jobs within the village.

Additionally, unlike other established clans, the Yuki Clan wasn't immediately granted the same rights and benefits. Instead, they would gradually earn full clan status over the next 15 years, proving their loyalty and value to Konoha. To help them settle, the village provided financial aid, but they were expected to become self-sufficient. Since most of the Yuki Clan consisted of children, Konoha took on the responsibility of supporting them, seeing their potential as future shinobi. Many of the adult women took on jobs within the village to support their families.

With her experience as a shinobi, Kahyo was officially named the head of the Yuki Clan. She was also offered the position of Jonin, though under a probationary period. Unlike standard Jonin, her primary responsibility was managing the Yuki Clan rather than taking on active combat missions. She was expected to attend village meetings and handle clan affairs, ensuring the integration of her people into Konoha's system.

At Kaito's suggestion, Kakashi was assigned to shadow Kahyo during her probationary period. Kaito had told Tsunade that Kakashi was interested in her and that the feeling was mutual. More than that, he believed Kakashi deserved happiness after everything he had been through. Tsunade had raised an eyebrow at the claim but eventually agreed, muttering something about how Kaito was too meddlesome for his own good.

The news of the Yuki Clan's addition to Konoha wasn't received well at first. The civilian side of the village was outraged, questioning why "Kiri scum" should be allowed asylum in Konoha. However, the shinobi side had a different reaction. Many welcomed the inclusion of the Yuki Clan, recognizing that their presence would strengthen Konoha's military power in the long run.

So far, there had been no letters from the Land of Water demanding the Yuki Clan be returned, nor any signs of retaliation from the Mizukage.

Aside from Kahyo and her people, three others—Kimimaro, Haku, and Guren—had also taken up residence in the Yuki Clan compound. They shared a house together.

Initially, Kaito had considered letting them stay at his home with his mother, Naruto, and Karin, but with both Kimimaro and Guren, there simply wasn't enough space. The Uzumaki residence had only one spare bedroom, and fitting them all inside would have been impossible. Fortunately, the Yuki Clan's newly built compound was close to the Uzumaki residence, so Kaito arranged for them to have their own home there.

That said, they were always welcome at the Uzumaki house, and they regularly came over for lunch and dinner.

When Kushina found out what Kaito had done her reaction was immediate. She bonked him on the head with enough force to make his vision blur.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!" she shouted, her voice filled with both anger and worry. "What were you thinking, ya know?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

Kaito rubbed his sore head, looking sheepish.

Kushina let out a heavy sigh, her expression softening. "Still… I'm proud of you," she admitted, placing a hand on his cheek. "You've got a good heart, but you're too kind for this world, Kai-kun."

Despite her scolding, Kushina loved having more kids around the house. It kept her busy, gave her company, and, in a way, made the house feel even more like a home.

With their new life in Konoha, Haku, Guren, and Kimimaro were enrolled in the academy. Since they were a year older than Naruto, they were placed in the same class as Neji.

After class, they would usually hang out with Naruto and train under Kaito's guidance.

Karin got along with the three surprisingly well. They all shared similar pasts—orphans who had suffered due to war and cruelty—and that common ground formed an unspoken bond between them.

At first, Kaito had to teach Kimimaro the basics of sparring—specifically, that he shouldn't be trying to kill his opponent.

During Kimimaro and Naruto's first spar, the moment Kaito gave the signal to start, Kimimaro immediately went for the kill.

Naruto managed to react, jerking his head to the side to avoid a deadly bone spear aimed straight at his throat.

Luckily, Kaito had been supervising the spar. The moment Kimimaro made his move, Kaito blurred into action, grabbing him by the wrist and stopping him before it even reached naruto.

"Whoa! That's enough!" Kaito said firmly, pulling Kimimaro back. His grip was tight but not harsh.

Kimimaro blinked, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kaito sighed, already expecting this. He let go of Kimimaro and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, sparring isn't the same as a real fight, ya know. You don't go for the kill. It's about practice, learning, improving—not eliminating your opponent."

Kimimaro stared at him, processing the words. The concept seemed foreign to him, but he didn't argue.

Seeing this, Kaito softened his tone. He understood where Kimimaro's mindset came from. The boy had been raised as a weapon, trained to destroy his enemies. The idea of holding back probably never crossed his mind.

So, Kaito was patient. He took his time explaining the purpose of sparring, making sure Kimimaro understood the difference between training and actual combat.

Even though Kaito had stepped in before the fight could go any further, he had noticed something.

Naruto had reacted.

He had managed to move his head to the side—even if Kaito hadn't intervened, he would've dodged the strike.

Kaito felt a swell of pride in his chest. That little reaction meant something. Naruto was getting faster. He could now react to a high-genin-level opponent.

He was improving.

Naruto, of course, didn't take the incident seriously at all. Grinning, he patted Kimimaro on the back.

"It's okay, ya know," he said, flashing his usual bright smile. "Just don't try to kill me next time."

Kimimaro simply nodded, though he still seemed a little puzzled.

Beyond training, Kaito was also keeping a close eye on Kimimaro's condition. In the original timeline, Kimimaro had suffered from a mysterious illness that eventually killed him. Kaito had no idea what the actual disease was, but he wasn't taking any chances. If he noticed any warning signs, he'd take Kimimaro straight to Tsunade. Until then, he kept a careful watch.

That brings us to Kaito's current situation—paying the price for his recklessness.

Tsunade had been absolutely livid when she found out what he had done. Her exact words? "You reckless idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

As punishment, she sentenced him to a full week of paperwork—her paperwork.

And to make things worse, she specifically banned him from using shadow clones to help.

But Kaito, being Kaito, wasn't about to suffer through that.

He sent a shadow clone to handle the paperwork while he focused on more important things—like working on seals and training in senjutsu.

It worked. For two whole days, Tsunade was none the wiser.

Then, on the third day, disaster struck.

One of his clones, feeling particularly self-aware, muttered under its breath, "Man, why does the boss always make us do the grunt work?"

Tsunade, who had been lounging nearby, immediately turned to stare at it.

The clone froze.

Kaito, meanwhile, was across the village, peacefully working on seals—until he suddenly received the memory of the clone getting punched in the face with full force.

The moment the memory hit, Kaito winced, clutching his face. Even though the clone had dispelled, he could feel the phantom pain of his skull nearly caving in.

That punch hurt.

And, just like that, his punishment was extended from one week to an entire month of paperwork.

Tsunade had made it very clear—if he tried pulling that stunt again, the punishment would double every time.

So now, Kaito has a new strategy.

He finished all the paperwork as fast as possible, then bolted out of the office. Usually, he managed to get everything done by 3 PM. If he slacked off, he'd be stuck in the office until nightfall, drowning in paperwork.

Tsunade, of course, took great pleasure in his suffering.

Whenever he complained, she smirked and said, "Serves you right, brat. Now you know what I have to deal with every day because of you."

…

Kaito sighed, lifting his head from the desk and staring at the towering stack of paperwork in front of him.

With another tired exhale, he grabbed the top sheet, quickly scanning through it before signing and stamping it with the Hokage seal.

Tsunade, watching him from her seat. "So, brat, I heard you rejected training under Jiraiya."

Kaito frowned, not bothering to look up. "I don't need his help. I got as strong as I am now without him. Besides, his fighting style doesn't suit me."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You ever gonna forgive him for not being there for you and Naruto?"

Kaito's pen stilled for a moment, but he didn't lift his gaze from the document in front of him.

"I don't care if he was there for me or not," he said flatly. "I only met him once before the Nine-Tails incident. What I can't forgive is the fact that he would have abandoned Naruto if Mom and I hadn't survived that night. And trust me, us making it out alive? That was nothing short of a miracle."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "He asked to be Naruto's godfather, but if we had died, he would've just left him to fend for himself. If the Third Hokage was actually a trustworthy man, maybe that would have been fine. But you and I both know how he was, ya know. He wouldn't have let Aunt Mikoto take care of Naruto either, all because of those old cronies breathing down his neck. And with Danzo leaking Naruto's identity as the Jinchūriki, how do you think his life would've gone?"

Kaito finally looked up, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

"Naruto would have been raised under the Third's twisted version of the Will of Fire. He would have been groomed into a blindly loyal weapon for Konoha."

Tsunade leaned forward slightly, watching him carefully. "So… you don't believe in the Will of Fire?"

Kaito let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "I don't believe in the Third Hokage's version of it," he corrected. "That man twisted it into a brainwashing tool—drilling it into the heads of kids in the academy, conditioning them to throw their lives away for the village without question."

His voice softened slightly. "But the First Hokage… Hashirama's version? That, I believe in. He didn't want us to mindlessly sacrifice ourselves for Konoha. He wanted us to form bonds, to connect with people. Through those connections, we'd find strength—not just for ourselves, but for each other. That's the true Will of Fire. When we have people we love, people we want to protect… that's when we become strong. Not because we were ordered to die for the village, but because we have something precious worth fighting for."

Kaito looked up from the paperwork, meeting Tsunade's gaze head-on. "That's the difference."

Tsunade leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes for a moment. "Sometimes, I forget how mature you really are… You're so young, and yet you see things clearer than most adults." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "At your age, I don't think I was even half as mature as you."

Opening her eyes again, she smirked slightly. "If my grandfather were here, he would've said you're the embodiment of the Will of Fire."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I can leave without finishing the paperwork?"

Tsunade snorted. "Nice try, kid."

Kaito sighed, slumping forward onto the desk. "Worth a try, ya know."

Just then, the door to the Hokage's office swung open.

"Time to eat, you two!" announced Kushina as she walked in, carrying several bento boxes in her arms.

Tsunade groaned, rubbing her forehead. "How many times have I told you to knock, Kushina?"

Kushina just grinned. "Too many times to count!" she said cheerfully. "Now come eat—I just finished making these, ya know. They're still hot!"

Kaito's face lit up at the sight of the food. "Mom, you're a lifesaver, ya know!"

Kushina smiled warmly at him. "Well, I can't leave my baby starving, can I?" she said, ruffling his hair.

Then, her gaze drifted toward the massive pile of paperwork still sitting on the desk. She blinked.

"Wait… you're not even halfway done?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're usually almost finished by now."

Tsunade walked over, taking a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. She stretched slightly before smirking. "This is the new batch."

Just then Shizune walked in, carrying yet another massive stack of paperwork.

She carefully placed it next to the already towering pile on the desk. Smiling sheepishly, she looked at Kaito and said, "We need this done today too, Kaito-kun."

Kaito felt his soul leave his body.

Genuine tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at the never-ending mountain of paperwork.

Kushina, watching her eldest son on the verge of breaking down, frowned and turned toward Tsunade.

"Ya know, Tsuna-nee, you're just being mean to Kai-kun," she huffed, crossing her arms. "I know what he did was reckless, and yeah, it could've gone wrong, but he did it to save people—innocent kids, ya know. You should punish him, sure, but not like this!"

Tsunade, completely unfazed, casually opened her bento box. "Well, I only gave him one week of paperwork at first," she said between bites. "But he had to go and make things worse for himself."

Kushina's glare sharpened. "You should at least let him use his shadow clones to help. He's still a kid, ya know."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. She knew better than to argue with Kushina when she got like this. "Alright, brat. You can use shadow clones."

Before she could even finish speaking, Kaito tackled Kushina into a tight hug, burying his face into her shirt like a child.

"You're the best, ya know! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried dramatically.

Kushina giggled, ruffling his hair. "Yeah, yeah, just don't get yourself into more trouble, Kai-kun."

Kaito immediately let go and clapped his hands together.

"Alright—Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, five shadow clones appeared.

The clones took one look at the paperwork… and immediately started complaining.

One groaned. "Oh, come on, boss! Can't we do something fun for a change?"

Another picked up a paper and sighed. "Even with the five of us, this is gonna take hours to finish!"

One of the clones turned away dramatically. "I'm going on strike."

Another followed, arms crossed. "Yeah, me too. I refuse to be a part of this nonsense."

Kaito twitched.

Tsunade, grinning, took another bite of her food. "Looks like your clones hate you, brat."

Kaito begged them. "Come on, guys! If we work together, we can get this done quickly, ya know! Please!"

One of the clones shrugged. "You're on your own on this one, boss."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, do your own paperwork!"

One even shouted, "We're people too, ya know!"

Kaito's eye twitched violently.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was thoroughly entertained, casually eating her bento as she watched the chaos unfold.

Kushina sighed and walked over to one of the clones. She gently patted his head to get their attention. The clones turned to look at her.

Leaning in slightly, she said, "Please, guys, help Kai-kun. He really needs your help, ya know."

One of the clones muttered, looking down. "But we always get stuck with the menial tasks, ya know… it's not fair."

Of course, since they were all Kaito, they had a soft spot for Kushina—their mother.

Kushina smiled knowingly. "How about this? If you guys help Kai-Kun with this, I'll make your favorite for dinner."

One of the clones perked up instantly. "With zenzai?"

Kushina grinned. "Yep!"—she even popped the 'p' for emphasis—"I'll even make red bean mochi for you guys."

At that, one of the clones jumped up and shouted, "What are we waiting for?! You heard Mom—let's get this over with!"

The rest cheered in agreement and dove into the paperwork like their lives depended on it.

Meanwhile, Kaito sat there, his eyes still twitching.

Tsunade let out a loud snort, barely holding back her laughter. "Looks like your clones listen to Kushina more than you, brat."

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