Kaito Akaden (Kaito)

Kaito Akaden Chapter 149

Gamamaru nodded again. "Hmm, ah yes, there is such a seal. I used it a long time ago. It should be in the archives if I remember correctly." With that, he went back to sleep.

Fukasaku sighed, watching as the elder fell asleep just like that. "Well, lad, let's go to the archives."

…

Kaito snapped out of his thoughts as he landed next to the window of the Hokage's office. He knocked on the window and opened it, poking his head inside. "You called for me, Lady Tsunade?"

Inside the office, Tsunade sat behind her desk, looking annoyed as Kaito entered through the window. "Can't you use the door like a normal person?"

Kaito shrugged. "Well, it's too much hassle. And who said I'm a normal person?" He glanced at the other occupants of the room.

…..

Kaito stepped into the office through the window and froze for a moment. Leaning casually against the wall near the window was Kakashi, dressed in his usual jonin attire from the Shippuden days. His signature orange Icha Icha book was open in one hand, his eyes lazily scanning the pages.

Looking up, Kakashi gave a small wave and said, "Yo," his visible eye creasing into a friendly smile.

Kaito nodded back and smiled. "Been a while, Kakashi." His gaze briefly lingered on the jonin's outfit, and a thought crossed his mind. So Tsunade took him out of the Anbu like I asked her to. Good.

Kaito turned his attention to the other person in the room—a tall man standing with his arms crossed and a grin plastered across his face. It was Jiraiya, casually positioned near Tsunade's desk.

"Hey there, kid!" Jiraiya greeted with a cheerful wave. "I heard you met the Great Elder Toad Sage."

Ignoring Jiraiya's enthusiasm, Kaito shifted his focus to Tsunade, who was sitting at her desk buried in paperwork. His tone carried a trace of annoyance as he asked, "What's he doing here?"

Jiraiya's grin faltered, and he faceplanted onto the floor with a loud thud. Getting up with a defeated sigh, he exclaimed, "Oh, come on, kid! I already said I was sorry! Cut me some slack!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at their interaction but remained silent, turning a page in his book.

Tsunade, now looking up from her work, gave Kaito a curious look. "You met with the Grand Elder of Mount Myoboku?"

Kaito shrugged nonchalantly. "I needed their help on a seal I'm working on. Speaking of which..." Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a scroll and handed it to her. "Here."

Tsunade took the scroll, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "What's this?"

Pointing to the scroll, Kaito explained, "It's got ten copies of a variation of the seal I'm working on. It mimics my healing bite ability—not as powerful, though. It can heal minor wounds if my calculations are right. Haven't tested it on a person yet, but I thought it might be useful for missions. If it's mass-produced, it could reduce casualties."

Tsunade's curiosity deepened as she unsealed the scroll, examining the intricate designs. "It mimics your healing bite, huh? That could be really useful. Does it only work with your chakra? And how does it activate?"

Kaito shook his head. "No, anyone can charge it up. It's reusable, too—you just have to recharge the seal after each use. You place it on the person, activate it, and it works. From my tests on a fish, it heals wounds, but I haven't tried it on anything fatal. Like I said, it's not as strong as my ability—it's more of a watered-down version. Figured you'd want to test it out."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully, rolling the scroll back up. "Even a watered-down version could save lives on missions."

Jiraiya, who had been craning his neck to peer over Tsunade's shoulder, finally spoke up. "Hey, is this the same seal you showed Pa and Ma?"

Kaito crossed his arms, ignoring Jiraiya entirely. He looked at Tsunade with clear annoyance. "So, why did you call me? I was busy working on something important," he said, his tone making it clear that Jiraiya's presence wasn't helping his mood.

Without looking up, Tsunade replied, still examining the seal scroll in her hands. "We're waiting on your other teammate so I can debrief you."

Kaito sighed, already guessing where this was heading. Another mission, he thought, the frustration settling in his chest.

Jiraiya let out a long sigh, clearly disappointed at being ignored. "Look, kid," he said, his voice softer now. "I know I haven't been there for you, Kushina, or Naruto. But there's a reason. I've been tracking Orochimaru, and while doing so, I've come across rumors about a group—"

Kaito cut him off sharply. "They're called the Akatsuki. Orochimaru was one of them, and they're after the Tailed Beasts. Is that all?" His tone was lazy, dismissive even.

The nonchalant way Kaito talked about such dangerous information caught everyone's attention. But Kaito wasn't worried. He and his mother had reinforced Tsunade's office with powerful privacy seals when she took office, ensuring no information could leak.

Kakashi's visible eye turned serious. With a snap, he shut his book and looked directly at Kaito. "And... the masked man?" he asked, his voice low.

Kaito gave a small nod, glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah."

Jiraiya's jaw dropped. He stammered, "What—how do you… What?"

Tsunade let out a tired sigh and shot an annoyed look at Jiraiya. "We already know about the Akatsuki, Jiraiya. In fact, we've known for a while now. And yes, we also know Orochimaru was one of them. This is old news." She smirked slightly. "Did you think you were the only one with spies?"

Jiraiya gaped at her, stunned into silence for once. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form the words.

Before the awkward silence could stretch, a knock came at the door. Tsunade straightened in her chair. "Come in," she called.

The door opened, and a young kunoichi with dark hair stepped inside. "Good afternoon, Lady Tsunade," Hotaru said with a polite bow. Her gaze flicked to Kaito, and she nodded. He gave her a brief nod in return.

Tsunade placed the scroll aside and clasped her hands together, leaning forward on her desk. "Right. Now that you're all here," she began, her eyes scanning the room, "the three of you will be forming a three-man cell." She gestured toward Kakashi. "I've pulled Kakashi out of the Anbu to lead this team. You'll be reporting directly to me."

Tsunade's gaze sharpened as she focused on Kaito, Hotaru, and then Kakashi. "I'll be placing you as team captain, Kakashi. Any objections?"

Kaito shrugged. "Yeah, I don't mind."

Hotaru smiled politely and gave a small nod. "No objections from me, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade nodded in approval. "Good. Now that's out of the way…" She grabbed a scroll from her desk and tossed it toward Kakashi. He caught it effortlessly, immediately unfurling it to read. "I have a mission for the three of you."

Kakashi's brow furrowed as his eye scanned the contents of the scroll. "Kiri?" he asked, glancing at Tsunade.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, her expression serious. "Kiri's been quiet for the past few months. Before that, they were harassing our borders, but now? Nothing. It's too quiet. I want you three to head there and investigate what's going on."

Kaito's face didn't betray any emotion, but his mind was already racing. Has the Bloodline Purge in Kiri already started? he wondered.

Jiraiya, who had finally composed himself after the earlier exchange, suddenly burst out, "Tsunade, you can't be serious! You're sending kids into Kiri? I get it if you're sending Kakashi, but the other two are barely twelve!"

Kaito rolled his eyes and smirked. "One of those 'kids' almost killed you. If you hadn't gone running back to your adoptive parent for help, it might've been a different story."

Jiraiya turned toward Kaito, clearly annoyed. "Kid, if I'd been serious, you wouldn't have even injured me. And let me tell you, you wouldn't stand a chance if I went into Sage Mode."

Tsunade groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Enough, Jiraiya! These two are the best we've got. Kakashi is an experienced Anbu operative. They'll learn from him. Besides," she added with a smirk, "Kaito knows the Hiraishin. If things get too intense, they can just teleport out."

Jiraiya opened his mouth to argue but froze when he noticed Kaito's eyes were closed, his breathing steady and focused. The room grew tense as everyone watched Kaito, unsure of what he was doing. A minute later, he opened his eyes—and the air shifted.

Black sage markings now decorated Kaito's face, and a faint, slimy substance was seeping from his skin. He looked directly at Jiraiya and said in a calm but pointed tone, "You're not the only one who can use Senjutsu."

Kaito had been refining his Senjutsu every day for the past few weeks with Katsuyu's guidance. His progress was impressive, but his limit was still short—two minutes of Sage Mode before he reverted back to his base form. It wasn't perfect yet, but it was getting there.

Tsunade stared at him, visibly stunned. She hadn't expected the brat to master it so quickly. "How the hell…?" she muttered under her breath.

Hotaru, on the other hand, was in complete awe. She knew how difficult Senjutsu was from the little Kaito had told her, and seeing him actually pull it off left her speechless.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on Kaito, his expression unreadable. But then he murmured softly, almost to himself, "Sensei…"

"That's… Sage Mode," Jiraiya muttered, his face a mix of shock, irritation, and reluctant admiration. He crossed his arms and gave Kaito a grumpy look. "You learned Senjutsu from Katsuyu, didn't you?"

Kaito released the nature energy he had gathered, the markings fading from his face. He shrugged, completely ignoring Jiraiya's question. Instead, he turned to Tsunade. "So, about the mission. When do we leave?"

Tsunade blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Right," she said, taking control of the conversation again. "Kakashi's your captain, so I'll let him handle the details. But I suggest you leave first thing tomorrow morning. Use today to prepare, gather what you need, and remember—stay discreet once you cross the sea."

Kakashi nodded. "Hai," he said simply, bowing slightly. "We'll take our leave, Lady Tsunade."

Hotaru bowed as well, her tone polite. "Hai, Lady Tsunade."

Kaito followed them out of the Hokage's office, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "So," he said casually as they walked, "meet at the main gate at 8?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you both there." He was about to leave when Kaito grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hold up, Kakashi," Kaito said. "Mom's been looking for you. She said she wanted to see you and asked me to bring you home if I ran into you."

Kakashi sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping a bit. "Can it wait?" he asked, clearly not thrilled at the idea.

Kaito smirked. "I could always bring her to you, you know."

Kakashi groaned and gave a small nod. "Fine. I'll join you for dinner tonight," he muttered before disappearing in a blur, body-flickering away.

Kaito turned to Hotaru and tilted his head. "So," he said, "want to grab something to eat?"

Hotaru nodded with a smile. "Sure."

The two walked out of the Hokage building together and stopped by a dango stand, buying a few skewers before strolling down the busy streets of Konoha. The warm afternoon air was filled with the chatter of villagers and the occasional laughter of kids playing.

After a moment, Hotaru glanced at Kaito hesitantly. "I don't mean to pry, but… what was that back there with Jiraiya-sama? You seemed really angry at him, Kai-kun."

Kaito shrugged as if it didn't matter, though the edge in his voice said otherwise. "Oh, that? It's nothing. I just caught him spying on you guys the other day."

Hotaru blinked in surprise. "Spying?"

"Yeah," Kaito said, taking a bite of his dango. "And then there's the other thing. He's supposed to be Naruto's godfather, but he hasn't visited Naruto. Not even once. If Mom and I weren't around, I can't shake the feeling Naruto would've been abandoned by him—and worse, the Third might've brainwashed him into being Konoha's weapon. You know what I mean?"

Hotaru's expression softened, her steps slowing. "Oh," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't know what to say after hearing that, so she simply walked beside him in silence.

The two continued their way back to the Hyuga compound, the mood much quieter now, the cheerful bustle of the village fading into the background.

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