Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 206
Author's Note:
Sorry for not uploading the past few days, guys—I've been sick and couldn't really focus on writing.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll be uploading a Hogwarts: Neville's Insert chapter tomorrow and will try to update more frequently from now on
Kurama snorted. In a puff of smoke, the tiny form shifted—fur smoothing, tails vanishing—until a sleek red fox stood in his place, eyes still sharp but body unassuming.
One of Kaito's shadow clones stepped forward. "I'll take you out. Just hold on." He placed a palm on Kurama's back, and both vanished.
Kaito turned back to his father, walking over to the scroll. "Place your hand here, Dad. Channel chakra into the seal." He pointed to the circle on the seal.
Minato set his palm down and focused. The seal flared white before shifting away, crawling across the scroll and onto the Zetsu lying on the bed.
As the seal activated, Minato's Edo Tensei body began to crumble. Bits of ash peeled from him, falling piece by piece to the floor.
The seal branded itself into the Zetsu's chest, settling into the shape of a semi-circle no larger than a coin.
Kaito glanced back at his father just as Minato lifted his hand from the scroll.
Minato smiled gently. "Then… I'll see you soon, son."
His body gave one final shudder before crumbling completely into dust, scattering across the floor.
Kaito stood silently, staring at the pile of ash and the lifeless White Zetsu body lying pale and empty on the floor.
…
Kaito was pulled from his thoughts when one of his clones came bounding over, tablet in hand.
"It worked—it worked, ya know!" the clone cheered, practically shoving the screen into his face. "The Karma worked!, ya know!"
Kaito glanced at the progress bar on the display, showing Karma's progress at 0.21 percent with an estimated time of 6 days, 23 hours, and 55 minutes to reach 100 percent.
Kaito nodded and said, "Good… everything's working then." He exhaled and added, "Honestly, I'm just happy Dad agreed to it. Thought he was gonna refuse to use Karma, ya know."
Another clone walked closer and nodded. "Well, we didn't make Karma. We just reverse-engineered it and made some modifications. Big difference, ya know."
Kaito sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe for us… but if even Dad had that look, I don't know how Mom's going to react. Hopefully she understands…, ya know"
His eyes drifted toward the wall clock, and he blinked. "Huh… already seven? We've been here for more than three hours."
One clone shrugged, still holding the tablet. "Well, we did have to explain the entire history of the shinobi world to Dad, ya know. That wasn't exactly a short lecture." He tilted his head. "So, what now, boss
"I'll take the bodies to Lady Tsunade." Kaito pointed at two of the clones. "You guys clean up here and keep watch. Oh, and grab something for Kurama to eat. I'm sure he'll want something once he returns."
A clone frowned, scratching his cheek. "What do you think he even likes? Wait—do tailed beasts eat?"
Kaito just shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."
Another clone pointed toward the pale White Zetsu corpse sprawled on the floor—the one used for Minato's Edo body. "Yeah, but I don't think it's a good idea to take this one to her. Look at it—pale, muted… compared to that one over there." He gestured at the decapitated Zetsu they'd used to release Minato's soul.
The clone with the tablet grimaced. "Yeah, I really don't wanna be the one to explain to her why this one looks so lifeless, ya know."
Kaito's gaze shifted to a Zetsu clone slumped against the wall. "Not a problem, ya know. We've got spares."
A chakra chain lashed out from his back, wrapping around the body. He pulled it toward him and, without hesitation, slashed its neck with a kunai.
Pulling a sealing scroll from his pouch, Kaito crouched, unrolling it across the floor. He placed the corpse onto the array and pressed his palm against it. With a pulse of chakra, the body vanished into storage.
His clone carried over the other White Zetsu's body and laid it onto the seal. Kaito repeated the process, sealing it away. As Kaito sealed the body into the storage seal, the clone who had carried the body scratched his head and muttered, "Ya know… I've always wondered what they taste like."
Kaito froze mid-motion. Both he and the tablet-holding clone turned to stare at him, expressions blank with disbelief.
The clone held up his hands quickly, "What? Don't look at me like that! They're practically plants, ya know. I just wondered if they taste like broccoli or something! I wasn't actually gonna try it."
Kaito groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Please don't. The last thing I need is to remember tasting one of them. Just… don't." He glanced at the tablet-holder. "Keep an eye on him. If he does anything, dispel him immediately."
The accused clone scowled. "Hey, I was just saying what we've all thought before."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "No. We haven't. That's just you."
The tablet-holding clone smirked and added with dry sarcasm, "Yeah, seriously—only you, dude."
The accused clone folded his arms, muttering under his breath, "Tch, whatever. One day you'll all wonder too…"
Kaito let out a long sigh, sealing the last scroll into his pouch. "The day I start wondering what a Zetsu tastes like is the day I'll kill myself."
He straightened, chakra flaring around him as he prepared to leave. "Alright. You all know what to do—clean up and keep watch. Don't screw around."
"Got it, boss," the clones replied in unison.
With that, Kaito vanished in a flash of light, teleporting away.
...
The evening sun bathed the Hidden Leaf in a soft orange glow, casting long shadows that stretched across the village streets as lights began to flicker to life.
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a long exhale, finally scribbling her signature across the last document in her pile. She closed the folder with a satisfying thump and set it atop the stack of completed files.
"All done," she muttered with relief, stretching her arms until her shoulders popped. A tired but satisfied smile crossed her face. "That's everything for the week."
She reached into her drawer, smirking. "This calls for a celebration." Out came a sake bottle and a small cup. Pouring herself a drink, she lifted the cup toward her lips.
Just as the cool rim brushed her mouth, a person flickered into the middle of her office. Kaito had appeared in.
"Yo," he said casually, giving her a friendly wave.
Tsunade groaned, lowering the cup and setting it back on her desk. One hand rose to rub her temple. "What did you do this time?"
Kaito blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Huh? …What's that supposed to mean?"
"Please," Tsunade deadpanned, fixing him with a flat stare. "The only time you pop into my office unannounced like that is when you've already done something stupid, or when you're about to do something stupid."
Kaito crossed his arms, looking offended. "No, I don't! When have I ever done that before?"
Tsunade leaned back, ticking the examples off on her fingers. "Let's see… when you dragged a half-dead Shisui into my inn and told me you were planning on assassinating the Third Hokage. The time you decided to interfere with another village's affairs and rescued the Yuki clan. Do you want me to keep going?"
Kaito opened his mouth to argue, but faltered when she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well?" she pressed. "Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me you didn't come here with something that's going to make my life harder?"
Kaito's lips parted, but no words came out. He shut his mouth again
Tsunade groaned, rubbing her temple. "Urgh… can't it wait? It's already evening. I just finished my paperwork, and I was about to head home."
Kaito shook his head and sighed. "It involves the village's security, ya know."
That made her pause. She sighed again, picked up the cup, and tossed the sake back in one gulp. Setting it down, she looked at him. "Alright. What is it?"
kaito pulled out a scroll from his pouch and then crouched on the ground and and spread it open. Placing his hand over the seal, he channeled chakra. Smoke puffed into the air as the bodies of two White Zetsu appeared.
Tsunade stood abruptly, her chair scraping back across the floor. She leaned over her desk to get a better look, one brow rising sharply. "What… are they? clone's?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah. They're clones. I found them inside Konoha. They're spies—more specifically, Akatsuki spies."
The air in the office shifted. Tsunade's face hardened instantly. She came around her desk, standing at his side to examine the pale corpse. "Akatsuki…" Her tone was cold. "You're telling me they managed to infiltrate the village?"
"Yeah," Kaito said grimly. "I found one near my house, and the other near here—close to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade's jaw clenched, her voice sharp. "And the barrier team didn't detect them?"
Kaito shook his head. "No. They weren't detected. They blend almost seamlessly with nature when they hide underground. Even I can only sense them if they're above ground or when I'm using Sage Mode."
Tsunade folded her arms tightly across her chest, her eyes shadowed. "This is bad. If they can slip through the barrier and move undetected…" She trailed off, the implication heavy between them.
Kaito nodded. "It means they could've been watching us this whole time."
Kaito then looked at her and said, "Don't worry, though. I'm already working on a new detection barrier design that can detect them. In the meantime, I've got clones patrolling around the village to see if they can find any more of them."
Tsunade's expression eased as she nodded, "Good. How long until the new barrier is ready?"
Kaito shrugged. "A month or two. Faster if Mom helps me."
Tsunade nodded. "Then get your mother involved. I want the barrier updated as soon as possible."
Kaito nodded, crouching down. He pressed his hand against the seal on the scroll. With a muted puff of smoke, a black tablet appeared atop the seal.
"But that's not all I wanted to show you," Kaito said.
He picked up the tablet and stood, handing it to Tsunade. "Here. Look at this."
Tsunade uncrossed her arms and took the tablet from Kaito
Kaito pointed toward the severed Zetsu head lying next to the body. "When I decapitated this one," he said, "I noticed something strange. They didn't bleed. Not even a drop. And the cut… it didn't look like a severed head at all. So I brought them back to my lab and ran some tests. Turns out they don't even have organs… No heart, no lungs, nothing. They're basically like plants."
Tsunade's eyes widened as she skimmed the data on the tablet. "This is—"
"Yeah," Kaito interrupted. "Their bodies are completely saturated with yang chakra. And get this—they can use Wood Release. Not at your grandfather's level, but… around Tenzo's."
Tsunade zoomed in on a section of cellular data, her face tightening. "Their cell structure…" She paused, her voice lower. "It's very similar to my grandfather's."
Her eyes shifted to Kaito, narrowing. "Do you think they're failed experiments—Orochimaru and Danzō, using my grandfather's cells?"
Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is… unlike your grandfather's cells, which are volatile and unstable, these—" he gestured to the pale corpse "—are different. Highly adaptable. Look." He leaned closer, pointing at a highlighted scan on the tablet. "Their cells adjust seamlessly to whatever host they're in, ya know"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she studied it. "They're like… parasites. But instead of infecting, they adapt. Merge."
Kaito nodded. His mind drifted briefly. Kimimaro… He turned to her. "Hey, what about Kimimaro? You told me that his kekkei genkai isn't stable. Do you think with this you could treat his condition?"
Tsunade tapped her chin, brows furrowed. "It might. If I can use this to stabilize the rate at which his cells mutate… then, yes. It could work."
She paused, her voice softening. "This might even help with Itachi. If I can—" She trailed off, already lost in the possibilities.
Kaito tilted his head, thoughtful. Huh… if she gives Itachi Zetsu cells, then he might not even need Sasuke's Mangekyō. The cells could counter the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan—just like Obito.
Another thought surfaced—one he remembered from the original timeline. After the Fourth Shinobi War, Tsunade had once created prosthetics for Naruto using white Zetsu's cells. Kaito muttered aloud, "You could even make prosthetics with this… it'd significantly boost our shinobi reserves, ya know."
Tsunade glanced up at him, briefly surprised by the thought, and nodded.
Kaito crouched down, pressing his palm against the sealing formula. With a soft puff, the two Zetsu bodies disappeared back into the scroll. He rolled it up tightly and handed it to Tsunade. "Here."
She took it, her expression serious. "I'll need to run extensive tests on this first," she said, her eyes narrowing as she turned the scroll over in her hands. "But… if what you've shown me is accurate, then it should be possible." With a long exhale, she sank back into her chair, already thinking ahead.
Reaching across her desk, she snagged the sake bottle and poured herself another cup. With a long sigh, she muttered, "Damn it. Just when I thought I was finally done for the week." She shot Kaito a stink eye before taking a sip. "You just had to dump more work on my desk, huh?"
Kaito scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Why not let Shizune-san handle it?"
Tsunade gave him a look. "What are you talking about? Shizune's wedding is tomorrow. She'll be on leave for at least a month."
Kaito blinked in shock. "Wait—tomorrow?"
"Huh… did you forget already?" Tsunade asked, raising a brow."What have you even been doing these past few days, anyway? I told you to rest—and yet you've been running around hunting those clones."
Kaito rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh… I was just training, ya know. Working on a new version of Hiraishin."
Tsunade groaned, waving him away. "Urrgh, whatever. Just go. I need to call in Shikaku and Fugaku, get them up to speed on this. Ugh—just when I thought my paperwork was done." She poured herself another cup and downed half of it in one gulp.
Kaito offered, "I could help you, ya know."
Tsunade set her cup down, fixing him with a sharp look before sighing. "What I need is for you to go home and rest. I can handle this. The last thing I need is your mother storming in here because you fainted again. Just finish the new barrier."
Kaito's lips curved into a small smile. "Alright, alright… then I'll leave it to you." With that, Kaito vanished, leaving Tsunade alone in her office
She let out a long sigh and reached for the sake bottle, pouring herself another cup. She pressed her finger on the comms seal embedded in her desk.
"Get me Shikaku and Fugaku," she ordered. Then Tsunade downed her drink in one gulp.
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