When Sasuke awakened his eyes, his body was so weak that after using Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi in succession, he passed out completely.
No matter how Itachi tried to shake him awake, Sasuke didn't respond. In the end, it was Kaito who came and helped him regain consciousness.
When Sasuke opened his eyes, his gaze was unfocused, and he murmured,
"I did it… I finally awakened my eyes!"
Yamato, standing beside Kaito, whispered,
"Sensei, when you awakened your Mangekyō back then… were you as silly as he is now?"
"Hm?"
Kaito shot Yamato a sideways glance, golden light flickering in his eyes. Terrified, Yamato immediately covered his mouth and stared wide-eyed at Kaito.
For Uchiha Madara, Itachi, and even Kaito himself, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan had always happened in moments of absolute despair. None of them had the luxury of others standing around watching like it was some kind of show.
So honestly, Sasuke should be counting his blessings that his own awakening went so smoothly.
By the time Sasuke had fully come to his senses, the moment he saw Kaito, he immediately realized it was thanks to him that he'd recovered at all.
He didn't dare show any arrogance toward Kaito. Quickly standing up, he bowed deeply, thanking him again and again.
Kaito waved his hand dismissively and said,
"If you want to thank someone, thank your brother. He really went through a lot for you."
Itachi, in great spirits, patted Sasuke on the shoulder with a smile.
"There's no need for that between us brothers. I saw how hard you fought to save me—I'm truly happy."
The two brothers immediately started their affectionate "brotherly moment" again, so Kaito decided to just leave with Yamato, leaving Madara alone on the side as the third wheel.
...
Over the next few days, Kaito spent his mornings in the office, sipping tea and chatting with Kurenai and Yugao. By night, he returned home to enjoy the peaceful life of a family man.
Until one day, Minato suddenly appeared before him, looking panicked.
"Kaito! Come quick! Kushina's going into labor!"
That night, because of Minato's loose tongue, his second-child plan had gone up in smoke. Even Tsunade's "secret formula" hadn't worked very well, and it took him quite a while to finally succeed.
Kaito blinked, utterly confused, and pointed at himself.
"So… your kid's about to be born, and you came running to me because… why?"
"I don't know! I just feel calmer when you're around!"
"...Alright. Where is she now?"
"I already sent her to the hospital!"
"Okay, let's go."
Both Kaito and Minato possessed space-related abilities. The moment Kaito finished speaking, the two vanished from sight and reappeared right outside the hospital's delivery room.
Back when Kushina gave birth to Naruto, everything had to be done in secret. But now? There was no need for that at all.
After all, Kaito had unified the entire shinobi world. With Konoha being his village—the top of the shinobi world—who would dare cause trouble now?
A crowd had already gathered at the door—basically every notable figure in Konoha was there.
Naruto was pacing anxiously outside, with Sasuke right behind him. Even the usually cold Sasuke was busy trying to calm Naruto down.
Obito stood solemnly by the door, faithfully following Rin's instructions not to let anyone in, looking every bit like a gate guardian.
Inside the delivery room, Tsunade was overseeing Kushina's delivery, assisted by Shizune, Sakura, and Rin.
At the door, Orochimaru was licking his lips. At first, he had been quite eager to help deliver the baby, even calling Kabuto—now the head of the orphanage—to be his assistant.
But Tsunade had flatly refused. If Orochimaru were to deliver Kushina's baby, Tsunade feared the child might end up crawling out of Kushina's mouth instead.
When Kaito and Minato appeared, the crowd immediately surged toward them.
Naruto rushed to the front—but to Minato's shock, his son only gave him a brief greeting before darting straight toward Kaito.
"Kaito-senpai, you're finally here! Mom's been inside for a while now, and there's still no news. I'm really worried!"
In truth, Kushina hadn't been in there that long—Naruto was just overreacting out of worry.
Kaito nodded.
"Alright, I got it."
With that, he flickered out of sight and appeared directly inside the delivery room.
Inside, Kushina was still groaning in pain, while Tsunade and her three assistants were sweating profusely, working hard with what seemed like the most old-fashioned method possible.
Still, with the aid of medical ninjutsu, there was no risk of massive bleeding or other complications.
The four women were completely absorbed in the delivery, and Rin was even cheering Kushina on—none of them noticed Kaito's sudden arrival.
Kaito sighed helplessly, then snapped his fingers.
Snap!
"Waaah! Waaah!"
A baby's loud cry echoed through the room. In Kaito's arms was now a blonde-haired baby girl.
Kushina's groans stopped instantly, and her belly returned to normal. Being an Uzumaki, her life force was so strong that there was no trace of sagging skin or exhaustion.
Tsunade and the others froze, stiffly turning their heads toward Kaito—who was now holding the newborn in his arms.
A warm, gentle chakra flowed from Kaito's hands into the baby's tiny body. Gradually, the crying subsided, replaced by cheerful giggles.
The baby reached out her little hands toward Kaito's face, her bright blue eyes filled with pure trust and attachment.
Kushina slowly sat up, still weak from the ordeal. Seeing this, Kaito infused her with some Yang Release chakra, instantly restoring her vitality.
Tsunade and the others exchanged looks—they felt completely unnecessary now. Kaito had handled everything himself: the delivery, the care, the recovery—all flawlessly, without a single mistake.
Before Kushina could say anything, Kaito gently handed the baby girl to her.
Kushina's face was full of gratitude—but soon after holding the baby, the girl started crying again. No matter how Kushina tried, she couldn't calm her down.
The baby stretched her tiny hands toward Kaito, flailing and crying for him.
Helpless, Kushina sighed and "returned" the baby to Kaito.
The moment the girl was back in his arms, she stopped crying and started laughing again. Even Kushina, as the mother, couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
Rin quietly walked to the door and opened it.
Whoosh!
A flash of golden light streaked past—the next second, Minato burst in, rushing straight to Kushina's side. Holding her hand tenderly, he said with deep affection,
"Kushina, you've worked so hard! Where's our child?"
"...In Kaito's arms!"
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