42 Kaito chapter 42

Kaito chapter 42

Kaito opened the letter addressed to him and began to read its contents. Minato's neat handwriting filled the page, apologizing for his death and expressing pride in Kaito's abilities. He had also sealed some of his most prized jutsu scrolls and a training plan for both him and naruto, this also including detailed instructions for the Rasengan and Hiraishin no Jutsu along with a few techniques from each elemental nature. Minato's last request to him was to care for Naruto as his brother.

As Kaito read through the letter, tears welled up in his eyes. He missed Minato terribly and swore silently to himself, "I won't let you down, Dad." Clutching the scroll tightly, he sealed the letter back into the pendant and held it close to his heart. Kaito's mind as he drifted off to sleep, determined to fulfill his father's last wishes.

….

The darkness of early morning envelops the training ground as Kaito Uzumaki strides in, his red hair glowing like fire against the night. He activates a seal on his body and tightens the chakra weights on his limbs, ready for his intense training routine. Ten shadow clones appear at his side and without hesitation, they split off to their designated tasks.

Kaito starts with rigorous Calisthenics, pushing his body to its limits. As he finishes, he begins a grueling 30-minute run around the perimeter of the training ground. Meanwhile, his clones diligently work on various tasks he has assigned them.

Two clones focus on perfecting their taijutsu katas, moving with deadly precision and agility. Two more concentrate on advancing their water nature transformation, determined to decrease the time it takes to extract water. Another two clone's hands crackle with lightning as worked on the time taken to convert their chakra to lightning nature chakra, while two more clones hone their shuriken jutsu skills, each throw striking its target with lethal accuracy. Finally, the last two clones engage in a fierce kenjutsu battle, displaying flawless swordsmanship.

Kaito Remembering that kushina was reputed to be a sword master somewhere in his past life, Kaito had asked his mother if she was skilled in kenjutsu, but it turned out that while Kushina was able to wield a sword, she was not a master at it. So Kaito sought out Kakashi to teach him kenjutsu. Under Kakashi's tutelage, he learned the basics of Konoha kenjutsu.

As Kaito finished his grueling physical exercise, sweat poured down his face and dripped onto the ground below. He took a small break, but soon he was back at it, unsealing a bag full of balls and creating five more clones to join in the training. With a blindfold covering his eyes, Kaito could only rely on his senses as the clones took their positions around him.

"Alright... start," Kaito announced, bracing himself for the relentless barrage of balls that were thrown at him from all directions. Despite his best efforts, an hour and a half later, Kaito slipped and fell to the ground, pelted by the unrelenting onslaught of projectiles. Panting heavily, he grumbled, "You guys enjoy this way too much."

One of the clones walked over with a water bottle in hand. "Well, it is fun seeing you struggle, ya know?" they taunted, handing it to him. Kaito couldn't help but scowl at their smugness as he begrudgingly accepted the drink.

"Smart ass clones," he muttered under his breath as he struggled to catch his breath. But deep down, he knew that this intense training was necessary if he wanted to become stronger and overcome any challenge that came his way.

After a brief rest, Kaito carefully unsealed a water balloon and concentrated on rotating the water inside it. He had been determined to learn the rasengan, an advanced jutsu taught to him by Minato. The scroll containing the instructions for the rasengan was incredibly detailed and thorough, unlike Jiraya's teachings with Naruto.

Minato took the time to explain all the intricacies of the jutsu, detailing his thought process on how it worked. It was nothing like Jiraya's theory about chakra flowing in the same direction as hair. "Man... Jiraya really isn't suited to being a teacher," Kaito thought after reading Minato's instructions. "No wonder Naruto made such little progress during the time skip."

According to his mother, Minato had actually only taken a few months to complete the base rasengan. It was only because Minato never considered the Rasengan complete that Jiraiya claimed it took him three years to learn. In reality, Minato had also been working on perfecting the Flying Raijin jutsu and its variants, also attempting to add his own chakra nature for three years while also fighting in the war. However, it wasn't until Kaito suggested using shadow clones that Minato was able to successfully

add nature transformation to the Rasengan.

Kaito had been tirelessly practicing for a week, determined to master the rasengan. After four days of intense concentration, he was finally able to burst a water balloon with the spinning chakra ball, but it still took a lot of effort. Kaito's goal was to make the rasengan second nature to him, so he wouldn't have to focus as much in order to use it.

Despite his desire to perfect the technique, Kaito refused to use shadow clones to speed up the process and wanted to do it on his own. He knew that even Jiraya, had taken six months to master the rasengan even then he needed some level of concentration. But Kaito wanted to be able to perform the jutsu effortlessly and without any aid.

Currently, Kaito was honing his skills by attempting to burst the balloon with his left hand. However, he was struggling more on this side than with his dominant hand. His ultimate goal was to be able to create rasengans with both hands simultaneously and with ease.

Frustrated with his progress compared to others, Kaito muttered under his breath, "It only took Naruto a week to learn the first step...but he had to use a shortcut by using both hands." Kaito remembered hearing about how long it took Naruto in the original series, but he added an asterisk next to the word "learn" because Naruto always needed a shadow clone's help.

Thinking back on Naruto's journey, Kaito recalled that it took him around 20 days to complete the second step and then just four days for the final step. He shook his head in disappointment. "Naruto had so much potential but didn't have good teachers until Kakashi showed him the shadow clone method. Even then, he didn't truly master the rasengan until the very end of the series."

As time continued to flow, Kaito focused all his energy on bursting the water balloon. After many failed attempts, he finally succeeded with a loud pop that echoed through the training grounds. Exhausted, Kaito flopped onto the ground, panting heavily. "Finally!" he exclaimed, relieved and triumphant.

"Boss...you finally managed to do it," said a clone as he approached Kaito. "And just in time too, it's around 7:30. Today is the day for team assignments." The clone extended a hand to help Kaito up from the ground.

Kaito sighed and accepted the help as he got back on his feet. Another clone appeared with a scroll that contained all the balls they had used for training, now resealed and ready for storage. "Thanks," Kaito said to the clone before sighing again. "You guys know what to do then...I'll be heading home."

With that, Kaito turned and leaped onto a nearby tree branch, using his ninja skills to swiftly make his way home. He had ordered the clones to disperse one by one in 20-minute intervals to prevent fatigue. As he moved through the treetops, Kaito couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at his progress and determination in mastering new techniques.

As Kaito arrived at his home, he called out to his mother, "Mom, I'm back!" His voice echoed through the quiet house. Kushina poked her head out of the kitchen and greeted him with a warm smile, "Welcome back, Kaito-kun. Go take a bath, I'm just finishing up your breakfast." Kaito nodded in response and made his way to the bathroom, eager to wash off the remnants of his intense training session.

The day after his graduation as a shinobi, Kaito had gone with his mother to pick out a new attire. He wanted something that would symbolize his new role as a ninja. After much searching, he settled on a sleek black sleeveless jacket with a white long-sleeved t-shirt underneath. His pants were also black and designed specifically for ease of movement during combat. The custom-made ninja pouch fastened to his back hip completed the look.

Kaito's arms were both bandaged from his rigorous rasengan training. He could easily heal them with his healing bite ability, but he didn't want to burden his mother, Kushina. She had already warned him not to use that ability unless absolutely necessary. Kaito knew how much it worried her and he didn't want to add to her stress.

Despite this, before every training session, Kaito would secretly use his healing bite ability to heal himself. It was his last act of rebellion against his mother's strict rules. He couldn't help but feel guilty for disobeying her wishes, but he couldn't resist using his abilities to become an even stronger shinobi

Kaito slowly emerged from his room, stretching out his arms and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The scent of breakfast wafted through the air, causing his stomach to growl in anticipation. His mother, Kushina, had prepared a delicious meal for them both. As he made his way to the dining room, Kaito noticed the familiar sound of Naruto cooing happily in his high chair.

"Good morning, mom," Kaito greeted her with a smile as he took a seat next to his younger brother. "Mmm, it smells amazing."

Kushina chuckled at her son's enthusiasm. "I'm glad you like it. Here's your tamago with rice."

The two of them said "itakimasu" before digging into their food with gusto. As they ate, Kushina asked about Kaito's schedule for the day"what time do you have to be at the academy honey".

"I have to be at the academy by 8:30 am," Kaito replied between bites. "Why do you ask?"

Kushina glanced at the clock on the wall and answered, "It's already 8:15 am, honey. You'll need to hurry."

Realizing he was running late, Kaito quickly finished his food and bolted towards the door.

"Don't forget your lunch!" Kushina reminded him, handing him a bento box as he rushed past her.

"Thanks, mom!" Kaito called back as he grabbed the bento and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before rushing out of the house.

Kushina watched him go, wishing him luck for the day ahead. "Good luck!" she called after him with a smile.

Kaito gracefully landed in front of the ninja academy, his feet barely making a sound as they touched the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath and brush off some dirt from his clothes before heading towards his classroom. As he walked down the familiar hallway.

As he entered the classroom, Kaito's eyes immediately found Hotaru sitting in her usual spot in the middle row. She was smiling warmly at him, her long dark hair cascading down her back. Next to her sat Itachi, his dark hair falling neatly over his forehead as he nodded at Kaito in greeting.

"Yo guys," Kaito greeted them with a sheepish smile. "Sorry I'm late, lost track of time." He scratched the back of his head as he sat down next to Hotaru, who was seated in the middle of the row.

Hotaru waved off his apology with a smile. "Good morning, Kaito-kun," she said sweetly. Itachi nodded in acknowledgement and said, "You made it just in time."

Hotaru's eyes caught sight of Kaito's bandaged hand and she asked with concern, "Kaito-kun, what's wrong with your hands?" She pointed to where they were resting on the desk.

Kaito chuckled lightly, not wanting to worry his friends. "It's nothing, Hotaru-chan."Just got hurt when I was training, you know how it is." he explained nonchalantly.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Kaito quickly changed the subject, wanting to avoid talking about his injury. "Anything interesting?"

Itachi shrugged and replied, "Nothing much. Shisui taught me some new techniques."

Hotaru nodded in agreement and added, "My father helped me with my training and I also got to spend time with my baby sister and cousin." She turned to Kaito curiously. "And what about you, Kaito-kun?" Hotaru asked curiously.

Kaito let out a small sigh as he recounted his day to his friends. "Nothing much," he said with a shrug, "just trained and spent time with my mom and Naruto." His eyes then lit up with curiosity as he asked, "Do you guys happen to know anything about our team placement?"

Itachi shook his head in response. "I asked father about it, but he said it would be up to the Hokage."

Hotaru chimed in, her voice hopeful. "Well, I hope we all end up on the same team."

Kaito nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "I think it's likely since we're all the same age and not originally part of this year's graduating class."

Itachi paused, deep in thought before finally speaking up. "That does make sense, But wouldn't that make the team unbalanced?"

Kaito calmly shook his head, his confident gaze never faltering. "Teams are typically formed with a specific focus or specialization in mind. With our abilities, we would make a formidable assault-oriented team."

As the headmaster of the academy entered the room, a hush fell over the group of young ninjas. His voice boomed through the walls, commanding their attention. "As of today, you all have become full-fledged ninjas...However, you're still genin and just beginning your journey. From here on, you will be assigned missions from the village. We'll be forming three-man teams led by jonin senseis, and you will undertake your missions under their guidance." The excitement in the room was palpable as everyone eagerly anticipated their team assignments.

After the initial speech, the headmaster began announcing the team assignments. Kaito, lost in his thoughts, had tuned out most of the instructor's words until he heard his name being called. He perked up and paid attention as the headmaster declared, "Team 11 will consist of Kaito Uzumaki, Hotaru Hyuga, and Itachi Uchiha."

Kaito couldn't contain his grin as he looked at both Itachi and Hotaru. With a confident tone, he exclaimed, "We will make one badass team!"

Itachi simply nodded in agreement while Hotaru beamed with joy at being placed on the same team as her friends. As Kaito thought about their newly formed team, a name came to mind. "Are we going to get that guy who was assigned as Itachi's sensei in canon?" Kaito wondered in his thoughts. He scratched his head trying to recall the name before finally saying, "Oh right, something Minazuki."

After announcing the teams, the instructor turned to the students and said, "Your jonin sensei will come to pick you up after recess." With that, he left the classroom.

Kaito, Hotaru, and Itachi made their way to their favorite spot for lunch. The sun shone through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground as they settled down to eat.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Kaito smiled at his teammates and said, "It's good that we're all placed in the same squad...this way we can still hang out."

Hotaru nodded in agreement, her long dark hair falling over her shoulder. "Hai, if we were in separate squads, we wouldn't have as much time together."

Itachi remained quiet but nodded his head in agreement.

As they opened their lunch boxes, Kaito couldn't help but grin at the delicious smell of karaage chicken with rice that his mother had packed for him. "Mmm," he murmured before attempting to use his chopsticks.

But as he tried to pick up a piece of chicken, Kaito's hands began shaking uncontrollably. Frustration crept into his thoughts as he cursed silently. "Damn it, I can't use chopsticks like this." He didn't want to worry his mother by using his healing abilities.

Hotaru's eyes filled with concern as she looked at Kaito, her voice laced with worry, "Are you okay, Kaito-kun?" Kaito shook his head, trying to play off his struggles.

"Oh, it's nothing, Hotaru." But his attempts were in vain as he continued to struggle and eventually gave up. Just then, Hotaru took his bento and chopsticks from him, determined to help. "Here, I'll help you," she said softly as she tried to feed him.

Kaito protested, "No, no, no, it's fine Hotaru-chan...you don't have to do that." He glanced over at Itachi for support, but Itachi just nodded and joined in to assist. "It's okay guys, I'll just eat at home," Kaito pleaded.

But when he saw the hurt look on Hotaru's face, he sighed and gave in. "Fine, but only after you've finished eating. And thank you for doing this."

Hotaru smiled warmly and nodded, "It's alright, we're friends after all." After they had both finished their meals, Hotaru carefully fed Kaito.

As the bell rang to signal the end of recess, the students shuffled back to their classroom. Their seats were arranged in teams, each with its assigned number displayed on a small plaque. Hotaru found herself in the middle seat, while Kaito confidently took his place at the protagonist's seat. The class had barely settled when their jonin sensei for their newly formed teams entered the room. "Team 1, come with me," commanded one sensei as he led team Hotaru out of the classroom. "Team 12, follow me," called another sensei as she marched her team towards the exit. "Team 6, you're with me," declared a third sensei as he motioned for his team to follow him.

Just as the last group was leaving, a man with a bored expression strolled into the room. He sported the traditional Konoha jonin uniform, but also wore a sleek coat made of deer skin atop it. Two scars marred his rugged features on the right side of his face, adding to his aura of experience and authority. With dark hair tied up in a spiky ponytail and a neatly trimmed goatee, he exuded an air of nonchalance.

In a lazy tone, he announced, "Team 11, meet me on the roof." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving behind a lingering sense of intrigue and mystery. As Kaito watched him go, a thought crossed his mind: "Huh, isn't that..."

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