Kaito chapter 46

Kaito chapter 46

Kaito reassured her, "Yes, but don't worry mom. Sensei said it's just an escort mission and it should only take us around a week." He hugged her tightly, trying to ease her worries.

Kushina returned the hug and sighed, "I know, it's just...you're so young." She looked up at her son with love and concern in her eyes. "Come on, let me help you pack for the mission," she said with a resigned sigh. As they gathered supplies and essentials for the upcoming mission, Kushina couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over her. But she knew that as a ninja family, missions like this were inevitable and she trusted in Kaito's skills and judgement. And together they went to gather supplies and prepare for

…

As the sun began to rise, the village was already bustling with activity. Among the crowd, a mother and her young son made their way through the streets towards the village gates. The woman was in her twenties, her fiery red hair flowing behind her as she walked. She wore a green apron over her dress, this was Kushina Uzumaki.

In her arms, she carried a baby boy with bright yellow blond hair and striking blue eyes. He looked around with curiosity and wonder as his mother held him close. Walking beside them was another boy, around seven years old. He had inherited his mother's red hair, which spiked slightly at the ends. He wore a black sleeveless hoodie over a white t-shirt and black shinobi pants - this was Kaito Uzumaki, the eldest son of Kushina and the late Fourth Hokage.

The trio made their way towards the village's main gate, where Kaito would be heading out on his first c-rank mission as a Konoha genin. "You don't have to come to send me off, ya know," Kaito said, looking at his mother with concern in his eyes. "Mom, I really wish you wouldn't stress yourself too much," he added with a sigh.

But Kushina waved off his worries with a grin. "Oh, you worry too much Kaito-kun. I'm fine, ya know," she reassured him before ruffling his hair affectionately. "Besides, it's your first c-rank mission and I want to see you off properly."

The baby boy in her arms giggled and chanted along with his mother, "ya, now," causing Kushina to let out a small sigh. It seemed that little Naruto had inherited her verbal tick as well - just like all of her descendants before him.

Kaito sighed again; he didn't want his mother to stress herself too much and cause her abdominal pains. "Just let me know if you don't feel well, okay?" he pleaded with her.

But Kushina simply smiled back at him and replied, "Hai... Hai." Her determination was clear in her eyes as she prepared to see off her son on his first mission.

The group was traveling at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights and sounds of the village as they made their way to the main gate. After a few minutes of strolling, they finally reached their destination.

Kaito's eyes lit up as he saw his teammate and friend waiting for him at the gate. Hotaru, dressed in her shinobi attire with her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, leaned against a nearby tree while Itachi stood next to her.

"Yo guys!" Kaito called out as he approached them.

Kushina, greeted them with a smile. "Hey guys, how are you doing?"

Hotaru smiled warmly at Kaito and greeted him. "Good morning Kaito-kun, Lady Kushina. We're doing well."

Itachi nodded in agreement and added, "Good morning Lady Kushina, Kaito."

As soon as she spotted Naruto, Hotaru couldn't resist walking over and playing with him. "Look at this little guy...he's so cute," she cooed while making funny faces at the baby. "Maybe I should bring Hinata-chan over for a playdate."

Itachi joined in on the fun and suggested, "Hmm...I should bring Sasuke-kun too." He smiled down at Naruto who giggled in response.

Kushina laughed at their antics and said, "Naruto would love that! He needs some friends his age."

She then turned to the team and asked, "Have you all prepared for the mission?"

They nodded eagerly and replied, "Hai."

Kushina proceeded to give them some advice and tips while they waited for their sensei to arrive. The sun shone down on them, casting a warm glow over the group as they chatted and joked together, ready to take on whatever mission awaited them.

After a while, Shikaku Nara arrived with the client in tow. He wore the familiar Konoha Jonin attire, complete with a warm deer skin coat to protect against the chill of the evening air. Upon seeing his team, he made his way over to them, his presence commanding and efficient. Kaito, Hotaru, and Itachi all greeted him respectfully with a chorus of "sensei," to which Shikaku gave a nod in acknowledgement. But his attention was quickly caught by the sight of Kushina among them, cradling her son Naruto in her arms. he asked her, "Everything alright, Kushina?" as he approached the group.

Kushina smiled , adjusting Naruto in her arms before replying, "Oh, I just wanted to see Kaito-kun and the others off, you know." But then something shifted in her gaze, and suddenly she was looking at Shikaku with fierce determination. Her voice took on a menacing tone as she spoke, "Shikaku-san. If anything happens to my son or his friends, you'll pay dearly for it. I'm trusting that you will protect them."

Feeling a bit taken aback by Kushina's sudden change in demeanor, Shikaku frantically nodded his head in agreement. "Hai... hai, I'll keep them safe," he promised.

As soon as Kushina saw that Shikaku had agreed to her terms, she returned back to her cheerful self. "Then stand beside them, I want to take a picture!" she exclaimed merrily.

Kaito couldn't help but sweatdrop at his mother's antics, and Hotaru and Itachi seemed to be doing the same. Meanwhile, Shikaku muttered under his breath about troublesome women as he reluctantly joined Team 11 for the photo.

With Kushina holding the camera in one hand and baby Naruto in the other,

After capturing the perfect shot, Shikaku turns to his companions and inquires , "Do we have everything we need?" They respond with a nod of confirmation, causing him to say, "good. We'll be leaving as soon as I check out at the guard post,".

As they exchange hugs and well wishes, Kushina holds onto Kaito and his friends tightly, her voice wavering slightly as she urges them, "Please be careful out there. Take care of each other, alright?" Tears glisten in her eyes as she watches them depart on their journey.

As Shikaku walked over to where Kaito was standing, he noticed the young ninja creating a shadow clone and nodding to it. Curiosity getting the better of him, Shikaku asked, "Why did you make a shadow clone, Kaito?"

Kaito turned to face his sensei and replied with determination in his voice, "He will stay here in the village to protect mom...sensei." Kushina heard this and let out a sigh, "Kaito-kun, you don't have to do that, you know."

But Kaito shook his head resolutely, "But I have to." Shikaku narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you intentionally making yourself weaker, Kaito?" Kaito shook his head again and explained, "It only has 10% of my chakra."

Shikaku sighed and stated, "Then it's useless and will only distract you." Not wanting to give up on his plan, Kaito pulled out a seal and placed it on the clone.

Seeing the seal, Shikaku questioned, "What does that seal do?" Kaito confidently responded as he activated the seal with a hand sign, "It is a chakra reserve seal that I created. It holds a week's worth of my chakra for the clone to use and also makes it more durable."

Shikaku couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Troublesome geniuses..." before finally saying aloud, "Well, if you're done with your preparations, we should start our mission. Let's go." With that, he turned around and headed towards their client, with the young genin following closely behind after bidding their goodbyes.

The small village slowly disappeared behind them as they walked at a civilian pace along the caravan. Kushina, waving goodbye, called out to them with a hint of worry in her voice. "Take care and be safe, you guys!" Kaito and his friends turned around to wave one last time before joining their sensei and taking their positions for the journey ahead. Kushina, tears in her eyes, whispered to herself as she watched them disappear into the horizon. "They grow up so fast."

"Come on mom, let's head back." The clone by her side comfortingly said, "Hai... Let's pick some lychee for when the kaito kun returns," she said with a small chuckle.

After walking a considerable distance away from the village, Kaito turned to his sensei and asked eagerly, "Where are we heading to, sensei?" Shikaku answered without hesitation, "We will be escorting our clients to the Land of Iron."

Hotaru chimed in with excitement, "Are there any ninja in the Land of Iron, sensei?" Shikaku shook his head and replied, "No, the Land of Iron is protected by the samurai."

Itachi then asked curiously, "Sensei, how strong are the samurai?" Kaito vaguely memories about the samurai of the land of iron, he knew that they hosted the 5 kage summit. but wasn't sure of their strength compared to shinobi. Shikaku paused for a moment before answering confidently, "There is a reason why no one has ever successfully invaded the Land of Iron. The samurai may not possess individual strength like that of the strongest shinobi, but their numbers make up for it."

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