Kaito Akaden (Kaito)

Kaito Akaden Chapter 121

Later, they regrouped with Shikaku for dinner, booking a private room at the same bar where they had first met Tsunade. Though the atmosphere was lively, Kaito was still deep in thought, trying to remember if there was any way to heal his mother.

As the adults drank sake, Kaito sat quietly beside Shikaku, absentmindedly picking at his food, while Hotaru sat across from them, animatedly chatting with Shizune. Kushina and Tsunade sat a bit further down the table, engrossed in their own conversation.

Shikaku, noticing Kaito's distraction and hearing Hotaru's lively chatter, sighed. 'Looks like it's up to me then,' he thought.

Clearing his throat, Shikaku grabbed everyone's attention. "Lady Tsunade," he began, "while helping to treat Kushina was one reason we came to find you, it wasn't the only reason."

He nudged Kaito, who blinked and realized everyone was now looking at him. "Since it's your idea, you should tell her," Shikaku urged.

Kaito, a bit flustered, sat up straighter. "huh Right, I'm sorry. Yes, we came here to also ask you to become the Fifth Hokage."

….

Tsunade paused, her cup of sake halfway to her lips, and fixed Kaito with a serious look. She hadn't expected this—Kaito asking her to become the next Hokage.

Across the room, Shizune, in mid-sip, choked on her drink, coughing as she quickly patted her chest. Hotaru, sitting beside her, leaned over and gave her a few supportive pats on the back.

Naruto, meanwhile, nearly choked on his food. His eyes widened as he turned towards his brother, stunned that Kaito-nii would suggest her for Hokage. Kushina, sitting next to Naruto, gave him a firm pat on the back as he swallowed, sighing in relief. She handed him some water, and he gratefully drank it, glancing around the room.

Tsunade's gaze stayed locked on Kaito, then shifted to Shikaku. The room fell silent as her eyes moved between the two. She finished her sake in one swift gulp, then slammed the cup down on the table, her focus now on Kushina.

Kushina gave her a nervous smile, knowing all too well how sensitive the subject was for Tsunade.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at her. "I thought the old man didn't know you were here?"

Kushina raised her hands defensively. "He doesn't, I swear! Tsuna-nee, I wouldn't lie to you ya know!"

Tsunade's eyes flicked between Kaito and Shikaku, her tone sharp as she asked, "So, if you're not under the old man's orders, who sent you?"

Kaito was quick to answer. "No one sent us, Lady Tsunade. The Third Hokage doesn't even know we're here, or that Mom's left the village. We came to see if you could heal her... and to convince you to become the Fifth Hokage."

Shikaku chimed in, nodding. "The Third Hokage has grown old, and Konoha's not in the best shape. That's why the village needs a new leader—and why we've come to you."

Tsunade's gaze hardened as she studied them both. "So, you're trying to overthrow the current Hokage? You do realize, kid, that could be seen as treason. Who gave you the authority to make such a request?"

Kaito lazily waved her off. "It's not treason. After Dad's death, the Third Hokage was never officially re-elected. He was only chosen to fill in temporarily until a suitable successor for the Fourth could be found. But it seems like he's forgotten about that. Us finding someone to replace him isn't treason—it's just overdue. And you're the best choice."

Shikaku sighed, starting to explain, "There's a reason why we—" but Tsunade cut him off.

"I decline," Tsunade said flatly, not even looking at Kaito or Shikaku. "I have no interest in becoming Hokage. It's a fool's job. Only a fool would take it." She took a sip of her sake. "Fools, all of them."

Kushina frowned at Tsunade's words, but Naruto, sitting beside her, reacted more sharply.

Hearing Tsunade mock the Hokage, Naruto shot to his feet, anger flaring. "Who do you think you are? How dare you mock the Hokage, especially my dad! He gave his life to save us—he was the greatest Hokage!"

Tsunade's expression didn't change. "And what did that get him? Where is he now? Dead. And for what? The village?" She took another sip. "All the Hokage, no matter how great, are dead. They sacrificed everything, and yet the village is no safer. My grandfather, your father—Minato—they all threw their lives away for the village. It's a sucker's bet."

Naruto clenched his fists, shaking with rage as he let out a bitter laugh. Just as he lunged forward, a chakra chain, courtesy of Kaito, wrapped around his waist, holding him back as he struggled. Tears welled in his eyes as he shouted, "Let me go! I'll make her take it back, believe it!"

Kushina quickly moved, her face pained but calm, as she pulled Naruto into her arms. "Calm down, Naru-chan," she whispered softly, her gaze filled with disappointment as she glanced at Tsunade.

But Tsunade wasn't looking at them.

Karin, sitting beside Hotaru, looked frightened by the tension in the room. Hotaru gently put an arm around her, offering comfort.

Shikaku sighed heavily, watching the situation unfold.

Kushina, having exerted some effort, felt a sharp flare of pain and let go of Naruto, crouching slightly while holding her abdomen. Naruto was still restrained by Kaito's chakra chain.

Tsunade noticed Kushina in pain, and her expression softened a bit, but she didn't make any move to help.

Kaito glanced at his mother, who gave him a strained smile in return.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kaito said, holding his brother back.

Naruto, still crying and furious, shouted at Kaito, "How can you sit there and not say anything? She just insulted Dad!"

Kaito sighed. "I'm not angry because I know Dad didn't die protecting the village."

Looking at Tsunade, Kaito continued, "Why does everyone assume Dad died because of the Nine-Tails attack? Mom and I were the only ones there when it happened."

Kaito took a sip of his tea before speaking again. "The entire Nine-Tails attack lasted less than five minutes. Do you really think it would've been over that quickly if Dad was struggling against both the Nine-Tails and the masked man?" He paused, his gaze shifting to Tsunade. "There's a reason Dad was chosen as Hokage over all the Sannin," he added, looking pointedly at Tsunade.

Kaito continued, "In those five minutes, Dad not only defeated the masked man—though sadly, he managed to escape before Dad could finish him off—but he also ensured the masked man could never control the Nine-Tails again by placing a contract seal on him. That's why he hasn't shown up since." He closed his eyes briefly. "All that, accomplished in less than five minutes."

Opening his eyes, Kaito focused on Tsunade. "Dad died because he chose to. He wanted to save Mom, and the only way to do that was to seal half of the Nine-Tails into her. To accomplish this, he had to split the Nine-Tails into two, and the only jutsu capable of such a feat requires the user to sacrifice their soul in return. He died because he wanted his wife to see her children grow up. He died for his family, not because he needed to save the village."

Kushina wiped her tears and managed a faint smile at Kaito.

Naruto nodded, his eyes still glistening with tears.

Karin, who hadn't known much about Minato's story, looked on in awe. All she knew was that Aunt Kushina was married to the Fourth Hokage.

Seeing Naruto calm down a bit, Kaito created a shadow clone and asked Naruto and Karin to follow it.

Naruto wiped his tears and, with renewed determination, pointed at Tsunade. "Just watch! Someday, I'll be Hokage! That's my dream, just like Dad's and Mom's! Believe it!"

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock at Naruto's bold declaration.

After Naruto and Karin had left, Shikaku noticed Tsunade's somewhat dazed look, Shikaku said, "Please hear us out before you make a decision, my lady."

Tsunade, though reluctant, nodded and took a sip of her sake.

Shikaku began explaining, "As you might have already figured out, there's a reason we've come to you now. The situation in Konoha isn't good. The Nine-Tails attack was orchestrated by a masked man with the Sharingan, and even after Lady Kushina and Kaito testified to the Hokage that the masked man wasn't part of the Uchiha clan, you can probably guess what happened next."

Tsunade nodded. "The village started monitoring the Uchiha clan."

Shikaku nodded in agreement. "Yes, the Uchiha were asked to leave their previous homes and relocate to a corner of the village. As you can imagine, that didn't sit well with them, but they agreed and are now under constant surveillance. Tensions between the village and the Uchiha are at an all-time high, and the Hokage isn't helping matters."

Tsunade responded, "Well, there's a simple solution to that. Just make one of the Uchiha Hokage. Surely, there must be someone capable among them. That should solve the issue."

Kaito spoke up, "Ideally, selecting an Uchiha clan member as the next Hokage might be the best solution... but the Uchiha's reputation is pretty tarnished right now. After the Nine-Tails attack, Mr. 'I do everything for the village'"—Kaito made air quotes—"decided it would be best to spread rumors that the Uchiha were responsible for the attack and the Fourth's death because they were opposed to Dad being Hokage."

Tsunade snorted when Kaito air-quoted "everything for the village," already knowing who that referred to.

Kaito continued, "As you can imagine, the Uchiha didn't take this lightly. The people of Konoha began provoking them, which led to the police force retaliating, and things just escalated."

Shikaku added, "It got even worse after Kaito exposed Lord Danzo for possessing a Sharingan he obtained by killing an Uchiha clan member."

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened in shock. Tsunade slammed her fist on the table, exclaiming, "What?"

Kaito nodded, explaining, "I sensed and informed the Third, Sensei, and Fugaku-sama that Danzo had an implanted Sharingan. Things deteriorated further when the Hokage merely gave Danzo a slap on the wrist and 'disbanded' Root on the surface, without genuinely addressing the Uchiha situation. The Third tried to suppress everything, but as you can imagine, this only worsened the relationship with the Uchiha clan."

Tsunade turned to Kaito and asked, "How do you know that Danzo's Root wasn't completely disbanded?"

Hotaru was quick to respond, "Well, he sent Root to assassinate our team during the Chunin Exams."

Kushina, just hearing this, exclaimed, "He did what? How dare he!"

Kaito winced at his mother's reaction and said, "Relax, Mom. We handled it. He even lost an arm and half a face, so we're even."

Tsunade, Kushina, and Shizune looked at Kaito in disbelief.

Kaito nodded and added, "The Uchiha clan is on the brink of a coup, and Konoha is facing a civil war. A new Hokage, one who even the Uchiha respect, might help calm things down."

Tsunade looked at Kaito and asked, "Why me? If you want a Sannin, you could always ask Jiraiya."

Kaito replied, "You're not just a Sannin; you're also the granddaughter of the First Hokage. On top of that, you're widely respected as the best medical ninja and have saved countless shinobi during the Second and Third Ninja Wars. Even the Uchiha clan respects you, despite you being a Senju."

He took out a scroll and placed it on the table. "We're offering you 500 million ryo if you agree to become the Fifth Hokage."

Shizune's eyes widened at the amount of money being offered.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at Kaito, clearly curious about where he got such a large sum.

Tsunade glanced at the scroll and said, "Do you really think putting me in the Hokage's seat will magically solve everything?"

Kaito shook his head. "I never said it would. I know that even with you as Hokage, convincing the Uchiha clan will be tough. But I've come up with two ideas that might help restore their reputation and integrate them back into the village."

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