Kaito Akaden (Kaito)

Kaito Akaden Chapter 123

Kushina, tired and a little disheartened, softly called out, "Tsuna-nee…," her voice trailing off.

Tsunade sighed heavily and looked at Kushina. "kushina…I'll send you the medicine with Katsuyu."

Shizune, clearly conflicted, bowed her head in apology and stood up, hurrying to follow her sensei.

Kaito sat quietly, his gaze fixed on his tea, deep in thought, his expression serious.

Just as Tsunade's hand grasped the door handle, Kaito's voice cut through the silence. "What if I told you that the decline of the Senju wasn't just bad luck?"

Tsunade froze, her fingers tightening around the handle as Kaito's words echoed in the room.

….

Kaito sipped his tea calmly, completely unfazed by the stunned silence that followed his statement.

Everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief, still processing what he had just said.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical. He knew Kaito wouldn't throw out a statement like this without some kind of proof, but it still made him cautious.

Kushina and Hotaru exchanged confused glances, both of them looking at Kaito with wide eyes, unsure of where he was going with this or what he was implying.

Shizune looked shocked, her gaze shifting between Kaito and Tsunade as if waiting for a response.

Tsunade, who had been half-turned towards the door, swung back around, fixing Kaito with a sharp, narrowed-eyed glare. Her voice was cold and serious as she asked, "What did you just say, brat?"

Kaito, setting his cup down on the table with a soft clink, replied evenly, "What if I told you that the decline of the Senju wasn't just a stroke of bad luck?"

In an instant, Tsunade was beside Kaito, grabbing his shirt and lifting him off his feet so they were eye to eye. "What did you say, brat?" she demanded, her words sharp and deliberate.

Kaito didn't flinch. He met her gaze calmly, gripping her wrist without a trace of fear.

Shikaku reacted swiftly, dropping into a crouch, his fingers already forming the trigger seal for his Shadow Possession Jutsu. "Let him go, Lady Tsunade," he said firmly. "I'm sure Kaito will explain what he meant." He was prepared to act if necessary.

Kushina had jumped to her feet, worry etched on her face. "Please let him go, Tsuna-nee," she pleaded, her voice soft but urgent. "Kaito-kun wouldn't say something like that without evidence." She knew her son well enough to trust that there was a reason behind his words.

Hotaru was also on her feet, poised to intervene if needed. She knew Kaito better than most—he never spoke without reason, and she was certain he had something to back up his claim.

Near the door, Shizune muttered softly, "Lady Tsunade…" but her words were lost in the tension filling the room.

Tsunade, still holding Kaito by the shirt, locked eyes with him. He didn't flinch, staring back just as firmly. After a long pause, she let go, her tone firm as she said, "You've got ten minutes to explain yourself, brat."

The tension in the room eased slightly, though everyone remained on edge, watching intently.

Kaito landed lightly on his feet, straightened his shirt with a calm nod, and took his seat again.

Tsunade returned to her chair, folding her arms, her gaze never leaving him as she waited for him to begin.

Once everyone was seated, Shikaku spoke up, his voice sharp but curious. "So, what did you mean by that, Kaito?"

Kaito glanced at Tsunade, his expression serious. "Like I said, the decline of the Senju clan wasn't just bad luck."

He reached into his pouch as he continued, "When I was little, I asked Mum about the other members of the Uzumaki clan. If they were allies of Konoha, why weren't they around? She told me that the Uzumaki clan was destroyed at the end of the Second Great Shinobi War, attacked by three of the five great shinobi villages."

As he spoke, he pulled out a scroll, and placed it on the table.

Kushina, Shikaku, and Hotaru all exchanged confused glances, unsure where Kaito was going with this—but they let him continue.

"When I first heard that, I was confused," Kaito continued, his tone steady. "Mum told me that the Uzumaki clan's village was protected by the whirlpool and that only those with the right knowledge could navigate. So how could three of the five great villages manage to destroy it Then? something didn't sit right with me. It seemed too convenient that Konoha, who were losing the Second Great Shinobi War because they were stretched on all fronts, suddenly won right after the Uzumaki village was destroyed. The other villages suffered heavy losses from that attack."

Kushina's eyes widened at Kaito's implication, her breath catching as the pieces started to fall into place.

Tsunade, too, stared at him, her eyes widening as her mind drifted back to the Second Shinobi War, recalling the grim history.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping into his voice. "Are you suggesting Konoha would do something like that to one of its own allies, Kaito?"

Kaito gave a small nod. "That's exactly what I thought at first—that it was just a coincidence. Bad luck, perhaps. I wouldn't have believed it myself... until one of my clones found a few files."

With that, Kaito bit his thumb, smearing blood onto the scroll as he formed a series of hand signs. He placed his hand on the scroll, activating it.

Kushina's eyes widened even further, a deep sense of dread filling her as she asked, "You don't mean...?"

Tsunade's gaze hardened, the weight of Kaito's words sinking in, while Shikaku's eyes shot open in shock, his mind racing to comprehend the implications.

Kaito nodded, his expression grim. "Two years ago, when Danzo tried to kill Kakashi, I snuck into the Root base. While I helped Kakashi, I sent a few shadow clones to snoop around, see if they could find anything interesting." He pressed his palm to the seal, and with a puff of smoke, several dozen scrolls appeared, piled atop the open scroll.

"My clone duplicated all the files—mission reports, intel, everything they had," he explained, picking up one of the scrolls and unrolling it, searching through the documents. "They were sealed with encryption seals, but nothing I couldn't break."

As Kaito found the file he was looking for, he smeared a bit of blood on it and unsealed its contents.

He continued, his tone steady but cold, "While going through these files, I confirmed my suspicions. It wasn't just bad luck. The destruction of the Uzumaki village and the end of the Second Shinobi War were connected. Konoha… leaked the location of the Uzumaki clan to the enemy."

Kaito took out a file, his face softening as he turned towards his mother. "I'm sorry, Mum, for not telling you about this sooner."

Kushina hesitated, her hands trembling as she took the file from him. Slowly, she opened it and began to read. Her eyes widened in shock, and her breath caught in her throat as she gasped, one hand flying to cover her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes as she absorbed the devastating truth written in the file, her heart breaking with each word.

Seeing Kushina's emotional state, Tsunade swiftly snatched the file from her hands, her eyes scanning the contents. As she read, her expression hardened, and she muttered under her breath, "Those bastards..."

While the file was passed around the room, Kaito unsealed another set of documents and continued, "After finding that, I started looking through more of the files. Things that didn't add up before suddenly made sense—like how one of the largest clans, a founding clan of Konoha, could just disappear into obscurity. How a clan that thrived during the Warring States era and the First Shinobi War could suddenly die out during the Second Great War."

Tsunade's attention was now fully locked on Kaito, her eyes narrowed as he sifted through the files with purpose.

Kaito pulled out another file and handed it to her, meeting her gaze. "Unless it was premeditated," he said, his voice steady.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then took the file from him, her hand trembling slightly as she opened it.

"And I was proven right," Kaito continued. "The Senju clan didn't fully support Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage. They went along with it because it was Tobirama's last decision, but things changed. When the old monkey, with the backing of the Daimyo, started the Second Shinobi War, the Senju openly opposed him, calling out his decision."

Kaito's voice grew more serious as he went on, "In response, the Senju shinobi regardless of their skills or specialties were sent to the front lines. They weren't given proper consideration. They were systematically weakened."

Tsunade's grip on the file tightened as her face grew visibly angrier, the paper crumpling in her hands.

Kaito handed Tsunade another file, his tone somber as he continued, "While all this was happening, the Third Hokage allowed secret experiments on the First Hokage's body, trying to recreate the Mokuton. The Senju clan weren't exactly thrilled about it."

Tsunade's eyes widened, her expression growing even more alarmed at the implications.

Kaito paused for a moment, then asked her directly, "Who do you think would be the perfect recipient of Hashirama's cells, if not someone from his own clan?" He let the question hang in the air before continuing. "And so, with the Third Hokage turning a blind eye, Danzo began kidnapping Senju shinobi, experimenting on them, injecting them with Hashirama's cells to see if any of them could awaken the Mokuton."

Tsunade took the file he handed her, her hands trembling as she flipped through the pages. Her eyes began to glisten, the emotional weight of it all crashing down on her, and her grip tightened on the documents as if trying to hold back the surge of emotions.

Shikaku, meanwhile, was reading the file Tsunade had looked at earlier. His brow furrowed in a deep frown as he took in the contents.

Kaito shook his head, a deep sadness in his voice as he added, "Most of the ones experimented on were children, kids under the age of fourteen. While the adults were sent to the front lines, the children of the Senju were picked off and experimented on. That's the real fate of the Senju clan."

The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of Kaito's revelations sinking in as everyone absorbed what they had just heard.

It was Hotaru who spoke first, her voice hesitant. "I... I don't understand. I'm not saying I don't believe you, Kai-kun, but if this is true, then why haven't they done the same to the Uchiha clan? Why let them be until now?"

Shikaku, still flipping through one of the files, was the one to answer, his tone serious. "It's because of the Uchiha Police Force," he explained. "While the police force was a double-edged sword, it still benefited the Uchiha. It kept them relatively safe. Only the strongest were sent to the battlefield, while the rest managed the police force. After the Madara incident, the clan kept a low profile, avoiding any major conflicts under the Third Hokage's leadership."

As Shikaku spoke, Tsunade's anger reached its breaking point. She slammed her fist down on the table, shattering it with a loud crack. "Those bastards! How dare they!" she shouted, fury radiating from her.

Without another word, she stood up abruptly, storming towards the door, her fists clenched in rage.

Shizune quickly jumped to her feet, following her master in a rush, concern etched on her face.

Just as Tsunade reached the door, Kaito's hand shot out, grasping her wrist with a firm but controlled grip, preventing her from leaving. The others in the room hadn't even seen him move. Shizune's eyes widened in shock as she muttered, "Fast..."

Tsunade turned sharply, fury in her eyes. "Let me go, now, brat!" Her voice was full of authority and rage.

Kaito, calm as ever, shook his head. "And let you do what?"

"I'll destroy those old geezers! I'll kill them for what they've done!" Tsunade shouted, her fists trembling with anger.

"They hold most of the power in Konoha right now," Kaito said, his voice steady. "If you go barging in, they'll just brand you a traitor."

Tsunade snorted defiantly. "I'm the granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the Sannin. My word carries weight."

Kaito didn't waver. He shook his head again, then held out a file to her. "So did Sakumo Hatake. He had a greater reputation than the Sannin, but they still branded him a traitor. Turned him into a pariah, despite all he'd done for the village."

Tsunade's eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, the weight of Kaito's words cutting through her rage.

Shikaku, already standing, added, "What Kaito is saying is true, Lady Tsunade. If you attack the Hokage, you'll be branded a traitor."

Tsunade's eyes glistened with tears as she shouted at them both, "So you expect me to just let them go, just like that?" Even as she spoke, she knew Kaito was right.

Kaito shook his head gently. "You need to become the Fifth Hokage," he said, finally releasing her wrist as she froze, considering his words.

Tsunade stilled, her heart racing at the thought.

Sighing, Kaito continued, "You don't have to agree now. Just think about it." He then gestured for the others to follow him.

As they left the room, Kushina wrapped her arms around Tsunade, holding her tightly. They both cried together for a while, sharing in the pain of the revelations.

Eventually, Kushina broke the hug, her heart heavy, and followed her son out. Left behind, Tsunade slumped to the floor beside the door, tears streaming down her cheeks as the weight of everything settled over her.

…

Early the next morning, the moon illuminated the surrounding forest near the Degerashi port. It was still two hours before sunrise.

Two lone figures could be seen leaving the port town, making their way down the road. It was Tsunade and Shizune, quietly stepping and making their way out of Degerashi port.

As they crossed the town's welcoming sign, they noticed Kaito leaning against a tree at the side of the road.

Tsunade paused for a moment before she ultimately continued walking past him.

As she brushed by, Kaito called out, "So, you're leaving just like that?"

Tsunade halted but didn't respond immediately. after a few minutes, she said, "I'll send Kushina's medicine with Katsuyu." With that, she began to walk away.

Kaito sighed, pushing himself off the tree. "Just don't do anything stupid," he advised, starting to head back into town.

Kaito Body Flicker before he disappeared.

As the morning sun rose, illuminating the port town, Kaito sat at the table in his room, lost in thought. "I thought it would be easier to convince Tsunade to become Hokage,". He shook his head, he had hoped that Naruto's declaration of wanting to be Hokage might inspire her, just as it did in the original timeline. But things hadn't gone as planned. He had resorted to revealing the misdeeds committed by Danzo and Hiruzen against her clan, thinking that might sway her decision. Yet, she had still chosen to leave. It had always been Kaito's intention to inform Tsunade about these injustices, but he had thought she would be more receptive once she had accepted the role of Hokage.

Kushina stirred awake, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. They were puffy from crying all night, and she had requested that both Naruto and Kaito sleep with her, feeling vulnerable after learning the truth about her clan's betrayal. She had wanted to hold her sons close while she slept.

Looking at Kaito, she offered a faint smile and asked, "Ah… didn't you sleep," She walked over to him, sat down beside him, and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. she asked " Kai-kun? What's on your mind? You know you can tell me, right?"

Kaito sighed, his expression heavy. "Lady Tsunade left, Mum."

Kushina's smile faltered, and she gently pulled away, concern etched on her face. "Don't worry, Kai-kun. She just needs time to think. I'm sure she'll come back, ya know?"

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