Kaito Chapter 63

Kaito Chapter 63

Kaito eagerly walked over, "yo guys, shikaku sensei" waving at them and calling out to his sensei.

"Good morning, Kaito-kun," Hotaru greeted him with a warm smile, while Itachi simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Shikaku nodded at them all and beckoned them to follow him into the Hokage's office. Knocking on the door, they heard a muffled "come in" from inside. Shikaku led them into the room with his team following closely behind. As soon as Kaito stepped inside, his eyes fell upon a figure that he had hoped not to see.

….

Shikaku opened the ornately carved door to the mission briefing room, ushering in Team 11 behind him. Kaito entered last, his gaze falling upon a particular person that he was not at all pleased to see. The room was large and well-lit, with a long wooden desk occupying the center. Seated behind it was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, wearing his traditional Hokage robes and puffing on a pipe held between his fingers.

Beside him sat his three advisors: an elderly woman named Koharu Utatane, an old man with glasses and a goatee known as Homura Mitokado, and an older man with bandages covering his right eye and a distinct X-shaped scar on his chin - Danzo Shimura. Kaito's eyes narrowed at the sight of Danzo sitting comfortably next to the Hokage.

Grimacing internally, Kaito thought to himself, "Tch, why is that bastard here?" He wasn't happy to see Danzo in the briefing room, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He had hoped that the rumors he had spread about Danzo would have led Hiruzen to strip him of his power or position. After all, those rumors were true and Kaito knew Hiruzen was aware of it as well.

Mentally clicking his tongue in frustration, Kaito thought, "Damn it, it seems Hiruzen didn't do anything about Danzo after all." He couldn't help but feel disappointed; if it had been anyone else who had been the subject of such rumors, they would have surely been dealt with by now.

Shikaku led Team 11 into the briefing room, bowing respectfully as they followed suit, paying their respects to the village leaders. "Hokage sama," they greeted in unison.

Shikaku also greeted the Hokage, saying, "Hokage sama, you called." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Ah, Team 11. Good to see you all doing well."

He released a puff of smoke from his pipe before continuing, "I hope you have rested well after your previous mission."

The team chorused, "Hai hokage sama" in response to his question.

"Excellent," the Hokage said with a nod. "I called you all here to go over the mission report. While I have already read Shikaku's written account, I would like to hear it from each of you as well. Let's start with you, Hotaru-chan."

Feeling a small sense of nervousness at being put on the spot, Hotaru took a deep breath and began to recount the events of their mission. "As instructed, we were escorting the daimyo to Konoha. Around noon, he requested a lunch break and after we had eaten, we were preparing to continue when..." her voice trailed off as she glanced at Kaito, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"When suddenly, Kaito-kun froze and his hands started shaking," she continued. "I was closest to him so I went to check on him, but Itachi-kun called for Shikaku-sensei. When we turned around, we saw a masked man hopping towards us. Sensei ordered us into formation and asked the man some questions, but he seemed to be acting like an idiot. Then everything happened so quickly - the masked man put everyone under a genjutsu except for me and Itachi-kun."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes in interest. "Just you and Itachi were unaffected by the genjutsu?"

Hotaru nodded solemnly. "Yes, only the two of us could still move. But there was this pressure holding us back, making it difficult to even lift a finger. The masked man's demeanor changed once everyone was under his control. He started mocking us and he said that he was after the daimyo. That's when Kaito-kun launched an attack and before I knew it, the fight was over and the masked man was sucked into mask." She shook.

Hiruzen hummed as he pondered to himself. "Hmmm, a space-time ninjutsu?" he murmured, turning to face Itachi. "And you experienced the same, Itachi-kun?"

The young Uchiha nodded in confirmation and spoke up, "Yes, after placing everyone under the genjutsu and applying pressure on us, I couldn't move even with my Sharingan activated. The man said he was after the daimyo and that's when Kaito attacked him. But his attack passed through the masked man and Kaito managed to block his counterattack. They then engaged in battle once again and just as Kaito managed to inflict damage, I was finally able to move and prepared a fireball."

Itachi paused for a moment before continuing, "But before I could release it, Shikaku-sensei caught the masked man with his shadow jutsu and shouted for me to use the fireball. However, it seemed to have no effect on the masked man who then calmly warned Kaito that he would kill him the next time they met."

Hiruzen turned to Kaito and asked curiously, "I see, Kaito-kun, why did you freeze?"

Kaito let out a deep sigh and replied, "I froze when I sensed his chakra. It was the same signature as the bastard who attacked my mother during Naruto's birth. Just sensing him made my mind go blank."

Danzo sneered and interrupted, "You blanked during a mission?"

Hiruzen cut in before Kaito could respond, saying firmly, "Let the boy explain, Danzo." He then turned back to Kaito with a nod of understanding.

Kaito's eyes narrowed in annoyance as he recounted the events to Danzo. "As I was saying I blanked out when I sensed his chakra and soon was caught in the genjutsu," he began, his voice tight with frustration. "And when i broke free I went into a rage, attacking him and I managed to injure after a few tries he has a annoying phasing ability." He paused for a moment.

"He fled when he sensed the Anbu and Shikaku sensei breaking out of his genjutsu" Kaito continued, his gaze never leaving Danzo's cold stare. "When he fled He said that he would kill me the next time we met, then I panicked and rushed back to the village to ensure my mother and Naruto were safe."

Danzo's eyes narrowed in disapproval. "And you abandoned your mission," he responded condescendingly. "You left your post guarding the daimyo."

Kaito's jaw clenched at the accusation, but he kept his tone even. "I am aware that i abandon the mission, Danzo-sama," he replied calmly. "But in that moment, my family's safety took precedence over everything else."

Danzo remained stoic, his expression stern. "As a shinobi, your duty is to prioritize your mission above personal matters."

There was a flash of irritation in Kaito's eyes. "Respectfully, Danzo-sama, I wasn't thinking about my duty at that moment. All I could think about was protecting my loved ones."

Danzo's tone turned colder. "Your excuses won't suffice, Kaito Uzumaki. Your actions could have jeopardized the relationship between the daimyo and our village."

Despite feeling anger bubbling inside him, Kaito maintained his composure. "I understand and accept whatever punishment come my way, and my team has nothing to do with my actions" he said firmly. "But I stand by my decision to put my family first."

Shikaku's voice rang out, interrupting Danzo. "With all due respect, Danzo-sama, the mission was already beyond the capabilities of mere genin at that point."

Danzo turned to Hiruzen with a sneer. "You should have placed them under my supervision, then they would have--"

But Hiruzen cut him off. "That's enough, Danzo. I agree with Shikaku, the mission was beyond the level of inexperienced genin team."

Koharu spoke up. "Even so, abandoning a mission must not go unpunished."

Homura nodded in agreement. "Indeed, allowing such actions to go unpunished sets a dangerous example."

Hiruzen took a moment to consider and finally said, "Hai. As punishment, team 11 will only be allowed to complete D-rank missions for the next two months and must complete at least 10 per week."

Danzo scowled at the decision while Kaito narrowed his eyes at Danzo and thought to himself, "That piece of shit. I'll make sure Hiruzen has no choice but to sack him or kill him."

Shikaku nodded in acknowledgement. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"If that is all, you may leave," Hiruzen said dismissively as he waved his hand.

As Shikaku was about to led team 11 out of the room, Kaito couldn't resist making one last request. "Actually, Hokage-sama, I have a favor to ask," he said.

Hiruzen's brows rose in curiosity as he asked, "Hmmm, what might that be, Kaito-kun?" AS Danzo's sneer only grew more pronounced.

"To stop isolating the Uchiha clan," Kaito asked boldly, causing Shikaku to mutter, "Troublesome," while rubbing his face in frustration.

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