Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 166
A Few Meters Away Perched atop a tree branch, Kaito observed the scene with narrowed eyes.
'That's definitely Sasuke… I can sense his chakra. He looks older… and his left eye—it's a Rinnegan.'
His gaze shifted to the blond-haired boy beside him. 'And that kid… his chakra feels similar to Naruto's. It's faint, but I can sense a trace of Kurama's chakra in him.'
His thoughts raced as he tried to piece it together.
'Is that Naruto's kid—Boruto? But what are they doing here? In the past?'
Kaito quickly flipped through his mental archive, trying to recall any reason why they would appear in this timeline.
Wasting no time, he reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a notebook—the one where he had written down everything he remembered about the original timeline.
He flipped through the pages quickly, scanning each entry for anything relevant.
Then—he found it.
A page detailed a critical event:
"Sasuke and Boruto travel to the past to save Genin Naruto from an Otsutsuki."
Kaito's eyes darkened. 'An Otsutsuki…? But this shouldn't happen for another six years.'
His gaze snapped back toward the duo.
'Something's wrong. This is too early.'
Without hesitation, Kaito flickered into the clearing, landing just a few feet away from them.
….
Boruto glanced at Sasuke, concern evident on his face. "Can you walk?"
Sasuke nodded as he pushed himself up. "Yeah, I can manage."
Without another word, Sasuke started walking in a specific direction. "Come on, I can sense some chakra signatures this way."
Boruto nodded, still holding the turtle device in his hands, and followed behind him.
Just then, Kaito flickered into the clearing, appearing only a few feet away from them. He stood in a defensive stance, gripping a three-pronged kunai in his right hand.
Both Boruto and Sasuke stopped instantly.
Kaito's voice was sharp, commanding. "Halt. Identify yourselves."
Boruto and Sasuke exchanged confused glances.
Kaito, however, was watching them intently. His eyes scanned their faces as his mind raced.
'That's definitely Boruto and Sasuke… but…'
He had to act like he didn't know them. By all logic, he shouldn't know them.
Yet…
'They don't seem surprised to see me… or even recognize me. Does that mean I'm dead in their timeline? No… if that were the case, at least Sasuke would have recognized me. But his chakra didn't waver… he wasn't reacting to me, just to the fact that I appeared in front of them so suddenly…'
His grip tightened around his kunai.
Boruto raised his hands in surrender, his eyes wide. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chill, man! It's just us!"
Sasuke, on the other hand, remained calm but wary.
Kaito's grip on his kunai tightened. "That's what I'm asking—who are you? State your Konoha Ninja Registration number now, ya know," he demanded.
Sasuke looked at Kaito and answered, "012606."
Boruto blinked, then quickly answered, "Uh—mine's 42-013."
The moment the words left Boruto's mouth, Kaito's body flickered.
In an instant, he was in front of Sasuke, fist flying toward his face.
Sasuke reacted instantly, blocking the punch with his arm. His eyes widened as he took in Kaito's speed. 'He's fast… 'he thought.
But Kaito wasn't done. Taking advantage of Sasuke's momentary distraction, Kaito swiftly grabbed his arm, twisted his body, and drove his knee into Sasuke's face, sending him flying backward into the dirt.
Boruto, finally snapping out of his shock, lunged forward and threw a punch at Kaito.
Kaito simply tilted his head slightly, dodging effortlessly.
Before Boruto could react, Kaito caught his wrist, twisted it, and slammed him into the ground with a heavy THUD!
Pinning him down, Kaito pressed his kunai lightly against Boruto's throat.
His voice was ice-cold. "Now… answer me properly."
Sasuke rolled to a stop, already preparing to counterattack—
But the moment he moved, his entire body froze. His eyes widened in shock as black kanji markings suddenly spread across his skin, locking him in place. 'I… can't move?!'
Before he could process what was happening, chakra chains erupted from Kaito's body, shooting toward both Sasuke and Boruto, wrapping around them tightly to ensure neither of them could escape.
Sasuke stared at the glowing chains in disbelief. "These are…" he muttered, eyes widening even further.
Kaito wasn't sure if Sasuke could use his Rinnegan's absorption ability to break free from the paralysis seal, so he reinforced his hold using his chakra chains—making absolutely certain there was no way out. he spoke. "I won't ask again. Who sent you?"
Boruto, still pinned under Kaito's weight, squirmed against the chains. "What the hell, man?! We already told you our registration numbers!"
Kaito's expression remained ice-cold as he pressed down slightly harder, restricting Boruto's movements even more. "Those numbers are fake," he stated firmly. "I want to know how you both appeared inside Konoha's detection barrier without triggering it."
His gaze darkened, "The only way to do that is through space-time ninjutsu—and there are only a handful of people in the world capable of that."
Pressing the kunai a little closer to Boruto's neck, Kaito's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Your chakra signature… it has traces of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Then, shifting his sharp gaze to Sasuke, he asked, "And yours… why does it resemble that of Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, Boruto groaned in frustration before blurting out, "That's because he is Sasuke Uchiha! And I'm Boruto, the Hokage's son!"
Kaito's eyebrow twitched at that. He glanced at Sasuke, then slightly eased the kunai away from Boruto's neck. "You're Sasuke Uchiha? Last I checked, Sasuke was eight years old."
He then turned his gaze back to Boruto. "And I highly doubt Lady Tsunade has a son."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, realization hitting him.
Boruto, on the other hand, gave Kaito an incredulous look. "What are you smoking, man? I'm not the son of that old lady, I'm—"
"Boruto. Keep quiet."
Sasuke's voice cut through the air, sharp and firm, instantly silencing Boruto before he could say anything else.
Kaito's sharp gaze flickered between Sasuke and Boruto.
kaito eyes narrowed slightly before he spoke. "Your chakra signature is similar to Sasuke's… but more mature."
Then, turning his gaze to Boruto, he continued. "You're not Lady Tsunade's son… but you are the son of a Hokage. You also have traces of the Nine-Tails' chakra, which means one of your parents had to be a jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. You have blond hair, blue eyes—just like my dad… just like Naruto."
kaito shook his head. "And I highly doubt my mom had another son my age, or that I had a twin who mysteriously went missing."
Boruto frowned in confusion. "What are you even talking about?"
Kaito exhaled, taking the kunai away from Boruto's neck. However, he didn't release them from the chakra chains. Instead, he stood up, his gaze shifting back to Sasuke.
"Your ninja registration number is 012606. That matches the batch assigned to Sasuke's class. But more importantly—" Kaito's eyes sharpened. "You looked surprised when I mentioned that the current Hokage is Lady Tsunade. And you stopped him—" he gestured toward Boruto, "—before he could reveal who his parents were."
A tense silence settled between them.
Kaito's gaze flickered between the two before he finally spoke. "There's only one plausible explanation."
His expression remained unreadable as he stated, "You two… aren't from this time period. You're from the future."
Boruto's eyes widened, his jaw slightly slack, while Sasuke's expression hardened.
Kaito continued, "That would explain why you both suddenly appeared inside the barrier without setting off any alarms." His eyes locked onto Sasuke. "It would explain why your chakra signature feels so similar to Sasuke's… and—" he turned to Boruto, now dangling in front of him, restrained by the chakra chains. "Why you have traces of the Nine-Tails' chakra… and why you resemble Naruto and my dad."
The clearing was silent.
Boruto stared at Kaito, completely stunned, while Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
After a moment, Kaito shook his head. "But that still doesn't explain something." His voice was lower now, more serious. "If I'm right, you're Naruto's son… but you don't seem to know who I am."
His expression darkened further. "Even if I was dead in the future, Naruto or mom would have told you about me."
Then, his gaze shifted to Sasuke. "And you… you don't recognize me either. Which you should have—because I am your brother's best friend. I've been to your house. I've had dinner with your family multiple times."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at Kaito's words.
Just then, the turtle device, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly spoke.
"Warning! Warning! We have deviated greatly from our target temporal transfer."
The mechanical voice immediately caught everyone's attention.
Boruto's head snapped toward it. "It… it talked?!"
Kaito's blue eyes narrowed as he bent down, picking up the turtle and examining it closely. "Temporal transfer…" he murmured. Then, looking back at Sasuke and Boruto, his expression hardened. "So, I was right. You're from the future."
The turtle continued in its monotone voice. "We did not arrive at the targeted temporal transfer coordinates set by Master Urashiki Ōtsutsuki."
Sasuke's gaze darkened. "So, we're in the past?"
The turtle responded, "You are partially correct. You are in the past… but not your timestream's past. This is the past of an alternate timestream."
Sasuke's expression tensed. "Alternate timestream…?"
"Yes," the turtle confirmed. "You are in a timeline that is similar, yet vastly different from your original timestream. The key divergence began with the birth of the eldest son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki. Due to his existence, many events have changed. For example, Kushina Uzumaki survived the night of the Nine-Tails attack with the help of her eldest son. Furthermore, the Uchiha Clan Massacre never happened in this timestream due to the intervention of Kaito Uzumaki."
Sasuke's breath hitched, his mind racing as he processed the information.
Kaito muttered under his breath, "That makes sense… that's why they don't know me."
With that realization, he released both Sasuke and Boruto from his chakra chains.
Boruto, still wide-eyed, stared at Kaito before turning back to the turtle. "Wait… are you serious?!"
The turtle, unfazed, simply replied, "Yes, I am serious."
Sasuke, regaining his composure, narrowed his eyes. "Where is Urashiki? You said we deviated from the target coordinates. Does that mean we're in a different timestream than him?"
The turtle responded, "Master Urashiki's intended temporal transfer target was to the time period where Naruto Uzumaki was just a young child. However, due to a malfunction in the transfer space, we arrived in a different timestream than originally plotted. Additionally, based on my calculations, Master Urashiki Ōtsutsuki—who was separated from us—will also arrive in this timestream in a few days from now."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "So I was right… Urashiki was after Naruto to harvest the Nine-Tails' chakra." His voice was serious, his expression grave. "That means he planned to come to the past and drain chakra from a young and weak Naruto."
Kaito remained silent for a moment before muttering, "So that's why you're both here." His gaze shifted between Sasuke and Boruto.
The turtle's mechanical voice cut through the tense air. "Please allow me to advise you on a few precautions you must follow as individuals from the future of a different timestream while you remain in the past."
Kaito handed the turtle back to Sasuke, his gaze still fixed on the two time travelers.
Boruto frowned, clearly losing patience. "Seriously, who the hell are you? Aren't you part of Urashiki's gang?"
The turtle responded in its usual monotone. "I am Kurasuki, the noble device for temporal transfer. The concept of being in a 'gang' is meaningless to me. Therefore, I have no loyalty to Urashiki. My duty is to carry out temporal transfers as requested and to relay any necessary precautionary measures."
Sasuke remained serious. "What precautionary measures?"
"First and foremost," Kurasuki began, "while you are here in the past, if you encounter individuals with whom you have a deep connection, you must do everything in your power to ensure they do not discover that you are from the future."
Boruto raised an eyebrow. "And what happens if they do find out?"
"If that happens, you may end up influencing the future in ways you did not intend or anticipate," Kurasuki warned. "Worst-case scenario—a single action could alter the future entirely. I strongly advise you to proceed with extreme caution. Your actions could cause a person or object that should exist in the future to cease being."
Sasuke and Boruto both nodded, and Boruto tucked Kurasuki into his pouch.
Kaito's eyes narrowed at that. "Alright. Now tell me—who is this Urashiki guy, and why is he after the Nine-Tails inside Naruto?"
Sasuke met Kaito's gaze but hesitated. "He's an enemy from the future. I can't tell you much, since it could change this timestream's future drasti—"
"That won't matter," Kaito interrupted. "This timeline is already vastly different from yours. Learning about enemies that we will face in the future won't affect your timeline at all."
Sasuke and Kaito stared at each other for a moment before Sasuke finally nodded. "They are called the Ōtsutsuki. They are not from this world—they are aliens. And in the future, they will come. That's all I'll say."
Kaito nodded. "How strong are they compared to the First Hokage?"
Kaito processed this information carefully before asking, "How strong are they compared to the First Hokage?"
He already knew about the Ōtsutsuki, but he didn't know how strong they were compared to the shinobi of this world. He needed a rough estimate—he had to understand the power gap.
He knew they were Six Paths level, but the issue was… he had no idea what 'Six Paths level' actually meant.
Sasuke studied Kaito for a moment before answering. "If I had to estimate… the strongest one we've encountered so far is around fifteen times stronger than the First Hokage, even when he's using Senjutsu."
Kaito rubbed his chin in thought. 'Fifteen times stronger than Hashirama? How the hell am I supposed to reach that level?'
After a moment, he looked back at both Sasuke and Boruto. "So, are you both staying here or leaving? Since this isn't your timeline."
Boruto immediately shook his head. "It doesn't matter. He's still my dad—even if this is a different timeline. I'm not letting Urashiki get his hands on him."
Sasuke nodded. "That's right. Besides, we can't leave him behind. If we don't stop Urashiki here, he might find his way back to our timeline."
Boruto smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Well, this all sounds like a piece of cake! I'm kinda getting pumped up now!"
Kaito let out a small chuckle before rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about earlier. I had to make sure you two weren't enemies."
Sasuke gave a small nod. "It's fine. You were following protocol."
Kaito nodded back, then gestured for them to follow. "Since you need to be near Naruto when Urashiki arrives, you better come with me." Without waiting for a response, he started walking out of the clearing, heading toward his team.
Sasuke nodded again. "Right." He followed behind Kaito without hesitation.
Boruto jogged up next to Kaito, glancing at him as they walked. "So… you're Kaito Uzumaki, huh? The one Kurasuki mentioned."
Kaito nodded. "That would make me your uncle—well, in this timeline, if Naruto ends up with your mother, that is."
Boruto blinked, then hesitated before asking, "Would you knowing about us… change the timeline?"
Kaito shook his head. "I'm not going to tell anyone. But I think we should come up with a cover story for you."
He rubbed his chin in thought before continuing. "You look a lot like Naruto and my dad… so let's say you're a long-lost cousin of Minato Namikaze. That would explain why you have my father's features. We'll go with 'Boruto Namikaze.' You came to Konoha looking for Minato after hearing that he became the Fourth Hokage. You found out about him through your mother's old journal before she got married, which is how you learned your surname before it was changed."
Then, turning to Sasuke, he added, "As for you, we'll say you're his sensei. Both of you are traveling performers. I'll handle things when we meet Lady Tsunade."
Sasuke nodded. "That should work."
Kaito then looked at them both seriously. "Are you sure you're strong enough to face this guy? From what I saw earlier, you don't seem all that strong. You were drained, and I was going easy on you… especially you." He pointed at Boruto.
Boruto bristled at the remark. "Tch! You just caught us off guard! I could take you on anytime!"
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… I don't think so."
Boruto gritted his teeth, annoyed. "Why, you—!"
But before he could finish, they walked into a clearing where three kids stood alongside Kaito's shadow clone.
Kaito waved them off with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, you three. I had to check on them," he said, jerking his thumb toward Sasuke and Boruto while scratching the back of his head.
Shikamaru sighed lazily. "Man, you scared us there. I thought we were about to face enemy ninja or something."
Sakura pouted. "Yeah, sensei! Don't scare us like that!"
Hinata, ever the calm one, softly interjected. "A-Ano… he was just making sure they weren't a threat to us."
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