Chương 118: Kaito Akaden Chapter 118

Kaito Akaden Chapter 118

Seeing him, Kushina and Hotaru rushed to him, enveloping him in a tight hug, both shouting, "Kai-kun!"

Kaito patted them on the back as he said. "Guys, need air. I can't breathe."

Shikaku sighed in relief and asked, "So it was your plan from the beginning. using the Hiraishin to teleport us out while you kept the Raikage distracted?"

Kushina and Hotaru released Kaito, and Kushina shouted, "What were you thinking, fighting him alone like that?"

Kaito sighed. "It was the best plan I could come up with, Mom."

Shikaku then asked, "Where did you teleport us to?"

Kaito replied, "We're near Hachō Village."

….

The afternoon sun filtered through the dense forest, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground below. It was late afternoon, and several figures moved swiftly through the trees, breaking the tranquil silence of the woods.

Kaito led the group, leaping from tree to tree with his mother, Kushina carried piggyback. Kushina's ponytail swayed behind her in the wind. Hotaru and Shikaku flanked him, with Hotaru cradling Pakkun in her arms. Naruto and Karin followed closely behind, positioned in the middle of the formation.

Karin, looking strained, struggled to keep up with the pace of the others. Naruto, accustomed to Kaito's rigorous training, found it easier to maintain the speed. Glancing back and noticing Karin's difficulty, Kushina turned to Kaito and said, "Kai-kun, maybe we should slow down a bit, ya know?"

Kaito glanced over his shoulder at his mother, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Huh? Why, Mom?"

Kushina's voice was gentle yet concerned. "Karin-chan is having a hard time keeping up with us."

Kaito glanced back at Karin and said, "I'm sorry, Mom, but we can't afford to waste any more time. We've already lost a day because of our run-in with the Raikage, and if we slow down now, we might lose Lady Tsunade's trail."

After their encounter with the Raikage and his group, Kaito had teleported them to the nearest Hiraishin marker he had, which was near Hacho Village. In the same village, he had previously relocated Mukai's family.

Shikaku suggested they lay low in the village for the day, and Kaito agreed, though he didn't let it show, he was exhausted. The strain of teleporting multiple people twice, using multiple shadow clones, performing a Wind Release Rasengan, and repeatedly using Hiraishin had taken a toll on him.

Another reason for Kaito agreeing with Shikaku's suggestion was that Hacho Village, located in the Land of Fire, was farther from Lady Tsunade's location. If they had left immediately, they would have had to travel through the night to reach the town where Tsunade was supposed to be.

Kaito had considered sending a shadow clone ahead to place a marker for easier teleportation, but he ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to exhaust himself to the point where he might lose focus on the clone back in Konoha.

They hadn't run into Mukai or his family in the village, as Mukai had already left to start his mission. They spent the night in Hacho Village and set off early the next morning,

Kaito slowed his pace to match Naruto and Karin's. Glancing back at Karin, he asked, "You alright, Karin-chan? If you're having trouble keeping up, I can have one of my clones carry you."

Karin shook her head and replied, "It's alright, Kai-nii. I can keep up."

Kushina, her worry evident, asked, "Are you sure, Karin-chan?"

Hotaru, falling back to their level, offered with a smile, "It's perfectly fine if you need a break, Karin-chan. I can carry you if you like." Kaito looked at Pakkun, who was nestled in Hotaru's arms, and asked, "How far away are we, Pakkun?"

Pakkun replied, "About an hour away if we keep this pace."

Karin nodded and said with determination, "Thank you, but like Kaito-nii said, this is training."

"That's right, this is part of our training, ya know!" Naruto added from beside them.

Kaito smiled and reassured her, "Alright then. Just let me know if you start having trouble, okay?" He then moved back to his position at the front of the group.

An hour later, they arrived at the small town where Tsunade was located at. Kaito landed on the path leading into the town, where a sign read "Yurakami Town."

Kushina slid off his back with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kai-kun."

Shikaku and Hotaru landed beside him, while Naruto and Karin followed closely behind. Karin looked winded but managed a nod, and Naruto, brimming with relief, punched the sky and shouted, "Finally!"

Pakkun, who had been nestled in Hotaru's arms, leaped down and began sniffing the ground. "It's faint, but I can smell them. Follow me."

The group nodded and followed Pakkun into the bustling town. The streets were alive with activity, people going about their daily routines, and the atmosphere was vibrant.

Pakkun paused, his nose twitching as he took in the scents. "I can smell the Raikage's scent."

Everyone stopped in their tracks at Pakkun's words.

Kaito, using Kagura's Mind Eye, sensed around for any signs of the Raikage. "Is he actually here?"

Pakkun sniffed the ground carefully. "The scent is faint. It seems he was here a few days ago, but he's not around now."

Shikaku nodded and asked Pakkun, "Can you smell Lady Tsunade?"

Pakkun confirmed with a nod and led them to an inn with a large courtyard. As they approached, Pakkun's keen nose picked up on a large stone slab that had been broken into pieces.

Pakkun pointed to the shattered stone and said, "The Raikage's scent is mixed with Lady Tsunade's. They must have had an encounter here."

Kaito examined the broken slab and remarked, "It looks like they might have had some sort of confrontation, maybe an arm-wrestling match." He then used Kagura's Mind Eye to scan the inn for any large chakra signatures. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "I don't sense anyone with a large chakra level in the town. Lady Tsunade must have already left."

At the mention of Tsunade's name, a group of men nearby perked up. One of them called out, "Hey kid, did you say Tsunade?"

The man approached Kaito's group, his face a mix of hope and desperation. "Do you know where Tsunade is? We've been trying to find her."

Shikaku shook his head. "No, we came here looking for her as well."

The man's face fell. "We've been searching for her for the past few days. She borrowed ten million from us and then vanished after losing it all gambling."

Kushina, hearing this, couldn't help but smile awkwardly. "Heh… That sounds like something Tsunade-nee would do."

Shikaku nodded sympathetically. "We were informed that she was last seen here, but it seems she must have moved on."

The man sighed deeply, clearly disappointed. "If you find out where she is, please let us know." With that, he and his group turned and walked away.

Kaito turned to Pakkun and asked, "Can you track her scent? Judging by what that guy said, she must have been here not too long ago."

Pakkun nodded. "Hai, I can follow the trail. There's a scent leading out of the village. I also sense Bisuke's scent going in the same direction." He began leading them towards the other exit of Yurakami Town.

Shikaku, observing the direction Pakkun was pointing, said, "The trail heads towards Degerashi Port. Is it fresh?"

Pakkun confirmed with a nod. "Hai, she and her companion left this morning."

Hotaru, processing the information, asked, "So she's heading towards Degerashi Port?"

Kaito looked up at the sky and calculated their next move. "If we leave now, we should be able to reach Degerashi Port by nightfall."

He then turned to Karin, Naruto, and his mother. "Sorry guys, but we need to move quickly if we don't want to lose Lady Tsunade's trail."

Kushina nodded in agreement but then looked at Naruto and Karin with concern. "Are you two okay with that?"

Naruto, still full of energy, nodded eagerly. Karin, though winded, also nodded, determined not to hold them back.

Noticing Karin's fatigue, Hotaru stepped forward. "Come on, Karin-chan, I'll carry you."

Karin accepted gratefully and climbed onto Hotaru's back. Kaito then picked up Kushina and turned to Pakkun. "Please lead the way, Pakkun."

Pakkun jumped onto Naruto's head and gave a quick bark. "Hai, follow me!" He then guided them as they set off towards Degerashi Port, with Naruto and the others following closely behind.

They traveled for another two hours as the sun began to dip, casting a warm evening glow over the landscape. They finally arrived in front of a large gate with a sign that read, "Welcome to Degerashi Port."

As they approached, the port came into view—a bustling hub with multiple docks stretching out into the water. Being the capital of the Land of Tea, Degerashi Port was much larger than they had anticipated.

Kaito gently set his mother down from his back as the others landed around him. Kushina, stretching her legs after the long journey, thanked him. "Thank you, Kai-kun."

Hotaru did the same for Karin, helping her down with a friendly smile.

Naruto, panting heavily, looked around and exclaimed, "Finally, we made it! I'm starving! ya know Can we find something to eat now?"

Kushina shook her head with a smile. "Not just yet, Naru-chan. We still need to find Tsunade-nee."

Pakkun, who had jumped off Naruto's head, sniffed the air and confirmed, "She's definitely here."

Just then, a figure leaped out from the side of the road leading into Degerashi Port. It was one of Kakashi's ninken, with tan-colored fur and brown highlights on his long ears and legs. The dog had the kanji for "shinobi" (忍) in the middle of his forehead and dark, circular markings around his eyes. He wore the standard outfit of Kakashi's ninken—a blue vest with the henohenomoheil seal and a Konoha forehead protector around his neck.

The new dog greeted them, "Hey, you guys finally made it!"

Pakkun nodded in acknowledgment. "We ran into some trouble on the way."

Kaito stepped forward and asked, "Bisuke, how long has it been since Lady Tsunade was here?"

Bisuke turned to Kaito and replied, "Hmm. She arrived just a few hours ago."

Kaito nodded in appreciation and handed Bisuke a packet of their favorite food as a thank you. "Here, this is for you. Thanks for your help."

Bisuke accepted the treat with a grateful wag of his tail. "Thanks, Kaito. I'll leave the rest to you guys." With that, he dispelled himself, leaving them to continue their search.

Kaito then turned to Pakkun. "Can you lead us to her?"

Pakkun sniffed the air and confirmed, "Yeah, follow me."

The group followed Pakkun into the bustling town. As they walked through the lively streets, the sky darkened and the area was filled with people selling food and souvenirs.

Pakkun led them to a bar and stopped outside, his nose twitching. "She's definitely inside."

Kaito nodded, his senses confirming Pakkun's assessment. "Yes, I can sense someone with a Kage-level chakra inside. It must be her. She's with someone, and they seem to be talking."

Naruto, eyes lighting up at the prospect of food, said, "Finally, we can get something to eat! Let's go!" He started towards the bar, clearly eager to satisfy his hunger.

Kushina followed after him, calling out, "Hold on, Naru-chan!"

Kaito turned to Pakkun, offering him the treat as promised. "Thanks for your help, Pakkun. Here's the treat I promised."

Pakkun gratefully accepted the treat. "Thanks, Kaito. I'll be off now. Call me if you need any more help." before dispelling

Kaito followed the rest of the group into the bar. As they entered, Kushina glanced around and said, "Hmm, I don't see her at all."

Kaito, standing beside her, replied, "That's because she's in one of the private rooms at the back, Mom."

Kushina's eyes brightened with determination. "Well, alright then. Let's go," she said, leading the way towards the back rooms.

Kaito pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. "That should be the room. From their chakra signatures, it looks like Lady Tsunade is with two other people—one of them is her apprentice, and the other is an older man."

He turned to his mother with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe we should meet her tomorrow. I can keep a shadow clone watching them to make sure we don't lose track of her."

Kushina waved him off with a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Kai-kun. She won't mind. It's been a long time since I've seen her, ya know."

With that, she walked over to the sliding door and knocked gently.

Inside the room, Shizune, holding her pet pig Tonton in her arms, looked towards the door at the sound of knocking. "I'll see who it is," she said, standing up and walking over to open it.

Tsunade, with a slightly tipsy look, turned toward the door and mumbled, "Who could it be?"

Jirōchō Wasabi, glancing at the time and then at the door, said, "Maybe it's for me. I've been here long enough," and began to rise from his seat.

As Shizune opened the door, she was met with the sight of a woman with long, vibrant red hair. Kushina greeted her with a warm smile. "Hello. I'm here to see Tsunade-nee."

Shizune, puzzled by the unfamiliar face, studied Kushina closely. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Kushina chuckled softly. "It's Kushina Uzumaki."

At the mention of the name, Tsunade's head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. "Shizune, who's at the door?"

Shizune turned back to Tsunade, still confused, and replied, "She says she's Kushina Uzumaki…" She stepped aside, allowing Tsunade to see the person at the door.

When Tsunade saw Kushina, her shock was evident. "K-Kushina?"

Kushina's grin widened as she stepped inside. "Hey there, Tsunade-nee."

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