Chương 101: Kaito Chapter 101

Kaito Chapter 101

Before he could react, shuriken with ninja wire wrapped around them flew toward him. One by one, they pinned him to the spot, leaving him vulnerable

Itachi reappeared behind Kaito with a kunai at his neck, smirking he said. "I win,".

Kaito wasn't done yet. With a smirk, he said, "You think so?", he disappeared in a puff of white smoke. And before Itachi could even register what had happened, his body stiffened as black marks crawled over his skin, immobilizing him.

Kaito appeared behind Itachi in a flicker and placed a kunai to his neck. "Nah, I think I win Itachi," he said grinning.

….

With a smirk on his face, Kaito removed his kunai from Itachi's neck and stepped back from Itachi facing him. Raido, landed next to them, his eyes drawn to the seal markings on Itachi's body. seeing that Itachi was unable to continue, Raido raised his hand towards Kaito and declared, "The winner of the Chunin Exams is Kaito Uzumaki!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Raido announced Kaito's name as the winner. With a smile, Kaito made a half-ram hand sign and deactivated the paralysis seal, freeing Itachi from his temporary prison.

As Itachi lowered his hand that still held a kunai, he stretched and sighed before turning to face Kaito. "When did you place the seal on me?" he asked, trying to mask his disappointment at losing the fight. He had hoped to close the gap between them and prove himself as an equal to Kaito, but it seemed that Kaito was always a few steps ahead of him. He also knew that Kaito wasn't fighting at his fullest, holding back to test Itachi's strength before ultimately ending the fight

Kaito grinned sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "When you used me as a springboard," he admitted.

Itachi nodded in understanding before saying, "You win this time. Next time, I won't fall for the same trick."

Kaito smiled at him and replied, "You keep saying that. But I still have the lead by ten," holding out his hand.

Itachi frowned playfully and retorted, "That time atop the waterfall doesn't count.", marking the end of their intense final match in the Chunin Exams.

Up in the stands

Kushina's joyful cry echoed through the arena as Kaito was declared the winner of the chunin exams. She leapt to her feet, unable to contain her excitement, and exclaimed "That's my baby boy! way to go kai-kun! ya know" Her eyes were shining with pride and adoration for her son.

As she turned to Mikoto, her expression softened into a sheepish smile. "No offense, Mikoto. I don't have anything against Itachi-kun."

Mikoto simply shook her head and smiled warmly. "Ah, don't worry, Kushina. I know you didn't mean anything bad by that. You were just happy that Kaito-kun won. I would have done the same if Itachi-kun had won."

Meanwhile, Naruto couldn't contain his excitement either. He jumped up and pulled Shikamaru into a hug, shouting and cheering at the top of his lungs. "Yaaahooo! Kaito-niisan won!"

Shikamaru let out a long-suffering sign and tried to push Naruto off him, annoyed by his friend's antics. "Hey, let go, Naruto. Stop shaking me!"

Finally releasing Shikamaru, Naruto turned to Hinata, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you see that, Hinata-chan? How Kaito-nii won!" He made exaggerated movements with his arms and legs to demonstrate the epic battle.

Feeling the need to taunt Sasuke, who sat behind him, Naruto turned and taunted him by asking, "What did you say? That Kaito-nii would lose to Itachi-nii?" He pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. "Well, Kaito-nii won, and Itachi-nii lost! my big brother is stronger than yours, just like I'm stronger than you! ya know"

Sasuke's patience was wearing thin as Naruto continued to tout his brother Kaito's victory over Itachi. "Your brother only won because he cheated by using that seal on Itachi-nii. If he had fought fairly, Itachi-nii would have won. and you aren't stronger than me."

Naruto bristled at the accusation and shot back, "Kaito-nii didn't cheat! and Using fuinjutsu isn't cheating!" His fists clenched in anger as he defended his brother. "Kaito-nii would have won the fight even without using fuinjutsu."

Hinata, always the peacemaker, stuttered out a plea for them to stop fighting. "Ano, please don't fight... Naruto-Kun, please calm down."

Neji, sitting beside Hinata. Deactivating his Byakugan, He had used his Byakugan to closely observe the fight, Neji thought to himself, "He was holding back."

Just as Sasuke was about to retort to Naruto's argument, Fugaku's voice cut through the tension. "That's enough, Sasuke," he commanded sternly. "Itachi lost the match fairly. Let this be a lesson to you not to underestimate fuinjutsu."

Sasuke grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed but knowing better than to disobey his father's authority. As Hinata managed to calm Naruto.

Fugaku's narrowed gaze returned to the field where Kaito had just released the seal on Itachi. He couldn't help but think, "Kaito Uzumaki... he was holding back the whole fight. As If Itachi didn't even pose a challenge for him..." Fugaku couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern. He knew that Kaito's strengths were far beyond what anyone could have imagined at his age.

In another part of the stands, Shisui sat alongside his fellow clan members. they watched the intense fight between Itachi and Kaito end. One of them exclaimed, "No way, Itachi lost!" while the others murmured among themselves, shocked to see Itachi bested by someone his own age.

Meanwhile, Shisui's mind was in a whirl as he observed Kaito's moves. "Hmm, it seems like Kaito was holding back against Itachi. And Itachi seemed to know that Kaito wasn't giving his all. Kaito only showed enough strength to push Itachi. Hmm, He may even be stronger than me," Shisui thought to himself.

Kakashi closed his book and spoke up, "Well, let's get going then since the fight is over." pushing off the wall where they stood leaning. Tenzō turned to Kakashi and asked, "Captain, Did you notice that Kaito was holding back during the whole Chunin Exams?" Kakashi looked at Tenzō lazily and replied, "You noticed it, huh? well, Kaito didn't need to use his full strength. Itachi gave him a good fight, but Itachi isn't anywhere near Kaito's level. If Kaito were to fight seriously, he could even give me a run for my money."

Tenzō looked shocked at Kakashi and said, "You have to be exaggerating, Captain." Kakashi shook his head and said, "I'm not. It won't be long before Kaito surpasses me in strength."

Over with Izumi and Hana, Izumi's expression reflected a mixture of sadness and pride as she watched her friend Itachi lose against Kaito. Hana breathed out in amazement, "Wow, Kaito and Itachi are on a totally different level. I couldn't even keep up with the speed of the fight. One minute they seemed to be in one place, the next they were somewhere else." Izumi nodded in agreement, "Even with my Sharingan activated, I could barely keep up with their movements." Hana let out a sigh of defeat, "I don't think we'll ever be able to catch up to them."

Back on the field

Kaito turned to Raido. "So, what happens now?" he asked eagerly.

Raido gestured toward the impressive Kage box and replied, "We'll wait for the Hokage to address everyone."

Hiruzen's voice boomed through the arena, praising all the participants for their valiant efforts in representing their villages and putting on a commendable performance that showcased their individual strengths. He continued, "The fights were not only entertaining but also a display of exceptional skill. With that, I bring this year's Chunin Exams to a close."

Raido then turned to Itachi and Kaito, "You two are free to go. Report to the Hokage's office tomorrow." With that, Raido walked off.

Kaito glanced at Itachi and smiled. "Well, we should get going. I don't want to keep Mom waiting, ya know?" he said. he shutters the thought of keeping Kushina waiting, she was known to be quite terrifying when angry. In a flicker of movement, Kaito flickered from the arena and Itachi followed suit.

Up in the stands

As Kaito's figure flickered into view where their parents were seated, Kushina couldn't contain her excitement and immediately wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You were amazing, Kai-kun! Your father would be so proud, ya know?" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride.

Suddenly, Naruto came barreling towards Kaito and tackled him in a hug. "Kaito-nii, you're super awesome! Please teach me!" he exclaimed eagerly.

Kaito thought to himself, "I should start taking Naruto's training more seriously. He's already started with physical exercise, but focusing on chakra control and taijutsu would be good since those were canon Naruto's weakest points."

Kaito chuckled at his little brother's enthusiasm and thanked his mother before turning to Naruto. "Sure thing, Naruto. We can start your training from tomorrow, so you better prepare, ya know?".

Just then, Itachi appeared and was greeted with a hug from Kushina as well. "You were great out there, Itachi-kun," she praised him.

Itachi smiled and nodded at her before also being hugged by his mother Mikoto. "You did wonderfully, Itachi-kun. I'm so proud of you," she told him.

Even Fugaku nodded in approval at Itachi's performance. "Well done, Itachi," he said.

Hotaru walked over and hugged both brothers before complimenting them warmly. "Both of you were really good," she said with a smile. "And congratulations, Kai-kun, on winning the tournament."

Kaito's face lit up with pride as he grinned and replied, "Thank you, Hotaru-chan. You were amazing too. Who knows, if you hadn't forfeited, you might have won or it might have been Itachi."

Hotaru modestly shook her head, her smile still shining. "I doubt that," she said humbly.

Just then, Shikaku approached them and spoke. "The three of you did an outstanding job and made the village proud. You dominated the entire tournament on your first try. As for your promotion, the judges will discuss and give their opinions to the Hokage. Well meet me at the Hokage Tower tomorrow, at our usual meeting place," he informed them.

Hotaru, Kaito, and Itachi all nodded in understanding "Yes, sensei."

Kushina stood next to them and suggested excitedly, "How about we all go out to celebrate the kids' success in the Chunin Exam?"

Mikoto and Hitomi quickly agreed and Hitomi chimed in with a suggestion, "How about The Yakiniku Q?"

"Hai, Yakiniku Q sounds perfect," Mikoto agreed before extending an invitation to Shikaku and Yoshino. "You should join us Shikaku-san, after all you are their sensei. And Shikamaru-kun can hang out with Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and Neji."

Kushina enthusiastically added, "Yeah, you can't miss out on celebrating with us." She playfully pouted before suggesting another option. "But I was thinking more along the lines of ramen. But BBQ is also great!"

Shikaku scratched his head, initially planning on declining the invitation in order to go drink with Inoichi and Choza. However, Yoshino agreed with Mikoto, leading Shikaku to sigh resignedly as the decision was taken out of his hands in order to avoid upsetting his wife.

Kushina clapped her hands together, finalizing the plans. "Alright then, it's settled! Let's go celebrate! ya know" she announced cheerfully as all the kids cheered and followed her eagerly.

Author's Note: Yes, Kaito was holding back. He is just as strong as Kakashi, a version of Kakashi who has trained alongside Kaito for the past two years with one goal in mind: facing off against Obito. This Kakashi is even stronger than the canonical 20-year-old Kakashi and could possibly be considered low-Kage level in terms of strength. Kaito's rigorous training routines put him above and beyond anyone else, which worries Kushina that he may be pushing himself too far. But Kaito is able to handle this level of strain on his body thanks to his ability to heal quickly with the Bite technique. He can then jump back into training without any fatigue, unlike others who would need rest. Plus, Kaito can use the Shadow Clone training method along with his natural talent and knowledge of the Naruto universe, giving him a high potential for growth. Just like how Itachi receives a power boost when he awakens his Mangekyō Sharingan, propelling him from a low-Kage to a high-Kage level in canon, Kaito needs a head start. Even at 10 years old, Itachi is still stronger than he was at the same age in canon because he has Kaito as a rival. If I were to rank Itachi's strength in this story, I would say he just breached high jonin. Hotaru also ranks around low-Jōnin level, similar to or slightly weaker than canon Itachi. Overall, everyone is stronger than they were in canon because they have to keep up with Kaito's incredible abilities.

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