Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 172
Boruto sat up slowly, rubbing his sore wrist, head lowered.
"I haven't known you long," Kaito continued, "but I can already tell—you're reckless. You jump into danger without thinking. You got that from your dad, no doubt. "
"But I've got this feeling… something's coming. Your life's about to get harder, and you're not ready for it." He paused for a moment, his gaze serious. "My gut's always been right. Maybe it's because you were born during peaceful times… but the strength you have now? It's not gonna be enough."
Boruto didn't argue. Deep down, he knew Kaito was right.
Kaito crouched beside him. "I'm only saying all this because I see something in you. You've got the potential to be one of the strongest shinobi in history—but only if you're willing to put in the work."
He held out a hand.
Boruto looked at it, hesitating… then reached out and took it.
Kaito pulled him up and smiled slightly. "And I'm gonna help you train while you're still here in the past."
Boruto looked up at him, surprised.
Kaito grinned. "I wouldn't be a good uncle if I sent you back as weak as you are, ya know?" He paused, then added, "But fair warning—the training's gonna be intense."
…
Kaito walked ahead, heading back toward where Kushina and the others were waiting, a sheepish grin on his face. Behind him, Boruto followed, still rubbing his wrist.
Boruto grumbled. "Did you have to twist my wrist that hard?"
Kaito shrugged casually. "I was going easy on ya."
As they approached, the chakra barrier surrounding the group faded, and Naruto and the other kids came running over.
Naruto was the first to reach them, eyes sparkling with excitement. "That was so cool, Kai-nii!" he shouted, throwing exaggerated punches and kicks in the air. "You were like pow! pow! pow! That guy couldn't even lay a finger on you!"
Karin, bouncing behind him, chimed in, "That was awesome, Kaito-nii! You totally showed him who's boss around here!"
Guren added with wide eyes, "I knew you were strong Kaito-nii, but… I couldn't even see you move!"
Kimimaro nodded calmly, arms crossed. "As expected of Kaito-sama. He did defeat one of the Legendary Sannin with a single jutsu, after all."
Haku smiled softly, his voice full of admiration. "You had full control the entire time, Kaito-nii. It was incredible."
They were all looking at him in awe.
Naruto bounced eagerly on his heels. "Yeah! Big bro, teach us how to fight like you, please! I wanna be just as cool as you when I grow up, ya know!"
Kaito rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Hehehe… thanks, guys. Boruto wasn't that bad, ya know."
'Man, 'Kaito thought, 'these guys are acting like I've got my own fan club.'
Meanwhile, Kushina had rushed over to Boruto, her face filled with concern.
"Are you okay, Boruto-chan?" she asked, fussing over him. "Oh my, you look hurt! Come here, sit down, let me take a look, ya know!" She gently ushered him over to the blanket.
Boruto scratched his head awkwardly. "Eh… Baa-chan, I'm fine, ya know. It's not that bad."
Kushina shot him a sharp look. "Shut up and sit down, ya know. I'll patch you up."
Boruto immediately nodded, looking nervous. "Y-Yes ma'am," he said quickly, sitting down as she instructed.
Kushina took out the first aid kit she had brought along and gently tilted Boruto's head side to side, examining him. She winced as she noticed his split lip.
"You've got a split lip, Boruto-chan," she said softly. "This'll sting a bit."
She dabbed a cloth with disinfectant and pressed it carefully to his lip. Boruto flinched slightly, hissing at the sting.
Nearby, Naruto was watching, and his smile faded into a small frown as he saw Kushina fussing over Boruto. His shoulders dropped just a little.
Kaito noticed it.
He walked over and placed a hand gently on Naruto's head, making the younger boy look up at him, still frowning.
Kaito smiled and clapped his hands together. "Alright, guys! Time to start your training."
He pointed over to his shadow clone. "He'll be supervising you all today. And if you do well, I'll teach you a brand-new elemental jutsu."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "I'm gonna do my best!" he shouted, fist pumped with excitement.
Haku nodded calmly.
Kimimaro gave a silent nod as well.
Guren grinned, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Karin nodded eagerly, clearly excited.
The shadow clone waved them over. "Come on, let's get started!" he said, leading the kids into the training ground.
Once the others had gone, Kaito turned back and saw Kushina still fussing over Boruto's injuries.
"Hold still, Boruto-chan," she said as she cleaned a bruise, causing Boruto to flinch again.
Kaito sighed and walked over. "Let me help, Mom."
Kushina looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Right." She scooted to the side, giving him space.
Boruto looked at Kaito, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you gonna do?"
Kaito didn't answer. He simply placed a hand on top of Boruto's head. A soft green glow enveloped his palm.
Boruto blinked. Almost immediately, he felt his body relax, the pain in his wrist fading, his lip mending.
He looked down at his bruised wrist in surprise. "Wait… you're using medical ninjutsu?"
Kaito removed his hand and nodded. "There. That should do it."
Boruto stood up, flexing his wrist, looking confused. "Hold on—how did you do that? I thought you had to touch the actual wound to heal it?"
Kaito shook his head. "Nope. It depends on how skilled you are."
Boruto tilted his head, still confused. "Huh?"
Kaito sighed and explained, "If a medic-nin is really good at healing, they don't need direct contact for minor wounds. It's kinda like hand signs—the better you are at molding chakra, the fewer signs you need to perform a jutsu."
He crossed his arms and added, "But it's way harder than it sounds. Only a few people can actually do it. Lady Tsunade's one of them—she's probably even better at it than me."
Boruto's eyes widened. "Whoa… that's so cool."
Kushina, who had been standing next to Kaito, crossed her arms and gave him a look. Her foot tapped lightly on the ground as she said in a chiding tone, "I still think you didn't have to hurt him that badly, ya know."
Kaito sighed. "I didn't do it just for fun, ya know," he said. "I wanted to see if Boruto would unlock his dōjutsu if I pushed him past his limit—same thing I did with Itachi back during my academy orientation."
He glanced toward the training ground. "Itachi awakened his Sharingan that day because he was pushed to the edge. And it happened again today—with Boruto."
Kushina paused, then turned to Boruto, narrowing her eyes. She stepped closer, examining his face. "Yeah… I saw that. What was that anyway? It wasn't the Byakugan—it looked different." She leaned back slightly, frowning in curiosity.
Boruto scratched his head awkwardly, giving a sheepish grin. His right eye had returned to its usual blue—the Jōgan now inactive.
Before he could answer, a soft rustle in the branches above made everyone glance up.
Sasuke dropped silently from a tree branch, landing beside Boruto. His expression was serious, his one visible eye focused on the boy.
"How long have you known about the dōjutsu?" Sasuke asked, calm but firm. "You didn't look surprised when they mentioned it."
Boruto rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "Eh… I dunno exactly. I've known about it for a long time, ya know? Since I was still in the academy."
He looked off to the side, trying to remember. "I think I first found out in a dream."
Sasuke's eye narrowed. "A dream?"
Boruto nodded. "Yeah… I don't remember it clearly, but some guy told me I had the 'Eye of Hope' or something like that." He paused, frowning a little. "I thought it was the Byakugan at first. Dad even took me to Gramps' place—you know, the Hyūga clan—to help me activate it."
Boruto let out a short sigh. "But I couldn't. Gramps said it wasn't the Byakugan… and honestly, I don't think he believed it was any kind of dōjutsu at all."
Sasuke asked quietly, "Does Naruto know?"
Boruto shrugged. "I don't think so. I haven't really been able to activate it on command. It only shows up once in a while, usually when I'm in danger."
He rubbed his eye as he continued, thinking aloud. "Now that I think about it… the first time was when me and Mitsuki fought the class rep. My eye activated, and I think it transported us into some weird dimension… but I wasn't sure if that was because of the eye or Nue."
Boruto went on. "And then there was that time we fought Momoshiki. He said something like… I was going to lose everything because of my blue eyes."
Boruto scratched his cheek and gave a small shrug. "And then today, I guess. So, what… that's only, like, three or four times?… I've only been able to activate it when things get really dangerous, ya know."
Kaito nodded and said, "Try channeling chakra into your right eye."
Boruto gave him a confused look. "Huh?"
Sasuke backed Kaito up with a nod. "Focus your chakra into your eye."
Boruto nodded and gave it a shot. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to direct his chakra. After a moment, he opened his eyes again and sighed. "Huh… nothing happened."
Kaito let out a tired sigh and ran a hand down his face. "You weren't channeling chakra into your eye. You were not around it instead." He looked at Boruto. "Not really your fault, though—you're not used to it. Looks like you can activate it subconsciously, but not consciously."
Boruto gave Kaito a look and muttered, "It's not as easy as you make it sound, ya know."
Kaito nodded. "That's why we'll work on it. By the time you leave, I want you to be able to activate the Jōgan at will."
Kushina, still nearby, raised an eyebrow. "Jōgan?"
Sasuke narrowed his eye at Kaito, watching him carefully.
Boruto looked between them, confused. "Jōgan?"
Kaito nodded. "All dōjutsu are named based on their traits. The Sharingan—'Copy Wheel Eye'—reflects perception and emotion. The Byakugan literally means 'White Eye.'" He pointed at Boruto's right eye. "When I sensed yours, it felt… pure. So I called it the Jōgan—'Pure Eye.'"
Rubbing his chin, Kaito added, "Also, you need to relearn the Rasengan."
Boruto blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because your Rasengan is half-baked," Kaito said bluntly. "It's like you stopped training on the second step and never finished. That's why it fades out. It's unstable. You somehow added lightning chakra to it by accident, and that just makes it worse."
Boruto crossed his arms defensively. "It's not a half-baked Rasengan. It's my own variation. I call it the Vanishing Rasengan."
Kaito gave him a flat look. "Anyone who can sense chakra can see it coming. Maybe it works on low-level thugs, but not on any shinobi worth their salt. It's too slow, and it doesn't have enough power to do real damage."
He tilted his head, unimpressed. "Let me guess—you trained for a few days, skipped all the proper steps, then rushed it and settled for that once it kind of worked, right?"
Boruto gritted his teeth, fists clenched. The truth stung more than he wanted to admit.
Boruto gritted his teeth at Kaito's blunt criticism, frustration rising in his chest.
Kaito sighed and said, "Watch."
He lifted his hand, palm facing upward. Chakra began to swirl, quickly forming a Rasengan. It hovered steadily in his palm, glowing with power.
"This is a fully formed Rasengan," Kaito said calmly.
It was massive—about the size of a basketball—perfectly stable and controlled.
Then, Kaito extended his arm to the side, pointing the Rasengan toward the forest. As they watched, the Rasengan began to hum, emitting a faint buzzing sound. Its color shifted from blue to light red, as small arcs of red lightning crackled around it.
"This," Kaito said, "is a Rasengan with lightning chakra added to it—my own variation."
Then the Rasengan began to shrink, compressing tighter and tighter until it was the size of a marble, glowing fiercely.
Kaito curled his fingers into a two-finger gun shape and pointed it forward. "And this…" he said with a slight grin, "is a Rasengan taken to another level."
He "pulled the trigger."
The tiny Rasengan shot off at incredible speed, leaving a streak of red lightning in its wake as Kaito called out, "Rasendan!"
The Rasendan tore through trees and boulders like paper, cutting a straight path through the forest.
Boruto blinked. "Huh… all that just for a small hole?"
Kaito smirked. "Boom."
A split second later, the Rasendan detonated in the distance with a deafening roar. A massive dome of swirling chakra and red lightning erupted, four times the size of a Rasenshuriken's explosion, lighting up the sky and shaking the trees.
Boruto's jaw dropped as he stared at the destruction. "W-W-What…?"
Even Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, impressed—and concerned—by the sheer destructive power the jutsu had unleashed.
Kushina, on the other hand, was not impressed.
BONK!
She smacked Kaito hard on the head. "Hey! What do you think you're doing firing off jutsu like that around the kids?! What if it went out of control?! You could've killed us all, ya know!" she yelled, grabbing him by the ear.
"Ow ow ow! Mom—I was being careful, ya know!" Kaito winced, trying to wiggle free.
Kushina let go with a loud huff and crossed her arms. "I don't want you using anything that dangerous around people. Am I clear?"
Kaito rubbed his ear and muttered, "Right, right. Geez, Mom… I knew what I was doing, ya know…"
Boruto was still sniggering at Kaito's predicament when the mood suddenly shifted.
Kushina winced, her face tightening in pain as she clutched her stomach and crouched down.
Kaito's smile vanished. He rushed to her side instantly. "I told you not to overexert yourself, Mom," he said, voice filled with concern.
Kushina's face twisted in pain, her breathing shallow.
Boruto's eyes widened. He rushed over, panic in his voice. "Obaa-chan, are you alright?!" He turned to Kaito. "What's wrong with her? We need to take her to the hospital, ya know!"
Kaito quickly pulled a small bottle of pills from his ninja pouch and opened it. "Get some water for her," he instructed.
Boruto nodded without hesitation. He opened the picnic basket, grabbed the water bottle, and handed it to Kaito.
Kaito took three pills, gently holding them to Kushina's lips and helping her drink water to swallow them. Then he carefully helped her sit against a tree.
She leaned back with a pained groan, her body still tense.
Boruto, watching with worry, asked again, "Why aren't we taking her to the hospital? She's really hurting—let's go to see Baa-chan Tsunade, ya know!"
Kaito let out a quiet sigh. "They can't do much for her at the hospital."
Boruto's brows furrowed, frustration in his voice. "What? Why not?!"
Kaito looked at him seriously. "Her chakra coils were damaged… years ago. That's what causes the pain." He held up the pill bottle. "She's been dealing with this for eight years now. These pills were made specifically for her by Lady Tsunade. They're the only thing that helps."
He gently lifted Kushina into his arms, cradling her with care.
"She needs to rest. The medicine will help ease the pain, but she needs at least an hour of rest to get back to normal."
Just then, one of Kaito's shadow clones popped in beside him.
Kaito looked at Boruto. "My clone will help you with your training while I'm gone."
With that, Kaito activated the Flying Thunder God jutsu. And he disappeared, teleporting away with Kushina in his arms.
Boruto looked at the clone, worry in his voice. "Will Baa-chan be alright?"
The clone nodded. "Yeah. Like the boss said, she just needs some rest. She'll be fine in about an hour or so. Honestly, it used to be worse."
Sasuke, standing nearby, asked, "You said her chakra coils were damaged. How did that happen?"
Kaito's shadow clone glanced at him. "She jumped in front of the Nine-Tails to protect Naruto. One of its claws pierced right through her stomach, leaving a huge hole. Back then, the boss was only five. He didn't have enough chakra to fully heal her."
He paused, eyes a little distant. "They barely survived that night. The boss had to use his life energy to save her. It left him in a coma for a few days."
The clone shrugged. "And before you ask, yeah, I have a rare ability called Heal Bite. I can heal people by letting them bite me—it lets me transfer life force and chakra."
Boruto furrowed his brows. "If you can do that, then… why haven't you healed her?"
The clone looked at Boruto seriously. "You think we haven't tried. She won't let me. It's traumatic for her, ya know? Watching me use my life force to heal her, and nearly dying in the process. She's a mother. Would your mother let you heal her, knowing it would shorten your life?"
Boruto lowered his head, thinking about it. "…No. I guess she wouldn't."
He looked up again. "Still… isn't there any way to help her?"
Kaito's clone sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "So far, no. But the boss is working on something that might help. Hopefully, it works."
Then he straightened up and said, "Alright—enough of that. Let's start your training."
Before Boruto could react, the clone placed a palm on his chest.
Immediately, Boruto's body felt heavier, like something had slammed down on his shoulders. He dropped to one knee, gasping slightly.
"W-What did you do? Why is it so hard to move?!"
The clone looked down at him, calm as ever. "I placed a couple of training seals on you. One increases resistance throughout your body, making movement harder. The other adds a constant weighted pressure, kind of like gravity training. Both seals will adjust automatically as you improve."
Boruto slowly stood up, struggling under the sudden weight. "Damn… feels like I've got an elephant on my back…"
Kaito's clone nodded. "We're starting with physical conditioning. Your taijutsu has a decent foundation, but it lacks both speed and power. And you rely too much on shadow clones to cover for it."
He pointed to the edge of the field. "These seals will help you build real strength and speed. We'll deal with the shadow clone habit later."
"Now—run 50 laps around the training field," the clone ordered. "Top speed. No chakra."
Boruto groaned, already sweating. "Fifty?! You've gotta be kidding me…"
The clone smirked. "Better get moving. This is just the warm-up."
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