The descent from the Amegakure Citadel was a victory lap that felt more like a funeral procession for the old world. As the news of Hanzo's concession rippled through the front lines, the very atmosphere of the Land of Rain seemed to thin, the oppressive weight of the legendary Salamander's authority replaced by a vacuum that only one person could fill.
Kaito walked at the head of the group, the iron encryption scrolls tucked casually under his arm as if they were nothing more than groceries. His pace was jaunty, his hands behind his head, and he hummed a tune that was entirely too cheerful for a boy who had just strangled a living god.
"You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize Hanzo's gas mask is actually a brilliant fashion choice," Kaito remarked, glancing back at his teammates with a bright, arrogant spark in his eyes. "It hides the 'I'm-about-to-lose-my-entire-reputation' face perfectly. We should get some for the Academy graduation; it would really elevate the aesthetic."
Jiraiya let out a breath that sounded like a deflating balloon. He looked at Kaito's back—the small frame that now carried a Steel Bone Density capable of withstanding Hanzo's sickle—and felt a gap opening between them that no amount of training could bridge. "Kaito, you just... you just took the keys to the kingdom. You realize the Hokage is going to have to invent a new rank for you, right?"
"Rank is just a label for people who need to know where to stand in line, Jiraiya-san," Kaito chirped, flashing a grin that was both supportive and utterly terrifying in its confidence. "I know where I stand. Usually right on top of whatever is in my way."
The Return to the Base: A Hero's Silence
When the team reached the Konoha forward operating base, the reception was not the roar of cheers Kaito expected, but a profound, uneasy silence. The sentries at the gate didn't salute; they stood perfectly still, their eyes tracking Kaito with a mixture of reverence and primal fear.
The Sovereign of the Void title wasn't just a System notification; it was an aura. The Roughness trait, now upgraded and amplified by his 6.0% Integration, made the very air around Kaito feel like it was being ground between tectonic plates.
Kagami Uchiha was waiting in the command tent. He looked at the iron scrolls, then at Kaito's unscathed flak jacket, and finally at the three disciples of the Hokage who looked like they had seen the end of time.
"The Citadel has fallen," Kagami stated, his voice devoid of the usual mentor-like warmth, replaced by a soldier's clinical assessment.
"Fallen? Sensei, I practically gift-wrapped it for you," Kaito said, leaning against the central map table. The table groaned, the heavy wood cracking slightly under the mere pressure of his elbow. "Hanzo is still alive, unfortunately. He's a bit too durable for a quick execution, and honestly, the paperwork for killing a Kage-level leader is a nightmare. I figured the scrolls were enough of a hobby for one day."
Kagami's Sharingan flickered on for a split second, instinctively trying to read the chakra flow of a boy who had none. All he saw was a void—a perfect, light-drinking hole in the reality of the room.
The Sannin's Reflection
That night, the camp fire burned a low, flickering orange. Kaito had retreated to his tent to check the System Shop, leaving the three disciples alone.
"He's not one of us anymore," Orochimaru whispered, his yellow eyes fixed on a fragment of Hanzo's broken chain he had scavenged from the balcony. "He doesn't use the 'Will of Fire.' He uses a 'Will of the Void.' He dismantled the strongest man in the Rain while joking about the weather."
"He saved us," Tsunade snapped, though her voice lacked its usual bite. She was staring at her hands—hands that were legendary for their strength, yet felt like paper compared to the Black Flash she had witnessed. "But Orochimaru is right. He's standing on a peak we can't even see. He's ruthless, he's cheerful, and he's... he's completely alone up there."
"He's still Kaito," Jiraiya insisted, though he didn't sound convinced. "He still likes ramen. He still makes fun of my hair. He's just... a lot louder now."
"He's not louder, Jiraiya," Orochimaru countered. "The world is just getting quieter around him because it's afraid to speak."
The System's Evolution: The Gate to the Sun
Inside his tent, Kaito ignored the whispers of his friends. He had a larger concern.
> [System Status: Integration 6.0%]
> Points Available: 2,500
> New Tier Unlocked: 'The Primal Elements'
>
He looked at the shop. The options were no longer just fragments or seeds. They were complete laws of other universes.
* [One Piece: Armament Haki - Internal Destruction] – 2,000 Pts
* [Demon Slayer: Sun Breathing - Full Mastery] – 2,500 Pts
* [JJK: Cursed Energy Trait - Electricity (Kashimo-style)] – 2,200 Pts
Kaito didn't hesitate. He needed something that could bridge the gap between his physical strikes and the elemental jutsu of the Kage-level threats he would soon be hunting.
System. Purchase [Sun Breathing - Full Mastery].
The integration was not like the Steel Bone Density. It didn't feel like iron; it felt like he had swallowed a star. His Total Concentration Breathing shifted, the rhythm accelerating until his lungs felt like they were coated in liquid gold. Every vein in his body began to glow with a faint, solar heat.
> [Integration Complete]
> New Skill: Sun Breathing (Hinokami Kagura)
> Current Integration: 7.5%
> Note: Your physical attacks now carry the 'Purification' property. Fire-based jutsu will be absorbed or negated upon contact with your aura.
>
Kaito opened his eyes. The dark tent was illuminated by the sheer radiance of his skin. He felt... unstoppable. He felt like the top brass of the world were no longer obstacles, but merely milestones on his path to godhood.
The Sovereign's Declaration
The following morning, a messenger hawk arrived from Konoha. The Council had seen the reports. The Third Hokage was calling for an immediate ceasefire negotiation with the Rain, and Kaito was to be the village's primary representative—and its deterrent.
Kaito stepped out of his tent, his aura now so refined that the rain seemed to vaporize three inches before it even touched his hair. He looked at Kagami and the three disciples, a bright, ruthless smile on his face.
"Change of plans, everyone," Kaito announced, his voice carrying a warmth that felt like a summer day in the middle of a blizzard. "We're going to the peace summit. And if anyone so much as looks at a detonator scroll wrong... I'm going to show them why the sun doesn't shine in the Rain."
Kagami looked at the boy—the Sovereign of the Void—and realized that the Leaf hadn't just won the war. They had created a force of nature that they could no longer control.
"Let's go," Kaito said, his eyes glowing with the fire of the Hinokami Kagura. "I have a reputation to maintain, and these 'top brass' aren't going to impress themselves."