Two days later.
The orphanage welcomed an uninvited guest as scheduled.
"Nonō... I haven't seen you in a long time... Have you become more haggard?"
Shimura Danzō appeared at the orphanage.
He spoke with Yakushi Nonō, who had temporarily suspended her medical work.
Behind him...
Two figures stood wrapped in black cloaks.
Orochimaru and Aburame Ryoma.
Both were top experts of Konoha.
With Shimura Danzō himself added to the mix.
Killing a Kage would be easy for them.
"I abandoned that title a long time ago..."
Yakushi Nonō said intently.
What she had abandoned, of course, was not her name, but her identity as a "ninja."
"We already reached an agreement with Konoha regarding the aid funds, so why have you come here now?"
Several years ago.
Hyuga Sho, Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai.
Under Yamanaka Inoichi's commission.
They had successfully completed the mission, allowing the orphanage and Konohagakure to establish a medical cooperation agreement.
Yakushi Nonō was not lacking funds for the time being.
She was clearly keeping Shimura Danzō at arm's length.
But what shocked her even more was...
Everything Hyuga Sho had said had come true.
Her former superior, Shimura Danzō, had indeed come looking for her.
Danzō rested his chin on his hand and narrowed his eyes.
"You were once one of the top elites in the intelligence department... Yet after leaving Root, you've actually become completely ignorant..."
A sense of déjà vu.
Yakushi Nonō remembered that Byakugan-wielding boy. He had said something similar.
The next moment.
Aburame Ryoma, standing behind Shimura Danzō, spoke. "We've obtained intelligence that Iwagakure intends to launch a large-scale operation during this war."
Yakushi Nonō: "..."
"We want you to infiltrate Iwagakure and investigate the credibility of this intelligence. If it's accurate... we want you to find out when the operation will