Yakushi Kabuto is too mature. He thinks too much about Yakushi Nonō at such a young age.
Everything he carefully constructed, his active dedication, his forbearance, the dark path for which he sacrificed his soul..."
It turns out that it was based on deception and cruel conspiracy from the very beginning!
He looks like a complete fool!
Not only did he fail to protect the dean, but he became an accomplice in pushing her deeper into hell!
The little Menma stood quietly on the water not far away, looking at Yakushi Kabuto who was on the verge of collapse with his dark eyes, without any urging or comfort.
The calmness that transcends age has become an invisible pressure at this moment.
"Kabuto, I told you, I will help you." It wasn't until Kabuto's roars and whimpers gradually turned into low, desperate sobs that Menma spoke again, his voice still clear and calm, but with a penetrating power.
Kabuto suddenly raised his head, raised his glasses that were blurred by tears, and stared at Menma, which was filled with the hope of a dying person grasping at the last straw. "Why-why do you--
Menma's words carried heavy weight. "I joined the organization. Currently, I work as an undercover agent at Konoha."
"During this period, I learned about Danzo's plan. So I begged Master Asura to save her life and secretly transferred her to Land of Stars."
His dark eyes looked directly into Kabuto's collapsed eyes. "But if you can't join the organization, allegiance Master Asura's last words stopped abruptly before he finished speaking, like a cold sharp blade hanging above his head.
But the meaning is self-evident.
Yakushi Nonō's life and death will no longer be guaranteed.
Silence.
Above Starry Water Surface, only deathly silence remained.
Kabuto's heavy breathing was infinitely amplified in the absolute silence.
He looked at the five-year-old child in front of him and the bottomless calm in his dark eyes.
The huge impact of information and the contrast in identity made it almost impossible for him to think.
Organization?
Menma is Asura's mysterious organization's undercover agent in Konoha?
Why does Asura fall in love with this kid Menma?
Is there anything special about him?
But all doubts, all trade-offs, and all fears became insignificant in front of those empty brown eyes and the image of the dean looking tenderly at the "substitute" in the photo.
Nonō Dean is still alive!
This is his only light!
And the switch of this light is in the hands of "Asura".
The overwhelming hatred was directed at Danzo and Konoha who used him as a pawn!
But in front of us, it seemed that there was only one way left.
Without any hesitation.
The inner collapse and reconstruction are completed in an instant.
Yakushi Kabuto suddenly raised his hand and wiped away the tears and wolf offenders on his face with his sleeves.
He stood up straight. Although he was still trembling slightly, the disguise of a spy and the cowardice of "Kumamoto Kabuto" deep in his eyes completely disappeared, replaced by a cold and desperate determination after being forced into a desperate situation.
He looked directly into Menma's dark eyes, his voice was hoarse but extremely clear, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his soul:
"I'm joining."
He paused and added, with an almost humble, final prayer.
"But --- let me see her. Let me and the dean --- get to know each other."
He needed to confirm that the dean still "existed" and that the light was not just another illusory bait.
Menma looked at him quietly, with no expression on his little face.
After a moment, he nodded slowly.
"I will respond to your request to Lord Asura."
As the words fell, Menma's little figure began to become blurry and transparent, like a reflection in the water that was thrown into a stone.
The vast Starry Water Surface and dazzling galaxies around us also began to quickly dissipate and peel off like a faded picture scroll.
The touch of the cold stone ground suddenly returned to my feet.
The pungent smell of the soup, the musty smell of the stone walls, the residual anger of the guard, and the worried eyes of his companions.
The sounds and smells of the real world flood back into the senses like a tide.
Yakushi Kabuto still maintained his squatting posture on the ground, still holding the piece of pottery stained with soup in his hand.
His whole body trembled violently, as if he had just been fished out of deep water, gasping for air, his forehead was covered with fine cold sweat, and the clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his skin, giving him a cold and sticky feeling.
"Kabuto! Are you okay?" Murahashi Hazuki's concerned voice sounded in his ears, full of worry.
She and Morishita Shun-jin have cleaned up most of the stains and put the new flavored soup bucket aside.
Natsuhi stood a few steps away, his gaze falling heavily on him, with scrutiny and exploration.
What just happened... was an illusion!
The time I just experienced in the illusion world seems to have only passed by a moment in reality.
The tingling sensation caused by the edge of the cold pottery shards touched by your fingertips is extremely real.
The heavy banging sound of the iron gate deep in the prison area is extremely real.
But what is more real are the photos that are clearly imprinted in my mind, the dark and calm eyes of Menma, and the words "I will respond to Master Asura."
Yakushi Kabuto took a slow, deep breath.
The turbid and cold air in the prison area rushed into my heart, bringing a stinging pain, but it also brought a strange, cold sobriety.
He raised his head and tried hard to reassemble the expression of "Kumamoto Kabuto" that was full of panic, remorse and clumsiness on his face bit by bit.
Only this time, something was completely broken in the eyes behind the lenses, and was replaced by something colder and harder.
"It's okay, Hazuki." His voice was still slightly hoarse, but he had tried hard to regain his usual gentleness.
"I was a little dizzy just now, maybe I was too nervous." As he spoke, he stood up slowly, his movements a little stiff, as if he was getting used to this body again. He squatted down, picked up a clean rag, and began to silently and vigorously wipe the last remaining stain on the floor.
The movements are mechanical, but with an almost paranoid concentration.
The salty and sticky smell of miso soup stubbornly penetrated into his nose, mixed with the coldness of the stone wall and the breath of despair.
This disgusting smell is like a brand at this moment, clearly marking the boundary between reality and that Starry Water Surface.
It also marked a watershed in his life.
The Root spy named Yakushi Kabuto has died, and the one who survived is "Kumamoto Kabuto" who took the first step toward the unknown darkness on top of the ruins.
He wiped the stains on the ground, as if he was also wiping away everything in the past.
Nonō Dean's empty eyes and the gentle smile in the photo flashed alternately in his mind, and eventually turned into a cold and biting force that supported him to move forward.
He waited, waiting for the response.