Nonō's Fate

"Heh, you arrogant brat!" The Nine-Tails sneered disdainfully, then went back to reading its manga.

"Th-this is the Fourth Hokage, a Jinchuriki, and the Nine-Tails?"

After Uchiha Shisui had his eyes replaced and saw the light again, undisguised shock covered his face.

"Wh-why?" Uchiha Shisui could not understand why the Fourth Hokage and the Jinchuriki had attacked him.

"This appearance may be unfamiliar to you, but what about this one?"

Naruto crooked his mouth into an evil grin, transforming into a hooded figure wearing a cat-faced mask.

"Uchiha Shisui, this appearance should be familiar to you."

"It's you!"

Uchiha Shisui's expression changed drastically. His hands moved before him as he instinctively prepared to form hand seals.

"Smack!"

Minato Namikaze appeared directly beside him and seized one of his hands.

"Fourth Hokage?"

Only then did Uchiha Shisui come to his senses. The Jinchuriki was the Fourth Hokage's child.

Naruto released the Transformation Technique and looked at the somewhat dazed Uchiha Shisui. "Do you regret it?"

"What do you mean?" Uchiha Shisui did not understand Naruto's meaning.

"Do you regret placing your hopes on that guy Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

Uchiha Shisui froze for a moment, gritting his teeth in silence.

"Perhaps Lord Third doesn't know about it, or perhaps Lord Third has his own difficulties..."

"Is that so? It seems you'll only truly wake up after witnessing the destruction of the Uchiha Clan with your own eyes."

"L-Lord Third wouldn't do that. He promised me..."

Seeing him deceive himself in such a lost and despondent state, Naruto no longer wanted to bother with him. Without the Sharingan, Uchiha Shisui was no longer much of a threat. When he saw the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, that would be his final chance.

Naruto turned to Yakushi Nonō. "Then, what is your choice?"

Yakushi Nonō hesitated, thinking of the children at the orphanage.

"If I refuse, what will happen to me?"

"Then do you think you're worthy of my trust?"

"I understand."

Yakushi Nonō wore a self-mocking smile. Neither her fate nor the orphanage's had ever been in her own hands.

"This isn't a bad ending, Miss Nonō."

If he wanted to become a qualified leader, Naruto felt he needed to show a little more consideration toward his subordinates.

Yes, after seeing Yakushi Nonō, Naruto suddenly wanted to establish an organization.

Blindly pursuing power would only turn him into a shell of power. Now that he possessed sufficient strength, he wanted to find something to do. Reforming the Ninja World would not be difficult. He only needed to beat everyone into submission, then rebuild the order. Besides, weren't there many regrets in Naruto?

Karin and her mother, Zabuza and Haku, Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto, and so on. These people all had their own merits. He could find opportunities to bring them under his command.

"Perhaps." Yakushi Nonō's answer sounded weak. While working for Root, she still had a little free time to look after the orphanage. But now, she likely would not even have freedom in the future.

Naruto saw through Nonō's thoughts but neither confirmed nor denied them. He continued, "Do you remember Yakushi Kabuto?"

"Kabuto?"

She was somewhat surprised to hear that name from the Jinchuriki. The Jinchuriki possessed quite a bit of intelligence about the village. It seemed he had been operating in Konoha's shadows for a long time.

Heavens, how old was he?

Naturally, Yakushi Nonō could not know that Naruto learned these things from the original story. She nodded at Naruto to show that she knew.

"How long has it been since you last saw him in person?"

Yakushi Nonō was puzzled. She did not understand what Naruto meant and replied, "Danzo sends me a photograph of Kabuto every so often."

"Is that so? But photographs are very easy to fake."

"For example, slowly turning the person in a photograph into another similar person."

"Th-this..."

Naruto's words stunned Yakushi Nonō, but she quickly understood. A terrible premonition suddenly arose in her heart, and her face turned pale.

"You mean..."

Naruto said, "Years ago, the photographs Shimura Danzō sent you had already ceased to be of Yakushi Kabuto. The Yakushi Kabuto in your heart had long since been replaced by someone else."

"I think that even if the real Yakushi Kabuto were standing before you now, you probably wouldn't recognize him."

"Th-this, why would Danzo do such a thing?"

Though Yakushi Nonō was asking, she quickly found the answer in her heart. This was indeed something Danzo would do. Kabuto's abilities now surpassed hers, and she no longer held much value for Root. For someone like her, who knew so many of Root's secrets, death was the best destination.

Her final value was probably to become Kabuto's last stepping stone.

Perhaps, her next mission...

"Have you received a mission to infiltrate Iwagakure?"

"Yes, next month..."

"Yakushi Kabuto is also in Iwagakure now. Once you arrive there, your mission will become killing a spy who betrayed the village. Since you no longer know Yakushi Kabuto's true appearance, you will strike without mercy. Then you'll be personally killed by Yakushi Kabuto, whose strength already far surpasses yours. That is your future fate: Konoha's discarded pawn."

Naruto calmly described Yakushi Nonō's fate. Both Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Shisui were shocked. Shimura Danzō was clearly making a child kill the mother who had raised him with his own hands. Truly, he lived up to the title of Darkness of the Shinobi World.

"Just as I thought?" Yakushi Nonō gave a miserable smile. "If that happens, Kabuto will probably fall completely into darkness."

"That's why I said this isn't a bad ending for you."

Naruto repeated those words. This time, Yakushi Nonō's expression no longer held the same resistance. Although Naruto had not produced any solid evidence, this sort of matter did not require much proof in the first place.

Working for Danzo was like walking a tightrope. That man could even turn on his own clansmen, let alone an orphan mother and son like them. She had not seen Kabuto in years. For Danzo to tamper with things in between would have been all too easy.

"Naruto-kun, what about Kabuto?"

After learning this information, Yakushi Nonō could not help but start worrying.

"You don't need to worry about that. Yakushi Kabuto is far more outstanding than you imagine, and you will meet again in the future."

After all, Yakushi Kabuto was a behind-the-scenes figure who lasted from Shippuden all the way to the ending, and one of the instigators of the Fourth Shinobi World War. It could be said that without Yakushi Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation, and with so many high-level combatants absent, the Fourth Shinobi World War probably would not have been nearly so difficult.

"Is that so? If so, then I can rest a little easier."

Nonō had wanted to ask about the orphanage as well, but after thinking about it, she did not bring it up. She understood that Naruto might be strong, but looking after a group of orphans would likely be very difficult even for him.

It had to be said that the Nine-Tails' Malice Perception was truly an overpowered ability. Although Yakushi Nonō looked satisfied, Naruto had seen through all of her emotions.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on the orphanage for you. I can't do anything about funding, but at least their safety won't be a problem."

Only after saying this did Naruto feel the worry in Yakushi Nonō's heart lessen somewhat.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Please take care of me from now on." At last, Yakushi Nonō revealed a smile with a measure of genuine sincerity.

"Mm, likewise."

"Naruto, what do you plan to do next?" Minato Namikaze's eyes were full of gratification. Naruto's willingness to save Yakushi Nonō showed that there was sunlight in his heart as well.

"Train seriously, then wait quietly."

"Very soon, the windmill will start turning."