Perhaps the Gambling Hall owner had deep connections as well, but the fact that things had been brought into the open showed that the Tsuchikage's defeat had dealt an even greater blow to his prestige than Xing Ran had imagined.
It seemed they would have to stay in Iwagakure for a while longer. Given the Tsuchikage's current standing in the village, it would not be easy to completely suppress the voices of those Konoha conspiracy theorists.
Because of what had happened during the day, Xing Ran and the others had lost their interest in having fun. After dinner, they returned to their rooms early to rest.
Xing Ran had originally made a fortune and wanted to splurge on barbecue for everyone. Now, it seemed he could save that money. He could buy more Explosive Tags later. They cost several hundred ryō apiece, and he had always been reluctant to use them before. Now, though, he could afford to be extravagant. With his current shuriken-throwing skills, they should raise his combat power considerably.
Wait, speaking of Explosive Tags, a thought suddenly struck Xing Ran. Aside from boiling water, his Heat vision was not especially useful right now, and it consumed a great deal of energy.
Explosive Tags were talismans that had to be activated before use, a combat tool unique to the world of Naruto.
However, this combat tool had one drawback: once activated, it produced the flames and sound of a burning fuse, often giving enemies plenty of time to react. In Xing Ran's memories, Explosive Tags seemed quite powerful, but they almost never directly injured enemies in actual battle. They were generally used as a means of restraint.
What if he wrapped Explosive Tags around kunai, struck an enemy, then used Heat vision to detonate them remotely? Wouldn't that be more covert and swift?
He could test this method later. Still, the red beams shooting from his eyes would be troublesome. If anyone saw them, he would not know how to explain what kind of ninjutsu it was.
As his thoughts wandered, the night grew deeper. Just as Xing Ran was preparing to sleep, there came a soft knock. It was not someone knocking on the door, but on his window from outside the building.
Xing Ran was in a foreign land. Even though reason told him that his current situation was relatively safe, how could he possibly let his guard down when someone knocked on his window in the middle of the night?
He activated X-ray vision and looked through the curtains. The person outside was dressed as an Iwagakure Anbu. Her long blond hair and curvaceous figure revealed that this Anbu was a woman.
Yakushi Nonō.
He had not expected her to come looking for him that very night, after he had just handed her the paper ball that would change her fate during the day.
"Hello. What brings you here so late?" Xing Ran would never have opened the window for anyone else, but Yakushi Nonō was different. Setting aside the fact that they had no grudge against one another, the fact that she was a spy serving Konoha alone made Xing Ran certain that Nonō would not attack him. It was definitely not because Xing Ran thought she could not beat him that he so readily opened the window and let her into the room.
"Hello. Is it appropriate for us to meet here?" Xing Ran took the initiative in greeting her.
"Hello. I remember you are the Konoha Ninja named Yamanaka Xingran. Don't worry. I am responsible for monitoring this room tonight, so no one will discover us. I... I have many questions."
Yakushi Nonō's voice was gentle. Even through the mask, it gave people a feeling of closeness. After explaining the situation, she immediately stated her purpose. Clearly, her time was limited, and she could not truly stay here for long. The reality was not as simple as she had made it sound.
Xing Ran said nothing more. He nodded, signaling that Nonō could speak now.
"How did you discover me? I mean, I wore a mask the entire time after we met. Yet from the note you wrote to identifying me directly today, neither time did I show my true face. Where did I slip up?" After removing her mask, Nonō did not ask about herself and Kabuto first. Instead, she asked how she had been exposed.
After thinking it over, Xing Ran quickly understood Nonō's feelings. As a spy whom even Danzo had regarded highly, disguise, infiltration, and intelligence gathering were the foundations of her survival. Now, someone she had never met or dealt with had recognized her identity at a glance. It left Nonō feeling as though she were sitting on pins and needles, unable to eat or sleep in peace.
As for whether Xing Ran was a new contact sent by Root, she could tell from the contents of his letter that he definitely was not one of Root's people. He might even have conflicts with Root, so there was no way he could have learned of her circumstances from them.
"I'm from the Yamanaka Clan. My senses are simply a little sharper." Xing Ran bluffed.
That single sentence plunged Nonō into brief silence again. The Yamanaka Clan's keen senses were indeed well known, but could they truly be this keen? She would never believe that he had not investigated her records through Root beforehand.
"Very well. If you are unwilling to say, then forget it. I want to know how you learned that Danzo deceived Kabuto and me." Nonō abruptly changed the subject and began speaking to him formally.
This was what she desperately wanted to know. In fact, the reason she had finally made up her mind to seek Xing Ran out tonight was that she had met with Kabuto before coming here. Sure enough, he looked completely different from the photo Danzo had given her. If they had not both received Xing Ran's message, neither of them would have taken the initiative to speak upon meeting.
After Kabuto recounted how, at the orphanage, he could only see clearly after putting on Nonō's glasses, it was not easy for her to accept information provided by a stranger so quickly.
Xing Ran's goodwill this time had still been rather reckless. There was, after all, an easy source of misunderstanding: who would speak first when the two recognized each other? The first person to speak would inevitably bear an enormous risk of exposure. That kind of pressure was terribly uncomfortable for a spy.
Fortunately, after Nonō met Kabuto this time, although she did not speak, she took the initiative to reveal her original face before him.
Kabuto had been only a child back then, and after several years of growing up, his appearance could have changed in any number of ways. But Nonō had already been an adult at the time. Even if her appearance changed after several years, it would not change too drastically. The moment Kabuto saw Nonō's face, he called out her name.
In the original story, Kabuto had killed Nonō with a single move in the darkness, yet when he checked the result, he recognized at first glance that she was his adoptive mother. The situation was the same now.
"Mm, it was an accident. In short, I learned about what happened to you two. I dislike Danzo's actions, and I did not want the Wandering Miko to end her life in such a tragedy, so I wrote those notes for you." Xing Ran gave a vague, half-true explanation.
Nonō looked suspicious, but she said nothing. She simply stared quietly at Xing Ran, making him feel awkward.
"I did not receive any order from Danzo to assassinate an Iwagakure ninja."
After a long silence, Nonō suddenly said something that made Xing Ran smile bitterly.
Before you continue