The Ultimate Villain

Everyone at the orphanage clearly knew something, but none of them dared to speak.

Kabuto would have to uncover the truth himself.

There were very few people in Konoha who could drive someone of deputy director rank to bite off her tongue and kill herself.

Suddenly, a young man's face appeared in Kabuto's mind.

But he immediately shook his head.

Impossible. Lord Hokage had no reason to do that. Why would he drive Mother Nonō to her death? It made no sense.

But suspicion was like a seed. It had taken root in Kabuto's heart.

And as time passed, that seed would only break through the soil and grow into a towering tree.

Someone with enough power to silence everyone in Konoha, to make them afraid even to say his name...

In all of Konoha, perhaps even the entire Land of Fire, there was probably only one person.

At least, as far as Kabuto knew, Orochimaru could not do something like that.

Killing Nonō would be easy. Making everyone turn a blind eye to it, too terrified to speak, was another matter entirely.

To investigate the truth behind Yakushi Nonō's death—and to disprove his own suspicion—Kabuto began his investigation after the seventh-day mourning rites for her.

But just as he started to find a few leads, he returned to Hozuki Castle and found that Orochimaru had set aside his experiment and was watching him with a grave expression.

"Kid, I heard what happened to you. But for your own sake, stop investigating this in secret."

Kabuto clenched his fists. For the first time, a fierce, frightening expression appeared on his face.

He was not surprised that he had been found out.

After all, he had learned nearly everything he knew from Orochimaru.

Even if he used snakes to investigate in