Yakushi Kabuto

"Kabuto!? What do you intend to do to that child?!"

Upon suddenly hearing Kabuto's name from the stranger in front of her, Yakushi Nonō immediately tensed up.

Those were the children from the Konoha Orphanage, the beloved 'children' she wanted to protect.

"NO! NO! It's not that I want to do anything to him."

It was you, Director Nonō, who wanted to assassinate Kabuto.

I'm just here to prevent this tragedy, and of course, to add two excellent talents to my ranks along the way."

Feng extended his index finger, first waving it slightly, then firmly pointing it at Yakushi Nonō.

Upon hearing this, Nonō's expression changed several times before she finally frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's very simple. Both you and Dou are excellent spies."

And good spies know a lot.

But you should know better than I what kind of person Danzo is.

Therefore, he intends for you and Kabuto to kill each other. He will be happy if either of you dies, as it will eliminate a dangerous pawn who knows too much about the inside story.

If you two perish together, that would be even better."

"Is that so? But Kabuto and I know each other, so it's impossible for us to kill each other."

Danzo would never issue such a foolish order.

This time, upon hearing this, Nonō resumed her signature fake smile, clearly disdainful of Feng's attempts to sow discord.

"Hehe, Dou does remember you, and he has always kept you and the Orphanage in his heart."

But it would be a big mistake to say you know Kabuto. After all, you haven't seen that kid for many years, and you only know what he looks like now from a few photos Danzo gave you.

"So, Director Nonō, are you sure the Danzo in the photo Danzo gave you is really Kabuto!?"

"This..."

"Hehe, think back carefully to what Dou looked like when he left: white hair, glasses."

Think again about the person in the photo Danzo gave you, and think again about the target Root asked you to assassinate.

Do they all have the same characteristics? Wearing glasses and having white hair.

Given Danzo's character, and combining this information...

"Hehe, with your excellent espionage skills, you should be able to figure out who the real spy is."

"You... these are all just your speculations. I can't believe what the village traitor says."

"It's alright, you don't need to believe me now, since you've already accepted that assassination mission."

Then Danzo must have given you information about the target's location.

Hehe, we'll go with you to complete this task. We can just see for ourselves, won't we?"

Feng laughed again.

Since we unexpectedly stumbled upon Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto about to kill each other, wouldn't it be a waste to not save them?

Beneath a valley filled with towering boulders, a white-haired, bespectacled boy wearing Iwa Ninja Forehead Protector was hiding in a crevice.

Little did he know that his whereabouts had already been discovered, and someone was already watching him from afar.

"Director Nonō, we will surround him from all sides."

Go check it yourself, don't just do it directly.

"I would feel like I've lost a lot if either of you died."

Staring with his Sharingan, Feng locked Yakushi Kabuto in the crevice of the rock, then waved his hand to have his men disperse and surround the enemy before speaking to Yakushi Nonō beside him.

"Clan Chief Feng, I will confirm it myself."

If what you say is true, and this is all a conspiracy by Root, then I will join you."

He couldn't defeat them, he couldn't shake them off, he was worried about the children in the Orphanage and couldn't bear to commit suicide, and the assassination target could leave at any time.

Under these circumstances, Yakushi Nonō was being pestered by Feng, had no choice but to take Feng and the others to their target location.

Then Feng talked to me for ages the whole way.

Unfortunately Nonō's heart was as hard as stone and her mind was shrewd. When Feng offered her money, she accepted it without hesitation, but when it came to betraying Konoha, she was deaf and couldn't hear him.

But in the end, she was persuaded by Feng. There was no other way; she simply couldn't bring herself to harm Dou.

As Kabuto's Director mother and the headmistress, Kabuto would never want to kill her.

The assassination of the white-haired, bespectacled boy was Danzo's order, and refusing to do so would violate the principle of prioritizing ninja missions.

Even Hatake Sakumo, who received the Hokage's half-sleeve, was condemned by the entire village for abandoning a mission to save his comrades.

As an unpopular Root Organization spy, she was no exception, and Danzo was even less likely to let her go.

Furthermore, if he doesn't take action, his position as the Director of the Orphanage will implicate the Orphanage when he returns to the village.

Therefore, if the assassination target was indeed Kabuto, Danzo had no intention of giving her a way out.

But Feng offered a way out:

' Nonō went to check herself. If it wasn't Kabuto, Feng wouldn't make things difficult for her. Everyone dispersed and left.'

If it really is Kabuto, then let's put on a show and have Nonō fake her death to escape. That Danzo will have no reason to make things difficult for her and the Orphanage.

Furthermore, because Kabuto could fulfill his Root Organization without betraying Konoha, he could take care of the Orphanage.

Given the mutually beneficial conditions and the constant pressure Konoha exerted on her, Yakushi Nonō had no reason to refuse.

Of course, a spy as skilled as Nonō is extremely adept at disguise and acting.

Feng couldn't actually confirm whether the other party was genuinely surrendering or just feigning to extract information.

After all, the Will of Fire is unreasonable. Danzo wronged Nonō, but Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old guy, had cultivated his image in Konoha for many years and had long established himself as incredibly righteous and noble.

If Nonō also believes this, and while verbally agrees to submit, keeps gathering intelligence, then we'll be at a huge disadvantage.

Fortunately, Feng didn't intend to listen to Nonō's words alone.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, he would secretly use "Kotoamatsukami" to control the other party, and then continuously use the Sharingan to hypnotize and suggest to them, so that they would never have any other thoughts.

"Whoosh!" A Kunai sliced through the air and shot toward Yakushi Kabuto, who was hiding in the crevice of the rocks.

"Damn it! We've been spotted." Kabuto quickly dodged and charged towards the direction from which the Kunai been fired.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Three Shuriken blocked Kabuto's path of advance.

Kabuto used his Body Flicker Technique to retreat and create distance. "Zi-Chou-..., Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

A water dragon appeared behind it, swallowing the incoming Shuriken and charging in the direction from which Shuriken came.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Then it ran into a pre-set Explosive Tag.

"Your Water Release is very skillful, but you used it too early. You should have observed the situation a little longer after dodging the Shuriken with Body Flicker Technique."

Behind him, a Chakra Scalpel silently approached, and at the same time, a familiar and warm voice rang out.

"That voice...! It's the Director!"

Director! What are you doing here?

Upon hearing the sound, Kabuto froze on the spot. He didn't even notice the Chakra Scalpel already pressed against his back, which he could have easily dodged. Instead, he turned around noisily, letting the knife press against his chest.

At this moment, Yakushi Nonō was certain that the person in front of her was Kabuto.

After all, in the entire Ninja World, apart from the children in the Orphanage, no one else would be so familiar with her voice, and no one else would willingly expose their chest to their blade.

"Pocket?"

"Director! It's me, Kabuto, Yakushi Kabuto. Heh heh heh."

Hearing Nonō, whom he hadn't seen for many years, call his name, Kabuto was as happy as a child.

That was the name the Director gave him when he couldn't even recognize who he was. He always remembered it and regarded it as the only name tag of his identity.

As for the Chakra Scalpel in the chest? Hey, would the Director really harm herself?

I must have misrecognized him for a moment and couldn't stop myself from grabbing him.

"Is it really you, Kabuto?"

Haha, that was spot on!

Seeing Kabuto's expression and actions, Nonō was certain that the person in front of her was Kabuto.

So she smiled and dispersed the Chakra Scalpel, intending to rub Kabuto's head as she always did.

But when she reached out, she realized that Dou had grown a head taller than her.

But Dou, being the shrewd person he was, immediately squatted down and leaned his head over when he saw that the Director's hand couldn't reach his head.

This was the caress of the Director, something he hadn't experienced in five years. (Jia Hui's five-year-long roaring expression)