Goodbye, Nonō

The bounty poster for the Underground Bounty Office shocked the three children; it was a side of the world they had never encountered or even imagined.

Kato Osamu reviewed the bounty list, updating his understanding of the existing powerful figures in the Chunin world. The Underground Bounty Office was well-informed, but that was all it could do; it was just an underground assassination organization. If it were to truly confront the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would be easily wiped out.

However, although Kato Osamu had no evidence, he could roughly guess that the Underground Bounty Office was probably 'transparent' in the eyes of the Five Great Nations, and that the existence of the gold exchange was a product of the balance of power.

After all, there are no bounties for any Shadow here, but if money could buy the head of a Shadow, many people would probably be happy to pay for it.

"If you ever encounter one of these bounty hunter ninjas during a mission, you can go to the gold exchange and earn some extra money..."

Upon hearing this, the three children's eyes flashed with interest. After all, the lowest bounty for a ninja on the wanted list was equivalent to that of an A-rank mission. However, they were also quite self-aware and looked at Kato Osamu with a hint of speechlessness.

"Teacher Xu, perhaps it would be faster for us to just die..."

"The ninjas up there are beyond our current capabilities, even the lowest bounty ones..."

Uzuki Yugao Itachi Uchiha, who was silently memorizing the information on the wanted posters, and Iruka, who was shouting and yelling, sometimes cursing the despicable Konoha Ninja who had been put on the wanted list, and sometimes beaming with joy at the wanted list of enemy ninjas. She then looked at Kato Osamu Iruka, who was resting with his eyes closed.

It's highly likely that at times like these, she'll have the illusion that she's the only normal person in the entire team.

"It's time to go..."

With a slight frown, Kato Osamu touched his nose. If encountering the gold exchange's hideout in this small town could be an accident, then the approaching Chakra fluctuations seemed to have been premeditated and were aimed at him.

His gaze sharpened. Knowing his whereabouts wasn't unusual; it could be someone from Konoha, or a message from another spy hidden in Konoha. But to pinpoint his location so precisely was quite extraordinary.

Silently contemplating, Kato Osamu companions left the gold exchange and took another look at this remote border town.

Located on the border of the Land of Fire, this unnamed town has been ravaged by war, leaving it devoid of any signs of life, only a sense of desolation and bleakness. Occasionally, pedestrians hurry by, their heads bowed, disappearing into the streets and alleys in the cold atmosphere.

The group walked down the street without making any attempt to conceal their presence, but their route seemed rather strange, and the surrounding environment grew increasingly quiet.

They began to move away from the town, neither heading towards the Konoha camp nor returning to where they had come from, but instead heading straight north—a direction perpendicular to the route between the camp and Konoha.

"Come out..."

"You're looking for me..."

Kato Osamu suddenly stopped in his tracks, his voice carrying a resolute certainty. This person's ability to conceal himself was superb. Although he couldn't compare to Zetsu, he was still considered one of the better ninjas Kato Osamu had ever seen—at least, it would be an easy task for him not to be detected by three Genin.

"What?"

"Alert!"

Iruka paused for a moment upon hearing this, but then, amidst Itachi Uchiha's slightly puzzled look as he looked around, he heard Yugao's voice and instantly snapped back to reality. The three of them flashed into the bushes and began to discreetly search for any traces of their surroundings.

The jungle was quiet. Under the sunlight, the branches and twigs reflected a white light, which scattered dust downwards like beams of pure white light falling on Kato Osamu.

He could sense that the newcomers didn't have a large amount of Chakra, and their strength was probably only at the level of Special Jonin. He followed them for a while, but the reason he didn't immediately make a move was because he seemed to sense a familiar aura.

The jungle was silent for a moment, then a hoarse voice slowly came from afar, and a hooded man silently stepped out from the corner of the shadows.

"As expected of the Blue Asura who killed the Fourth Mizukage, his sharpness is truly extraordinary..."

The hoarse voice sounded like iron filings scraping together, with a hint of sharpness. The three children's eyes were filled with apprehension and hostility. Kato Osamu looked at the newcomer and frowned slightly. However, a faint fragrance made him look directly at the newcomer.

"You are... D-Five?"

Upon hearing this, a glint of light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the man who had previously looked gloomy. The icy aura emanating from him, along with his disguise, vanished, leaving only a familiar, gentle smiling face. Behind his round-framed glasses, a pair of tender eyes gazed at Kato Osamu with a warm smile.

"Didn't I tell you? I gave myself a name— Nonō."

His voice was gentle, as if he were talking to an old friend he hadn't seen in years. He no longer tried to hide his feelings, and the scent of lilacs became faintly clear in Kato Osamu's nostrils. However, his eyes still held a hint of doubt. He didn't know why D-Five, no, Nonō had come to see him.

If he remembered correctly, she should now be one of Danzo's people...

"Hey, what's going on?"

How should I know...?

As tensions rose, all three prepared for battle, but in just a few words, the enemy transformed into a beautiful woman who not only lost all will to fight but also looked at Kato Osamu with tenderness.

Iruka, puzzled, whispered a question to Yugao, but he failed to notice the profound impact the tranquil forest, the lush green grass, the sunlight reflecting off the love-hate entanglement between the handsome man and the beautiful woman, and the two figures bathed in sunlight seemingly glowing, had on a young girl.

The gossipy look in her eyes, though she didn't understand it, revealed the same feelings she had as those who "shipped" couples, bursting forth uncontrollably from the bottom of her heart.

It seems that this is the talent of most girls, only it has suddenly awakened at this moment.

"Itachi! Listen, listen, listen to what they're saying!"

With the crisis averted, it was highly unlikely that a fight would break out. The three of them suddenly relaxed, but for some reason, they tacitly refrained from stepping forward at this moment. Yugao, unable to hear Kato Osamu and the other two's voices, became even more gossipy.

Of the three, Itachi's senses were the most acute. With the Sharingan's enhancement, his perception was greatly amplified. She couldn't help but tug at Itachi Uchiha's sleeve. Itachi's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at Yugao. Suddenly, his Sharingan opened, and he looked at Nonō. Although his face remained expressionless, he slowly spoke.

"Xu-jun, it's rare that after all these years, you still remember me..."

Nonō's face revealed an undisguised smile. Of the boys who once came out of the same Root training camp, there are probably not many left now. As for those who are normal, there are probably only the two of them.

"Of course, you have a special fragrance..."

"Like a lilac blossom..."

When Kato Osamu said those words, his expression remained normal, and he seemed to have no inner turmoil. However, Nonō seemed to have seen him in a new light, and she was slightly taken aback, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

"Lilacs...?"

"Xu-jun has changed; he's become good at charming girls..."

Looking at Nonō, Kato Osamu stopped worrying. He had already discovered that, with his innate soul talent stronger than that of ordinary people, he could vaguely perceive things that others could not. However, his gaze remained fixed on Nonō, still carrying a hint of apprehension.

"Nonō, what do you need me for?"

"What? Teacher Xu is flirting with a girl?"

"As expected! As expected! They're in that kind of relationship..."

Itachi seemed to realize that this wasn't a good idea, so he only repeated a few words before closing his Sharingan. Kato Osamu had his back to him, and he only repeated a few of Nonō's words, but even so, the three little ones were already glancing at the two of them with curious eyes.

"Teacher Xu is actually going to give that older sister lilacs?"

As if struck by a thought, Kato Osamu, who had been expressionless, suddenly stood in front of the girl, holding a bouquet of lilacs. The strange scene seemed to create a huge sense of unease in the minds of the three girls. They exchanged glances, each seemingly sensing an indescribable emotion.

"Tell me, how did that older sister manage to make Teacher Xu like her? It's unbelievable!"

"Why? Why can't it be the older sister that Teacher Xu is pursuing?"

Upon hearing Iruka's comments, Yugao couldn't help but retort.

"How could that be? With Mr. Xu's personality, would he actively pursue a girl?"

Upon hearing this, Yugao seemed to want to say something more, but thinking of Kato Osamu's personality, her voice faltered, as if she had no point to refute him...

"Tell me, if they were in that kind of relationship, why didn't we know anything about it? This makes absolutely no sense!"

Yugao scratched her head. So much time had passed, and they hadn't left a single clue. This was too illogical...

"Could it be that Teacher Xu doesn't like her?"

"Impossible! Impossible! Would someone send flowers if they didn't like it?"

"Then why send lilacs instead of roses?"

Iruka's question caused a hint of doubt to flash across Yugao's face as well. After thinking it over, she couldn't find any words to refute it. Children this age, although they understand a lot, also understand a lot.

"The flower language of lilacs probably includes the meaning of pure first love..."

The usually silent Itachi Uchiha, after all, came from a prominent family and occasionally had some exposure to certain things. However, his sudden voice caused all three of them to involuntarily reveal a smile like that of aunts—first love...