[But Kabuto Yakushi immediately picked up on a more crucial detail: the intelligence was sealed inside the operative's consciousness.]
[That meant conventional methods such as the Reverse Summoning Technique or transmission through a Shadow Clone would not work. Those techniques could not fully carry a living person's sealed, deeply buried memories.]
[However, on second thought, Kabuto Yakushi realized that in this era of closely integrated ninjutsu and technology, every village had indeed developed techniques for intercepting and decoding the flow of information transmitted through Summoning Contracts.]
[Sealing important intelligence inside a spy's own mind was extremely risky, but it was also one of the safest methods currently available.]
["How trustworthy is this Morio Okawa?" Kabuto asked, getting straight to the heart of the matter.]
[Ino Yamanaka's gaze was firm. "Morio Okawa has served longer than I have. He came from a thoroughly vetted Konoha ANBU background, and his loyalty to the village has been tested countless times."]
["If I hadn't been in Naruto's graduating class, which made it easier for me to fit in with Kumogakure's younger generation, this commander's position would most likely have gone to him."]
[Her tone carried respect for her senior.]
["Understood." Kabuto Yakushi nodded, all his doubts dispelled by Ino's assurance. "Leave this weekend to me."]
[Ino handed him a slightly yellowed photograph. It showed a man with an unremarkable face but an exceptionally steady gaze—Morio Okawa.]
["Once you find him at the library, he'll tell you the next step in person."]
[Kabuto Yakushi took the photograph, committing its contents firmly to memory the instant his fingertips touched it.]
[He said nothing more, merely dipping his head before retreating into the shadows once again. He slipped away silently, as though he had never been there.]
[Early that weekend morning, before the library opened, Makima led