[Deep underground, Kabuto Yakushi raced through a pipe in the form of a White Snake.]
[He was still shaken. What kind of Ninjutsu had that woman used? He had never heard of anything like it. From now on, he would have to be twice as careful in Kumogakure.]
[In a secret base dozens of meters beneath Kumogakure, soft light illuminated the isolated space.]
[Ino Yamanaka was sorting intelligence scrolls when she caught a familiar aroma.]
["Come try some. I've just perfected an improved Konoha-style ramen." Yūhi Rei, nearly forty, approached with a tray. "I added mushrooms native to the Land of Lightning. The broth should be even richer."]
[Several ninja analyzing intelligence gathered around at once.]
[Shoyo Takeuchi, the youngest, slurped up a mouthful of noodles. His eyes lit up. "That's the taste! It reminds me of lining up outside Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha when I was little."]
["You only left Konoha two years ago." Rigen Yamashiro, who handled communications, shook his head with a smile. "I haven't been back in eight. My daughter was still learning to walk when I left. Now I see her forming hand signs on video."]
[The room fell quiet for a moment. Amid the steady ticking of electronic equipment, a faint homesickness hung in the air.]
["Just hang on another two years," intelligence analyst Ken Satō said suddenly, wiping the family photo he kept in his Ninja Tool Pouch.]
["When this mission ends, I'll request a transfer back to Konoha. I promised to teach my son Fire Release, and now the kid's almost graduated from the Ninja Academy."]
["Already?" Yūhi Rei said in surprise. "I thought your son was only..."]
["He's twelve now." Ken Satō's gaze softened. "The last time I went home to visit, he barely recognized me."]
[His fingers gently brushed his