The little girl clutched her candy, nodded hard, then skipped off toward the other end of the yard.
"Yuko! Look! Director Kabuto gave me this!"
Kabuto Yakushi stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees.
Sasuke Uchiha watched him, suddenly finding him somewhat unfamiliar.
The man before him, dressed in light-colored casual clothes, wearing old glasses, and carrying candy in his pocket, was far too different from the mastermind behind the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Snake scales still covered Kabuto Yakushi's face, but he did not look the least bit sinister or frightening now.
He really had changed.
Sasuke said nothing.
But Kabuto had already turned around.
"Sasuke-kun."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calm, showing neither surprise nor wariness.
"You look exactly the same standing in the doorway as you used to."
"But this really is unusual. To think you'd come to the orphanage."
"Does the village still distrust me? Are they preparing to make a move?"
Despite his words, Kabuto did not look worried in the slightest.
He walked over, as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll.
"When did you notice me?" Sasuke asked.
"The moment you appeared."
Kabuto smiled. "I sensed it when the residual chakra fluctuations from the spatial distortion appeared at the entrance."
"The signature of the Rinnegan's eye power is too distinctive. No one else in this world can produce fluctuations like that."
He walked up to Sasuke.
"So..."
Kabuto tilted his head slightly, a flash of light across his lenses concealing his eyes.
"Something happened to Lord Hokage. Am I right?"
Sasuke looked at him.
Although he knew what Kabuto Yakushi was capable of, Sasuke was still somewhat surprised by how perceptive he was.
But this was not the time to dwell on that.
"Yes, something happened."