Ascension Island.
The underground laboratory.
Nonō, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others gathered around.
"These two children are..." Nonō looked at the two children in their shabby clothes, maternal instinct bringing compassion into her eyes.
"Kimimaro Kaguya, Haku."
Lin Ze introduced them briefly. "From now on, they're our family too."
He gently patted the two children on their backs, signaling that they need not be afraid.
Then he introduced Nonō and the others.
His little face tense, Kimimaro bowed slightly to them.
"H-hello, I'm Kimimaro Kaguya."
Haku hid behind Lin Ze and said quietly:
"I... my name is Haku... p-please take care of me."
Looking at the two children, who had clearly suffered a great deal, Kurenai Yuhi, Yumi, and Ayumi immediately softened and hurriedly gave them gentle smiles to reassure them.
Nonō even crouched down and said softly:
"Welcome home, Kimimaro, Haku. You don't need to be afraid here. No one will hurt you."
Looking at Haku's thin, shabby clothes and the shackle marks on Kimimaro's wrists and ankles, a trace of heartache flashed through her eyes. She stood and said to Lin Ze:
"I'll take them for a hot bath first, get them into clean clothes, and then prepare something to eat."
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, sis."
Lin Ze nodded.
Watching Nonō gently lead away Haku, who kept looking back with every step, and Kimimaro, who was pretending to be calm but whose gaze had relaxed slightly, Lin Ze sighed inwardly.
He knew that, deep down, Nonō did not like the atmosphere of this underground laboratory.
She longed more for sunlight, for being with the children, just as she had been at that small but warm orphanage in Konoha.
Keeping her tied down here, dealing with this bloody, dark experimental data, really was...
"Sis."
Lin Ze called