Hidden Cloud Village.
Red Leaf Izakaya.
The streets outside were deserted, wrapped in the stillness of midnight. The lamps along the stone-paved roads flickered in the night wind, casting swaying shadows that danced on the walls. Not even the drunken voices of customers could be heard anymore—the tavern was closed, its doors locked, and the silence heavy.
In the shadows across the street, a figure waited motionlessly. His breath was controlled, his heartbeat steady, yet his sharp eyes glinted with determination.
Yakushi Kabuto.
For him, this mission was unlike any other. It was not simply an order from Root, nor just another assassination to complete in the endless cycle of missions. No—this was about his past, about the person he had longed for yet could barely remember.
He touched the cold steel of the surgical knife hidden within his sleeve. His lips trembled, but his voice was firm in the silence of his own heart.
"As long as I kill the proprietress… I will finally be able to meet her. The Head of the Orphanage… The one I've been searching for."
Failure was not an option. This mission had to succeed.
Kabuto checked the timepiece strapped to his wrist.
Midnight.
The hour of death.
He took a deep breath, then glanced at the perimeter. Earlier, he had carefully set traps around the Izakaya, just in case his target tried to flee. A faint smile tugged at his lips—everything was in place. With his preparations complete, he moved like a shadow, slipping into the Izakaya without a sound.
---
Inside one of the dimly lit rooms, Yakushi Nono lay on a futon. Though her body was weary, her mind was restless. Sleep refused to come. She tossed and turned, her gaze drifting to the ceiling before finally settling on the figure beside her.
A blonde woman lay sleeping soundly, her breathing even and calm, her presence steady as a mountain.
Nono frowned slightly.
"How can she sleep so peacefully on a night like this?"
She remembered the words of the young man who had once stood before her—the genius of the Hyuga clan.
On the day Neji left Kumogakure, he had brought Samui to her, entrusting her safety to the blonde kunoichi. His words still echoed in her mind:
"Root may send assassins to eliminate you during this time. Be cautious. Samui will protect you."
Though Nono did not know where Neji had learned such information, she did not doubt his foresight. Root never forgave betrayal. Danzo's shadow stretched far, and she had no illusions about her fate if she were left unguarded.
So she stayed vigilant. For nights she had not truly slept, like a cat ready to leap at the faintest sound.
Tonight was no different—until the sudden roar broke the silence.
BOOM!
The ground shook, and a violent explosion echoed from the front door.
Nono shot upright, eyes wide.
"The explosive tags I set during the day… they've gone off!"
Her fears were confirmed. The enemy had come.
The sleeping Samui's eyes snapped open instantly. Without hesitation, she raised a finger to her lips, gesturing for silence.
Nono swallowed her words and nodded.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The window shattered as a dark silhouette slipped inside, hurling twin shuriken in a deadly arc. The steel glinted in the faint moonlight filtering through the broken frame.
Samui's eyes narrowed. She moved with practiced grace, her short sword flashing as it deflected the incoming blades. Sparks lit the dark room for an instant.
The intruder stepped into the pale moonlight. Round glasses framed his sharp eyes, and golden-blonde hair fell across his forehead. His figure was thin, his expression cold.
Samui's heart tightened.
"Neji was right. It's him, after all!"
Her gaze hardened. The blunt side of her sword whirled around, striking toward the boy's shoulder with merciless precision.
Kabuto twisted his body just in time, narrowly evading the strike. He landed lightly in the corner of the room, chest heaving. His plan had been simple—swift entry, swift kill. But the protector was skilled, far beyond his expectations.
"This woman… she's stronger than me. This won't be easy."
He adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the faint light with a sharp glint. His thoughts were cold and unwavering.
"For the Head of the Orphanage… I must complete this mission. Even if it costs me my life."
Samui raised her blade again, her voice like ice.
"Yakushi Kabuto, isn't it? Look at her carefully—do you recognize that woman?"
Kabuto stiffened.
"She knows my name?!"
He glanced at the woman behind Samui. His eyes narrowed, his chest tightened, but he forced his voice steady.
"I don't recognize her. I only know she's the target of my mission."
Nono's lips parted in shock.
"Samui, you said… he's Yakushi Kabuto?"
She pulled out a photo from her robes, her hands trembling slightly. It was the picture Danzo had given her—an ordinary boy with blonde hair, a face blurred by time and memory.
"This doesn't match…" Nono whispered, confused.
Samui's expression was grim as she explained, "Danzo lied to you. That photo is fake. His purpose was never to release Kabuto… it was to pit you against each other. Danzo wants you and Yakushi Kabuto to kill one another. This is his scheme."
Kabuto's eyes widened.
"What did she say…? Head of the Orphanage?"
Samui's voice cut through his confusion.
"Yes, Yakushi Kabuto. The woman before you is Yakushi Nono—the Head of the Konoha Orphanage. The one you've longed for."
The name struck him like lightning. His body froze, his heart pounded.
"…Head of the Orphanage?"
Nono's eyes blurred with tears. She stepped forward, desperate to bridge the years that had torn them apart.
"Kabuto… is it really you?"
Samui extended her arm, halting Nono. The danger was not over.
Suddenly—
Thwip!
A senbon whistled past, grazing Nono's hair and embedding itself deep into the wall.
Nono did not flinch. Instead, tears streamed down her cheeks as she called out:
"Kabuto, do you remember? I gave you your first pair of glasses. I taught you medical ninjutsu. I named you 'Kabuto.' You are my child!"
Her voice trembled as memories poured out.
"At the orphanage, the rules were simple. No wasting food, no fighting with other children, bed by eight every night…"
"We picked up trash together, sold scraps for coins…"
"We treated the wounded together…"
"And then… that day, Danzo came. He took you away from us…"
Kabuto's body shook violently. Each word pierced through the fog that Danzo had forced upon him. He saw flashes—laughter at the orphanage table, the warmth of Nono's hand on his head, the faint glow of lanterns in the dormitory.
Memories that had been buried deep, locked away, now clawed their way back to life.
His hand loosened, and with a metallic clang, the surgical knife slipped from his grip and fell to the ground.
"Head of the Orphanage…" His voice cracked. His eyes turned red, brimming with tears he had denied himself for years.
Nono rushed forward, ignoring all else, and pulled him into her arms.
"Kabuto… you've grown so tall!"
Kabuto trembled in her embrace. Years of longing, years of being lost, of suppressing his emotions, now burst free.
"…Head of the Orphanage. After I joined Root, Danzo sent me out as a spy. I was forced to wander the world, pretending to be someone else again and again…"
His words faltered, but Nono's heart heard what he left unsaid—the endless pain of a spy, the loneliness, the constant fear of death. She had lived the same life once. She understood all too well.
After pouring out his soul, Kabuto lowered his head in shame.
"I… I even forgot your face. I almost killed you with my own hands…"
Nono gently stroked his hair, just as she used to, her smile soft and warm.
"Kabuto, it's not your fault. It was Danzo. He planned everything. He lied to both of us."
She threw the photo onto the floor. The picture Danzo had given her was nothing but a tool, a cruel manipulation.
"He told me this would be my last mission—that he would release you from Root afterward. But he never intended to keep that promise. He only wanted this night—to make us destroy each other."
Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time they carried relief.
"But it's over now. We've reunited."
She held him tightly.
"From now on, we'll live in Kumogakure together. We'll be free."
Kabuto hesitated. His voice was weak, uncertain.
"…But will Kumogakure really accept us?"
Nono's eyes shone with determination.
"Don't worry. That person will protect us."
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, the night was anything but peaceful.
The battlefield was painted red.
"Goodbye."
The voice was calm, yet merciless.
A blade, shrouded in crackling black lightning, swept through the air.
Shhhhk!
The enemy's head rolled to the ground. Aoyama Hideomi's body, already crippled by the Gentle Fist, collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood gushed across the dirt, soaking the ground with crimson.
The long sword lowered slowly. Its gleaming steel reflected the night sky, now dyed red by the blood of the fallen.
Neji exhaled heavily, his body swaying. He chopped down a nearby wooden stake with a final strike and sat upon it, his chest heaving.
Even with all his careful control, his chakra was nearly gone. His body ached, his vision blurred, but his spirit remained unbroken.
The night of Kumogakure was silent once more. But beneath the silence lay the echoes of struggle, reunion, and bloodshed.
A night that would be remembered.
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