Despite Saiki's solemn vow, Nono'u wasn't about to take his word for it. She didn't scold him further, but she offered a helpless, motherly warning: "You! You need to stop being so impulsive. Rash actions only lead to unnecessary trouble!"
Saiki knew he was acting a bit arrogant lately, but he understood that their concern came from a place of love. He didn't argue, simply offering a bright smile. "Don't worry, Sister Director. I know exactly how far I can push things."
Seeing his confidence, Nono'u sighed and dropped the subject. She reached out and ruffled Saiki's hair, continuing their conversation about his experiences at the front.
Nono'u was an elite intelligence operative; even Saiki's casual remarks were, to her, pieces of a much larger strategic puzzle.
Of course, she wasn't currently serving Root; gathering intel was simply a reflex she couldn't turn off.
Saiki didn't hold anything back. Aside from his "extra-curricular" activities with the other women, he told Nono'u everything that had happened.
Their chat didn't last long. Just as Saiki was wondering if he could sneak in some "intimacy," a swarm of orphans burst in, and he was forced to spend the rest of the evening playing the role of the big brother.
Night fell. Still feeling a bit of "petty emotion" after his argument with Tsunade, Saiki decided not to return to the compound for the night.
After helping Nono'u and the other staff get the children to sleep, Saiki was preparing to retire when the sound of frantic footsteps shattered the quiet.
One of the orphanage caregivers burst into the room, her face pale with terror. "Director Nono'u! It's terrible! Lord Danzo is here with a squad of Root ninja!"
Nono'u's face drained of color. She stood up instantly and hissed to Saiki, "Saiki, hide! Now!"
Seeing her panic, Saiki's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Danzo? What is that old dog doing here? Sister Director, has he been coming here often while I was away?"
Noticing the sudden, lethal coldness in Saiki's gaze, Nono'u felt a spike of dread. Saiki was a good, sensible boy at the orphanage, but she knew the stubborn, uncompromising streak buried deep inside him.
Terrified that Saiki would draw his sword and start a massacre, she pleaded with him, "Saiki, please. It's fine. Just hide and stay out of sight. Don't cause any more trouble for me, okay?"
Faced with Nono'u's desperate plea, Saiki wouldn't dream of talking back. He simply nodded, and Nono'u let out a breath of relief.
Once Saiki was "hidden," Nono'u hurried outside to face the Darkness of the Shinobi.
Saiki might not talk back to her, but that didn't mean he was going to stay put. A man like Danzo—greedy, opportunistic, and as relentless as a rabid dog—doesn't visit an orphanage out of the goodness of his heart.
Saiki's intuition was spot on. This was far from Danzo's first visit.
After witnessing Saiki's apocalyptic display of power, Danzo had initially tried to control him. When that failed, his command shifted to assassination—if he couldn't have that power, no one could.
But Saiki had grown too powerful to be easily "removed." Thus, Danzo pivoted back to control—but this time, through leverage.
Danzo was a master of chains. He didn't just use cursed seals and brainwashing; his most effective tool was threatening the things people cherished most.
Regarding the relationship between Nono'u and Saiki: Danzo knew that if he squeezed Nono'u, Saiki would dance to his tune.
Nono'u, as a former Root agent, was technically still under his jurisdiction. Combined with her devotion to the orphanage, Danzo had all the leverage he needed to break her.
He believed that with Nono'u's "cooperation"—either through a cursed seal or direct threats—he could eventually leash Saiki.
With a boy capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts under his thumb, Danzo felt the gates to the Hokage's office were finally swinging open for him.
Perhaps he had lived in the ivory tower of power for too long. Danzo had forgotten one fundamental rule: Saiki Shiroya was a killer.
Clinging to the delusion that his status as a Village Elder made him untouchable, Danzo had come to squeeze Nono'u one last time. He was determined to force her into helping him leash Saiki tonight; he was salivating at the thought of owning such a perfect weapon.
Saiki followed Nono'u like a ghost, maintaining just enough distance to remain undetected while keeping their conversation perfectly audible.
The moment Danzo saw Nono'u, a smug, victorious smirk touched his lips. He felt as though the game was already won.
"Nono'u. Have you considered my offer? If you cooperate and help me bring Saiki under control, I will not only fund this orphanage for a lifetime, but I will provide a much brighter future for you and these children."
Nono'u's expression hardened into a mask of cold defiance. "Lord Danzo, I have told you many times. I will not betray the Leaf, and I will never hurt Saiki. Please, stop this."
Danzo's smile vanished instantly. "Nono'u, do not mistake my patience for weakness. Do you really think you have a choice? Once Root, always Root. You will obey my command, or you will suffer the consequences."
In the shadows, Saiki's eyes became thin, dangerous slits. A wave of pure, concentrated killing intent surged within him.
He would never allow anyone to lay a finger on Nono'u or his "family" at the orphanage.
His killing intent was so absolute that had it not been for his Pre-natal Qi anchoring his aura, Danzo would have been dead before the conversation even started.
Faced with Danzo's threat, Nono'u fell silent. Just as Danzo was about to roar in fury, she dropped to one knee. Her voice was a desperate, pained plea: "Lord Danzo... I will return to active service in Root. I will do whatever you ask. Just... please leave Saiki and the children out of this. Besides, Saiki is Lady Tsunade's brother. You cannot possibly hope to control him."
Watching the kneeling, submissive Nono'u, Danzo let out a sharp, mocking laugh. She's actually trying to use Tsunade as a shield?
Danzo's face twisted into something monstrous. His single eye flared with a dark, predatory light, and the temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop ten degrees.
He didn't lose his composure, but his voice was a chilling whisper. "He is Tsunade's 'brother'? So what? He doesn't share her blood. And even if he did... her actual brother is currently rotting in a grave, isn't he?"
The words were a venomous jab. Had Tsunade been there, she would have leveled the building with a single punch.
Danzo leaned in, his single eye boring into Nono'u. "You are currently useless to me. If you refuse to cooperate, perhaps I should select a few of these orphans to be trained as your 'replacements.' I'm sure I can find one or two who are even more talented than you."
Nono'u's eyes filled with pure despair. He was forcing her to choose: sacrifice Saiki's soul, or watch every child in her care be drafted into the meat grinder of Root.
For the children, Nono'u would gladly die a thousand deaths. But being forced to choose between Saiki and the rest of her family... it was a choice she couldn't make.
Seeing her broken expression, Danzo's smirk returned. "You thought you could escape the roots? Nothing escapes me."
He let out a cold snort and turned toward the gate. "I am a busy man. I expect the answer I want by sunrise tomorrow. Don't disappoint me again."
Nono'u remained on her knee long after he left. When the disparity in power and status is absolute, even the most brilliant mind cannot find a way out.
But Saiki had a solution. If you can't solve the problem, you just kill the source of the problem.
Leaving the orphanage, Danzo felt a rare sense of satisfaction. Nono'u, the "Walking Priestess," was one of the few who had ever managed to slip his leash. Seeing her beg for mercy again was a sweet victory for his ego.
He hadn't walked far from the orphanage when a lone silhouette stepped into the middle of the road, blocking his path.
"Who goes there?!"
Danzo's two bodyguards gasped. They couldn't sense a shred of chakra from the figure. They instantly stepped in front of Danzo, weapons drawn.
As they got closer, they froze. Saiki stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other resting casually on the hilt of his sword. A faint, mocking smile played on his lips as he watched them.
Saiki was smiling, but beneath the surface, his eyes were as cold as a winter grave.
Danzo blinked, then let out a sharp, dismissive sneer. "Hmph. I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep, brat. It saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
Despite his words, Danzo was on high alert. Saiki might be a child, but the combat reports on his desk weren't fairytales.
Saiki ignored the taunt, his gaze fixed on Danzo. "Is life really so boring that you're in such a hurry to end it?"
Danzo stared at him for a second, then erupted into a fit of dark, rasping laughter.
"Hahaha! You've got a big mouth for a brat! Do you truly believe that because you have a bit of talent, you can challenge me? You are nothing but a naive child!"
Saiki's expression went flat, his voice turning into a bone-chilling whisper. "Danzo, you old dog. I didn't want to move this soon... but you've clearly decided that you're done living."
With that, Saiki's hand tightened on his hilt. He blurred into motion, launching himself at Danzo.