"I wonder, what brings you here, Sister Nono?"
Shimizu Uchiha maintained a look of mild confusion. Shortly after Natsu Hyuga and Ginka Hyuga had departed, Nono'u Yakushi had arrived at his door.
Shimizu pulled out all the exquisite ingredients from his refrigerator and prepared a lavish dinner for her. Usually, he consumed Military Rations Pills simply for convenience, but whenever he felt the urge to satisfy his palate, he would cook something gourmet.
Shimizu was currently far from short on cash. For certain rare ingredients that were difficult to find on the market, he would have Miroku dispatch people to track them down and purchase them. He was essentially utilizing the resources of an entire nation to satisfy his personal tastes. Fortunately, since he only indulged occasionally, the expenses weren't particularly staggering.
"It's... the children at the orphanage..."
A look of worry clouded Nono'u Yakushi's saintly face. She tightened her grip on the chopsticks in her hand.
"Are they... short on funds again?" Shimizu asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes," Nono'u nodded, her expression filled with embarrassment.
It hadn't been long since the last time Shimizu provided financial aid to the orphanage, yet here she was again, having the audacity to seek him out. Sometimes, Nono'u would try to look at things from his perspective. She wondered how she would feel if she were Shimizu, facing someone who was constantly asking for more.
The answer was obvious. Even she would find it excessive.
"Ah, I see. I still have some savings left," Shimizu said as he stood up. "Wait here for a moment."
With that, he headed up to the second floor.
Left alone on the first floor, Nono'u observed the layout of Shimizu's home. Suddenly, she noticed a white pigeon staring at her.
"It's that same pigeon from back then."
Nono'u had treated this white pigeon years ago, and even after all this time, the memory hadn't faded. That had been her first real interaction with Shimizu.
She was suddenly overcome with a whirlwind of emotions. Shimizu had been so kind-hearted since he was a child, yet she found herself exploiting that kindness time and time again. She was taking his money to fund the orphanage. She was the director of the orphanage, while Shimizu was technically just a passerby. Now, the majority of the orphanage's finances were being covered by him.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt the weight of his kindness—a mountain of debt that far exceeded the "education" she had once provided him.
On her way over, she had overheard conversations between various shinobi. Relying on her elite skills as a spy, she had pieced together the current state of Konohagakure from just a few scattered words. She realized that Shimizu was currently at the height of his fame, far more renowned than she had imagined. No wonder the shinobi she treated at the orphanage became so excited at the mere mention of his name.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't realize the orphanage was struggling so much," Shimizu said, returning with a Sealing Scroll.
"This is the commission I earned from completing tasks recently. It was a long-term mission, so the payout was quite substantial. The ingredients for dinner were bought with that money as well."
"I see," Nono'u nodded. She finally understood why the aid Shimizu had been sending recently had started to dwindle.
"One million Ryo!" Nono'u gasped.
She opened the scroll to find stacks of cash: ten bundles, each containing ten envelopes, with each envelope holding roughly ten thousand Ryo. This was the total payout equivalent to an S-rank mission.
She had executed S-rank missions before; only tasks involving major national secrets were classified as such. Furthermore, that money usually had to be split among a team. Being a member of Root, another ten percent would be skimmed off by the organization.
In Root, there was no room for entertainment; one only needed the bare essentials for survival. Most members had their emotions erased and possessed few desires, so they cared little for money. This allowed Danzō Shimura to amass a fortune every year, which Nono'u vaguely knew was funneled to Orochimaru for his research—though she didn't know the specifics of that research.
"This must have been so difficult to earn," Nono'u said, trying to push the money back toward Shimizu. It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was his "blood money"—wages earned by risking his life.
"Sister Nono'u, given our relationship, what does this bit of money matter?" Shimizu said earnestly.
Before coming back downstairs, Shimizu had placed a light hypnotic suggestion on himself. His gaze now carried a hint of innocent adoration—the look of a boy starved for affection, longing for the care and validation of an older sister.
"This..."
Nono'u realized that Shimizu's attachment to her was... incredibly deep. When had this happened? Was it during those two years she taught him? Or had their reunion after years of separation caused these feelings to ferment into something more serious?
"I can accept some, but I cannot take this much," Nono'u insisted, pushing the scroll back. She took out only enough to sustain the orphanage for a short while. The total amount was simply too much; with all the accumulated help, she had no idea how she could ever repay the boy.
"Just take it," Shimizu said, pressing the Sealing Scroll into the palm of Nono'u's hand. She tried to push it back again, only to find that she couldn't budge his hand at all.
"Sigh." She let out a long, internal sigh.
She had achieved her goal and solved the orphanage's crisis, but a heavy stone now weighed on her heart.
"Let's keep eating," Shimizu said, returning to his seat and picking up his chopsticks.
"...Okay."
Nono'u carefully tucked the Sealing Scroll into her small cloth pouch. The pouch was old and bore obvious signs of mending, yet she couldn't bring herself to discard it.
The two continued their meal. Shimizu shared a few humorous jokes, easing the slightly tense atmosphere.
"I'm going to use the restroom," Shimizu said suddenly.
"Alright."
Nono'u had finished eating as well. She sat on the living room sofa, her gaze drifting aimlessly around Shimizu's home. There was a television opposite the sofa, but Nono'u wasn't in the habit of touching other people's belongings without permission. She sat quietly, waiting for him.
Clatter...
At that moment, the sound of a box falling echoed through the room. Nono'u looked toward the source. Even though she had been out of the shinobi world for years, her alertness hadn't dulled.
She saw the white pigeon from earlier. It had knocked a box off a cabinet. The lid had flown a meter away upon impact, and the contents were scattered across the floor.
"What is... this?" Nono'u's voice trembled slightly.
She saw herself.
Looking closer, she realized they were photographs of her and Shimizu. They had taken a few photos together back then. In them, Shimizu stood in front while she stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders, both smiling at the camera.
There were other photos in various poses. Some had even been enlarged, focusing solely on her smiling face. While keeping photos as mementos was normal, Nono'u was shocked to see that the entire box was filled with them. It was as if he were terrified these images might be lost or damaged by time.
"Shimizu... this child, could it be that he truly...?" Nono'u trailed off, lost in thought.
When a gentle woman enters the life of an orphan, it's not uncommon for such things to happen. In her decades-long career, she had seen it before. A lack of love often caused these children to harbor an adoration for older women that exceeded the norm.
In all likelihood, this was the case with Shimizu.
She looked down at her own body. She couldn't even see her feet; her chest completely obstructed the view.
"Truly a sinful body," she thought.
At Nono'u's age, she had long since become cynical about such things. During her decades in Root, even without formal brainwashing, she had been influenced by the constant contact with colleagues who acted like machines. She felt very little toward romantic matters.
Furthermore, her work as a spy required excellent information gathering and the ability to quickly adapt to the customs of other nations. Nono'u had seen far too much scheming and betrayal. Two people who loved each other one day could become sworn enemies the next, ending in a "kill or be killed" scenario.
This was why Nono'u loved children. They were innocent and kind, possessing the purest human qualities. She believed that people were inherently good and that with proper guidance, any child could grow up to be upright. Of course, she had met those who were "born bad," but they were the exception.
"How should I correct this child?" Nono'u felt conflicted.
From her perspective, it felt like her own fault. If her body weren't so "distracting," perhaps this wouldn't have happened. She thought of the plump nun at the orphanage; she had raised many children before Nono'u even met her, yet those children only looked at her with familial love—none with adoration or desire.
But with her, it was different. The look in Shimizu's eyes carried those very emotions.
"Sister Nono'u, why don't we watch some TV? The programs are a bit boring, but they're okay for passing the time," Shimizu said, walking into the living room. He sat down next to her, picked up the remote, and turned on the television.
Konohagakure used LCD-like monitors for surveillance, so naturally, they had televisions as well. The entertainment industry was quite developed in the regions near the Land of Snow, producing many actors. Most of the programs on TV were their contributions. They were mostly soap operas, which Shimizu had little interest in, using them only to kill time when he was bored.
"Um, yes," Nono'u said, her expression looking a bit unnatural. "Your box fell over."
Shimizu looked surprised, a flush of embarrassment creeping onto his face. He quickly scanned the room and noticed the small black box lying on the floor to the left of the cabinet. He hurried over to gather the scattered photos and put them back.
"Uh... Sister Nono'u, those are just some things I kept as souvenirs," Shimizu said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Seeing his distress, Nono'u hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Shimizu, is there any girl your own age that you like?"
"Not really. They're all so immature. If only they were more like you, Sister Nono'u. If I look for a wife in the future, she definitely has to be just like you."
Shimizu looked directly into Nono'u's eyes as he spoke.
Nono'u's brow furrowed slightly. Things were heading in the exact direction she had hoped to avoid. This child's path... had already veered off course. Young people should like other young people.
I'm probably as old as his mother, she thought. How could this be appropriate?
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