Kakashi Hatake felt his scalp prickling a bit.
He was just an ordinary Konoha Anbu ninja, so why was he involved in the matter of two brats competing for the future leadership of Root?
However…
Kakashi Hatake had no choice but to get involved.
After all, both candidates competing for the future leadership of Root were under his command.
"I still think we should hand over Lord Tsuchikage to Lord Hokage for handling."
Kakashi Hatake's mind was racing, carefully suggesting to Akihara Kagura, "With such an achievement, the Hokage will agree to all your requests... Didn't you want to become the leader of Root to rescue Yakushi Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou?"
"..."
Akihara Kagura slowly shook his head, saying in a deep voice, "Let's leave here first, avoid the Iwa ninjas' encirclement, and decide after we return to the Land of Fire!"
Akihara Kagura shook his head and sighed, "Avoiding the Iwa ninjas' encirclement and blockade isn't easy, especially when we have to take Lord Tsuchikage with us."
"By the way, where's Itachi?"
Kakashi Hatake recalled another teammate, wondering why Uchiha Itachi didn't come along. Could that subordinate have been killed by Akihara Kagura?
"Uchiha Itachi didn't come along."
Akihara Kagura sneered, continuing indifferently, "Because he thought it was too dangerous to come here to save you. He plans to become the future leader of Root, part of Konoha's high-level, so how could he take such a risk?"
"Itachi isn't that kind of person..."
Kakashi Hatake frowned, defending Uchiha Itachi offhandedly.
Though Kakashi Hatake hadn't spent much time with Uchiha Itachi, he believed that polite kid wouldn't abandon a teammate's life for power.
"Tsk..."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Kakashi Hatake, seemingly puzzled, "Someone like me came here to save you, so why wouldn't Uchiha Itachi join me in rescuing you? Does he have some important mission? Does he think he's saving Konoha?"
"Ahem, don't devalue yourself..."
Kakashi Hatake coughed a few times, reminding, "And also, next time when you're rescuing people, can you first check whether the person you're rescuing has been captured or not?"
"Just tell me whether they've been rescued, right?"
Akihara Kagura always seemed to focus solely on the outcome.
"..."
Kakashi Hatake found it hard to argue.
In terms of the result, he was indeed rescued, and he wasn't tortured by The Hidden Rock Village, but psychologically, he was a bit unsettled.
"By the way."
Kakashi Hatake refused to discuss this further, speaking softly about his encounter with Kabuto in The Hidden Rock Village: "Yakushi Kabuto seemed to have received an assassination mission. He's always suspected you of trying to manipulate him and Yakushi Nonou into killing each other..."
"Oh."
Akihara Kagura remained silent, his expression calm.
Akihara Kagura's gaze remained calm as he slowly looked towards Kakashi Hatake, his eyes carrying a sense of suppression, seemingly filled with expectation, questioning, and pressure.
"That idiot Yakushi Kabuto..."
"Did he say where his assassination mission would be?"
"It seems like... Earth River Canyon."
Kakashi Hatake thought for a moment before giving an answer, also providing a time, "If I remember correctly, it should be tomorrow. If we hurry, we should make it, right?"
"More than enough time."
Akihara Kagura spoke calmly as ever.
"Are you going to kill him?"
Kakashi Hatake furrowed his brows, continuing, "I heard him mention your past, and how you and Danzo wanted to manipulate him into fighting with Yakushi Nonou..."
"..."
Akihara Kagura's brow also furrowed, his lips curled into a cold smile, showing faint disdain for Kabuto's stupidity.
"That fool..."
"Did he really say that to you?"
"Uh."
Kakashi Hatake rubbed the fringe of hair on his forehead, saying softly, "I don't believe you're capable of that. It must be something Danzo wanted to do..."
Since learning about Akihara Kagura's past, Kakashi Hatake understood the darkness in this little one's heart and his tragic childhood.
This was a kid that evoked compassion.
Kakashi Hatake didn't know what it felt like to be forgotten or abandoned, but he knew it must be unbearable, perhaps part of why Akihara Kagura's actions and personality grew more extreme.
"I'm sorry."
Kakashi Hatake placed a hand on Akihara Kagura's shoulder.
This was to apologize for not understanding Akihara Kagura's past and frequently misconstruing his extreme behavior, appreciating how this kid still managed to maintain his inner kindness.
"Let's go."
Akihara Kagura didn't mind, simply extending his hand to pick up the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, turning to them as he spoke, "Karin, place your hands on me, and I'll use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to get us out of here!"
"Yes, Lord Kagura!"
Little Karin immediately clutched Akihara Kagura's clothes.
This little team, carrying their spoils of war, vanished from the scene in an instant.
Akihara Kagura utilized the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and Super Lightweight Rock Jutsu, skillfully bypassing the encirclement and blockade set by the Iwa ninjas, heading directly towards Earth River Canyon.
Earth River Canyon.
Uchiha Itachi had arrived there early.
This task, eliminating two defectors, was especially important to Uchiha Itachi and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes, so he'd been lying in wait here for an entire day.
Until last night, when Uchiha Itachi secretly spotted a familiar figure there, someone he'd previously encountered — Yakushi Nonou...
This senior searched for a long time there, eventually setting up some makeshift traps before finding a rock to hide behind...
Could it be that Yakushi Nonou also took an assassination mission targeting defectors?
That's possible too.
What if Shimura Danzo is worried that he won't be able to complete the assessment, and deliberately leaves a senior here to finish up or monitor his assessment? This isn't surprising at all.
In fact.
Yakushi Nonou is completely worried about her inability to complete the mission.
It's not easy for a Medical Ninja to kill like a Combat Ninja; she has to rely on various methods, be it ambushes, traps, or poisoning, all of which need to be employed.
March 16th.
Another person arrived at the Earth River Canyon.
Uchiha Itachi recognized this person as a fellow intelligence operative he had encountered before, Yao Shidou. Was this person also here to support him?
However…
The situation unfolded beyond Uchiha Itachi's imagination!
While Uchiha Itachi was still contemplating, Yakushi Nonou couldn't restrain herself and suddenly charged towards Yao Shidou, flinging a shuriken at him!
Yao Shidou swiftly dodged the incoming shuriken, striving to evade Yakushi Nonou's attacks, and landed a palm on Yakushi Nonou's shoulder!
"Director!"
"It's me, Shidou! I am Yao Shidou!"
Yao Shidou pressed a hand on Yakushi Nonou's shoulder, halting her intent to continue attacking, and sternly explained, "Shimura Danzo deceived us! The photos he's been giving you are fake! He's setting us against each other; this is Kagura and Shimura Danzo's conspiracy!"
"What… do you mean? You're Shidou?"
A trace of doubt and confusion flashed through Yakushi Nonou's eyes.
"It's me."
Yao Shidou quickly nodded, recalling their past at the orphanage: "Do you remember? Director! You gave me these glasses! You taught me Medical Ninjutsu! You gave me this name!"
"The orphanage's rules, sleep by nine at night, don't waste food when eating, don't argue or quarrel with companions, no horsing around in the rest area…"
"We treated casualties from the war together to earn funds…"
"We collected cardboard boxes together…"
The scenes from Konoha Orphanage seemed etched into Yao Shidou's bones; Yao Shidou always remembered every bit of his time there…
These memories indeed existed!
These stories were only known to the children of the orphanage!
Especially some things only known to him and Yakushi Nonou, absolutely impossible for a third person to know!
Yao Shidou spoke of his longing for life at the orphanage, of the words he had yearned to say: "I've always missed the director, always wanted to see the director, always thought maybe one day I could return to the orphanage…"
"Shidou…"
Yakushi Nonou's eyes were slightly moist.
This gentle woman reached out to embrace Yao Shidou's shoulders, as she had at the orphanage, like a mother gently wrapping an arm around him.
"You've grown so much…"
"Director!"
Yao Shidou could no longer suppress his emotions, years of longing and feelings finally finding relief as he once again saw the person he wanted to see.
The most important thing is…
He and the director no longer need to kill each other!
Their fate wouldn't be like the conspiracy Kagura spoke of!
"Ever since I joined Root, I was sent around as a spy by Danzo shortly after, never knowing the director was looking for me…"
Yao Shidou's emotions gradually calmed down as he began to talk about his life after joining Root, instinctively omitting the dangers and hardships of being a spy.
However, as someone who had always been a spy, how could Yakushi Nonou not understand? She could only gently stroke his forehead, showing a warm smile.
"This isn't a responsibility you should bear…"
Yakushi Nonou shook her head and spoke of her plan: "I had an agreement with Danzo; after completing one last mission, I could let you leave Root…"
"This is Kagura and Danzo's conspiracy."
Yao Shidou quickly shook his head, gritting his teeth as he said: "Danzo never intended to let us leave Root; he's been sending you fake photos of me all along, he's been deceiving you!"
"..."
Yakushi Nonou slowly took out a photo from her pocket, depicting a young man with a slightly sinister smile.
"This is a fake!"
Yao Shidou quickly snatched the photo, sternly revealing: "Director, the assassination targets you received, inside there is my photo; this is Kagura's revenge, a conspiracy meticulously crafted by him and Danzo. He wants us to kill each other…"
"Kagura? This name sounds somewhat familiar…"
Yakushi Nonou vaguely felt that the name sounded familiar.
Suddenly Yakushi Nonou remembered something, recalling when she had heard the name before.
Just a few days ago, when she met with a boy sent by Konoha, another boy unexpectedly appeared and was almost mistaken by her as an enemy and injured…
That boy seemed to know her?
Others referred to that boy as Kagura-kun?
"Director, do you remember Kagura?"
Yao Shidou looked at Yakushi Nonou, cautiously reminding her: "Akihara Kagura, he was also a child from the orphanage, but after not long he was taken by Orochimaru for human experimentation. We all thought he was dead, but actually, he's still alive!"
"Ah!"
Yakushi Nonou's face slowly changed.
Yakushi Nonou didn't recall adopting a child named Akihara Kagura, she only remembered the young boy she had met smiling. That young boy who had been injured by her yet still nonchalantly praised her!
"He was… a child from the orphanage?"
Yakushi Nonou's heart twitched slightly, and her body began to tremble a little: "But… Shidou… it seems like I've forgotten him…"
Yakushi Nonou slowly turned her head to look at Yao Shidou, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Shidou… I shouldn't… I shouldn't forget any of the children… I've never forgotten any of my children!"
"It's okay."
Yao Shidou's expression also showed some dejection as he gently reached out to hold the director, comforting her emotions: "It's okay… Director… Kagura's situation… It's not your fault... It's Orochimaru's fault… It's Danzo's fault, for hiding the fact that Kagura was still alive from us!"