The newcomer was Orochimaru.
As Orochimaru and Akihara Kagura had previously mentioned, he had been keeping an eye on Yamashiro Kabuto, and he had even wanted to intervene when Uchiha Itachi took action.
Fortunately.
Akihara Kagura arrived just in time.
After listening to Yamashiro Kabuto's story, Orochimaru somewhat doubted whether Akihara Kagura was indeed a child from the Konoha Orphanage, as both Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou believed Kagura was from the orphanage, only to have been kidnapped by him back then...
That child...
Could it be that the child truly was from the Konoha Orphanage, just that he sneaked out and coincidentally ran into him on the run from Konoha and was captured?
Orochimaru recalled that Akihara Kagura had mentioned that Yamashiro Kabuto already believed he was a child from the orphanage, and Shimura Danzo had done a good job handling it.
What on earth was going on?
Could it be because that child hails from the Konoha Orphanage that when he proposed sending him back to Konoha to see Danzo, the child wanted to save Yakushi Nonou and Yamashiro Kabuto, thus agreeing to his plan?
That child...
Was he always pretending?
Was everything done to rescue Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou?
According to Orochimaru's speculation, this was more likely because if Akihara Kagura went by the identity arranged by Danzo, he should have killed Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou to avoid revealing any identity flaws, instead of saving them.
It couldn't be...
Because he mentioned wanting to use Yamashiro Kabuto?
Orochimaru's heart shook, feeling that this possibility was not small, as Akihara Kagura was extreme and would follow his orders at all costs, even at the risk of his own life.
Back then, he casually mentioned that the Hashirama Cell transplantation experiments were always unsuccessful, and that child volunteered to become a test subject, executing his orders too extremely...
Forget it.
He would ask Kagura about this later.
No matter what, this was beneficial for Orochimaru now.
Because of Akihara Kagura's high talent, his identity issue will certainly catch Konoha's attention. Only having a Konoha origin can allow Akihara Kagura to gain more trust in Konoha.
The most important thing now is to take Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou to his experimental base to prevent these two medical ninjas from really returning to Konoha...
It was reasonable.
Given that Orochimaru had once kidnapped Akihara Kagura, Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou extremely disliked Orochimaru yet feared his power.
However…
As Akihara Kagura's superior, Orochimaru was proficient at manipulating people. He only needed two things to compel them to rely on him.
"I can help you solve the Shimura Danzo problem."
Orochimaru looked at Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou with a sinister smile, offering them a condition they couldn't refuse: "As long as I'm willing to step in, Shimura Danzo will no longer hunt you down, nor will he cause trouble for Kagura for saving you both."
"..."
Yakushi Nonou was silent, unsure of how to respond.
As this offer truly tempted her, she also knew that Orochimaru was an extremely dangerous individual, turning to him was undoubtedly escaping the wolf's den to enter the tiger's.
Yamashiro Kabuto's thoughts ran deeper as he pondered for a moment, then posed his own question: "If we were to join you and become Konoha traitorous ninjas, would that bring trouble to Kagura?"
"Not only won't it, but it would even help Kagura."
Orochimaru grinned wider and continued lightly: "That child has always been my test subject; I've never been willing to let him leave my side. It's just that I need information from Konoha, so I sent him back as my spy."
When Orochimaru said this, his eyes narrowed slightly: "This is a dangerous job, but I mentioned the potential crises you might face and how Shimura Danzo ordered me to get rid of you, and that child went without hesitation..."
"We've agreed."
Yamashiro Kabuto adjusted his glasses and spoke softly: "After all, we have no power to resist Lord Orochimaru. Accepting is our best choice, isn't it? When can we return to Konoha, and when can we see Kagura again?"
"..."
Yakushi Nonou furrowed her brows.
Originally, Yakushi Nonou thought Akihara Kagura was having a tough time already; she never imagined that the child was living a life harder than she thought, even having to maneuver in front of Orochimaru.
After all, Orochimaru was Konoha's S-Class Traitorous Ninja...
Once discovered, that child's life would be over!
"Let me contact Danzo again!"
Orochimaru spread his hands, smiling as he spoke: "Welcome to visit my base, it's a good chance to see the environment Kagura grew up in..."
"..."
The hearts of Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou trembled.
Because Akihara Kagura, as Orochimaru said, actually had a more tragic life.
"As expected of Lord Orochimaru..."
When Akihara Kagura observed Orochimaru recruiting Yamashiro Kabuto and Yakushi Nonou using the Dark Side of the Ninja World, he couldn't help but praise Orochimaru in his heart.
His superior's manipulation skills were almost catching up to his!
If Orochimaru were willing to lend a hand, he could indeed help him resolve the Shimura Danzo problem; the only issue was that his superior, Shimura Danzo, might not like him.
However...
That doesn't matter either.
As long as his identity crisis could be resolved first, that was enough.