Chapter 361 – Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto (Double Length Chapter)
"I really didn't expect Konoha to turn into Orochimaru's personal backyard," Ayaka said with a faintly amused expression as they walked toward the Konoha Orphanage.
"Looks like you're not doing such a great job as Head of the Police Force, either."
They had already parted ways with Orochimaru.
Unsurprisingly, he had accepted Kei's terms in the end.
Whether it was because the "payment" Kei offered was too tempting, or because Orochimaru himself was deeply intrigued by what Kei was investigating, he showed no hesitation whatsoever.
After telling them where Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto were, the three separated cleanly.
Orochimaru even left behind a summoning contract.
Kei still hadn't formally chosen a summoning path.
To him, there was little that a summoned creature could offer that would compare to Susanoo.
Tailed Beasts, on the other hand, fit his preferences perfectly—and he did possess the ability to control them.
Coupled with the interaction between Susanoo and a Tailed Beast, forming something akin to a "Beast of Disaster," it would have been the ideal choice.
Unfortunately, Tailed Beasts were no longer a realistic option.
None of them were unclaimed, and Konoha's current political situation would never allow the village to possess another one.
With no suitable options available, Kei had never bothered forcing the issue.
As for senjutsu chakra, he already had plans and preparations in place. He had no real interest in training it directly.
But now he realized that while summoning techniques might not greatly enhance his combat strength, they were excellent for discreet communication.
Take Orochimaru, for example.
Maintaining contact with him was hardly something that could be done openly.
In fact, it could easily become a critical vulnerability.
That made concealed channels of communication absolutely necessary.
And summoning techniques were one of the most reliable options.
Even if Kei wasn't particularly fond of them, he had no reason to refuse Orochimaru's offer.
Besides, snake summons weren't useless—their defensive capabilities were astonishing.
If he ever found himself in serious trouble, he could always take a page from his junior Sasuke's book and let giant serpents serve as living shields.
"After all, he almost became Hokage," Kei said calmly, shaking his head.
"Someone like him having that level of ability isn't surprising at all."
"The Police Force simply doesn't have many truly top-tier combatants. Even Kouta, Kawa, and Hizashi fall short. Uchiha Jun, on the other hand… her strength lies more in administration."
"So she's the one your clan arranged for you?" Ayaka tilted her head, her expression oddly subtle.
"You know what I mean. She's a bit older than you, but she's beautiful, intelligent, and closely aligned with your clan head. If you two joined forces, wouldn't that give your clan even more confidence?"
Kei suddenly raised his hand and firmly ruffled Ayaka's hair.
"Do I need his confidence?" he said flatly.
"You underestimate me—and you underestimate my relationship with Uchiha Fugaku."
"I'm not you. I don't need to stabilize my position through marriage."
"Are you insane? Take your hand off me!"
Ayaka slapped his hand away, glaring.
"Do that again and I will retaliate—even if I can't beat you!"
Kei shrugged, finding her fierce tone paired with such an honest admission oddly amusing.
He didn't push further.
As Ayaka fixed her slightly disheveled hair, Kei looked ahead.
To be fair, she wasn't wrong.
Uchiha Jun's appearance, competence, and the faction she represented made her an ideal match—on paper.
But that was exactly the problem.
Kei had no interest in relationships formed purely from political calculus.
And Fugaku neither would nor dared to force such a thing on him.
"You really are annoying," Ayaka muttered after fixing her hair.
"Your personality is terrible."
Then she looked up again.
"By the way—letting Orochimaru handle this… is that really a good idea?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it," Kei replied, glancing toward the faint outline of buildings ahead.
"As I said, I lack manpower, and my movements can't be too obvious."
"And to be honest, I'm deliberately piquing Orochimaru's curiosity."
"Deliberately?" Ayaka froze for a moment, then realization dawned.
"You're planning to let him test and verify things we can't right now? Use him for experiments?"
"Exactly. And Orochimaru's capabilities need no explanation."
Kei's lips curved slightly.
"If he really does find something—though it's unlikely, since cells lose viability over time—then with enough luck…"
"He does possess a technique capable of pulling the dead back from the Pure Land."
Dragging the dead back from the afterlife sounded absurd to Ayaka.
Yet the way Kei said it left little room for doubt—he clearly knew something extraordinary.
She wasn't particularly interested in resurrecting the dead.
She had no loved ones she wished to bring back.
Those who died before her were either executed by her own hand—or meant nothing to her.
But if Orochimaru did manage to resurrect ancient Hyūga figures…
Then things would become truly interesting.
It would also validate some of Kei's claims.
As for experiments, she didn't place much faith in Orochimaru—he lacked both the data and materials.
Still, another thought crossed her mind.
Perhaps Kei was also using Orochimaru to search for that so-called path leading to the moon.
She didn't voice it.
Kei was the architect of this entire plan. He wouldn't act without reason.
And more help—especially from someone not bound to Konoha—only reduced their burden.
Orochimaru's freedom of movement far surpassed Kei's, or that of the Uchiha under him.
That flexibility alone made him valuable.
The two chatted casually as they walked, soon arriving at the Konoha Orphanage.
It looked much the same as before—quiet, subdued, yet filled with a certain vitality.
In the courtyard, several children were playing.
But just like before, the moment they noticed Kei and Ayaka, the children froze—then instinctively ran back inside.
"They seem scared of us," Ayaka said softly.
"Was it the same when you brought Iori back?"
"More or less," Kei replied.
"Orphans are… overused. They've learned fear."
"And back then, they'd just lost their director. No one left to protect them."
"I see. So even with the 'wandering witch' returning, nothing's changed?"
Ayaka didn't dwell on it. Instead, she activated her Byakugan and scanned the surroundings.
"No ANBU for now. But I see our targets—and someone interesting."
"Interesting?" Kei frowned.
"The Third Hokage? No… if it were him, you wouldn't be this calm."
"…Iori?"
Kei hadn't paid her much attention recently.
She wasn't needed for the current experiments—and to be honest, he still didn't fully trust her.
That freedom left her with little to do beyond helping at his family's shop and attending classes.
Using his authority, Kei had enrolled her directly into the Ninja Academy.
The goal was simple.
Let her live.
And let her make friends.
Today might have been a school holiday—if so, her being here wasn't strange at all.
"Yes, it's Iori," Ayaka nodded. "Interesting. Your little sister is quite kind-hearted, isn't she? How old is she now—ten?"
"She just turned ten this year," Kei replied after a brief pause. "Since when did you start caring about things like that? And besides, I didn't come here for her."
"So you're still planning to erase her memories?" Ayaka shook her head. "That's pretty cruel… but I suppose it's understandable if it's to protect a secret."
"Protecting secrets isn't the important part," Kei said calmly, folding his arms across his chest. "What matters is that I want her to live better."
Then his gaze sharpened slightly.
"And they should be coming out by now, shouldn't they? I don't believe their reaction speed is that slow—especially since their return to Konoha isn't exactly… legal."
"True," Ayaka replied. "If I'm not mistaken, the 'Wandering Witch' is already on her way out. She's with a child—and your sister has come out as well."
"That's interesting," Kei said quietly. "Then let's hear what she has to say."
---
"Lord Kei, this is our first meeting. I ask for your guidance."
Inside one of the orphanage's offices, Yakushi Nonō bowed slightly, with Yakushi Kabuto standing beside her.
Kei sat calmly in his chair, observing the two of them. Beside him, Ayaka was gently holding Iori's hand—who kept her head lowered the entire time.
Iori still couldn't understand why Kei and Ayaka had appeared here, especially now—especially now that the headmistress had returned.
She was afraid.
Terrified that everything she had once escaped from would happen all over again.
Even though she knew she couldn't do anything to stop it, she still followed them inside.
"So you're the Wandering Witch—Yakushi Nonō," Kei said evenly. "I've heard your name before. A long time ago."
He nodded slightly.
"And judging by your reaction, you already know who I am. That being the case… do you know why I'm here?"
"I do, Lord Kei," Nonō answered, bowing her head deeply. Her voice was steady, almost unnervingly so.
"Lord Orochimaru already informed me. If you came today, it means you and Lord Orochimaru reached an agreement. If you hadn't—"
"Then it would mean Orochimaru and I failed to reach a deal," Kei interrupted with a smile,
"and you would have returned to Root to continue relaying information for him."
Kei chuckled softly.
"I have to say—you're surprisingly well-prepared. Or perhaps I should say… quite interesting."
His tone was light, but his guard was fully up.
Orochimaru had clearly earned Nonō's trust—enough that she stayed here deliberately, waiting for Kei to appear.
More than that, Orochimaru had predicted many outcomes in advance and made preparations before ever meeting him.
That confidence spoke volumes.
He must have been certain that the bargaining chips he offered were irresistible.
What Orochimaru hadn't anticipated, however, was that Kei had already laid groundwork of his own.
But that hardly mattered.
The more hidden pieces on the board, the clearer and more accurate the intelligence would become.
Everyone understood that principle.
And it was one of the reasons Orochimaru was so confident.
The Third Hokage's distrust of the Uchiha, combined with the current alliance between the Uchiha and the Fourth Hokage, formed an obvious fault line.
More importantly, the Fourth Hokage's people were still in the process of being cultivated—leaving the Third Hokage holding onto key positions for now.
"Lord Kei… someone in my position rarely has a choice," Nonō said quietly, her head still lowered.
"If not for Lord Orochimaru saving me and revealing what Danzō and the others were truly doing… I can't even imagine how desperate Kabuto and I would have become."
So Orochimaru told her everything, Kei thought.
That explained her obedience—but it couldn't be the whole story.
Someone as mentally resilient as a Root operative, someone who endured inhuman treatment, wouldn't be persuaded by words alone.
Orochimaru must have offered her something far more compelling.
But Kei had no interest in digging into that.
"So you're willing to serve me," he asked calmly, "because I killed Danzō?"
"Yes—but not only because of that."
Nonō raised her head and met Kei's gaze, though her eyes flicked briefly toward Iori behind him.
"There are… personal reasons as well. I admit that between Lord Orochimaru and yourself, I still lean toward him. But if Lord Orochimaru is absent—"
"That line was taught to you by Orochimaru, wasn't it?" Kei interrupted with a cold laugh.
"Spare me the sentimental nonsense—pledges of absolute loyalty mean nothing to me.
Honesty earns far more trust."
"You really are… fascinating."
"Please forgive me, Lord Kei," Nonō replied calmly, utterly unafraid.
And indeed, Kei had no intention of acting against her.
He was satisfied with this answer.
True, it was a pity they weren't fully loyal yet—but Kei had time.
Plenty of time, methods, and opportunities to draw them completely into his camp.
His eyes drifted briefly to Kabuto, who stood stiffly at Nonō's side.
Who would have thought that this timid-looking boy would one day become the mastermind behind countless Edo Tensei?
And if Kabuto were dealt with now… who would orchestrate the Fourth Shinobi War in the future?
Kei dismissed the thought.
There might not even be a Fourth War.
And if there was—perhaps it should happen.
That war forced the entire shinobi world into unity, producing an unprecedented era of peace.
After all, they had faced a single, overwhelming enemy.
If that enemy hadn't died—if it had merely been defeated—
then perhaps the world could have remained united against a common threat.
A shift from nations fighting each other…
to nations standing together against one colossal power.
But that was for the future.
For now, one thing was certain:
Filling Akatsuki with his own people was never a bad idea.
In another world, even a "super-secret organization" had been infiltrated to the point of absurdity—
the tragedy being that no one knew who among them was a spy.
Kei would never make that mistake.
If he infiltrated an organization, every infiltrator would be his.
Especially when even the leader was already one of his own.
"Enough," Kei said, standing up. His composure was effortless, his confidence absolute.
"I may be slightly disappointed—but as long as you complete your mission, I guarantee the orphanage will remain under my protection."
"If nothing unexpected happens, new tongue seals will be carved onto you soon.
How do you intend to transmit information then?"
"Lord Orochimaru has devised a method," Nonō answered immediately.
"It won't completely remove the seal, but it will weaken it. It won't interfere with reporting to you."
"Good." Kei nodded.
"So—when do you plan to 'expose' yourself and draw the Third Hokage's attention?"
"If all goes as planned, a messenger hawk will reach Konoha tomorrow afternoon and enter Root directly," Nonō replied.
"And your excuse?"
"We obtained top-secret intelligence in Iwagakure but were discovered, forcing a retreat."
Top-secret intelligence?
Kei raised an eyebrow. Ayaka paused as well.
Without waiting for instructions, she stood up and gently led Iori out of the room—locking the door behind her.
Only four people remained.
Kei nodded inwardly.
Their coordination was seamless—and reassuring.
"Go on," he said, fixing Nonō with a steady gaze.
"What kind of intelligence? Convince me first. This is your first report."
"Yes, Lord Kei."
Nonō dropped to one knee, her expression solemn.
"This was arranged by Lord Orochimaru—but the intelligence itself is genuine.
You should already be aware of the relationship between Iwagakure and Kumogakure."
"Don't ask what I know," Kei said flatly. "Say what you came to say."
"I understand."
"Due to the Third War, Iwagakure has been closely monitoring Kumogakure—just as Kumo has monitored them in return."
"This time, however, Iwa discovered something unusual."
"Kumogakure has selected a group of individuals—operatives being prepared to enter Konoha."
"And none of them possess any administrative experience."
She deliberately skipped mentioning Kumo's military mobilization—ANBU stationed there would have noticed it anyway.
This was the most direct and practical intelligence she had.
Kei's brows knitted slightly.
Kumogakure is already preparing… and that early?
He remained silent, considering the implications.
Someone with no diplomatic or administrative background wasn't sent to negotiate.
When Minato negotiated, he had Shikaku at his side.
"This is interesting," Kei said slowly. "But it's not enough."
"There's more," Nonō continued.
"An unconfirmed—but highly concerning—detail."
"Speak."
"They appear to be planning their visit to Konoha… on the birthday of a member of the Hyūga clan."