Chapter 406: The Ninja's Destiny
"These people are reacting quite intensely," Amamiya Kenichi said, looking at Yakushi Kabuto, who stood respectfully before him. Then he glanced down at the intelligence report in his hand and could not help pinching the bridge of his nose.
Although Amamiya Kenichi had already learned from his teacher that the Four Great Nations had jointly issued a bounty mission, after receiving more detailed information from Yakushi Kabuto, he still could not help marveling at how decisive the Daimyo of the Ninja World were.
Amamiya Kenichi had originally thought such a high bounty reward was already incredible, but he had never expected there to be an additional reward.
After the mission was completed, the mission shares originally belonging to the Land of Water would also be divided among the four Ninja Villages.
That was a long-term benefit.
Wealth moved people's hearts. There was no way the Kage of those Ninja Villages would not be tempted.
"My lord, according to the intelligence gathered so far, Iwagakure has dispatched a large number of ninja, but they have also left some ninja behind," Yakushi Kabuto said with his head lowered, relaying the information he had gathered earlier.
Before, when he had tried to cause trouble and make the major figures of the Ninja World focus their attention on the Land of Waterfall, he had thought his actions were already daring.
But after completing the mission and preparing to leave, Yakushi Kabuto realized that what he had done was actually quite childish.
Yakushi Kabuto had also wondered what Amamiya Kenichi intended to do by bringing out the Hero's Water.
After all, if it were him, he would never reveal such a powerful item to others.
He would guard it strictly and prevent other Ninja Villages from prying into it. As a ninja, he understood very well how important the Hero's Water was to a Ninja Village.
So he had thought Amamiya Kenichi might want to sell it for a good price, or perhaps use it to join a certain Ninja Village, or maybe even lure out an enemy to complete his revenge.
But he truly had not expected Amamiya Kenichi to use the Hero's Water to attract everyone's attention, then take that chance to annex the Land of Water directly.
One had to remember that this was a Great Nation.
Since becoming a spy, Yakushi Kabuto had gained some understanding of the Ninja World's history. Ever since the establishment of the Ninja Villages, the Five Great Nations had always stood at the top of this world. They were true colossal powers.
Even after three Great Ninja Wars, the status of the Five Great Nations had never changed. They had never declined and had always been the absolute rulers of this world.
But now, the Land of Water had been annexed, and Hidden Mist Village had been annihilated.
This was an enormous upheaval.
However, for now, this news was only known among the ninja of the various Ninja Villages. Civilians and small countries still seemed unaware.
"It's only natural they'd leave some people behind. After all, who knows if these people will gamble their nation's fate?" Amamiya Kenichi licked his lips.
If there was a lunatic who chose to preserve their strength in this situation, waited until the front lines opened up, and then launched an attack from behind, then...
Amamiya Kenichi looked thoughtfully at the intelligence report in his hand.
Indeed, the Four Great Nations had jointly issued a bounty mission targeting him, and the four Ninja Villages had, to a certain extent, chosen to cooperate. But Amamiya Kenichi understood the malicious nature of these people very well.
They would scheme against each other during battle, haggle endlessly over the spoils afterward, and even while fighting, they would still worry that their neighbors might steal their homes.
If that was the case, perhaps he could try something.
There was no need to actually fight.
He just had to send some ninja wearing the clothes of other Ninja Villages to attack one of those villages. It did not matter whether they could break in. As long as they made it clear which Ninja Village had supposedly done it, that would be enough.
It might look unlikely to succeed, but in reality, it was sufficient.
For ninja who could not cooperate completely, that level of provocation was already enough.
"Have you gathered intelligence on the other Ninja Villages?" Amamiya Kenichi asked Yakushi Kabuto.
He was not particularly expectant. After all, he knew it would be difficult for Kabuto to gather intelligence on so many Ninja Villages.
"Only some intelligence on Konoha. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has retired, and the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, has taken office. Also, Root has been rebuilt, and its current leader is Hiruzen Sarutobi," Yakushi Kabuto said, surprisingly revealing another piece of information.
Amamiya Kenichi froze after hearing this.
The Third Hokage's retirement was within his expectations.
Although under his influence, his teacher probably no longer had any intention of carrying out the Konoha Crush Plan, the Third Hokage's health was not good. Since Tsunade had returned, it proved that the Third Hokage had already considered retiring and passing on the torch.
What Amamiya Kenichi had not expected was that the Third Hokage had now become the leader of Root.
That was truly interesting.
One had to know that Danzo had previously provided some interesting intelligence. Although there had not been much useful information mixed in, considering all the evil deeds Danzo had committed, it could be said that Danzo had only stayed alive because Konoha stood behind him.
Amamiya Kenichi had previously thought that with Danzo dead, Root would likely be disbanded.
He had never expected Root to be rebuilt, and for its leader to be the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"How do you know? Did Root issue a summons?" Amamiya Kenichi looked at Yakushi Kabuto with interest.
He felt that this was the only possibility.
"Root issued a summons to me, ordering me to return to Root and report within seven days. Otherwise, I will be treated as a rogue ninja," Yakushi Kabuto said honestly.
Amamiya Kenichi nodded.
It seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to do something.
However, Yakushi Kabuto was quite talented, whether as a ninja or as a spy.
Kabuto performed well in both fields. Later, he had even infiltrated Konoha and colluded with Orochimaru to successfully deceive Konoha. He could be considered a versatile talent who had developed in two directions.
However, as for how to arrange Yakushi Kabuto, Amamiya Kenichi did not know yet.
Kabuto seemed to have taken his teacher's place in the future, triggering the Fourth Great Ninja War. It also seemed that Madara was revived by Yakushi Kabuto using Edo Tensei.
Then Madara himself released Edo Tensei's control and gained something close to infinite Chakra. That was absurdly overpowered.
"You've already met Yakushi Nonou, right?" Amamiya Kenichi made his decision.
Yakushi Kabuto revealed a gentle smile.
He had indeed met Yakushi Nonou, though she had not recognized him immediately when they first met. Fortunately, after they exchanged a few words, Nonou remembered him.
That made Yakushi Kabuto feel deeply happy inside.
"Is there still time for you to return to Konoha now?" Amamiya Kenichi continued asking.
Although Yakushi Kabuto was indeed someone with some talent in Senjutsu training, Amamiya Kenichi had already met plenty of such people.
And even if Yakushi Kabuto had talent, it would take time, possibly years, for him to grow into a combat force.
Several years.
Amamiya Kenichi did not even know whether he would still need Yakushi Kabuto's help by then.
So Amamiya Kenichi decided to let Yakushi Kabuto return to his old profession.
Being a spy.
"Yes, my lord. There is still time," Yakushi Kabuto said respectfully. He already understood what Amamiya Kenichi intended for him to do.
"Sister Nonou."
Yakushi Kabuto looked at the busy Yakushi Nonou in the orphanage. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
He had always felt that Yakushi Nonou was more like his mother, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"Hm? Kabuto? Are you going on a mission?" Yakushi Nonou wiped the sweat from her forehead, then turned and saw the smiling Yakushi Kabuto.
She had forgotten who he was before, but after hearing his name and surname, Nonou remembered him.
However, seeing Yakushi Kabuto's attire, she knew this unfortunate child still had his own affairs to attend to.
Although she felt reluctant and thought it was a bit too much, she could not say anything.
Because in this terrible world, Nonou deeply understood that this was the destiny of ninja.
An unavoidable destiny.
"Yes, I have a mission to carry out," Yakushi Kabuto said.
He looked at Nonou, then at the Starting Point Orphanage behind her, and a gentle light appeared in his eyes as he thought of the past.
He truly had not expected Yakushi Nonou to be brought to the Land of Water and allowed to do what she loved most: caring for orphans in an orphanage.
Although he did not know why that lord had named this orphanage Starting Point Orphanage, Kabuto thought the name was quite nice.
Nonou's expression was somewhat complicated.
After being brought to the Land of Water, she had been anxious at first. But once she truly started working as the orphanage director, her heart gradually settled down.
From what she could see, the Land of Water, which should now be considered part of Amamiya Kenichi's territory, had actually become more comfortable for the people living there despite being annexed. Taxes were no longer as heavy, and the people seemed happier. When she went out to buy ingredients, she also noticed that food and other goods had become cheaper.
She had once wondered why Amamiya Kenichi, a child who had come from the Konoha orphanage, named this orphanage "Starting Point."
But he had only told her that this orphanage would surely become famous throughout the world in the future.
Nonou did not quite understand, but she did not ask further.
She was very happy to be doing what she loved most.
But looking at Kabuto, whom she had once brought into the orphanage and personally named, now having to go out on another mission, Nonou's heart was still conflicted.
"I'll be fine, Sister Nonou," Yakushi Kabuto said when he saw her worry.
He smiled and waved his hand.
As a ninja, he never believed he could stay out of things.
Compared to serving Root and Danzo, Yakushi Kabuto felt that serving Amamiya Kenichi had more promise.
At the very least, Amamiya Kenichi had truly allowed him to see Nonou, and Nonou was living very peacefully.
He was a lord who kept his word.
Yakushi Kabuto and Nonou chatted for a while before he turned and left.
Although Amamiya Kenichi had not set a specific departure time for him, as a spy, Yakushi Kabuto knew the value of time.
[After you complete this mission, you can do what you like.]
The lord's words still echoed in his mind.
When he heard those words, Yakushi Kabuto's first reaction had been disbelief.
After all, as a spy, he had countless missions every day, one mission after another. It was almost impossible for him to have his own time to do what he liked.
At that moment, Yakushi Kabuto had not believed it.
But thinking about how the lord had fulfilled every promise he had made, hope still rose in Kabuto's heart.
Perhaps...
Perhaps after this, he really would not have to be a spy anymore.
He could work together with Sister Nonou at the orphanage.
"What do you think of Yakushi Kabuto?" Amamiya Kenichi stood in the laboratory, currently making an atomic bomb according to the proportions.
The Ninja World did not have technical lathes or similar equipment. Everything had to be processed by hand.
Every time he wanted to achieve perfection, Amamiya Kenichi had to use his Mangekyo Sharingan to polish the details.
"Capable, but not very ambitious," Uchiha Shiori said while pouring Amamiya Kenichi a cup of hot tea.
Amamiya Kenichi nodded.
Although he knew Yakushi Kabuto, he was not particularly clear about Kabuto's personality. He needed to learn more from Uchiha Shiori.
He had not implanted a parasite in Yakushi Kabuto even now because Kabuto was involved in espionage, and implanting a parasite would make him easier to discover. Therefore, Amamiya Kenichi could only control him through other means.
The only thing Amamiya Kenichi knew for certain was that Yakushi Kabuto cared deeply about Yakushi Nonou.
That was why he had brought Yakushi Nonou over.
"Take this letter and place it five kilometers west and three hundred meters north of the experimental base," Amamiya Kenichi said casually, handing the letter on the table to Uchiha Shiori.
During this period, Uchiha Shiori's ability had been developed quite well.
This woman had actually started a delivery service.
Although Amamiya Kenichi felt this ability seemed useless in battle, it was very useful in daily life.
"Understood." Uchiha Shiori did not ask why.
She took the letter and delivered it exactly as Amamiya Kenichi requested. Along the way, she did not even think of opening it to take a look.
This was what satisfied Amamiya Kenichi most about Uchiha Shiori.
She was a smart person who knew what she should look at and what she should not.
"Lord Amamiya, Miss Hikari has been waiting outside the laboratory for you for a long time," Uchiha Shiori said while watching Amamiya Kenichi carry out his experiment. After some thought, she still reminded him.
Amamiya Kenichi froze when he heard this.
Hikari?
"Alright. I understand." Amamiya Kenichi looked at the atomic bomb slowly taking shape before him, then stretched and walked out.
Although making atomic bombs was important, balancing work and rest was also necessary.
Besides, Amamiya Kenichi did not want Hikari to wait too long.
"Hikari, what's wrong?" Amamiya Kenichi asked with a smile, looking at Hikari standing not far from the doorway.
"Brother Amamiya!" Hikari looked at Amamiya Kenichi with joy and waved happily.
Immediately after, Amamiya Kenichi saw a golden giant appear before him.
.....
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