This long, drawn-out process, like boiling a frog in warm water, had a lethal effect. It performed a silent "replacement surgery" on Yakushi Nono's memory and cognitive level.
Under this subtle influence, the appearance of the child once familiar to Yakushi Nono, known as "Kabuto," was layered over and twisted.
Eventually, the false image implanted by Danzo became the only version of "Kabuto" that Yakushi Nono recognized in her heart.
Therefore, when the real Kabuto appeared before her with complex emotions and called out to her affectionately, Yakushi Nono's reaction could only be confusion and bewilderment.
Her gaze swept across the face before her, one that felt familiar yet had misaligned contours, and she searched her memory in vain, only to arrive at a cold and cruel conclusion.
Among the numerous orphan image files she had guarded, she could not find a single face that matched the "attacker" before her!
It must be said that this move of Danzo of manipulating memories and playing with human nature was so cold and precise that it made one's blood run cold.
It utilized and distorted the deepest love and longing, transforming them into killing intent and estrangement.
The only ironic "accident," perhaps the one miscalculation of Danzo, the perfect schemer, was the desperate trap he meticulously planned to create an emotionless mission machine.
It not only failed but ultimately created a "mad scientist" trapped in despair.
Kabuto's figure ultimately only stayed in the warm orphanage for a brief two or three days.
Although he knew full well that given Takuno's current attitude, he could probably be lenient enough to let him stay and accompany Yakushi Nono for a few more days.
However, Kabuto understood the meaning of boundaries better than anyone.
Testing one's tolerance was, in itself, a foolish gamble.
Therefore, after just two or three days, when the obsession to protect "Mother" overcame the lingering warmth, he firmly walked up to Yakushi Nono and asked to leave.
Yakushi Nono's gaze was filled with reluctance and sorrow; she tried her best to make him stay, her gentle words soaked with worry.
But Kabuto's eyes were exceptionally clear, as if he had already seen through the thorns of the future and understood even more clearly that he had to leave at this moment.
His decision did not waver in the slightest because of "Mother's" pleas.
Watching that familiar back disappear at the door, Yakushi Nono's heart felt as if it were being repeatedly struck by a blunt object, aching until she felt suffocated.
The scene before her cruelly overlapped with the one from many years ago; that still-young child, carried along by a cold fate, stepped step by step into the dark "Root."
A sense of powerlessness submerged her like a tide.
Back then, she couldn't protect him from that dark vortex; now, she seemed equally powerless to stop him from stepping into Takuno's chessboard.
Even she still needed this child she had once sheltered to turn around and protect her safety.
A deep sense of failure and self-reproach gnawed at her heart; she was truly a "mother" who had failed in her duties.
When he learned that Kabuto had come to report back so quickly, Takuno's fingertips paused slightly on the tabletop, and a trace of surprise really did cross his mind.
After being separated for so many years, he wouldn't spend a few more days of warmth with that "mother"?
This "sensibility," or rather "knowing the times," was consistent with Kabuto's usual style.
However, after the brief surprise, a curve of satisfaction quietly crept onto the corner of his mouth.
In these two days, he hadn't been idle; he had already set his plans in motion regarding how to arrange Kabuto.
Regarding those core secrets and research capable of overturning the status quo, such as the forbidden Chimera Technique or the Cursed Seal experiments that held immense potential and risk.
He would not hand them over to Kabuto for research. It wasn't that the other party lacked the ability, but that he could not trust him, and even the existence of Yakushi Nono could not change that.
Kabuto's ability might be called excellent, but unwavering loyalty was another matter. Handing such a sharp weapon to a character he didn't fully control was tantamount to playing with fire.
Thus, his gaze finally settled on those Sealing Jutsu inscribed on bodies.
Although these projects were not urgent and couldn't squeeze into the top of his research sequence, they required time and wisdom to patiently polish.
And it was precisely time that was his most extravagant luxury at the moment.
Handing them to Kabuto to chew on was killing two birds with one stone: it utilized his excellent talent to clear "backlogged tasks" without touching core interests.
However, the ideal was full, but the reality still needed paving.
With Kabuto's current foundation, understanding and deducing these profound Sealing Jutsu would likely be beyond his reach.
Takuno was well aware of this; he himself was a master in this field, and the secret texts and insights on Sealing Jutsu he had collected and compiled over the years were piled high like a mountain.
With a little screening and preparation, a set of teaching materials sufficient to lead Kabuto into this mysterious field was already formed.
Soon, an unquestionable mission scroll was placed before Kabuto: learn Sealing Jutsu theory.
What made Kabuto's pupils shrink even more was the second half of the instruction: no need to stay in the heavily guarded, cold, and oppressive research base, but instead, he could return to the orphanage? Study by Director Nono's side?
After a brief shock, wild joy almost spilled out from Kabuto's usually calm face!
He had originally thought the time for reunion was infinitely far away, but unexpectedly, there was a turn of events, and he could actually continue to protect her in this way!
Takuno watched the light that instantly lit up in Kabuto's eyes, as well as the excitement that was forcibly suppressed, and added a condition with significant meaning: "The results of the theoretical study will be subject to regular assessments. If you fail—"
Takuno's voice was flat and waveless, yet carried an irresistible force: "Then, the doors of the orphanage will be permanently closed to you."
"Understood!" Kabuto responded almost immediately, his voice carrying unprecedented firmness and determination, as if making the most important vow, "I will definitely pass the assessment!"
For him, learning was never a difficult thing; knowledge was power, and even more so, the only weapon he had to protect his mother at this moment.
As long as he could stay by Director Yakushi Nono's side to study, even if it meant chewing on the most difficult texts, he would gladly do so!
Watching Kabuto quickly compose his emotions and leave firmly with the mission scroll, Takuno withdrew the playful expression he had just shown and tapped his knuckles lightly on the tabletop a few times.
"Just letting such a research genius chew on books and then study Sealing Jutsu—is that a bit too wasteful?" He whispered, a gleam flashing in his eyes; indeed, he needed to mine more value.
A thought was immediately ignited in his heart.
A long-dusty "item" suddenly appeared in his mind: Hero's Water.
The sacred object that Takigakure regarded as its life, the essence condensed from the legendary giant tree that bloomed once every hundred years.
Theoretically speaking, drinking that water could trigger the Chakra within the body to erupt like a volcano, instantly increasing it dozens of times! Its temptation was self-evident.
Unfortunately, the fatal consequence burning one's life to exchange for power were like chicken ribs to him now.
His plan could not tolerate such short-sighted consumption; Hero's Water was, to him, merely a garnish to be considered when adding flowers to brocade, definitely not a necessity.
But at this moment, the corners of Takuno's mouth slowly rose in a dangerous arc.
Let him personally go and study those side effects? A bit of a waste of time.
But what if he threw this "chicken rib" to the ready-made tool man, Kabuto?
Let him rack his brains to see if he could strip away or suppress that life-devouring curse? This risk-to-reward ratio sounded much more cost-effective.
What if he really found a way to apply it?
While Hero's Water could temporarily increase Chakra by dozens of times when drunk directly, this temporary boost was useless to Takuno; he only hoped that Kabuto could use it as a material to develop an item that could permanently increase it.
In this way, his Chakra volume, which had already reached 10, might be able to have another significant increase.
"Hero's Water—" Takuno whispered the name, the fire of ambition burning fiercely in his eyes.
More importantly, the trip to Takigakure had already been included in his itinerary; the goal was certainly not just a bottle of water, and in fact, Hero's Water was not his main target to begin with.
"Seven-Tails Chakra—" This was the true prey he was longing for! The power of a Tailed Beast was far more valuable than a hundred bottles of Hero's Water.
Originally, his plan was to wait until other powers were more solidly consolidated before taking action, to be safe.
But at this moment, a long-lost confidence and surging sense of power filled his entire body.
"Kakuzu?" Thinking of that rogue ninja who had fought against the First Hokage, only cold mockery remained in Takuno's eyes, "Even if he were still in the Village, so what? Not to mention he had already defected."
He slowly straightened his body, and an invisible pressure slowly spread out.
Yes, he was no longer that shadow who needed to tread carefully, walking on thin ice and hiding in the dark.
The increase in strength gave him a broader stage and a more direct way of handling things.
"The timing is just right." Takuno's gaze turned toward the direction of Takigakure, filled with determination and coldness to control everything, "It's time to go and meet that Seven-Tails."
Takigakure, a hidden Village located in the Land of Waterfalls and hidden by a massive waterfall, although surrounded by four countries, had never been invaded by other countries due to its unique geographical location.
Takuno stood quietly in front of the waterfall, looking up at the massive curtain of water that spanned the sky, sounding like thunder.
The water roared as it fell, splashing into a sky full of mist, and behind it was the legendary mysterious Village.
Even though its location was incredibly ingenious, it was not difficult for him to find it; long ago, according to the records in the "original work," the terrain of Takigakure was already clear in his mind, and finding the waterfall was quite simple.
With a flash of his figure, he easily passed through the curtain-like waterfall.
The view suddenly opened up before him; he stood on high ground, looking down at the inconspicuous Village below.
The mystery of Takigakure was deeply rooted in its contradictory history.
This seemingly weak Village had a foundation far less shallow than its appearance.
It possessed the coveted secret treasure technique "Earth Grudge Fear," and even treasured the wonder "Hero's Water" that could instantly stimulate one's potential.
Even in the era when the First Hokage Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the Shinobi World, Takigakure was able to rely on its own strength to win the ownership of the Seven-Tails Chomei under the covetous eyes of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Although the Seven-Tails was not known for its combat power, being able to get a share of the pie from the Five Great Shinobi Villages undoubtedly proved that Takigakure's power at that time was not to be underestimated and was definitely not a hollow reputation.
However, in the original work, the glory of Takigakure seemed to be frozen on only two people.
The notorious rogue ninja Kakuzu, and the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Fu.
Performance outside of this was almost a disaster.
This huge gap in strength could perhaps be traced back to Kakuzu's betrayal that changed the fate of the Village.
That year, he was ordered by the Village to assassinate the First Hokage; after the mission failed miserably and he fled back to his hometown, he was not only not comforted but was imprisoned for a serious crime.
Humiliation and anger completely swallowed him; while stealing the secret scroll "Earth Grudge Fear," he even used the secret technique to cruelly remove the "hearts" of all the high-ranking officials in the Village.
This massacre directly hollowed out the core strength of Takigakure's high-ranking officials, causing an irreparable talent vacuum.
So, where did that strength, sufficient to join the Tailed Beast scramble, come from in the first place? Takuno pondered slightly, and the answer pointed to the two Village-protecting treasures.
Those who mastered "Earth Grudge Fear" might have once shocked one side; but its difficulty of practicing was not enough to support that kind of strength.
And more likely, it was those fearless warriors who, in the cruel wars, drank Hero's Water to protect the Village or gain benefits.
The price was life; the violent energy overdraft brought a short burst, but after the battle ended, they were quickly eroded by the fatal side effects of Hero's Water, passing away one after another.
Thus, the elite were all lost, leaving behind only "a few kittens," which was the most reasonable interpretation of Takigakure's rapid fall from the peak into the abyss.
Thinking of this, a trace of regret flashed through Takuno's heart.
That precious "Earth Grudge Fear" secret technique scroll, having gone through Kakuzu's defection and the washing of time, was probably long lost in the Village and could not be found.
The reason why Earth Grudge Fear was greedy was that its value far exceeded ordinary Ninjutsu.
Its most tempting aspect lay in touching the forbidden field of alternative immortality.
With the help of the weird black tentacles produced by the secret method, the practitioner could grab the strong "hearts" of others, constantly replacing their own failing organs; theoretically, as long as the source of hearts was endless, life could be extended indefinitely.
Of course, after the body was occupied by dark tentacles, whether it could still be called a "human" was a huge ethical question.
But the mere illusory picture of "immortality" was enough to drive countless ambitious people crazy.
Few people in Takigakure practiced this technique, presumably because it was extremely dangerous.
Even the gifted Kakuzu turned into a monster that was neither human nor ghost after successfully learning it.
What about those failed practitioners? The ending was obvious; they not only failed to master the power but directly gave away their own "hearts," becoming sacrifices to the secret technique.
Takuno's interest in this technique was more out of intellectual curiosity and reference, rather than risking practicing it himself.
As for its "five lives" advantage, maintaining five "hearts" at the same time, to him, the value was not great.
Enemies who could truly threaten his life were at least at the "Super Kage."
Strong people at that level had the ability to destroy all the separate "hearts" simultaneously with a wave of their hand.
Delusionally relying on scattering "hearts" to save one's life? It was tantamount to a fool's dream.
Unless a certain "heart" could leave the main body and hide in an absolutely safe, extremely distant place.
However, this assumption obviously violated the operating principle of the secret technique itself.
Otherwise, given the cautious personality of Kakuzu, who only dared to throw one Kunai when facing the First Hokage and then immediately fled, why wouldn't he reserve a "resurrection heart" in the most hidden corner?
This precisely counter-proved the limitations of the secret technique; "hearts" could not truly survive independently away from the main body.
Therefore, Earth Grudge Fear was, for Takuno, ultimately just a secret technique that added flowers to brocade; it would be better to get it, but it didn't matter if he didn't.
After Takuno determined the location of the Seven-Tails Chakra using Mind's Eye of Kagura, the corners of his mouth curled up.
The next moment, his figure disappeared from where he was.